Patent Publication Number: US-8123224-B2

Title: Electronic lighted die with gimbal mount

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority, in part, to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/915,111 filed Apr. 30, 2007. 
    
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to the field of playing dice, and in particular to the field of playing dice having an electronically illuminated display. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1   a  shows an exploded view of one embodiment of the electronic lighted die according to the instant invention. 
         FIG. 1   b  shows a perspective view of one embodiment of the electronic lighted die. 
         FIG. 1   c  shows a perspective view of one embodiment of the electronic lighted die with shell formed of solid panels. 
         FIG. 2  shows a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the electronic lighted die. 
         FIG. 3  shows a top view of the electronic circuit board assembly of one embodiment of the display unit. 
         FIG. 4  shows a top view of one embodiment of the electronic lighted die with light sources illuminated. 
         FIG. 5  shows a schematic of an exemplary embodiment of a circuit diagram for microprocessor circuit. 
     
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Dice are used in various amusement games and games of chance. 
     Dice are available in a variety of different shapes and sizes. The number of sides (facets or faces) on a die can range from as little as four (4) to dozens, and the size of a die can vary widely, from the very minute to the very large. 
     Conventional modern gaming dice are cubes having dots or other markings on their sides representing the numbers one (1) through six (6). The dots are placed on respective die faces so that the sum of the dots on opposite sides is always seven (7). Thus, for example, the numbers one (1) and six (6) appear on opposite sides of the cube, two (2) is opposite five (5), and three (3) is opposite four (4). Typically, the dice are rolled across a surface and the number displayed on the upwardly facing facet of each cube once they came to rest has some significance or importance. 
     The advent of electronic circuitry and illuminable numeric displays for use in conjunction, therewith, has created the opportunity to produce more advanced types of dice. Such “electronic dice” have been developed to increase the entertainment value and interest in using dice. 
     As used herein, the terms “die” and “dice” refer to any object capable of displaying a number. A die may have may have any number of sides or visible surfaces. 
     As used herein, the term “microprocessor” shall refer to any element or system which may compute a random value, and cause the random value to be displayed. 
     As used herein, the term “half-mirrored” shall refer to any element or system which partially reflects incident light on a surface while allowing light from the other side of the surface to shine through. This effect is also known as half-silvered mirror or two-way mirror. 
     As used herein, the term “face” means the viewable surface of a die or any object functioning as a die. 
     As used herein, the term “inner housing” means a structural component which encloses a display unit. A inner housing may have a shape other than spherical, as this term refers to a functional structural component for encasing a display unit, including but not limited to a faceted ball, octagonal, square, rectangular, tetrahedron, hexahedron, octahedron, dodecahedron, icosahedrons, polyhedron, square, rectangular, oval, pentagonal, hexagonal and combinations thereof. 
     As used herein the term “display unit” shall refer to any element includes a visible illuminated component, the configuration of which may be variable and determined by a microprocessor. A display may include lights, graphical interfaces, reflective components, LED lights or any other component capable of creating a viewable surface. 
     As used herein, the term “gimbal mount” shall refer to any element or system that permits the inner housing suspended within the gimbal mount to rotate freely. A gimbal is a pivoted support that allows the rotation of an object about an axis. A gimbal mount with two pivoting points allows the inner housing to rotate freely, thus keeping the display unit facing upwards regardless of the orientation of the shell. 
     As used herein the term “branding indicia” means trademarking, marking, printing, coloration or other indicia of brand. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
     For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the present invention, references are made in the text hereof to embodiments of an electronic lighted die, only some of which are depicted in the figures. It should nevertheless be understood that no limitations on the scope of the invention are thereby intended. One of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that modifications such as the dimensions, size, and shape of the components, alternate but functionally similar materials from which the an electronic lighted die is made, and the inclusion of additional elements are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the written description do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Some of these possible modifications are mentioned in the following description. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one of ordinary skill in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed apparatus or manner. 
     It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. In addition, in the embodiments depicted herein, like reference numerals in the various drawings refer to identical or near identical structural elements. 
     Moreover, the term “substantially” or “approximately” as used herein may be applied to modify any quantitative representation that could permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is related. For examples one embodiment of the electronic lighted die is disclosed herein as being a cube, i.e., six (6) sided. The electronic lighted die might permissibly be somewhat non-cubical or have a number of sides other than six (6) and still be within the scope of the invention if its functionality is not materially altered. 
