WO2004014503A1

WO2004014503A1 - Electronic system for a bridge tournament

Info

Publication number: WO2004014503A1
Application number: PCT/CH2002/000439
Authority: WO
Inventors: Emmanuel Goin; Denis Klopfenstein
Original assignee: Emmanuel Goin; Denis Klopfenstein
Priority date: 2002-08-13
Filing date: 2002-08-13
Publication date: 2004-02-19

Abstract

Disclosed is an electronic system comprising storage means (23, 24, 25, 26) and electronic data processing modules (11) for reading and storing in the storage means, a module being installed on each card table. The storage means contain the stored program of players' moves and hands during the tournament. The storage means are provided with first external storage units (24N, 24S, 24E, 24W), each of which is assigned to one player and comprises an identification code of said player. The identification code is read by the processing module (11) of the table at which the player sits such that the module (11) checks if the player sits in the right place. The storage means also comprise second external storage units (25), each of which is assigned to a hand. The players enter the result of the game at the end thereof by means of the module (11) which stores the result in the second external storage unit (25) that is assigned to the hand that has just been played.

Description

ELECTRONIC SYSTEM FOR BRIDGE TOURNAMENT

The present invention relates to an electronic installation for managing a bridge tournament and, in particular, for facilitating the recording of the information necessary for calculating the results of the tournament.

The rules of the game of bridge and competitions based on it are well known to any experienced player. These rules are guaranteed by an international code regularly updated, and are therefore substantially the same in all countries. The brief presentation of the principles of the game of bridge given below has no limiting value and is only intended to facilitate reading for the non-specialist. A more complete description of bridge competitions can be found for example in the work entitled "Larousse du bridge" published by Larousse editions (Paris, 1995) or in the work "duplicate bridge direction" by Alex Groner published in Devyn editions. Press Inc. (Louisville KY, USA, 1999).

The game of bridge pits two players against two other players (we speak of pairs). It is played with a deck of 52 fully distributed to the players (13 cards per player). The game then takes place in two stages. First an auction stage which is used to determine within the framework of strict rules a contract (an asset and the number of tricks to be made) as well as the pair who will play this contract (the reporting team), the team opponent taking the role of defenders. The second stage is that of the card game itself during which the contract is played under the conditions set by the auctions. At the end of this second stage, the result of the game is entered on a "score sheet" comprising several columns. If the reporting pair has successfully completed their contract, points are entered in their column. Otherwise, points are entered in the defender column. A game of bridge generally lasts less than ten minutes and, during a usual tournament, each player plays several games. It is therefore the accumulation of points achieved or lost during the different games that determines the ranking at the end of the tournament.

In order to limit the role of chance in the results, during a bridge tournament, the same deal is usually played successively by different players. To this end, the cards are not shuffled during of play and, at the end of a play, each player places his hand of 13 cards in a case, also called "board" which comprises four pockets intended to contain the four hands without mixing them. The case then passes to four other players who will replay the same deal. Thus, during a tournament, the players and the cases containing the card games change tables. The movement of players and cases is done according to a plan fixed beforehand. These planned trips pose certain problems. In particular, it is not uncommon that, for some reason, some players get the wrong table, resulting in a loss of time.

On the other hand, to know the results of a tournament, all the points entered on the scoresheets must be subject to relatively complex accounting operations. These operations are most often carried out using standard software installed on a personal computer (PC). In these conditions, it is obviously necessary to enter all the points in the computer before the latter calculates the results. The operation of entering points is done manually from the score sheets. It therefore takes a certain amount of time and this results in a relatively long timeout between the end of the tournament and the announcement of the results. It would therefore be desirable to succeed in eliminating or reducing this dead time. .

Document EP0380449 already describes a table terminal for a bridge tournament proposing to remedy the above-mentioned problems. This document teaches placing a computer terminal on each bridge table comprising means for displaying directives, means for entering information, and means for transmitting data to and from a central computer. According to this document, in order to prevent players from mistaking the table, the terminal of each table displays the numbers of the two pairs (north-south and east-west) intended to play at the table. Concerning the problem of the time out between the end of the tournament and the proclamation of the results, the aforementioned document teaches that the table terminal replaces the score sheet, the players directly entering the points corresponding to the game they have just played in the terminal. Thus, this data can be directly transmitted to a central computer responsible for calculating the results. The operation of entering points into the computer from the mark sheets is therefore eliminated. The solution described in document EP0380449 however presents certain problems. First of all, the means of transmission between the terminal and the central computer are established by cables or by wireless telecommunications. The realization with cables is bulky and impractical, and that by wireless telecommunication is probably expensive and this all the more that the number of tables to be served is important. On the other hand, only the central computer keeps the recording of the data entered by the players. A failure of the central computer would therefore risk being a disaster. In addition, as traditional brand sheets are replaced by centralized storage, players may feel frustrated during the tournament because they no longer have the opportunity to compare their performance with that of previous players who played the even gives. More generally, players could feel dispossessed of their control over the smooth running of the tournament for the benefit of the computer. As soon as the players have entered the data, the results disappear so that they are not accessible until the end of the tournament. Finally, the principle of displaying on the terminal the numbers of the pairs intended to play at a table is not suitable for individual tournaments in which the pairs change during the tournament.

