Technical Field

The invention functions by using a lottery machine with game reels suitable for the game itself, or to be used in order to draw game numbers or symbols both for popular regular games and for design of new games and new gaming systems.

Background Art

There are various types of games which a value (i.e. a number or a symbol) is determined randomly using dice or fixed or rotating plates, discs or reels such as various roulettes, prize wheels, etc.

Dice, roulette plates or prize wheels are usually made of wood, plastic, or metal. The disadvantage of these objects is particularly that most dice present a safety hazard for smaller children in the home, especially because these children can swallow them.

Bigger plates and reels are more expensive and unsuitable for storing. For instance, in the document ES 1067683 U there is a description of a lottery machine constituted of massive reels, which have on their sides written numbers from zero to nine placed on the same axis. The central hole of the reel is geared and the gearing is spiked and sharp. Such reels can be massive, and in the ideal case, metal. The device cannot serve for free rotation of reels around the horizontal axis since after drawing the numbers the reels can easily slip, rendering the drawing invalid. Moreover, spinning/drawing in the horizontal way is unsuitable and provides an advantage only for certain results since the device spins particularly in one direction and it also may be destroyed when using materials such as paper orthin plastic foil. Therefore, when the device is placed on a vertical axis with a spring from the bottom side located under the cover with holes intended for reading of the drawn numbers. The game reels are placed permanently in the device, the player cannot change them. If the player tries to change the reels, the device could be damaged or the player could hurt himself. Therefore, the device is not customizable in any way - the drawing symbols are set up already during the production.

The document GB 2107996 A describes a far simpler device. It contains a pole with six l hexagonal nuts equipped with numerals 1 - 6 on six surfaces in a similar way as a regular dice; known for instance from the game "Ludo." The pole has stoppers on each end which prevent the removal of the nuts. There are disputable situations during the game when it is not clear which number has been drawn. The circular hole does not have any slots, after drawing, nuts might slip to different position just with light touch of the hand - which changes the drawn numbers. This might be decreased only to a certain level by scaling up the size of the equipment.

There is not any known lottery machine that can enable easy changing of the reels with the symbols, allowing for variability combined with simple handling of the lottery machine. It cannot be used during a journey in the train, airplane or car without negative impact on the results of drawing.

Disclosure of Invention

The aforementioned drawbacks are mostly eliminated by the new lottery machine mechanics. The invention contains at least one pole with a numerical scale printed on it, a sliding bead, and at least one thin game reel equipped with the central circular hole far bigger than the diameter of the pole. The central hole of each game reel has rounded gearing, having concave curves in the gaps creates the possibility for vertical free placing of the pole into one of the gap of the selected game reel at the beginning of the game and a certain game symbol is placed above each gap in the annulus of the game reel. This creates the possibility for variables to be customized and randomized at the beginning of each game.

An advantage is that the game reel is made of cardboard, paper or thin plastic foil, which dramatically cuts production cost as well as increases variability using variable printing; in which we can get high-quality and simple displays of game symbols or values. The game reel has a form of a break-out or scratch card. Game symbols can be numerals, letters, icons, or words and sentences, which is advantageous for quiz questions.

The number of gaps in the game reel is most suitable from 2 to 30. If there would be more of them, the diameter of the game reels would be a very inconvenient size.

It is also advantageous if the pole is plastic or wooden. In the initial version, the outer diameter of the game reel is 56 mm, the diameter of the central hole is 24 mm, and the depth of gaps is 4 mm.

Additionally, the initial version has a pole with the diameter of 4 mm and the length of 106 mm in the final version with the diameter of 6 mm and the length of 3 mm.

In the initial version, the sliding bead has the outer diameter of 5 mm and the length of 5 mm.

The most suitable number of game reels is four in the lottery machine whereas the number of gaps on each game reel is nine.