     Referring now to the drawings,  FIG. 1   a  shows an exploded view of one embodiment of electronic lighted die  100  according to the instant invention. In the embodiment shown, electronic lighted die  100  is comprised of shell  110  (consisting of upper shell portion  110   a  and lower shell portion  110   b ), inner housing  120  (including upper inner housing portion  120   a  and lower inner housing portion  120   b ), display unit  130 , and a gimbal mount  140 . Display unit  130  is positioned within inner housing  120 . Inner housing  120  is supported by gimbal mount  140 . Gimbal mount  140  is supported within shell  110  allowing inner housing  120  to rotate freely within shell  110 . In the embodiment shown, shell  110  is configured to form a six (6) sided chamber (in the shape of a die), into which the gimbal mount and inner housing are positioned. However, as discussed infra, shell  110  may be produced in alternative configurations, sizes and shapes which may be representational of other objects (e.g., a skull, a nugget, a diamond, a head, an automobile, a jack-o-lantern, a pumpkin, a snowman, Santa Claus, a cartoon character, a heart or any other shape or representation capable of being molded.) 
     In the embodiment&#39;shown, shell  110  is comprised of upper shell portion  110   a  and lower shell portion  110   b . Upper shell portion  110   a  and mates with lower shell portion  110   b  to form shell  110 . In the embodiment shown, upper shell portion  110   a  and lower shell portion  110   b  are each three (3) sides of a cube such that when mated with its counterpart they form a six (6) sided cube. In other embodiments, upper shell portion  110   a  and lower shell portion  110   b  may have different mating configurations to conform to their molded shapes. It should be understood that in the embodiment shown, upper shell portion  110   a  and lower shell portion  110   b  each have three (3) faces, but in other embodiments, the resulting shell  110 , as provided supra, can have fewer or more faces, dimensions, sides or mated components. Furthermore, shell  110  can be formed by any number of components to achieve the desired number of faces. For example, six (6) individual pieces can be pieced together, three (3) L-shaped pieces can be fitted together, or a five (5) sided piece can be mated with a single sided piece. 
     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1   a , upper shell portion  110   a  and lower shell portion  110   b  form a shell to support gimbal mount  140  when mated. In the embodiment shown, upper shell portion  110   a  and lower shell portion  110   b , may be sealed by means commonly known and used in the art (i.e., ultrasonic weld or gluing operation) so as to form a shell to effectively support a gimbal mount. 
     Shell  110  may be made of any substantially or partially transparent material that is capable of being molded to form upper shell portion  110   a , and lower shell portion  110   b  which may be connected or mated together. In the embodiment shown, upper shell portion  110   a , and lower shell portion  110   b  are mated by an ultra-sonic weld forming shell  110 . It should be understood that upper shell portion  110   a  and lower shell portion  120   b  can be made of any suitable material. 
     The embodiment shown in  FIG. 1   a , includes a single shell  110 . Other embodiments may include multiple shells or layers of shells, forming various shells of inner layers and compartments, which may or may not function to support gimbal mount  140 . In alternative embodiments, shell  110  may be formed of solid panels. 
     Also visible in  FIG. 1   a  is inner housing  120 . Inner housing  120  is formed of upper inner housing portion  120   a , and lower inner housing portion  120   b  which mate to form inner housing  120 . In the embodiment of electronic lighted die  100  shown in  FIG. 1   a , upper inner housing portion  120   a  and lower inner housing portion  120   b  are half-mirrored, allowing the display unit  130  to be visible (particularly when illuminated). In the embodiment shown, upper inner housing portion  120   a  and lower inner housing portion  120   b  are clear, scratch-resistant plastics, composites or polymers, compatible with mirror coatings, compatible with gluing operations, and accept printing thereon. However, other embodiments may not be scratch resistant, or may be alternate materials capable of being molded or machined to form upper inner housing portion  120   a  and lower inner housing portion  120   b.    
     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1   a , the half-mirrored faces of upper inner housing portion  120   a  and lower inner housing portion  120   b  allow the lights contained within electronic lighted die  100  (described in greater detail infra) to be visible or apparent to a user, while minimizing the appearance of other components contained within inner housing  120 . 
     It should be understood, however, that upper inner housing portion  120   a  and lower inner housing portion  120   b  need not be constructed of half-mirrored material, but rather may be transparent, partially transparent tinted, clouded, reflective, textured or treated with a material such as a varnish or film to produce a desired visual effect. 
     Additionally, in other embodiments, upper inner housing portion  120   a , and lower inner housing portion  120   b  may be of a shape that is other than spherical. 
     Display unit  130  is positioned within inner housing  120 , and inner housing  120  and a gimbal mount  140  are contained within shell  110  to allow inner housing  120  to rotate freely within shell  110 . The gimbal mount  140  maintains inner housing  120  positioned substantially within the center of the chamber formed by upper shell portion  110   a  and lower shell portion  110   b . The gimbal mount  140  supported within shell  110  allows inner housing  120  to rotate freely, positioning the center of gravity below the centerline of inner housing  120  to ensure that inner housing  120  is always positioned with the display facing upward. 
       FIG. 1   b  shows a perspective view of one embodiment of the electronic lighted die. Gimbal mount  140  is shown within shell  110  supporting inner housing  120  and maintaining inner housing  120  in an upright position. 