One of the aims of the present invention is to remedy the drawbacks described above. Thus the invention relates to an electronic installation for a bridge tournament according to claim 1 attached.

In accordance with the present invention, each player carries with him a first external memory unit which is assigned to him personally. Thus each player can be identified via his memory unit. When settling down at a table, players place their memory unit so that it can be read by a computer module placed at that table. Thus, the computer module can verify that each of the players is seated at the right table.

In accordance with the present invention also, the information relating to a contract and to the game of a deal (in particular the points obtained or lost) which have been entered using the computer module placed at a table, is not stored in a central computer, but stored in the memory unit associated with the deal that has just been played. So, at the end of the tournament, the second memory units together contain the information necessary to calculate the results. In addition, according to the present invention and unlike the solution proposed by patent document EP0380449, collecting the results does not require the use of one form or another of telecommunications. Indeed, information can be transmitted from one place to another by physically moving the external memory units. In addition to its great simplicity and low cost, this characteristic of the present invention has the advantage of replacing the traditional branded sheets with memory units which the players move themselves from one table to another in accordance with the program of the course. of the tournament. This feature therefore allows players to keep as much as possible the habits they have acquired before the implementation of the invention.

According to the present invention, the computer processing modules are designed to be brought into contact simultaneously with the mobile memory units carried by the players present at a table, as well as with at least one other memory unit which is associated with the case of the game. Thus, according to an advantageous variant, it can be provided that at the end of a game, the processing module stores the points in each of the memory units with which it is in contact, which increases the redundancy of the information. This characteristic has the advantage of avoiding that the possible failure of one of the memory units does not have serious consequences.

According to another advantageous variant of the present invention, when a memory unit carried by a player and a memory unit associated with a deal are brought into contact with a computer module, the latter completes the information contained in each of the memory by information contained in the other memory unit. The exchange of information thus established also has the advantage of generating a certain redundancy of information and, therefore, of better ensuring data backup in the event of a breakdown.

According to yet another advantageous variant of the present invention, the processing module and provided for, according to the identity of the players and the number of the deal present at the table, authorize the display of a selection of the information recorded in the different memory units present at the table. The information selected to be displayed is intended to be that which, in a traditional tournament, would normally be accessible to players at the same stage of the tournament. ^• This characteristic of the invention has the advantage of also helping to prevent players from feeling dispossessed by the electronics of their control over the smooth running of the tournament. According to yet another advantageous variant of the present invention, the memory means comprise an additional external memory unit designated under the name of arbiter key. This memory unit contains the recording of a code intended to be read by a processing module, and to cause the display by this processing module of all the information contained in the other memory units with which the processing module is in contact. This feature has the advantage of allowing a referee to act very similar to how he would act in a traditional tournament.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the detailed description which follows, given solely by way of example with reference to the appended figures, of which: FIG. 1 a is a diagram representing the movements of the pairs players between three game tables during a Howell pair tournament, three tables, 15 deals; - Figure 1b is a table of player movements and deals corresponding to the diagram in Figure 1a; FIG. 2 represents an embodiment of one of the processing modules accompanied by mobile memory units according to the invention; FIG. 3 schematically shows an embodiment of the main card contained in the processing modules according to the invention; FIG. 4 is a table, the content of which gives a summary of the information elements intended to be stored in the mobile memory units according to an embodiment of the present invention.

To facilitate the understanding of the implementation of the electronic installation according to the present invention, we will begin by describing the main stages of the course of a usual bridge tournament.

