GB2318744A

GB2318744A - Apparatus for playing a game

Info

Publication number: GB2318744A
Application number: GB9622502A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James David Thomas
Original assignee: Thomas Estates Ltd
Current assignee: Thomas Estates Ltd
Priority date: 1996-10-29
Filing date: 1996-10-29
Publication date: 1998-05-06
Anticipated expiration: 2016-10-29
Also published as: GB2318744B; GB9622502D0

Abstract

A apparatus for playing a game comprises a plurality of game cards (10) each printed with a plurality of indicia (13) and each game card (10) having an opaque coating obscuring said indicia, which coating can be removed manually by a player of the game. The plurality of game cards (10) are issued by a game organiser to a plurality of players, and each player removes the coating from a game card (10) in accordance with the rules which specify that the player can reveal only a restricted number and not all of the plurality of the indicia (13) printed on the game card (10). Each player compares the revealed indicia (13) with the indicia published by the game organisers and a player wins a prize if the revealed indicia (13) match the indicia published by the game organisers. Every game card (10) issued by the game organiser can enable a player to win a prize since each card (10) will be printed with the indicia published by the organiser and the player will be able to win a prize if the player selects to reveal indicia (13) matching the published indicia.

Description

APPARATUS FOR PLAYING A GAME The present invention relates to apparatus for playing a game, for instance a game card such as a lottery scratch card, and in particular to a game card incorporating means enabling each and every card to be a potential winning card. The apparatus could also include other display devices such as an electronic display screen or a game board comprising shutter means.

Lottery scratch cards are well known in the art and typically comprise paper cards providing a particular game format, each having a plurality of indicia printed thereon, and the cards having different indicia to each other. An opaque coating of removable material covers the differing indicia in a manner sufficient to hide the indicia from view. Numerous differing game formats exist, but typically the method of playing falls into one of two categories.

In the first method a lottery scratch card is sold or issued, and then an official organisation or ruling body announces, advertises or publishes a winning combination of indicia. These indicia usually take the form of numbers, values or figures, and typically are generated in a random manner by electronic means.

Typically, a prescribed number of portions of the opaque coating material are removed by a player so as to expose the differing indicia printed on the card therebeneath. The exposed indicia are compared to the official winning combination in order to determine whether or not a prescribed requisite has been met, and accordingly, whether or not the card is a winner.

In the second method of playing, again a lottery scratch card is sold or issued and then the player removes a prescribed number of portions of the opaque coating material to expose the indicia printed on the card therebeneath. The number of like indicia exposed establish whether or not a prescribed requisite is matched, and hence determine if the card is a winner.

However, what is common to all of these differing lottery scratch card game formats and methods of playing is that each lottery scratch card is printed with a predetermined result beneath the opaque coating material, whereby the odds of winning are determined by the particular card received at the time of issue as opposed to the luck or skill of playing.

In a first aspect according to the present invention, there is provided apparatus for a game comprising a plurality of game cards each printed with a plurality of indicia and each game card having an opaque coating obscuring said indicia, which coating can be removed manually by a player of the game wherein: the plurality of game cards are issued by a game organiser to a plurality of players; each player removes the coating from a game card in accordance with rules which specify that the player can reveal only a restricted number and not all of the plurality of indicia printed on the game card; each player compares the revealed indicia with indicia published by the game organiser; a player wins a prize if the revealed indicia match the indicia published by the game organiser; and every game card issued by the game organiser can enable a player to win a prize since each card will be printed with the indicia published by the organiser and the player will be able to win a prize if the player selects to reveal indicia matching the published indicia.

In a second aspect according to the present invention, there is provided a method of making the apparatus comprising: printing the plurality of game cards with the indicia in defined positions but being randomly distributed so that successively printed cards contain the same indicia arranged in different positions.

In a third aspect according to the present invention, there is provided apparatus for a game comprising a plurality of display devices each having a plurality of indicia which are initially obscured and which can be revealed by players during the game, wherein; the plurality of display devices with defined obscured indicia are made available by a game organiser to a plurality of players; the rules specify that each player can only reveal a restricted number and not all of the obscured indicia; each player compares the revealed indicia with indicia published by the game organiser; a player wins a prize if the revealed indicia match the indicia published by the game organiser; and every display device made available by the game organiser has defined indicia which can enable a player to win a prize if the player selects to reveal indicia matching the published indicia.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1 illustrates the playing surface of the game card of one particular design and game format.

The present invention provides a game card 10 comprising a plurality of numbered squares 11, ranging from integer one to integer forty-nine inclusive, all of which are positioned on the card 10 so as to form a numerically ordered grid comprising seven columns and seven rows. Each square 11 contains two numbers, a first number 12 which serves to identify each square 11 and corresponds to its position within the grid, and a second "game" number 13 selected and printed randomly from the defined set of forty-nine numbers.

The random positioning of the game number 13 is achieved typically by an electronic generating means which ensures all of the range of forty-nine numbers are used, and used once only. An opaque coating material overlies each of the forty-nine squares 11 sufficient to hide the game numbers 13 therebeneath without obstructing the defined grid layout, and with separating spaces therebetween. The identification number 12 of each square is reprinted over the opaque material covering each of the forty-nine squares 11 so as to be visible for playing.