       FIG. 1   c  shows a perspective view of one embodiment of the electronic lighted die  100  with shell  110  formed of half-mirrored solid panels. Gimbal mount  140  is shown within shell  110  supporting inner housing  120  and maintaining inner housing  120  in an upright position. 
       FIG. 2  shows a cross-sectional side view of the embodiment of lighted die  100 . In this embodiment, shell  120  is supported by gimbal mount  140  (not shown) inside shell  110 . Power source  133  being placed on the underside of PCB  131  causes the center of gravity of inner housing  120  to be below PCB  131 . This arrangement causes the display side of PCB  131  containing light sources  135   a - g  to be displayed upward when inner housing  120  is allowed to move freely within gimbal mount  140  (not shown). 
     In the embodiment shown, sensor  137  activates microprocessor  132  when dropped. Thus, when electronic lighted die  100  is rolled or thrown, electronic lighted die  100  randomly generates a number between one (1) and six (6) (or another number if electronic lighted die  100  is programmed to simulate a die with an alternate number of faces) and show the randomly generated number using the light sources  135   a - g  positioned on PCB  131 . 
       FIG. 3  shows a top view of the electronic circuit board assembly of one embodiment of the display unit  130 . In the embodiment shown, display unit  130  is comprised of printed circuit board (PCB)  131 , microprocessor  132 , power source  133  (as shown in  FIG. 2 ), light sources  135   a - g , and sensor  137 . Microprocessor  132 , power source  133 , and sensor  137  may positioned on either the top surface or bottom surface of PCB  131 . Light sources  135   a - g  are positioned on the top surface of PCB  131 . 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a top view of one embodiment of display unit  130 . In the embodiment shown, visible on display unit  130  a value of six (6), as represented by six (6) illuminated LED lights (i.e., light sources as discussed infra.). Light sources  135   a - f  are clearly visible through the top of shell  110  forming the display of the value six (6). In this embodiment of lighted die  100 , with inner housing  120  formed of half-mirrored material, unlit light source  135   g , and other components of display unit  130  are not visible. 
       FIG. 5  shows a schematic of one exemplary embodiment of a circuit diagram for display unit  130 . In the embodiment shown, microprocessor  132  is a six (6) pin, eight (8) bit flash microcontroller, part number PIC10F202 as manufactured by Microchip Technologies. However, microprocessor  132  can be any equivalent microprocessor  132  with similar capabilities. Microprocessor  132  is activated when electronic lighted die  100  dropped. When electronic lighted die  100  comes to a rest microprocessor  132  randomly generates a number between one (1) and six (6). Microprocessor  132  then displays the resulting number by illuminating between one (1) and six (6) of light sources  135   a - g . In the embodiment shown, light sources  135   a - g  are each a red Light Emitting Diode (LED), but can be any other light source commonly used in the art. 
     Also visible in  FIG. 5  is power source  133 . In the embodiment, shown power source  133  is a 3V, 230 mAh high energy lithium battery in a button cell configuration. However, any alternate power source commonly known and used in the industry can be used. In the embodiment shown, power source  133  is mounted to the bottom of PCB  131 . This creates a center of gravity of display unit  130  below PCB  131 , ensuring that when rotated within the gimbal mount  140  (not shown) light sources  135   a - g  will face upward, allowing light sources  135   a - g  to be viewed. 
     In the exemplary embodiment shown, light sources  135   a - g  are Light Emitting Diodes (LED&#39;s). An LED has an anode (positive side) and a cathode (negative side). Current flows easily from the anode, to the cathode, but not in the reverse direction. An LED can only operate when a greater voltage is applied to its anode than its cathode. When the voltage of the anode is not greater than the cathode, the LED does not illuminate, and conducts substantially zero current. It is therefore possible to construct a circuit using LED&#39;s wherein LED&#39;s may be selectively illuminated by applying various combinations of positive voltage and ground to a matrix of LED&#39;s. An LED in the embodiment shown in  FIG. 5  will only illuminate when a positive voltage is present on its anode and a lower voltage or ground is present on its cathode. To create the desired pattern of lit and unlit light sources  135   a - g , microprocessor  132  alternately applies positive voltage and ground to each LED in the circuit shown in  FIG. 5 . 
     In the embodiment shown, after a predetermined time, microprocessor  132  ceases displaying the desired pattern of lit and unlit light sources  135   a - g . Microprocessor  132  subsequently powers down until electronic lighted die  100  is moved and sensor  137  activates microprocessor  132  again. 
     While electronic lighted die  100  has been shown and described with respect to several embodiments and uses in accordance with the present invention, it is to be understood that the same is not limited thereto, but is susceptible to numerous changes and modifications as known to a person of ordinary skill in the art, and it is intended that the present invention not be limited to the details shown and described herein, but rather cover all such changes and modifications obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art.