WO2001039146A1

WO2001039146A1 - Process and computerized equipment for generating an instantaneous award

Info

Publication number: WO2001039146A1
Application number: PCT/BR2000/000125
Authority: WO
Inventors: Carlos Eduardo Wendler; Sueli Terezinha Neves Wendler; Boris Sitnik
Original assignee: Lotomídia - Serviços Virtuais Ltda.
Priority date: 1999-11-19
Filing date: 2000-11-17
Publication date: 2001-05-31
Also published as: AU1977401A; BR9905402A

Abstract

Process and computerized equipment for generating an instantaneous award, refers to a process and an electro-mechanical device, of the kind of a self-executable computer terminal, endowed with a color monitor (screen) (1), in appropriate size, command keyboard (2), controlling computer unit (3), storage systems (4), system of interface with an external control device (5) interface for access through external microcomputer (9), energy source (6), optional interface for standard keyboard (7) and optional system for printing a voucher for the operation (8), as well as operational alarms, able to accomplish instantaneous and similar award raffles, with a direct interaction between the user and the machine, whose access is made by hand, in a safe, efficient way, with an advantageous cost of acquisition, through an appropriately prepared terminal, for installation in several previously designated points, and applied to commercial promotions, being environmental-friendly, and saving costs in raw materials, transportation and storage.

Description

PROCESS AND COMPU ERIZED EQUIPMENT FOR GENERATING AN INSTANTANEOUS AWARD

The present Patent of Invention refers to a process and an electro-mechanical device, of the kind of a self-executable computer terminal, able to accomplish instantaneous and similar award raffles, with a direct interaction between the user and the machine, whose access is made by hand, in a safe, efficient way, with an advantageous cost of acquisition, through an appropriately prepared terminal, for installation in several previously designated points, and applied to commercial promotions, being environmental-friendly, and saving costs in raw materials, transportation and storage.

As it is well known by the people in general, nowadays, the games of instantaneous award can be made through the previous purchase of a coupon or paper ticket printed with numbers, letters or illustrations, that are covered by a removable opaque film that is removed when being scraped with the fingernail or with an appropriate toil, exposing the content of the game and, consequently, its result. This system of game, known as " scrap-and-win ", is extremely attractive for the consumer, for it presents an immediate result, without needing to wait a certain date for award. However, its use is practically restricted to official lotteries, due to the high cost associated to the production, transport, elimination and/or recycling of the coupons. Besides that, the production and discarding of paper is aggressive to the environment and the costs inherent to the safety, transport, and storage is elevated. Such characteristics have burdened the use of tickets of instantaneous award in commercial promotions, as, for example, prize raffles among buyers of a store or " shopping center ". Usually, the commercial promotions utilize " coupons " where the consumer has to fill its personal data, by hand, in each " coupon ", which is seldom attractive to the consumer. Such data, however, are important for the promoter for purposes of consumer data filling and product marketing research, and it is necessary to transfer these manually inserted data to an electronic database, generating an additional cost. Besides that, the awards are made in a date posterior to the purchases, and its results are often published in magazines, pamphlets or through other communication media, not always available or accessed by the consumer.

PROCESS AND COMPUTERIZED EQUIPMENT FOR GENERATING AN INSTANTANEOUS AWARD, the object of the present Patent of Invention, was developed to allow the use of this type of game, in commercial promotions or not, offering to the consumer the advantage of verifying his award immediately, what stimulates him to search again for the condition that allows his participation in the raffle, presenting a cost substantially lower than that of the paper media, and proportioning, to the promoter of the award, optionally, an electronic filling made by the consumer himself, that by his time can use it for future promotions, for it utilizes Hardware and Software for, through self-executable terminal, to accomplish raffles of instantaneous award, where the user interacts with this terminal, through command by hand (through, by instance, keyboard, "touch-screen" type monitor, optical pen, mouse, etc.), and the sequence of activities will be available in the video screen, commanding and accomplishing the operation. The result is always visible in screen, as well as there could be a sound warning and voucher printing, in case an award is won.

For better understanding of the present patent, we enclosed FIGURE 1., that shows a Block Diagram of the linking of Hardware (equipment) that accomplishes the process for generating an instantaneous award;

According to the said figure, the self-executable teπninal has a color monitor (screen) (1), in appropriate size unilaterally linked to the controlling computer unit (3) and to the energy source (6), command keyboard (2) unilaterally linked to the controlling computer unit (3) and to the energy source (6), controlling computer unit (3) unilaterally linked to the screen monitor (1), to the command keyboard (2), to the energy source (6), optionally to the interface for standard keyboard (7) and optionally to the system for printing a voucher for the operation (8) and linked bilaterally to the storage system (4), to the system of interface with an external control device (5) and to the interface for access through external microcomputer (9), storage system (4), unilaterally linked to the source of energy (6) and bilaterally linked to the unit (3), system of interface with an external control device (5), endowed with remote control, or keyboard or a key, unilaterally linked to the energy source (6) and bilaterally linked to the unit (3), interface for access through external microcomputer (9), unilaterally linked to the energy source (6) and biilaterally linked to the unit (3), energy source (6) unilaterally linked to all the components, optional interface for standard keyboard (7) unilaterally linked to the unit (3) and to the energy source (6) and optional system for printing a voucher for the operation (8) unilaterally linked to the unit (3) and to the energy source (6), as well as operational alarms.

