Abstract:
Described is an improved bingo flashboard that doubles as a verifier of winning bingo cards due to the capability to distinctly display a winning subset of bingo numbers called in a bingo game. In addition to highlighting the winning bingo numbers, the flashboard preferably highlights the winning bingo pattern and also displays the identification number of the winning bingo card along with the prize level and the prize amount of the winning bingo card. The flashboard is in communication with and controlled by a bingo caller terminal.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The embodiments of the present invention relate to bingo flashboards, more specifically, to a bingo flashboard that facilitates in the verification process of a winning bingo card for a bingo game. 
   BACKGROUND 
   A bingo flashboard is a widespread feature of virtually every bingo hall across the country. Conventional bingo flashboards are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,218,063 and 5,011,157 to Cooper et al. and Lovell et al., respectively. Bingo flashboards are also described in numerous industry publications and product catalogs. Traditionally, bingo flashboards are used for the primary purpose of showing bingo numbers called in a current round of bingo game. Typically, the last called bingo number flashes on and off on a conventional bingo flashboard, as implied in the very name, flashboard. Although conventional bingo flashboards are quite large and easily discernable, their use is limited to displaying only the entire set of the called bingo numbers. Conventional flashboards are at best not optimal, and at worst detrimental, at the most critical point of the game, i.e., at the time of verifying a winning bingo card. 
   To alleviate the problem of lack of bingo card verification capability inherent in conventional flashboards, bingo halls are typically equipped with computer controlled TV monitors that display the winning bingo card to bingo players. Invariably, the TV monitors are rather small compared to the bingo flashboard and are therefore, difficult to discern for a majority of bingo players. In addition, TV monitors are a considerable expense for many, especially small charitable bingo halls. 
   Thus, there exists a need for an improved bingo flashboard, more particularly, a bingo flashboard to facilitate the bingo card verification process. In addition, there is also a need to make it easier for players to identify winning bingo numbers and discern winning bingo patterns, bingo cards, winning prize levels and prize amounts. 
   SUMMARY 
   Accordingly, one embodiment of the present invention is a bingo flashboard for a bingo game, comprising means for displaying a first and second set of bingo numbers, the first set of bingo numbers comprising an entire set of bingo numbers called in the bingo game, the second set of bingo numbers comprising a subset of the first set of bingo numbers, the subset belonging to a winning bingo card of the bingo game. In another embodiment, the bingo flashboard can display one or more of the following: (i) a winning bingo pattern; (ii) a winning bingo prize; (iii) a prize level of a winning bingo card; and (iv) an identification number of a winning bingo card. 
   Other variations, embodiments and features of the present invention will become evident from the following detailed description, drawings and claims. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a bingo caller terminal and a bingo flashboard displaying a first set of bingo numbers; 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a bingo caller terminal and a bingo flashboard displaying a second set of bingo numbers; 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a data flow diagram between a bingo caller terminal and a bingo flashboard; and 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a bingo caller terminal and a bingo flashboard displaying color indications of “hot balls” along with distinct representation of numbers called in a bingo game. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential character thereof. The presently disclosed embodiments are therefore considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. 
   Initial reference is made to  FIG. 1  illustrating a bingo flashboard  10  according to an embodiment of the present invention. The flashboard  10  can be coupled to a bingo caller terminal  12  via a wireless communication channel  14 , preferably a WiFi network. The flashboard  10  can also be coupled to the bingo caller terminal  12  via a wired communication channel  14 , such as Ethernet. The flashboard  10  includes a bingo numbers display panel  16  incorporating seventy-five bingo number light indicators  18  shaped as numbers one through seventy-five. The light indicators  18  are arranged in a matrix of five horizontal rows  20 , each row  20  identified by a letter spelling out the word “BINGO,” and fifteen vertical columns  22 , starting with a first column  24  formed by the light indicators  18  “1, 16, 31, 46, 61,” and ending with a fifteenth column  26  formed by the light indicators  18  “15, 30, 45, 60, 75.” Ideally, the letters “B,” “I,” “N,” “G” and “O”  20  are also implemented as light indicators  18  shaped as the respective letters. Preferably, the light indicators  18  are implemented as multi-color indicators, e.g., two-cathode tri-color light emitting diodes (LED&#39;s). However, other commonly known lighting systems and devices may be utilized. 
