Abstract:
The present invention concerns a device that can be used to easily and randomly draw a plurality of numbers one after the other from a large quantity of differently marked balls contained in a first chamber by a repeated manual activation of a horizontal movable bar that randomly captures one marked ball at a time from a first upper chamber into a cavity in the movable bar and transfers it to an elongated second lower chamber to display the captured and drawn marked balls. The second chamber includes two adjacent elongated channels and a channel selection member that includes a door rotatably mounted onto the device to leave only one of the channels opened and accessible for the captured balls at a time.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to lottery devices, and more particularly to manually operated random selector devices that can draw a marked ball from a pool of such balls. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The use of mini-lottery devices to randomly select a few numbers from a pool of such numbers has recently become more important for some members of our societies. For some persons, this has become such an important facet of their lives that it is important for them to, for example, simulate the draw in advance and then make a personal use of the obtained results afterwards. Many different types of mini-lottery devices exist. Some for example pick numbers one after the other while some pick a series of number all at once. 
     Among the inventions picking numbers one after the other, indicia selector has been disclosed in the prior art in U.S. Pat. No. 4,273,335 issued on Jun. 16, 1981 to G. Allonsius. In this invention, the lower floor of the deposit chamber of the selector is at the same horizontal level than the lower floor of the individual ball receptacle when the device is upright and when the receptacle is lowered at the same level than the deposit chamber, this requires that an inconvenient manual movement be given to the selector to give an angle or a gradient to the lower floor of the individual ball receptacle to ensure that the ball moves in and remains in the deposit chamber of the selector. This is not advantageous since another manual movement must be approximately simultaneously given by means of a downward pressure on the individual ball receptacle. 
     Furthermore, the system of the trap door to return the balls inside the opaque chamber can bring problems since when the transparent chamber has been emptied, it is highly possible that when the unit is re-turned in its upright position, some balls will inadvertently re-enter the transparent chamber from the opaque chamber before the trap door is closed again, hence possibly necessitating to re-act the emptying maneuver a number of times before it is successfully done. 
     It should also be mentioned that if the ball receptacle is not spring loaded, the lower section of the ball receptacle could be left as an outer protuberance that could easily be forgotten into such a position, and be broken, irreparably damaging the device, if it would be put away while being in this improper position. Finally, if something goes wrong with the one way trap door system, such as if a blocking occurs, the entire device becomes obsolete when the purpose is to select more than one numbered ball. 
     To simulate the television draws as visually speaking realistically as possible, which can be of high importance to mini-abacus&#39; users, a device should visually replicate the display of the random selection from the abacuses with an inclined channel where the drawn numbers fall or slide into one after the other to be displayed with grand style. No prior art maximizes the procurement of such a visually speaking realistic re-enactment of the television lottery draws. 
     OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide a manually operated random selector device of the character described which obviates the above noted disadvantages. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a manually operated random selector device that visually replicates a television lottery draw&#39;s display of the results. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a manually operated random selector device that randomly selects one after the other a marked ball from a hidden pool of marked balls and displays the resulting series. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a manually operated random selector device that is light, easily operated and carried, and that can be used a plurality number of times. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a manually operated random selector device that requires a minimum number of actions and movements for its use. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a manually operated random selector device that is after use easily and efficiently put back into an operative mode. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a manually operated random selector device that is compact, resistant, ergonomic, and easily manufacturable. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a manually operated random selector device that offers the possibility of changing the quantity of marked balls to simulate different lottery games. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention consists of a random lottery device comprising a main body including: 
     a first chamber freely containing a plurality differently marked balls of similar size and having a lateral opening allowing for only one of said marked balls to pass therethrough at a time; 
     a bar axially movable between a first and a second limit positions; and 
     a second chamber with transparent walls and opened at one end and adapted to receive a row of a predetermined number of said marked balls, said bar being adjacently located in between both said chambers and including a through hole forming a cavity sized to receive only one of said marked balls and having a first extremity aligned with said lateral opening and a second extremity closed when said bar is in said first position, and having said first extremity closed and said second extremity aligned with said one end of said second chamber when said bar is in said second position; thereby said cavity being capable of capturing one of said marked balls at a time from said first chamber, displacing it and dropping it into said second opening. 
     Preferably, the random lottery device further comprises a biasing member biasing said bar into said first limit position. 
     Preferably, the second chamber is sized to receive at least seven of said marked balls side by side. 