The game card 10 has a security panel 14 over which the opaque material is also placed. This is complemented by a printed serial number 15 positioned adjacent to the security panel 14 which is unique to the card 10, and together these provide a means for card validation. The reverse side of the card 10 has the rules relating to the game printed thereon.

To play the game, a game card 10 is issued to the player and must be inspected by the player to ensure that it is not torn, defaced, mutilated, scratched or misprinted. In particular, the opaque coating material must be sufficient to totally obscure each game number 13 of every square 11. A card 10 which does not fulfill these requirements is in breach of the rules thereby rendering it void. Once these requirements are satisfied, any six of the forty-nine squares 11 are selected by the player and the corresponding opaque covering material is manually removed, thereby exposing the game numbers 13 therebeneath. The game organiser then issues a winning combination of numbers. For instance, if every entrant to a bingo hall is issued with a game card 10, then the winning combination of numbers is announced by the caller. Each player will then decide whether the game numbers 13 they have exposed by manually removing the coating includes the announced winning combination of numbers. If the number of matching numbers meets any of the prescribed requisites in the various categories published, then the card holder is entitled to claim the prize for that category.

To claim a prize, the reverse side of the winning card must be completed by the player to include the individual's details and it must then be passed to the game organiser. Certain prize categories may be awarded immediately, subject to the organiser's discretion. The remaining categories must be verified by a security department and this should take no more than seven working days. A top category prize winning game card must be presented to the organiser immediately both for the purposes of officially recording the time and date on the winning game card, and also for the organiser's information.

Throughout the specification reference has been made to indicia which typically comprise a set of integers ranging from one to forty-nine arranged and printed on the game card 10 in a particular game format.

However, it will be appreciated that the indicia, the number thereof, and the defined positioning thereof is not limited to the preferred embodiment herein described. Indeed, said indicia may comprise any number or combination of symbols, for instance fruit symbols, thereby providing means for many further game formats.

The preferred embodiment has also been described as apparatus comprising a game card 10. However, the present invention is not limited to said card means, and it will be appreciated that the game could be equally well applied to the display devices mentioned herein: a display device comprising an electronic device having a visual display screen for displaying an array of symbols indicating the presence of obscured indicia and input means enabling the player to select to reveal obscured indicia, the revealed indicia replacing the symbols initially presented on the screen; or a display device comprising a device having a board means incorporating a plurality of shutters initially obscuring the defined indicia, which shutters can be opened by a player to reveal selected indicia.

Claims

CLAINS

1. Apparatus for playing a game comprising a plurality of game cards each printed with a plurality of indicia and each game card having an opaque coating obscuring said indicia, which coating can be removed manually by a player of the game wherein: the plurality of game cards are issued by a game organiser to a plurality of players; each player removes the coating from a game card in accordance with rules which specify that the player can reveal only a restricted number and not all of the plurality of indicia printed on the game card; each player compares the revealed indicia with indicia published by the game organiser; a player wins a prize if the revealed indicia match the indicia published by the game organiser; and every game card issued by the game organiser can enable a player to win a prize since each card will be printed with the indicia published by the organiser and the player will be able to win a prize if the player selects to reveal indicia matching the published indicia.

2. Apparatus for playing a game as claimed in claim 1 wherein the rules specify that number of indicia that can be revealed on the game card by the player is equal to the number of indicia in the winning combination published by the game organisers.

3. Apparatus for playing a game as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein all of the game cards are printed with identical indicia, the random positioning of said indicia varying from card to card.

4. Apparatus for playing a game as claimed in claim 3 wherein said indicia are laid out in an array on each game card, the indicia being printed randomly in said array of defined positions on the game cards.

5. Apparatus for playing a game as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein said indicia comprise the integer numbers ranging from one to forty-nine inclusive.

6. Apparatus for playing a game as claimed in claim 5 wherein the number of winning game numbers published by the organisers of the game is six out of the available range of forty-nine.

7. A method of making the apparatus claimed in any of the preceding claims comprising printing the plurality of game cards with the indicia in defined positions, the indicia being randomly distributed in defined positions so that successively printed cards contain the same indicia arranged differently in said defined positions.

8. Apparatus for playing a game comprising a plurality of display devices each having a plurality of indicia which are initially obscured and which can be revealed by players during the game, wherein; the plurality of display devices with defined obscured indicia are made available by a game organiser to a plurality of players; the rules specify that each player can only reveal a restricted number and not all of the obscured indicia; each player compares the revealed indicia with indicia published by the game organiser; a player wins a prize if the revealed indicia match the indicia published by the game organiser; and every display device made available by the game organiser has defined indicia which can enable a player to win a prize if the player selects to reveal indicia matching the published indicia.

9. Apparatus for playing a game as claimed in claim 8 wherein all of the display devices have identical indicia, the random positioning of said indicia varying from one display device to another.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8 or claim 9 wherein each display device comprises an electronic device having a visual display screen for displaying an array of symbols indicating the presence of obscured indicia and input means enabling the player to select to reveal obscured indicia, the revealed indicia replacing the symbols initially present on the screen.

11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8 or claim 9 wherein each display device comprises a device having a plurality of shutters initially obscuring the defined indicia, which shutters can be opened by a player to reveal selected indicia.

12. Apparatus for playing a game as claimed in any of the preceding claims substantially as shown in the accompanying drawing and played in accordance with directions furnished in the specification.