Before the start of the tournament, the tournament director (DT) takes the registrations of players wishing to participate. Only once the DT knows the number of registered players, and therefore the number of necessary game tables, that he can determine the number of deals to play according to the time available for the tournament. An evening club tournament can last between 4 and 5 hours. Knowing that it takes approximately 10 minutes per deal, or 6 cases per hour, a tournament of standard duration most often uses between 24 and 30 cases (all players play all deals). Once the number of tables and the number of cases determined, the DT can choose the type of movement to be implemented by referring, for example, to a table like the one found on page 153 of the manual "duplicate bridge direction ”already quoted. Still by way of example, the following description refers to a case where 12 players have registered (3 tables of 4 players) for a tournament in pairs which should not exceed 3 hours.

Among the various known formulas for determining the movements of the cases and the players, let us suppose, by way of further example, that the DT chooses a movement "Howell, 3 tables, 15 deals". This movement is designed for 6 pairs of players and should not last more than 3 hours. It consists of 5 rounds (or rounds), each table playing 3 deals per round (the movements of the pairs of players, at the end of each round, are shown schematically in Figure 1 a). The cases played in the first round are identified by numbers 1, 2 and 3; those played on the second bear the numbers 4, 5 and 6 and so on up to 15 (Figure 1b). At the start of a round, the cases containing the three deals to be played during that round are distributed one per table. As soon as the game of a deal is finished and the results noted, the cards are replaced in their case and the cases are exchanged between the tables. So at the end of a round, each of the tables played the 3 deals. Figure 1 a, schematically represents the 3 tables (referenced 1, 2 and

3) as well as the movements of the pairs from one table to another between the turns. The pair seated north-south (NS) from table 1 is the only pair that remains in place for the duration of the tournament. The other pairs change places after each lap according to the route represented by a chain of arrows. As we can see, the pair sitting in east-west (EW) of table 1 passes EW of table 2. The pair sitting in EW of table 2 passes in EW of table 3 where it takes the place of a pair passing in NS from the same table. The pair which was seated in NS from table 3 passes to NS from table 2 or it replaces a last pair which goes to EW of table 1. So that during the tournament, the players know where they must go, we place on each table a cardboard guide mentioning the number of this table and also indicating where the players will have to go to the round next. At the start of the tournament, players take their places at the various game tables. Depending on the places in which the players have sat, they are assigned a number for the duration of the tournament. If, as is the case in this example, the tournament is not individual but in pairs, the pairs are assigned a number. In our example, the pair that remains in NS of table 1 throughout the tournament receives the highest number (here the "6"). The pair opposite to the pair "6" in the first round receives the number "1", the one which will be opposed to the pair "6" in the second round receives the number "2" and so on. In addition to being used to identify players or pairs, the numbers facilitate the detection of possible errors in the movements of players during the tournament.

The tournament can then start, the players play the first deal. At the end of the game of this deal, one of the players notes the results (final contract, start, result of the tricks) on a score sheet (according to the most widespread use, it is the player sitting in the south (S) from the table which records the results). Usually, the score sheet on which S notes the results obtained at the end of the game of a deal is then stored with this deal in the same case. Thus, a score sheet follows a deal when it is transmitted from one table to another and, at the end of the tournament, the score sheet contains all the results obtained with this deal. The score sheet is usually presented as a table with several lines, each corresponding to a game. On each line, next to the result of a game, the players also indicate the numbers of the two pairs which obtained this result. Finally, when a deal is played for the first time in the tournament, when recording the results, one of the players also writes on the score sheet the cards that form each of the 4 hands. This precaution makes it possible in particular to reconstitute the deal in the event that the cards are inadvertently mixed. At the end of the tournament, the DT calculates the results of the tournament from the data entered on all the brand sheets contained in the different cases. Most often, the results are calculated using a computer on site and into which all the data contained in the brand sheets must be entered beforehand. The automated calculation of the results and made possible by known software installed in the computer. This software can be, for example, Winscore ^® software sold by Visual Sofware.

We will now describe a particular embodiment of the present invention as well as its implementation with reference to the example of the unfolding of a tournament which has just been described.