It is not necessary to have a flat board at your disposal in order to spin the game reel on the pole and its axis, which a player is required to hold in his or her hand as in case of dice game or roulette. Comparing to a dice game, there is no chance that the reel would get lost and it is also easier to store. It is also very easy to change the game because the initial game reels can be exchanged for others. In case of a pole containing numerical scale on which a bead slides, Jt is possible to show or set up some gaming values based upon this system. The big annulus of the game reels enables also to spread more volume of information. Comparing to lottery machines, such as roulette, there are no disputable situations when the indicator would stop between two values since the game reel would always fall into one particular gap.

Brief description of Drawings

The invention shall be explained in detail in the drawings, where in Fig. 1 there is an enlarged game reel with nine gaps and examples of symbols for two gaps. This game reel has visible rounding of gearing and concavely shaped curves of the gaps. Fig. 2 displays an example of each form of the game reels with three, nine, twelve and twenty gaps. In Fig. 3 you will see the pole and the Fig. 4 shows removed sliding bead and a similar pole with the numerical scale. The particular procedure of drawing or spinning with a lottery machine is clear from Fig. 5, according to this particular invention. Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

On the basis of this invention the Lottery machine comprises at least one or several game reels 1 and a pole 6. The game reel 1 has a central circular hole 2 far bigger than the diameter of the pole 6, and the circular hole 2 of each game reel 1 has rounded gearing 3 with the concave curves in the gaps inside. 4 The inner hole has a radius suitable for free vertical placing of the pole 6 and above each gap 4 there is a gaming symbol 5_in the annulus of the game reel 1. Game reels 1 of various games have in general different symbols 5 as well as number of gaps 4. Fig. 1 shows the game reel 1 made of thin plastic foil with nine gaps 4, and two gaps 4 with symbols on the annulus 5 (in this case it is number 7), a heart symbol, and the word "head," which in this case the optimal size of the game reel 1 seems to be the outer diameter of 56 mm. The diameter of the central hole 24 mm and the depth of gaps 4 mm. Fig. 2 shows the above-mentioned exemplary form of game reels 1 with three, nine, twelve and twenty gaps 4. The pole 6 in the fig. 3 and the pole 6 with the numerical scale 8 as well as with the sliding bead 7 in the fig. 4 are plastic whereas in both cases the poles have 6 diameters of 4 mm and the length of 106 mm. The final version has a diameter of 6 mm and the length of 3 mm and the sliding bead 7 with the outer diameter of 5 mm and length also of 5 mm.

The drawing featuring the given lottery machine takes place as indicated in the fig. 5 in a way that the player holds the pole with one hand 6, on which the selected game reel 1 is vertically put into one of the gaps 4 and the pole 6 becomes the spinning axis of the aforementioned game reel 1. With a light touch of a finger of the second hand on the periphery of this game reel l _j , the reel will begin to spin. After losing its momentum, the spin of the game reel 1 stops and the pole 6 fits into one of the gaps 4 of the game reel 1, above which a particular drawn symbol 5 is displayed. In case of the pole 6 with the sliding bead 7 it is possible to track the number of drawings by means the sliding of the bead 7 on the numerical scale 8 with the particular game reel 1.

The examples of use of the lottery machine:

a) In the game called "Ludo"

Instead of a standard dice with six sides the players use the game reel 1 with six gaps 4. Above each gap 4 there is a symbol 5 for one number from the numerical scale from lto 6. As already mentioned, the player, who is in turn, spins the game reel 1 with soft touch of the edge of the game reel. The gap 4, in which the game reel 1 stops on the pole 6, shows one number indicated above this gap 4, meaning the number of fields by which the player can move forward with his or her figure on the given game board. b) In a word game

On the game reel 1, for example, with 20 gaps 4 there is one letter intended for each gap 4. One player spins the game reel 1 and the gap 4 where the game reel 1 stops determines a particular letter. The player who creates or actually says a word starting with this letter, gets a point. The player who, for instance, gets 10 points first is the winner. This game can have various versions, such as selecting two letters whereas one is supposed to be the initial letter and the second one the last letter of any created word. The player who creates such word as the first one, wins the round and gets the point. c) In the risking game