   The flashboard  10  also includes a game display panel  28  incorporating a two-digit number display  30 , a two-digit game/session display  32 , a multi-digit prize and card number display  34 , and a pattern indicator  36  arranged in a five-by-five matrix of light indicator cells. It will be appreciated that the matrix of light indicator cells need not be in a five-by-five matrix, in particular, in the case of a 90-number, “British”-style flashboard. Additionally, the light indicator cells of the pattern indicator  36  can be constructed of the same or similar material as the light indicators  18  of the bingo numbers display panel  16 . The flashboard  10  further incorporates a microcontroller  38  preferably, embedded within the game display panel  28  for receiving commands and instructions. Likewise, the microcontroller  38  can be embedded within the bingo numbers display panel  16 . 
   Although the bingo flashboard  10  as described incorporates a bingo numbers display panel  16  having seventy-five bingo number light indicators  18 , the bingo numbers display panel  16  can incorporate more than seventy-five light indicators  18 . Likewise, the bingo numbers display panel  16  can have fewer than seventy-five light indicators  18 . In addition, the layouts of the bingo numbers display panel  16  and the game display panel  28  are adjustable. For example, if more than one-hundred light indicators  18  are used in the bingo numbers display panel  18 , the two-digit number display  30  on the game display panel  28  can be made to display three digits. Likewise, the two-digit game/session display  32  can also be made to display three digits. The shapes and sizes of the bingo numbers display panel  16  and the game display panel  28  can also be adjusted to accommodate each other. 
   The bingo caller terminal  12  includes a display monitor  40 , such as a touchscreen LCD color monitor, and a central computer  42 , such as a PC-compatible computer. The communication channel  14  interfaces the central computer  42  with the embedded microcontroller  38 , which can also be another PC-compatible computer. Preferably, the microcontroller  38  is a single board PC computer. Via the communication channel  14 , the central computer  42  is able to control and operate the embedded microcontroller  38 , and through the latter, the central computer  42  ultimately controls the operation of the entire bingo flashboard  10 . 
   It should be pointed out that the techniques of designing a bingo caller terminal  12 , such as the one presently described, are well known and widely practiced in the bingo industry. Accordingly, the conventional details of implementing a PC-based bingo caller terminal  12  are omitted herein. Similarly, the conventional details of networking bingo caller terminals  12  with other PC-based bingo terminals, such as point-of-sale (POS) terminals and stationary and/or wireless bingo player terminals (not explicitly shown in  FIG. 1 ) are also well known, widely practiced, and extensively disclosed. As such, these details, too, are also omitted herein. Preferably, the communication protocol between the bingo caller terminal  12  and the bingo flashboard  10  is based on a TCP/IP protocol. In the interest of brevity, the teaching of such conventional communication technique including methods of communicating between the central computer  42  and the microcontroller  38  are omitted. Likewise, methods of controlling the light indicators  18  and the light indicator cells of the pattern indicator  36  by the embedded microcontroller  38  are not elaborated herein, since they are well known to the practitioners of the art and are extensively disclosed. In particular, methods of controlling the intensity (brightness) and/or colors of the light indicators  18  and the light indicator cells of the pattern indicator  36  by pulse-width modulation are well known in the industry and therefore, not elaborated on herein. Similarly, the techniques of controlling the dot-matrix and/or seven-segment digital displays  30 ,  32 ,  34 ,  36  are also well known to the practitioners of the art. Therefore, the presently disclosed embodiments focus on non-trivial, bingo-specific aspects of operating the system as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
   The process of playing and displaying a bingo game on the bingo flashboard  10  can be illustrated by referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 . As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , bingo numbers that have yet to be called  44  remain dark or dimly lit on the bingo numbers display panel  16 . As bingo numbers  46  are generated or called by either extracting bingo balls from a ball hopper (not explicitly shown in  FIG. 1 ) or by randomly generating bingo numbers by the central computer  42 , the called bingo numbers  46  become highlighted on the display monitor  40 . The called bingo numbers  46  are also highlighted on by the light indicators  18  on the bingo numbers display panel  16 . If bingo numbers are being randomly generated by the central computer  42 , the called bingo numbers  46  can be highlighted simultaneously on the display monitor  40  and as light indicators  18 , on the bingo numbers display panel  16 . Note that in instances when the called bingo numbers  46  are being announced by a bingo caller (not shown) utilizing a ball hopper, the called bingo numbers  46  may have to be manually entered via the touchscreen LCD monitor  40  to cause the called bingo numbers  46  to be highlighted on the display monitor  40 . Likewise, the bingo caller can enter the called bingo numbers  46  via the central computer  42 . Regardless of whether the called bingo numbers  46  are manually or electronically generated, the central computer  42  communicates the called bingo numbers  46  from the bingo caller terminal  12  to the flashboard  10 , more specifically, to the microcontroller  38  of the flashboard  10  via the communication channel  14 , and the microcontroller  38  in its turn, causes the light indicators  18  of the matching called bingo numbers  46  to light up or be highlighted on the bingo numbers display panel  16  of the bingo flashboard  10 . 