     Preferably, the main body further includes a reservoir chamber adapted to contain a plurality of additional differently marked balls and having a first access door plug member to insert or retrieve said marked and/or additional marked balls therefrom, said first chamber also including a second access door plug member to insert or retrieve said marked and/or additional marked balls therefrom. 
     Preferably, the transparent walls of said second chamber are slightly convex to act as magnifying glass thereby enhancing visual reading of markings on said marked balls. 
     Preferably, the bar always remains within a generally rectangular perimeter defined by said main body when at or between said first and second limit positions. 
     Alternatively, the second chamber includes a plurality of adjacent channels each adapted to receive a row of a predetermined number of said marked balls and a channel selection member, each of said channels being connected at one opened extremity to said one end opening of said second chamber via said channel selection member, the latter leaving access for said marked ball captured into said cavity to enter a selected of said channel at a time while closing the access to the other of said channels. 
     Preferably, the second chamber includes two of said channels and said channel selection member includes a door rotatably mounted onto said main body in proximity to said one end of said second chamber to close the one opened extremity of either one of the two channels for rotation between two extreme positions corresponding to both closing of a respective channel, and a door knob coaxially secured to said door to enable rotation of the latter. 
     Preferably, the channel selection member further includes latch members to releasably latch said door in respective said two extreme positions. 
     Preferably, each of said channels is sized to receive at least ten of said marked balls side by side. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the annexed drawings, like reference characters indicate like elements throughout. 
     FIG. 1 is an elevation view of an embodiment of a manually operated random selector device according to the present invention with the sliding bar in its biased first limit position; 
     FIG. 2 is a top view of a movable bar of the embodiment of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a section taken along line  3 — 3  of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is an elevation view similar to FIG. 1 showing the sliding bar in its second limit position; 
     FIG. 5 is an elevation view similar to FIG. 4 showing a second embodiment having a second chamber with two adjacent channels; and 
     FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line  6  of FIG.  5 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a first embodiment of a random lottery device  20  according to the present invention comprising a main body  21  having a first chamber  22  filled with a plurality of differently marked balls  23 , a horizontally slidable movable bar  24  positioned adjacently to and vertically beneath the chamber  22 , a holding cavity  26  included in the movable bar  24 , a biasing coil spring  28  secured to the movable bar  24 , and a second chamber, preferably a transparent channel  30  preferably positioned with an inclination beneath the movable bar  24 . 
     The first chamber  22 , preferably transparent, has a size large enough to ensure that the balls can easily be mixed. When the device  20  is in an upright position, a chamber lateral opening  32  of a diameter of slightly larger than the diameter of that of a ball  23  is located on a lower and substantially central section of the chamber  22 , adjacent to the movable bar  24 . When the spring  28  is in its first limit position and the device  20  in an upright position, the chamber opening  32  of the chamber  22  and the holding cavity  26  of the movable bar  24  are aligned directly above one-another. When in its first and second limit positions, the movable bar  24 , preferably, does not protrude out of and remains within the generally rectangular external perimeter of the body  21  for the device  20  to be easily inserted into a pocket or the like. 
     FIGS. 2 and 3 show a detailed view of the movable bar  24  of generally square cross-section, and in particular the fact that the, holding cavity  26  is, when the device  20  is in an upright position, a generally vertical through hole of a diameter preferably of the same diameter than one of the balls  23 , and that the thickness of the movable bar  24  is at least slightly larger than that of the diameter of one of the balls  23 . In this biased first limit position with the chamber opening  32  and the holding cavity  26  are vertically aligned, any one of the balls  23  can under gravity fall from the chamber  22  into the holding cavity  26  as indicated by the arrow A 1  of FIG.  1 . 
     A first end  34  of the movable bar  24  pushes against to the coil spring  28 , itself resting at its other end on a closed side of the body  21  of the device  20 . The second end  36  of the movable bar  24  is free to be manually inwardly pushed in order to slide the movable bar  24  in the direction indicated by arrow A 2  of FIG.  4  and compress the coil spring  28  (indicated by  28 ′) up to its second limit position. Upon a release of the second end  36  of the movable bar  24 , it shall be understood by anyone skilled in the art that the coil biasing spring  28  will expand itself back to its normal position, or up until the movable bar  24  encounters stoppers  38  at its first limit position, and until the chamber opening  32  and the holding cavity  26  are back to being vertically aligned. 