In this case we use the game reel 1 with 12 gaps 4, where each gap 4 has as the symbol 5 a certain value of money intended for the game - e.g. 4x 100, 2x 200, 2x 500 and 2x 1000. Two gaps 4 have the symbol "stop" with the value 0. The player in turn selects the value of money ϊ5 times and he does not have to use the whole possibility of drawing, he can for instance stop already after three attempts. Each player sums up the values of the selected money. When using all of his attempts and without drawing the symbol "stop", he sums up all values in its scorecard as the score of the round.

In case the player draws the symbol "stop" with the value 0, he loses all already won values of money in the particular round and writes down 0 in his scorecard and passes the game reel to the other player. d) In the duel game

At the beginning of the game the players have a certain equal number of lives that can be marked by means of the pole 6 with the sliding bead 7. This pole 6 has a numerical scale 8 and the player marks its initial state of lives via moving the bead 7 to a number on the scale 8. The players take turns. In each game, each player has its set of four game reels 1, which are the weapons. Game reels 1 have 9 gaps 4 and each gap 4 has one number from the sequence of 0 to 10. If the printing is variable, game reels with the same number can be used with for example 5 gaps. When it is his turn the player randomly chooses game reels 1 and draws one number in the above-mentioned manner. Afterwards, the player has to decide whether to use the given number as a value of the attack against one of the "competitors" or puts aside the used game reel 1 to the pile with the game reels aside 1 and selects another one from his set of game reels !L by means of which he will draw again. The player always chooses one game reel 1 that has not been used in the round yet. In this way, the player may try to use all of the game reels 1 one by one as well as the selected number from the last game reel 1. If a player wants to use the drawn number, he should select one of the competing players whom he attacks. The selected number gives the value which is the power of the attack and the particular competing player shall deduct such value from the current number of his lives. After the attack, it is the turn for the other player. The winner is the player, who has some lives left as the last one from all players. e) In the narrating game

In this case the game reel 1 is used, for instance, with 15 gaps 4. For each gap 4 there is an icon expressing generally known symbols 5 such as love, fortune, fight etc. The player, whose turn it is, draws one of such symbols 5 (i.e. one of the words). Once he draws a symbol 5 (the word) the player starts narrating a story in which he/she needs to apply the meaning of the drawn symbol 5 - the word. If the player manages to do so, he gets a point and passes on the game reel 1, or actually the lottery machine to the competing player. The other player draws the symbol 5, (the word) which he needs to be subsequently add into the story, which has already been started. The player who draws the symbol 5 (the word) and does not know how to use such symbol 5 (the word) In continuation of the story gets a point deducted. The game is finished when one player gets 5 points deducted. The player with the highest number of points at the end is the winner. f) In the betting game

At the beginning of the game all players have written on a sheet of paper the same score of points, for example, 20. The game reel 1 has in this case 6 gaps 4. Three gaps 4 are tinged with blue colour and three with red. On the game reel 1 there are numerals 1 to 6 indicated as symbols 5 over the gaps 4. At the beginning of each round each player bets a certain number of points from his account. The size of the bet may be noted by the players, for instance, via the pole 6 with the numerical scale 8 and a bead 7. In addition, each player decides about his bet whereas it can be a colour, a certain pair of numbers or a particular number. Afterwards, one player spins the game reel 1 and draws the "winning number". If the player has bet the right colour for such winning number, he gets a portion of the points from his bet, also rounded down half of the bet expressed in the number of points. If the winning number is one of the pair of numbers, the player who has placed the bet wins double the points of his bet. If the player placed a bet on a particular number and such number is the winning one, the player gets triple the amount of the points of his bet. If the player has bet the other than the drawn number, the player's bet becomes invalid. The winner is the player who was the first one to get 100 points.

Industrial Applicability

The lottery machine made on the basis of this invention may be industrially produced both individually and as part of various games.