Abstract:
A scratch-off card holder device has a handle jutting out a top edge of a board of the holder device such that the handle makes the device easy to port from one location to another. A first and second scratch-off card holder devices whether spring loaded or mechanical are disposed on the front and back of the device respectively. Coin holders are found on either side of the scratch-off card holder devices attached to or integral with the slab forming the board. A scratchings motion device container is situated above the card holder for placement of a brush therein.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]    The present invention relates to gaming board devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to improvements directed to boards for scratch-off cards that are used in current state and national games. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]      FIG. 1A  presents a prior art clipboard system  100  having a typical spring activated clip. A clipboard  100  is shown in the figure having a typical plastic rectangular board  101  having a back, a front, top, bottom and two side edges all integrated as a single slab of plastic material. A spring mounted clip  102  is located at the top center of the clipboard  100  so as to effect engagement with paper, pictures or similar materials. 
         [0003]      FIG. 1B  presents a prior art clipboard having a typical spring activated clip. The spring loaded clip  102  is made from typical metallic materials such as aluminum or stainless steel, cheaper metals or alloys; there is a metallic back plate  102   a  that supports the clip  102  and permits entry of the pin attachments  107  thereon so as not to break the material of the board. The clip  102  is a rectangular device having four arms, a top engagement arm  104 , a bottom arm  103 , a right arm  105  and a left arm  106 . Each of the arms are arranged as shown to form a single rectangular piece and are positioned as one would expect; that is, at the right side of the bottom arm  103  it flows into the right arm  105  that proceeds upwards until it meets the top arm  104 ; the left side of the bottom arm  103  proceeds into the left arm  106  that is disposed upwards until it integrates into the upper arm  104 . 
         [0004]    Various plastic bumpers  108 , and  110  are disposed at either side of the bottom junctions on the right or left of the bottom arm  103  as it merges into the left  106  and right arms  105 . Next, a spring loaded actuator  109  having contact with the top rectangular arm causes the entire clip device to close down upon the board  101 . It should be understood that the top arm  104  is also realized as two parts instead of an arm in contact with the interior of either side of spring loaded actuator  109 . Finally, two pin attachments  107  hold the clip device  102  to the clipboard  101 ; they perforate the underlying metal rectangular plate  102   a  that sits atop the outer surface of the slab  101  and thereby prevents it from being damaged in use. 
         [0005]      FIG. 1C  presents a prior art clipboard having another type of clip. This is representative of the teachings of US patent application No. US 20110127180 A1 to David Vogias (herein incorporated by reference); this patent application teaches a lottery scratch ticket holding device having a board with a front surface, a rear surface, a top portion and a bottom portion. A clip is located along the top portion of the board and used for attaching, holding and storing scratch off cards on the holding device. A receptacle is located across the bottom portion of the board. The receptacle is used to collect any scrapings created as a user scratches the opaque covering off a scratch ticket. As lotteries continue to proliferate users will have more reason to use assistant devices such as that taught by Vogias. 
         [0006]    Lottery systems are globally ubiquitous and promise players untold rewards for participating in the game. Various scratch-off electronic gaming and other types of games permit the user to engage his appetite for gains earned with a small amount of risk. Typical lottery games have a thick paper or cardboard sheet having one or more scratch off portions that hide winning behind the scratch off material. A user would typically grasp a coin or similar item and manipulate it against the surface of the scratch off portion so as to reveal the winnings or losings underneath. 
         [0007]    One of the problems of the prior art is that there is no solution that helps a user to control the device that he or she uses to scratch off the card. This deficiency needs to be overcome. 
         [0008]    Further, a user must use his or her hand to clean the scratching debris about the surface of a scratch off card. A solution that permits a user to keep his hands clean is necessary to overcome this problem. 
         [0009]    Next, another problem with the prior art system is that once a user has utilized one scratch off card, he or she does not have a way to load another one without having the unwanted first scratch off card influencing the new scratching of a new card. 
         [0010]    Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a scratch-off card board having a mechanism or device that helps a user to control the scratch off card and scratch off device and or that permits a user to maintain hand cleanliness and or permits a user to mount a new scratch off card whilst having not having the influence of the first card. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    The present invention overcomes the deficiencies of the known art and the problems that remain unsolved by providing an apparatus for helping a user control a scratch-off card board and or that maintains user hands free from scratching debris. 
         [0012]    A scratch off board device comprising:
       a scratch-off card holder device attached to   a slab of material having   a first scratch-off card holder device attached to a front side of the slab of material   a second scratch-off card holder device attached to a back side of the slab of material.       
 