In Figure 2 we see a read / write module according to the invention generally referenced 11. The read / write module 11 is formed of a housing which comprises a liquid crystal display 22 and a touch screen 12 (In Figure 2, the two overlapping screens are shown as a single element). The module 11 also includes seven readers 13, 14N, 14S, 14E, 14W, 15 and 16 each provided for reading and writing in an external memory unit (respectively referenced 23, 24N, 24S, 24E, 24W, 25 and 26) and a keyboard 17 provided to allow, in combination with the touch screen 12, to enter information. If we now refer to Figure 3, we see that the read / write module of this example contains a main card which is organized around an Intel StrongARM® SA1110 microprocessor (referenced 28) specially designed to manage interfaces multiple. The architecture of the main card shown in Figure 3 is inspired by the architecture of personal digital assistants (PDAs). One of the advantages of such an architecture based on very widespread components, is the possibility of having recourse to an operating system (software) practically implementing only routines (tools) already available on the market. The operating system can for example be developed from Linux® solutions available in “Open Source” (free software). Two other advantages of the architecture represented in FIG. 3 are, on the one hand, the small size of the main card and, on the other hand, the possibility of using as rechargeable power source also a small rechargeable battery. (not shown). In FIG. 3, it can be seen that the readers 13, 14N, 14S, 14E, 14W, 15 and 16 are each connected to an input / output terminal of the microprocessor 28. In the present example, these memory unit readers mobiles are iButton® Probes DS9092 intended to read and write in the iButton® mobile memory units already described in relation to FIG. 2. The touch screen 12, 22 is also connected to an input-output terminal of the microprocessor 28. The touch screen 12, 22 is provided both for managing the display and for processing the pulses produced by a user pressing on a part of the surface of the touch screen 12. The keyboard 17 is connected to another terminal input and output of the microprocessor 28. Two other terminals are respectively connected to two standard interfaces, one of the PCMCIA type and the other of the RS232, USB or IRDA type. These are intended to allow the exchange of information with a nearby computer or with a network possibly via a modem. The microprocessor 28 is also connected to a bus 29 allowing access to the working memory (RAM) as well as to a non-volatile memory (ROM) containing the operating system and the programs for the processing module.

According to a variant, the processing modules 11 could each be constituted by a small computer of the current type previously programmed to accomplish certain tasks specific to the present invention which will be described later. Note that according to this latter variant, the current type of computer should preferably be equipped with a number of readers 13, 14, 15 and 16 sufficient to simultaneously receive the various mobile memory units 23, 24N, 24S, 24E, 24W , 25 and 26 implemented in the present example. Note that, according to another variant of the present invention, it would be possible to use a processing module 11 that does not include the number of readers required to simultaneously receive all the mobile memory units. In this case, it would suffice to successively carry out the read and write operations in the various memory units. However, this procedure would make the implementation of the present invention much less user-friendly.

In the example shown in the figures, the processing module 11 is specially designed to be used for the implementation of the present invention and it in particular comprises a keyboard 17 and a specialized operating system for so as to facilitate use and reduce the cost price. In the present example, the screen 12, 22 is a touch screen also providing the input interface function in combination with the keyboard 17. According to another variant of the invention, the screen could be provided only for the display while the keyboard 17 would be designed to carry out all the input operations. Note that we already know specialized keyboards to enter the results of a game of bridge. The patent document US 5743797 in particular, describes one which would lend itself to being used with this latter variant of the present invention.

In the example shown in the figures, the mobile memory units 23, 24, 25, 26 are constituted by iButton® sold by the company Dallas Semiconductor. These memory units are presented as pellets with a diameter of less than two centimeters and they include a chip containing 8Kbytes of non-volatile memory allowing reading and writing when the tablet is inserted in a reader 13, 14, 15 or 16 provided for this purpose. Such a reader is, in fact, constituted by a socket intended to receive the iButton® and comprising two electrical contact zones, one provided for grounding the memory unit and the other for reading / write to this memory unit.

Those skilled in the art will understand that other embodiments of the invention may use another type of memory unit. The memory units could in particular constitute active or passive transponders which it would suffice to bring a few centimeters from a reader to allow reading or writing by electromagnetic transmission. Thus, the expression “proximity contact” used in the claims covers all the forms of contact that can be envisaged by a person skilled in the art, provided that these are not carried out remotely by means of wires or means. wireless communications. For example, according to yet another variant of the invention, the iButton® could be replaced by standard 3V∑ inch computer diskettes. In this case, the memory unit must be in mechanical contact with the reader so that the latter drives the floppy disk in rotation. Note that this last variant using floppy disks has the advantage of offering a much larger memory capacity (normally 1, 4 Megabytes) than the iButton®. However, readers of Disks have the disadvantage of being more expensive, more cumbersome, and less practical than the drives used in the example in Figure 2.

