RANDOM TRAIT SELECTION

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for randomly selecting one or more traits from a set of possible traits. In particular, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for generating a random trait sequence such as a randomly generated sequence of numbers.

From time to time it is useful to be able to select one or more traits in a random manner. Here the term random is used to cover the options of being purely random or circumstances where, whilst being mathematically possible to predict, the processing requirements for such prediction are such that to all intents and purposes an outcome is effectively random. Random in this sense thus covers a pseudo-random situation.

One possible situation in which it is helpful to be able to randomly select one or more traits is in a lottery machine. In a typical lottery machine a number of balls each being associated with a respective trait such as a number or colour are mixed, typically by some physical agitator, and then selected either individually or in a sequence. The trait, such as number or colour of each ball selected, is utilised often as part of a game to determine when and how a reward should be paid out. Gaming machines where balls are used for random sequence generation can be used for bingo or other such games. Many types are well-known and in addition to the use of tumbling mechanisms to agitate balls prior to selection, air can be blown at a collection of the balls to mix the balls prior to selection.

However, the automation of the process of mixing and selecting one or more target objects, such as balls, and a methodology for automatically determining traits such as colour or number associated with the selected objects has proved difficult to achieve in practice. One technique which has been proposed is to utilise expensive camera equipment and software processing to identify some marking made on the objects subsequent to mixing and then selection. However, such automatic detection systems have proved costly to implement and are prone to error.

Also some proposed methods have proved to be unsecure so that unauthorised users can affect the sequence of numbers or other such traits which are selected. This can be

a particular problem when substantial reward is on offer in dependence on the sequence generated.

It is an aim of the present invention to at least partly mitigate the above-mentioned problems.

It is an aim of embodiments of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for randomly selecting at least one trait from a plurality of possible traits.

It is an aim of embodiments of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for generating a random number sequence.

It is an aim of embodiments of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for randomly mixing a plurality of target objects such as balls.

It is an aim of embodiments of the present invention to provide a device able to automatically detect identifiable characteristics of a ball by means of an RFID device.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for randomly or pseudo-randomly selecting at least one trait from a plurality of possible traits, comprising the steps of: selecting at least one object from a plurality of objects; determining data associated with the selected object, said data being stored in an RFID device associated with said selected object; and determining a trait associated with said object responsive to said data.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided apparatus for randomly or pseudo-randomly selecting at least one trait from a plurality of possible traits, comprising: a plurality of objects each comprising an RFID device storing data associated with the object; a detector arranged to determine data stored in an RFID device of a selected object; and a processor that determines a trait associated with a selected object responsive to data detected by said detector.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a set of ball members comprising a plurality of spherical body portions and, in each ball member, an associated RFID device holding a number unique amongst corresponding numbers associated with RFID devices in said plurality of balls.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and apparatus for randomly selecting at least one trait from a plurality of possible traits. Preferably the method is automatically carried out.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and apparatus which can repeatedly be used to generate a random sequence of traits. Preferably the random sequence of traits is a sequence of numbers.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and apparatus for mixing balls each of which are associated with a respective trait. The apparatus and method preferably provide a way of mixing balls which can ensure that a mixing and subsequent selection process can automatically and repeatedly be carried out without likelihood of failure or tampering and thus of any requirement for an authorised user to attend to the apparatus is obviated.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described hereinafter, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 illustrates apparatus for mixing and selecting balls;

Figure 2 illustrates part of an object selection process;

Figure 3 illustrates a side view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1 ;

Figure 4 illustrates a ball including an RFID device; and

Figure 5 illustrates the automatic process for determining traits associated with one or more target objects.

In the drawings like reference numerals refer to like parts.

Figure 1 illustrates an apparatus for mixing, selecting and identifying gaming balls in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. It will be understood that embodiments of the present invention are very generally applicable and provide a technique for automatically mixing and/or selecting and/or identifying at least one trait from a plurality of possible traits of a number of objects.

It will be understood that throughout this description reference is made to the provision of a method and an apparatus for randomly selecting target objects. In this sense it is to be understood that random means impossible to predict or so difficult to predict that a process is effectively random.

It is also noted that reference throughout this specification is made to a number of target objects. It is to be understood that the present invention is generally applicable to the mixing and/or selection and/or identification of a wide variety of different types of object. For example, reference is made to a target object being a ball. It will be understood however that other types of target object, such as toys, cubes, pens or other such objects which can be mixed and selected may be utilised. It will be appreciated that whilst a mixing mechanism able to mix balls prior to selection has been described hereinafter in more detail, other mixing techniques/methodologies may be used. These may be chosen according to the nature of the target object being utilised.