         [0017]    A scratch off board device comprising:
       a scratch-off card holder device attached to   a slab of material having   a handle extending out a top edge of the slab of material.       
 
         [0021]    A scratch off board device comprising:
       a scratch-off card holder device attached to   a slab of material having   a first scratch off manipulation device holder attached to the slab of material.       
 
         [0025]    In another aspect, a second scratch off manipulation device holder attached to the slab of material. 
         [0026]    In another aspect, wherein the first scratch off manipulation device holder attached to the slab of material is attached to the slab of material between the edge of the slab and a side of the scratch-off card holder device. 
         [0027]    In another aspect, wherein the first scratch off manipulation device holder attached to the slab of material is attached to the slab of material between the edge of the slab and a first side of the scratch-off card holder device and wherein the second scratch off manipulation device holder attached to the slab of material is attached to the slab of material between the edge of the slab and a side opposite the first side of the scratch-off card holder device. 
         [0028]    In another aspect, a scratchings motion device container above the scratch off card holder device. 
         [0029]    In another aspect, a scratchings collector at a bottom edge of the slab of material. 
         [0030]    These and other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the attached drawings and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments which follow. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0031]    The preferred embodiments of the invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings provided to illustrate and not to limit the invention, in which: 
           [0032]      FIG. 1A  presents a prior art clipboard having a typical spring activated clip. 
           [0033]      FIG. 1B  presents a prior art clipboard having a typical spring activated clip. 
           [0034]      FIG. 1C  presents a prior art clipboard having another type of clip attachment. 
           [0035]      FIG. 2A  presents an isometric front oriented view of a novel scratch-off card clipboard having a scratching device holder and debris collector. 
           [0036]      FIG. 2B  presents an isometric rear oriented view of a novel scratch-off card clipboard having a scratching device holder and debris collector. 
           [0037]      FIG. 2C  represents an isometric front view of a lottery board in another embodiment of the teachings herein. 
       
    
    