To return to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, there are seven memory units. A first of these memory units (referenced 23) is an administrative memory unit reserved for the tournament DT or the referee of the tournament. In practice, these two people preferably each have a unit 23 intended to be read by the reader 13 of the module 11. Four other memory units (referenced 24N, 24S, 24E, 24W in FIG. 2) are transported by the players who come to sit down to play at the table on which the processing module 11 is placed. The four external memory units 24 each contain an individual identification code making it possible to identify the player to which they belong. The four players are placed respectively in N, S, E and W of the table (figure 1a). On the other hand, each case used during the tournament is associated with a mobile memory unit 25. This memory unit 25 is attached to the case containing a deal and therefore accompanies this case throughout the duration of the tournament. In addition, the memory unit 25 contains a record of the number of the corresponding case. Finally, each table is also associated with a memory unit (referenced 26). These memory units 26 are therefore not intended to be moved during the tournament. As the processing module 11 is also designed to remain on the same table throughout the duration of the tournament, the memory unit 26 can be inserted into the reader 16 before the start of the tournament and remain there until the end. Under these conditions, according to another variant of this embodiment, the memory unit 26 associated with a table is permanently integrated into the processing module 11. According to this latter variant, the memory unit 26 is not preferably not an iButton®. In fact, in the context of this variant, it is simpler to provide for the module 11 to use its own working memory in place of an external memory unit 26. Whatever the embodiment of the memory unit 26, it contains a record of the number of the table with which it is associated.

We will now describe the implementation of the invention at the various stages of the bridge tournament, the course of which has been described above. Recall that, in this example, six pairs of players are competing and that the DT has opted for a “Howell, 3 tables, 15 deals” movement. Figure 1b is a table of movement corresponding to this example. Such a table contains all the information necessary to implement the movement chosen for the tournament. The table in FIG. 1b has five lines corresponding to the five rounds that make up the tournament (the period of games between two successive player movements is called a “round”) In this example, the same players play three different deals each round. The numbers of the cases containing these three data are indicated in the left column of the table. The table also includes three large columns corresponding respectively to the three game tables. Each of these large columns and formed by four sub-columns corresponding to the four players taking place at the table. The four places on a table are called North (N), South (S), East (E) and West (W). The two-digit numbers that appear in each of the sub-columns are the player identification numbers. The first digit between 1 and 6 indicates the number of the pair and the second digit 1 or 2 indicates the number of the player inside the pair. Note that in a paired tournament like the one in this example, only pairs should be able to be identified. The second digit is therefore not essential. However, the particular embodiment described in the present example can also be implemented in an individual tournament in which the players must be able to be identified individually. This is the reason why the example table in Figure 1b distinguishes the players within a pair.

FIG. 4 is a table summarizing the various items of information (or items) which, in accordance with the present embodiment of the invention, must be stored in all or part of the memory units 24, 25 and 26 by the end of the tournament. The table in Figure 4 is intended to contain the results of all the games of all the deals scheduled during the tournament, as well as the identification of the players who participated in each of these games. To avoid any risk of confusion with the table in FIG. 1 b which contains part of the same information, the table in FIG. 4 will be designated below by the expression "the matrix". Those skilled in the art will understand that FIG. 4 presents the information to be stored in the form of a rectangular table only to facilitate reading of this document. The architecture of the units of memory and the addressing mode actually used to store the information in these units is not necessarily like in Figure 4.

The matrix of FIG. 4 comprises as many lines as there are games of a deal in the tournament. That is 45 lines for this example. As indicated by the figure in the first column, the first 15 rows of the matrix correspond to the games played at table 1, the next 15 to those of table 2 and the last 15 to those of table 3. The second column of the matrix corresponds to the number of the round. The matrix includes three lines per table and per round which corresponds to the fact that the players of a table play three deals per round. The third column of the matrix corresponds to the number of the donrie (of the case) played for this particular game. As can be seen in Figure 4, the numbers of the data in the third column of the matrix range from 1 to 15 for each table. This corresponds to the fact that with the Howell movement described above, all deals are played at all tables. However, it will be understood that the order of the data in the matrix most often does not correspond to the chronological order (indeed, it is not possible that the three tables play the deal 1 first). The fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh columns correspond respectively to the number of players seated in North, South, East and West. Finally the last three columns are provided for recording the results of each game. The eighth column is intended to indicate the contract, the ninth column to indicate the start and the tenth to indicate the result. In addition to the matrix shown in Figure 4, the memory units are designed to also contain a table of information relating to the 15 deals (for each deal: content of the four hands, vulnerability, place of the donor) and another table containing the type of memory unit (first = players; second = deals; third = tables; fourth = referee and DT) and the corresponding identification code (player, 11, 12, 21, etc.; gives 1, 2, ..., 15).