Reference is also made to the selection of at least one trait from a plurality of possible traits. In this sense it will be understood that the term trait is to be broadly interpreted and describes any feature or aspect which may be identified as being associated with one of the target objects. In particular a trait can be a number or colour or other such physical characteristic associated with an object. In a set of objects utilised, each object may uniquely be associated with a single trait or a plurality of objects may share one or more traits.

As illustrated in Figure 1 , the apparatus includes a bowl 101 in which objects can be mixed and having an open mouth defined by a rim 102. An inner surface of the bowl defines a running surface 103 on which balls may roll. Although not shown in Figure 1 , the inner running surface 103 preferably includes randomising elements such as pins upstanding from the running surface or insets carved into the running surface which will hinder or alter a path of a ball as it rolls along the running surface thus causing

divergence of a ball trajectory. Air jets may alternatively/additionally be used to disturb the balls' motion and to help "randomise" the mixing process.

The apparatus 100 includes a central ball collecting post 104 which is provided as a substantially vertically extending cylinder. The top of the cylinder is covered with a cap

105 and the cylindrical body has an upper access hole 106 through which balls lifted from the lower region of the bowl to an upper region of the central cylindrical body may exit at the top of a spiral shaped ball guide 107. The guide 107 is formed from two spiral shaped spaced apart guide rails 107. A gate mechanism 108 is located at a desired location with respect to the guide. The gate selectively opens/closes to release or stop the balls respectively. The gate is described further hereinafter.

Figure 2 illustrates a lower region of the central post 104 in more detail. Notably the post 104 can be formed from a rigid transparent hollow cylinder made, for example, from transparent plastic material. Within the post 104 is a drive shaft 200 on which a helical winding 201 is secured. The shaft and associated winding are rotated by a drive mechanism 202 which includes a drive belt 203 and motor unit 204.

A lower region 205 of the vertical post 104 includes an access orifice 206 which has an opening sufficiently big for a ball 207 or other such target objects to pass through into the hollow inside region of the vertical post. The ball 207 shown is of a particular colour or has associated with it some such other trait, such as a ball number. A rotating ring 208 having an undulating upper surface 209 is made to rotate at the lower region of the shaft. The rotation direction, such as clockwise or anti-clockwise, is preferably opposite to a direction in which the helical winding 201 is made to rotate by the motor 204 inside the post 104. The ring 208 and shaft and winding may be rotated by a single motor unit with appropriate gearing or may be individually driven. Use of an undulating upper surface for the ring and counter rotating directions will ensure that when a multitude of balls are collected at a lower region of the bowl only one will enter the access hole 206 at any time thus preventing the apparatus from jamming. Although not illustrated, embodiments of the present invention may utilise an automatically opening/closing door to cover the access hole 206 so that balls can be introduced into the central post at predetermined or selected times.

Once a ball enters the central region within the post 104 the rotating helical mechanism causes the ball to be raised vertically from a lower region towards the top region of the

post. Eventually the ball will exit the inside region of the post through exit hole 106 located near the top of the post.

Figure 3 shows a side view of the apparatus illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 in more detail. As shown, the post 104 extends well above the rim 102 of the bowl 101. The motor mechanism 202 is located at a lower region of the bowl 101 and may be secured to a floor or some other such surface 300. As shown in Figure 3, a ball (shown in dotted lines) is raised through the central region of the post where it exits through an exit hole 106. The ball will then run by virtue of gravity in a spiral direction around the guide track formed by guide rails 107. It will be appreciated that the guide track may be formed in a variety of other shapes and may be formed by other mechanisms, such as a single piece of material having a shape suited to direct the ball or other such target object in a desired direction. The guide rails 107 are provided to ensure that the balls falling from the upper regions will be directed onto an inner running surface of the bowl at a desired velocity and having a desired trajectory.

It will be understood that in accordance with embodiments of the present invention, the open mouth of the bowl may be closed by some type of transparent dome made of glass or other rigid plastic to prevent ingress of dirt or other such contaminants and to prevent tampering by unauthorised users.