The process accomplished by the equipment object of the patent present is the following:

1 - Consumer receives a previous authorization for use of the equipment, through the external control device (5), though which the machine will be liberated;

2 - being the system in starting condition, that is to say, with the monitor screen positioned in the waiting condition, when initializing the process of raffle, the command " START " is activated, where it will be presented to the user the screen with the possibilities of choice of the virtual coupons;

3 - soon after, the user will choose the command " SELECT " for the choice of the virtual coupon, and it will confirm one of the positions as the desired position;

4 - once chosen the virtual coupon, the user shall choose the command " SCRAPE ", where, in the screen, there will be the effect of scratching of the chosen virtual coupon (" scrap-and-win "), ending the operation, with or without award. In case there is award there will be a specific indication in the screen and there could be a sound warning, and the machine could send a command to a printing device (optional), as a confirmation (voucher) of the award winning;

5 - the command " CANCEL " can be chosen at any instant or phase of the process, though it won't work after the command " SCRAPE ";

6 - after having ended the operation, optionally, it will be presented to the user a screen for filling its personal data, if he authorizes it.

The award possibilities, as well as the amount of virtual coupons to be generated will be controlled by interaction of an operator (through external access to the machine), using the " software " installed and resident in the equipment, and stored in the memory system. As the virtual coupons are going to be used, the system itself, through its database, is going to be updated, and is going to register in its own report and through statistics, the whole behavior of the process, informing, through solicitation, the correct situation, with generated and raffled (" scraped ") amount, accomplished winnings, etc. The complete information in report form can be transferred by recording in disk, tape, or other media, external or not to the system, as well as they can, later on, to be electronically sent.

The generation and/or programming of the awards will be made by means of the use of an external microcomputer, through the interface (9).

The equipment (Hardware) necessary to accomplish the process for generating an instantaneous award is a Self-executable Terminal , and it accomplishes with the following minimum configurations: a) controlling computer unit (3) : Processor Intel Pentium-PRO 200 MHz or similar, with a minimum clock of 200 MHz; Cache Memory : 256 Kbytes; Minimum main memory: 64 Mbytes extendable to at least 128 Mbytes; Expansion Slots PCI, PCI/ISA, ISA; b) Storage System (4): hard disk with a minimum storage capacity of 4 Gbytes formatted, Fast SCSI-2 interface (standard ANSI X3.131- 1994), medium access time of 15 ms or less, minimum transfer rate of 4 Mbytes/s; 3,5 " floppy disk Unit with 1,44 Mbytes of storage capacity, formatted; Flash memory Unit (for recovery of database important data );

* c) Printing System (8): Interface for mini-printer (Serial or Parallel); d) Interface for access through external microcomputer (9): serial standard EIA RS-232C/CCITT V.24/V.48; Interface SCSI-2 Fast Wide; e) video Monitor (1): color, SVGA with a maximum 10 " screen; f) command Keyboard (2): specific keyboard with 8 keys in the body of the group; g) sound Interface with built-in speaker; h) external control Device (5) with remote command by button, key or other means, for external liberation of working; i) optional Interface for standard keyboard (7): 101 keys standard Keyboard for PC; j) Energy Source (6): 300 W AC/DC source;

The Software that accomplishes the process object of the present invention, needs a platform with the following configurations: k) operating systems MS-DOS 6.22 or superior and Windows

95/98;

1) SNMP Agent (optional); m) Net Communication Solution; n) System of Database Management: With relational Model for ambient X- Windows composed by tools for database Management, applications and reports Generator, consulting tools (for Consulting and development users), CASE tools and facilities for access to Database, with support to SQL standard; allowing creation of primary and foreign keys with more than one attribute; implementing mechanisms of file back-up and having tools for recovery, installation, performance evaluation, error analysis, and access auditing; having active data dictionary with automatic field consistency; suporting the storage of images; supporting methods of data protection; allowing multiple volumes space allocation; o) Anti- virus (adapted to the types of access); The computer programs in these computers will be ordered and associated in such a form that they will run in Windows 95/98 platform, in a way to accomplish the above mentioned functions .

The specific application programs will be distributed like this: Management of the whole system, accomplishing systematic reports as well as surveillance against operation flaws; communication and ordering with the access media; storage and database updated in real time; operational safety with specific resources; Providing of reports; Providing of necessary sounding and visualization.

Claims

1 ". PROCESS AND COMPUTERIZED EQUIPMENT FOR GENERATING AN INSTANTANEOUS AWARD, characterized by: Self-executable Terminal having a color monitor (screen) (l),unilaterally linked to the controlling computer unit (3) and to the energy source (6), command keyboard (2) unilaterally linked to the controlling computer unit (3) and to the energy source (6), controlling computer unit (3) unilaterally linked to the screen monitor (1), to the command keyboard (2), to the energy source (6), optionally to the interface for standard keyboard (7) and optionally to the system for printing a voucher for the operation (8) and linked bilaterally to the storage system (4), to the system of interface with an external control device (5) and to the interface for access through external microcomputer (9), storage system (4), unilaterally linked to the source of energy (6) and bilaterally linked to the unit (3), system of interface with an external control device (5), endowed with remote control, or keyboard or a key, unilaterally linked to the energy source (6) and bilaterally linked to the unit (3), interface for access through external microcomputer (9), unilaterally linked to the energy source (6) and bilaterally linked to the unit (3), energy source (6) unilaterally linked to all the components, optional interface for standard keyboard (7) unilaterally linked to the unit (3) and to the energy source (6) and optional system for printing a voucher for the operation (8) unilaterally linked to the unit (3) and to the energy source (6), as well as operational alarms, such terminal accomplishing the following process:

2 - being the system in starting condition, with the monitor screen positioned in the waiting condition, when initializing the process of raffle, the command " START " is activated, where it will be presented to the user the screen with the possibilities of choice of the virtual coupons;

5 - after having ended the operation, optionally, it will be presented to the user a screen for filling its personal data, if he authorizes it.