The information in the seven columns of the matrix just described is a full transcription of the information provided in the table in Figure 1b. For the tournament to start, the DT must ensure that the processing modules 11 arranged on each of the tables 1, 2 and 3 have access to this initial information. For this, it suffices that at each table, the information in the first seven columns of the matrix has been saved to at least one of the memory units 24, 25 or 26 before the start of the tournament. The DT accomplishes this preliminary operation by first entering the information from the table in Figure 1b into a computer (not shown in the figures). This computer is equipped with a reader for mobile memory units such as those which equip the processing modules 11. Once this information has been recorded in his computer, the DT will transfer it to the memory units 25 associated with the three cases (cases 1 , 2 and 3) which will be played in the first round. To do this, the DT brings these three cases close to the computer and successively introduces the memory unit 25 of each of the cases into the reader of his computer. Once the information has been transferred to the three memory units 25, the DT can deposit the cases on the various game tables. According to another variant, instead of transferring the information in the memory units 25 associated with the cases, the DT can, in an equivalent manner, transfer this information on movements to the memory units 26 associated with the different tables. To do this, the DT first transfers the information from the computer to an additional external memory unit (not shown) which he personally has as tournament director. Then passing from table to table and successively introducing its memory unit into the processing module of each table, the DT can transfer the information into the memory unit 26 associated with each table.

According to yet another variant, it is provided that a database gathering tables corresponding to the various known movements is accessible directly (by Internet for example) from the DT computer. Thus the DT does not have to enter the information contained in table 1b but only to select and download data contained in the database.

At the start of the tournament, the players take their places at the various game tables and each introduce their mobile memory unit 24 into the corresponding reader 14 of the processing module 11. If they have not already done so, they also introduce the memory 26 associated with the table and the memory unit 25 associated with the deal that they will play in the corresponding readers 15 and 16. The processing module 11 begins by reading the content of the various memory units. According to the case number and the table number it reads, the processing module determines the row of the matrix corresponding to the game that is going to take place (it preferably also checks that this row is part of the first round of to verify that the case placed on the table is the correct one). The processing module 11 can then establish for each of the four players, a correspondence between the player number appearing in the column of the matrix corresponding to the place occupied by the player at the table (for example, the player seated in the west (W ) from table 1 at the start of the tournament receives the number 12 for the duration of the tournament) and a player identification code which is contained in the memory unit O 24 carried by said player. These identification code and number correspondences are also recorded by the processing module 11 in the memory units 24, 25 and 26. If the memory space available in the mobile memory units 24, 25 and 26 is sufficient, the identification code of each player can consist of the player's full name. 5 The game of the first deal can begin. It will be noted that the use of the mobile memory units 24N, 24S, 24E and 24W allows the players to identify themselves simply by inserting these memory units in the corresponding reader of the processing module 11. For the rest, the implementation of the present invention requires very little change in behavior compared to a traditional tournament. The players can therefore concentrate on the game without worrying about the operation of the electronic installation.

At the end of the game, the player of the table occupying the South position (S), orders the processing module 11 to enter the mode for entering the 5 results by pressing the corresponding key on the keyboard 17. This key brings up the results entry page on the screen. Sud can then enter the results of the game (contract, start and lifted result) directly on the touch screen 12. The processing module 11 therefore replaces the traditional brand sheet here. Furthermore, entering the results is further simplified due to the simultaneous presence in the readers of module 11 of a specific combination of memory units 24, 25 and 26 which uniquely determine the line of the tournament matrix in which the results of this game must be entered. Once the results have been entered, if the two pairs agree on the mark, South validates the result. One of the effects of this validation and to display on the screen a new page summarizing all the results obtained since the start of the tournament with this particular deal. Indeed, a traditional brand sheet associated with a case contains this same information, and players often want to consult it to compare their performance to that of other pairs of players who have played the same deal. The characteristics of the processing module 11 which have just been described therefore have the advantage of allowing players accustomed to traditional tournaments to participate in a tournament implementing the present invention without having the impression of having to give up their habits.