   As more and more bingo numbers are being called  46 , the last bingo number being called  48  flashes on and off on the bingo numbers display panel  16  and on the display monitor  40 . In addition, the last called bingo number  48  can be separately and prominently displayed on the bingo caller terminal  12  and on the two-digit number display  30  of the game display panel  28 . As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the difference in the brightness and/or color among the uncalled bingo numbers  44 , called bingo numbers  46  and the last bingo number being called  48  should be clearly apparent to bingo players by utilizing visual techniques known in the industry. 
   The advantages of the presently disclosed improved flashboard  10  will become more apparent as the bingo game reaches the stage of verifying a winning bingo card  50  displayed on the display screen  40  of the bingo caller terminal  12  as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . In such a situation, the central computer  42  transmits an information block (or a plurality of information blocks as may be appropriate) via a communication channel  14  detailing winning bingo numbers  52  that form a winning bingo pattern (a horizontally oriented letter “T”) on the winning bingo card  50  to the embedded microcontroller  38  of the flashboard  10 . In response, the embedded microcontroller  38  causes the bingo numbers display panel  16  to highlight only the winning numbers  52  and dim down or completely switch off the rest of the called bingo numbers  46 . Along with the winning bingo numbers  52 , the central computer  42  also transmits a winning card identification number  54  (also called “face number”) to the embedded microcontroller  38 , the latter able to cause the winning bingo card number  54  to be displayed on the multi-digit prize and card number display  34  of the game display panel  28 . Preferably, the central computer  42  also transmits a winning prize level  56  to the embedded microcontroller  38 . In return, the microcontroller  38  causes the winning prize level  56  to be displayed on the multi-digit prize and card number display  34  of the game display panel  28 . Additionally, the central computer  42  can also transmit the winning bingo pattern of the winning card  50  and/or a winning prize  58  to the microcontroller  38 , the latter causing the winning pattern  50  and the winning prize  58  to be displayed on the pattern indicator  36  and the multi-digit prize and card number display  34 , respectively. 
   The specifics of the data flow relevant to the winning card  50  are illustrated in  FIG. 3 , wherein data block  60  lists the types of data transmitted by the bingo caller terminal  12  while data block  62  illustrates the types of data being received and displayed by the bingo flashboard  10 . As a result of processing data  62  received from the bingo caller terminal  12 , the bingo flashboard  10  is able to display comprehensive information about the winning bingo card  50 , specifically including the winning called bingo numbers  52 , the winning pattern  50 , the winning card identification number  54 , the winning prize level  56  and the winning prize amount  58 . By displaying all necessary winning card verification data  62 , the flashboard  10  essentially functions as the winning card verification tool while preserving the conventional functions of a bingo flashboard. 
   It should be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention and the invention is not considered limited to what is specifically shown in the drawings and described in the specification. Particularly, the color light indicators  18  of the bingo flashboard  10  can display winning bingo numbers  52  in same or different colors than “uncalled” (not yet called) bingo numbers  44  or called bingo numbers  46 . Moreover, being a color display, the flashboard  10  can display other important information relevant to the bingo game not described herein. Particularly, colors may be useful in indicating “special” bingo numbers and/or combinations of bingo numbers that yield special prizes. For example, the flashboard  10  can display in contrasting colors a “hot ball”  64  for a current bingo game as illustrated in  FIG. 4 . Similarly, the color flashboard  10  can display in yet other colors “leading bingo numbers”  66  (illustrated as  42 ,  52  and  63 ) or the first three bingo numbers called  66  in the current bingo game. In certain instances, bingo halls pay out jackpots if the last called winning bingo number  48  on the winning bingo card  50  matches the “hot ball”  64  and/or the first three (or sometimes, five) called bingo numbers  66 . Like others, the information the bingo caller terminal  12  over the communication network  14 . 
   Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to several embodiments, additional variations and modifications exist within the scope and spirit of the invention as described and defined in the following claims.