     Beneath the movable bar  24  is positioned the inclined channel  30  of a diameter of approximately the same diameter than of one of the balls  23 . The channel  30  shall also have a length L of approximately the same length as, preferably, seven times the diameter of one of the balls  23  (this length L could be different depending on the required quantity of balls  23  to be drawn for a specific lottery game). A channel opening  40  located at the upper extremity of the channel  30  is located right underneath the holding cavity  26  of the movable bar  24  when the latter has been inwardly pushed in its second limit position. This enables a ball  23  held inside the holding cavity  26  of the movable bar  24  to follow a direction indicated by an arrow A 3  on FIG. 4 when the channel opening  40  of the channel  30  and the holding cavity  26  are vertically aligned, and fall under gravity from the holding cavity  26  into the channel  30 . 
     Preferably, the transparent side walls of the channel  30  are slightly convex  42 ,  42   a ,  42   b  to act as magnifying glass to improve the visual reading of the marking on each picked ball  23  that may be small for certain persons, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. 
     The preferred way to play with the device  20  is for a user to hold the latter in his hand and turn the device  20  upside down to ensure there is no ball  23  in the cavity  26 . Then push and hold the bar  24  while constantly shaking the device  20  and turning it back in an upright position. While keeping shaking the device  20 , the user releases the bar  24  in its first limit position to have a ball  23  entering the cavity  26 , then presses the bar  24  again to push the ball  23  above the channel opening  40  to enter the channel  30 . Still while shaking the device  20 , repeats the releasing and pushing of the bar  24  until a sufficient number of balls  23  are randomly picked and located into the channel  30 , depending on the lotto game being played. To empty the channel  30  and re-use the device  20 , the latter is turned upside down and held in that position while the user keeps on successively pushing and releasing the bar  24  until all picked balls are returned back into the chamber  22 . 
     Alternatively, the bottom floor  25  of the chamber  22  may be slightly downwardly inclined from the side edges to the opening  32  in order to facilitate the capturing of the marked balls  23  into the cavity  26  of the bar  24 , as shown in FIG.  4 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a second embodiment  20   a  (it is to be noted that all similar reference numerals pertaining to the second embodiment  20   a  are followed by an “a” for clarity) includes a plurality of channels  30   a ,  30   b , preferably two, adjacent to each other and adapted to receive picked balls  23   a  in order to allow playing some lottery games requiring large number of balls per draw. Both channels  30   a ,  30   b  are connected to a common channel opening  40   a . When a ball  23   a  is released from cavity  26 , it is automatically routed, under gravity, to one of the channels  30   a ,  30   b  according to the position of a channel selection member, preferably a channel door  50  manually activated by a door knob  52 . As depicted in FIGS. 5 and 6, the door  50  is positioned in a first extreme position to close the entrance of channel  30   a  and force the ball  23   a  coming from the cavity  26  to fall into the second channel  30   b  according to arrow A 4 . The door  50  is shown in dashed lines in the second extreme position for closing the entrance of channel  30   b . As better shown in FIG. 6, the door knob  52  freely rotates within a retaining hollowed cylinder member  54  provided with an elongated slot opening  56  along which the door  50  is allowed to move; the door  50  abuts a first extremity  58   a  of the slot opening  56  to force the balls  23   a  to enter channel  30   a  or a second extremity  58   b  to oppositely force the balls  23   a  to enter channel  30   b  when the first one is completely filled with balls  23   a . Preferably, the slot opening  56  includes slightly inwardly protruding convex latching member  60  to releasably retain the door  50  into its selected extreme position. Only a small torque applied to the knob  52  is sufficient to release the door  50  from the latching member  60 . Also, to allow a user to play different lottery games with a same device  20   a , the latter can be provided with a reservoir chamber  62  accessible via a reservoir door plug  64  and adapted to receive additional add/or spare balls  23   s  having different markings than the one filling the chamber  22   a.  Obviously, the latter also requires an accessible door plug  66  to allow for insertion of new balls  23   s  or retrieval of balls  23   a , if less balls  23   a  are required for the new game to be played. The accessible door plug  66  is shown in its open position in dashed lines with an additional ball  23   s  being inserted into the chamber  22   a.  As it shall be readily understood by anyone skilled in the art, any other type of door plugs could be used such as sliding doors. 
     Although embodiments have been described herein with some particularity and details, many modifications and variations of the preferred embodiments are possible without deviating from the scope of the present invention.