       [0038]    Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0039]    The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the described embodiments or the application and uses of the described embodiments. As used herein, the word “exemplary” or “illustrative” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as “exemplary” or “illustrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. All of the implementations described below are exemplary implementations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the embodiments of the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, which is defined by the claims. For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “left”, “rear”, “right”, “front”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in each figure. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the following detailed description. It is also to be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the following specification, are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise. 
         [0040]      FIG. 2A  presents an isometric front oriented view of a novel scratch-off card clipboard having a scratching device holder and debris collector. An improved scratch-off card board device  200  is shown in the figure. A slab of plastic material  201  forms the backbone of the scratch-off card board device  200 . This slab has a top surface, a bottom surface, a left edge, a bottom edge, a top edge and a bottom edge all integrated as one slab of plastic material. A handle  202  at the top is formed from a U shaped piece of plastic integrated with the top edge of the slab  201 ; the legs of the U face downwards and form the two contact points with the slab  201 . At the top front middle portion of the slab  201 , directly below the handle  201  is a spring loaded clip assembly  213 . This assembly  213  has a metal plate backing and the spring actuated device discussed in  FIG. 1B . 
         [0041]    On either side of this spring assembly  213  are two coin holders  203 . These coin holders extend outwards from the front surface of the plastic slab  201  and are in a semicircular shape for holding a typical coin; in this instance a quarter although other sizes will do. The size and shape of the coin holder  203  permits a user to easily grasp the coin sitting inside the holder  203 ; essentially, they are concavities of plastic that sit atop the slab  201  in a semicircular shape that taper at the edge or circumference down back towards the slab  201 . Finally, at the bottom of the slab is a thin rectangular scratchings collector  207 . 
         [0042]    This scratchings collector  207  has a right side  205 , a left side  206 , a front side  204  and a bottom side  209 . The right side  205  merges with the bottom front right edge of the slab  201 , with the right edge of the bottom side  209  and the right edge of the front side  204 . The left side  206  merges with the bottom front left edge of the slab  201 , with the left edge of the bottom side  209  and the left edge of the front side  204 . The front side  204  bottom edge also integrates with the bottom side  209  along a front edge thereof. Finally, the back edge of the bottom side  209  integrates with the bottom front edge of the plastic slab  201 . It should be apparent from the above description that the scratchings collector  207  is integral along the sides described previously. 
         [0043]      FIG. 2B  presents an isometric rear oriented view of a novel scratch-off card clipboard having a scratching device holder and debris collector. This back side shows how the back side of the slab  201  has a second spring activated clip device  213  that utilizes the same pin attachments of the front spring loaded clip device  212 ; this is accomplished by inserting the pin attachments atop the metal back plate. Thus, a user is able to hold another scratch off card on the back of the device as on the front of the device moving cards backwards and forwards as needed. 
         [0044]      FIG. 2C  represents an isometric front view of a lottery board in another embodiment of the teachings herein. An improved scratch-off card board device  200  is shown in the figure. A slab of plastic material  201  forms the backbone of the scratch-off card board device  200 . This slab has a top surface, a bottom surface, a left edge, a bottom edge, a top edge and a bottom edge all integrated as one slab of plastic material. A handle  202  at the top is formed from a U shaped piece of plastic integrated with the top edge of the slab  201 ; the legs of the U face downwards and form the two contact points with the slab  201 . At the top front middle portion of the slab  201 , directly below the handle  201  is a brush holder  211  and directly below that is a spring loaded clip assembly  213 . This assembly  213  has a metal plate backing and the spring actuated device discussed in  FIG. 1B . 
         [0045]    The brush holder  211  forms an open trapezoidal box shape for a brush having a left side  210   a , a front side  210   b , a right side  210   c  as well as a bottom side  208 . One edge of the left side  210   a  integrates with the surface of the slab  201  whilst its other edge integrates with an edge of the front side surface  210   b . Next, the opposite edge of the front side  210   b  integrates with an edge of the right side  210   c  whose other edge integrates with the slab  201 . The bottom side  208  integrates along an edge with the slab  201  and at three other edges with the bottom edges of the left side  210   a , front side  210   b  and right side  210   c.    
         [0046]    On either side of this brush holder  211  are two coin holders  203 . These coin holders extend outwards from the front surface of the plastic slab  201  and are in a semicircular shape for holding a typical coin; in this instance a quarter although other sizes will do. The size and shape of the coin holder  203  permits a user to easily grasp the coin sitting inside the holder  203 ; essentially, they are concavities of plastic that sit atop the slab  201  in a semicircular shape that taper at the edge or circumference down back towards the slab  201 . Finally, at the bottom of the slab is a thin rectangular scratchings collector  207 . 
         [0047]    This scratchings collector  207  has a right side  205 , a left side  206 , a front side  204  and a bottom side  209 . The right side  205  merges with the bottom front right edge of the slab  201 , with the right edge of the bottom side  209  and the right edge of the front side  204 . The left side  206  merges with the bottom front left edge of the slab  201 , with the left edge of the bottom side  209  and the left edge of the front side  204 . The front side  204  bottom edge also integrates with the bottom side  209  along a front edge thereof. Finally, the back edge of the bottom side  209  integrates with the bottom front edge of the plastic slab  201 . It should be apparent from the above description that the scratchings collector  207  is integral along the sides described previously. 
         [0048]    Thus has been shown an improved scratch board device having a dual mounted spring device mounted on the front and back of the device for holding cards on either side. 
         [0049]    Further, an improved scratch off board device has been shown having coin holders that help a user to store the scratching devices, i.e., the coins. 
         [0050]    Finally, an improved scratch off board device has been shown that has a handle for easy portability of the device. 
         [0051]    Finally, it should be understood that various changes to the embodiments herein yield alternative embodiments by rearranging parts, deleting them or similar combinations thereof. For example, an embodiment having all the features taught herein but without the coin holders is an alternative embodiment. Another embodiment is one that does not have the second clip attachment on the back of the board. Another embodiment is one that does not have the brush holder at center top; another embodiment is one that does not have the brush holder at center top nor the scratching collector at bottom. Another embodiment only has the coin holders and the clip attachment on the front; another embodiment only has the coin holders and the clip attachment on the front and back; another embodiment only has the coin holders and the clip attachment on the front and back and a brush holder at top. 
         [0052]    Thus, it should be apparent that various modifications of the aforementioned features in the embodiments disclosed herein such as deletions of, combinations of, or rearrangement of parts are realizable without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention that is defined by the following claims.