Another effect of the validation of the result by south is the writing of this result by the processing module 11 in each of the memory units 24, 25 and 26. The fact of recording the result in several memory units 24, 25 and 26 presents in particular the following advantages. First of all, the fact of recording all the information redundantly in several memories improves security in the event of a failure which would make it impossible to read the content of one of the memory units 24, 25 or 26. In addition, the fact of recording the results in the memory units 24 carried by the players gives them the possibility of keeping after the end of the tournament a personal copy of their results. Indeed, the cost price of a mobile memory unit 24 can be very low, an advantageous variant of implementation of the present invention provides that the players keep their memory units at the end of the tournament. Thus, players will later be able to consult their results at will as long as they have a computer equipped with an appropriate reader as well as the software required to read the mobile memory units. Finally, note that the implementation of this advantageous variant does not necessarily imply providing each player with a new memory unit 24 at each tournament. Indeed, we can expect a player who regularly participates in tournaments to acquire, once and for all, a unit of personal memory that he takes with him when he goes to a tournament.

To return to the course of the tournament in this example, once the results of the game of the first deal entered and validated, sud still enters the 13 cards from each of the four hands. To do this, it activates the card entry mode by pressing the corresponding key on the keyboard. This key brings up the results entry page on the screen. South then successively grabs three of the four hands in the conventional order "west", "north" and "east" on the touch screen. According to a variant of the present example, Sud also grasps its own hand “sud” so as to allow the processing module 11 to ensure that there have been no input errors. If module 11 does not display a message indicating an input error, Sud validates it. This validation commands the processing module 11 to record the composition of the hands in each of the memory units 24, 25 and 26 inserted in the readers of the module 11. The validation of the input also has the effect of making the screen appear a page indicating the next case to play at this table as well as, if it is the end of a round, the destinations to which the two pairs must then respectively go. It will be understood that when the screen 12 displays this last page, it fulfills the same function as the guide card which would be placed on the table in a traditional tournament taking place without implementing the present invention. This last characteristic makes it possible to save on guide boxes without significantly changing the habits of players. The memory unit 25 secured to the case of the deal which has just been played is then removed from the reader and taken with the case. The next case to be played at the table is then brought and its memory unit 25 introduced into the reader 15 of the processing module 11. If it is the end of a round, the players also withdraw their units from 24N, 24S, 24E and 24W mobile memory of their readers and take them with them to move according to the indications displayed on the screen of module 11. New players then take their place at the table and introduce their own mobile memory units in the readers of the processing module 11.

Once the new mobile memory units 24 and 25 have been introduced, the processing module 11 begins by verifying that the identity of the players as well as the number of the case correspond to the indications of the tournament matrix stored in the memory units. If the processing module 11 detects an error, it displays an error message on the screen 12. Otherwise, the processing module completes the information contained in the tournament matrix of the memory unit 26 by comparing these with the information contained in the tournament matrices of the other memory units 24 and 25. This operation being executed, the processing module replaces the matrices contained in the mobile memory units 24 and 25 by copies of the completed matrix contained in the memory unit 26. The purpose of this operation is to maximize the redundancy of the information recorded and, therefore, in particular to protect the device of the present invention against the most annoying consequences of failure. A new game can then start and the procedure described is repeated until the end of the tournament except, of course, for the entry of the cards constituting the four hands of a deal which only takes place when this deal is played for the first time.

Once the five rounds of the tournament have been completed, the tournament director organizes the centralization of the results in order to calculate the results. Because of the great redundancy of the information obtained with the mode of implementation of the invention which is the subject of the description above, the tournament director can be satisfied with collecting the results contained in only one part. memory units 24, 25 and 26. The memory units 26 associated with the tables alone contain the information necessary to complete the tournament matrix. According to a first preferred variant, the tournament director goes from table to table with his own mobile memory unit so as to collect the information contained in the memory units 26 to complete the tournament matrix in his own memory unit. The memory units 25 associated with the different cases having been played in the last round (in the present example, the number 13 cases, 14 and 15) also together contain all the necessary information. According to a second variant, the tournament director has successively read by one of the processing modules 11 the memory units 25 associated with all the cases played during the last round. Thus this processing module 11 completes the tournament matrix and stores it in the memory unit 26 associated with the table on which the processing module is placed. Finally according to a third variant, the tournament director asks a player from each pair to pass introduce his mobile memory unit 24 into a particular processing module 11. Once the players have passed the one after the others transfer their information to the processing module 11, the latter has the entire tournament matrix.

Whatever variant is implemented to centralize the information, this information is then transmitted to a computer equipped with software provided for establishing the classification of players for the tournament. Identical to what has been described concerning the transfer of the movement programs for the tournament, the tournament director can carry out the transfer to a PC using his personal memory unit. However, according to a preferred variant, the tournament director connects the processing module 11 containing the completed matrix to a computer using a standard cable (USB for example) or any other means of remote transmission. Thanks to the implementation of the present invention, the collection of results and the calculation of the ranking of players for the tournament can be carried out in a much shorter period of time than in a traditional tournament where the results recorded on the scoresheets must be entered by hand.