Figure 4 illustrates a ball which can be utilised in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The ball has an outer surface 400 having a predetermined colour and includes a number 401 associated with the ball. The colour and number are examples of traits associated with the ball 207. It will be appreciated that the ball may be uncoloured and may only have a number associated with it or may alternatively only have a colour and no number. Alternatively instead of a number the object may have some other visible symbol associated therewith such as a letter or character from a foreign alphabet or mahjong character. In this sense the ball may have one or more traits associated with it. The balls forming the set of balls for use with an embodiment of the present invention are made of rigid material and are constructed so that an RFID device 402 is embedded in the inner material 403 of the ball. The RFID devices are illustrated as being located in a roughly central position although it will be understood that such a device may be located anywhere within the ball or may alternatively be secured at the surface of the ball. The RFID device holds a number which is typically 64 bits in length. In this sense the RFID device holds a number which is unique to the ball

in the set of balls utilised in any one game. In this way the RFID device holds a number different to any device within the other balls in the game. By reading the data stored in the RFID device within a ball it is possible to uniquely identify the ball passing through a detector. It will be understood that a trait, such as visible identification feature on the ball, is itself unrelated to the number stored in the RFID device. The unique number can however be cross referenced to the visible identifier or other such trait on the ball by a game controller during a set up process for the machine. Thereafter the number can be used, once identified, to determine traits associated with the number.

Figure 5 illustrates how the number of a ball may be automatically determined. Subsequent to mixing, balls are selected one by one at random by the ball falling into access hole 206 and being ejected onto the guide rails 107. A sensor 500 in the form of a coil antenna is located at a predetermined position with respect to the guide rails. As a ball rolls through the antenna, data is received from the RFID device embedded in the ball. Thus, as the ball rolls in the direction illustrated by arrow A in Figure 5, the antenna 500 transmits data to the RFID device and receives in reply data usable to determine the unique number associated with that ball. The extraction of this data is carried out by a signal processor 501 and demodulator 502 which receives the signal from the antenna generated by an oscillator 503. A data extraction block 504 derives the unique number and this is used as an index in look up table 505 to identify one or more traits associated with the identified ball. The indexing is carried out under control of a microprocessor 506 and one by one a sequence of balls passing through and identified by the detector 500 are stored in a data store 507. The order in which data is stored in fields of the data store 507 indicates an order by which the balls pass through the detector. It will be appreciated that other types of detector could be utilised in accordance with further embodiments of the present invention and that these can be located adjacent to a ball rolling path rather than a ball or other such object rolling through the detector.

The RFID device contains a unique number, for example 64 bits in length. This number does not relate to the number on the game ball but is used to determine the game ball number by means of a look up table or similar pre-stored data held and accessed by the microprocessor device. During set up of the machine, the unique number in each ball is cross referenced to the ball number and stored in the microprocessor memory. As a game is played and each ball passes through the coil detector the unique number is automatically read by the detector and stored by the microprocessor. This is repeated for each ball as the balls pass the detector and a sequence of ball numbers or identities

is stored as a game result. The result sequence can then be compared with pre-placed wagers and a respective pay out odds table and winnings pay out is initiated if appropriate. In this way, prior to a game taking place users can place bets or select numbers or colours of objects which are later to be selected. Odds indicating an amount to be paid off can be offered depending upon the likelihood of a selected trait being selected. For example only one ball in a set may be red and odds offered on that ball being the first selected will be calculated accordingly.

The balls may be stored on the guide rails 107 prior to game initiation. This can simply be achieved by providing a gate 108 at a desired location. The gate is selectively released to initiate gaming and the balls are thus released. By virtue of gravity the balls will roll down the guide rail and onto the inner surface of the gaming bowl where the balls will bounce together and generally be mixed. The counter rotating undulating surface will also aid in the mixing process. One by one and until a predetermined number or all balls have been selected, the balls will fall through the axis hole 206 in the bottom of the central pillar and will be raised one by one up to the top of the apparatus where one by one they will be ejected and will roll a predetermined distance down the guide rail passing through the detector 500 one by one. As each ball rolls through the antenna the unique number associated with the RFID device embedded in that ball will be read and that number will then be utilised to cross reference a look up table identifying, one or more traits associated with that ball. The one or more traits are stored in order one by one as the balls roll through the detector and the results which are stored are utilised later for whatever purpose is appropriate.

Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the words "comprise" and "contain" and variations of the words, for example "comprising" and "comprises", means "including but not limited to", and is not intended to (and does not) exclude other moieties, additives, components, integers or steps.

Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the singular encompasses the plural unless the context otherwise requires. In particular, where the indefinite article is used, the specification is to be understood as contemplating plurality as well as singularity, unless the context requires otherwise.

Features, integers, characteristics, compounds, chemical moieties or groups described in conjunction with a particular aspect, embodiment or example of the invention are to be

understood to be applicable to any other aspect, embodiment or example described herein unless incompatible therewith.