Those skilled in the art will understand that since each of the processing modules 11 is itself a computer, it can, according to a variant of the present invention, replace the use of a PC in each of the stages of the tournament for which the description above provided for the use of a PC.

Claims

claims

1. Electronic installation for managing a bridge tournament, said tournament bringing together N players (N being a number equal to at least 8) distributed around several tables (1, 2, 3) at the rate of 4 players per table, and said players successively playing several deals; said electronic installation comprising memory means (23, 24, 25, 26), and computer processing modules (11) provided for reading, processing and recording data in said memory means, one of said computer processing modules being allocated to each of said game tables, and each of said computer processing modules comprising:

- display means (22) provided to provide players with indications,

- input means (12, 17) provided to allow, at the end of the game of a deal, to manually enter information relating to a contract as well as to the game of said deal, said processing module recording said information in said memory means so that at the end of the tournament said memory means contain all the information necessary for calculating the results of the tournament; said memory means further containing a recording of a movement program intended to indicate which players must play each of said deals at each of said tables; said electronic installation being characterized in that said memory means comprise at least N / 2 first mobile external memory units (24N, 24S, 24E, 24W), each of said first memory units being allocated to a different player, and said first memory unit of a player containing identification information of said player, said information being provided to be read by said computer module (11) associated with a table (1, 2, 3), when said player sits at said table and puts said first memory unit in proximity contact with read / write means (14N, 14S, 14E, 14W) of said computer module; said electronic installation being further characterized in that said memory means comprise second external memory units mobile (25), each of said second memory units being associated with a deal and being moved with said deal when said deal is brought to a table (1, 2, 3) during the tournament, said second memory unit associated with a gives containing a record of an identification number of said deal, said identification number being intended to be read by said computer module (11) associated with a table, when said second memory unit is brought to said table and placed in close contact with reading / writing means (15) of said computer module; said processing module (11) being further provided for comparing said identification information of players placed at said table and said identification number of a deal brought to said table with said movement program to verify that said players and said deal are placed at the right table; said electronic installation being further characterized in that the reading / writing means (13, 14, 15, 16) of each of said processing modules are provided for recording said information relating to a contract as well as to the game of a deal at the less in said second memory unit (25) brought to the table (1, 2, 3) associated with said processing module, so that at the end of the tournament, said second memory units together contain all the necessary information calculating tournament results.

2 electronic installation for bridge tournament according to claim 1, characterized in that an external memory unit (24N, 24S, 24E, 24W) is allocated to each of the N players.

3 electronic installation for bridge tournament according to claim 1, characterized in that an external memory unit (24N, 24S, 24E, 24W) is allocated to one of the two members of each of N / 2 pairs of players.

4 electronic installation for bridge tournament according to claim 1, characterized in that the read / write means (13, 14, 15, 16) of each of said processing modules (11) are provided for recording said information relating to a contract as well as to the game of a deal also in said first memory units (24N, 24S, 24E, 24W) allocated to the players placed at the table (1, 2, 3) associated with said processing module .

5 electronic installation for bridge tournament according to claim 4, characterized in that said memory means comprise third memory units (26), and in that one of said third memory unit is associated with each table (1, 2 , 3), the reading / writing means (13, 14, 15, 16) of each of said processing modules (11) being provided for recording said information relating to a contract as well as to the game of a deal also in said third memory unit (26) associated with the table (1, 2, 3) of said processing module.

6 electronic installation for bridge tournament according to claim 1, characterized in that said processing module (11) is provided for, according to said identification information of players placed at said table and according to said identification number of a deal brought to said table, authorizing the display of a selection of said information relating to contracts and data sets having been recorded since the start of the tournament.

7 electronic installation for bridge tournament according to claim 4, characterized in that each of said processing computer modules (11) is provided for selecting and transmitting information relating to contracts and data sets between said first memory units and said second memory unit placed in close contact with said read / write means of said processing module, so that all the information relating to contracts and data sets which are contained in one of said memory units is also recorded in the other memory units.

8 electronic installation for bridge tournament according to claim 1, characterized in that said memory means further comprises a first external administrative memory unit (23), said first administrative memory unit containing the recording of a code intended to be read by one of said processing module (11) when said first administrative memory unit is placed in close contact with the reading / writing means (13, 14, 15, 16) of said processing module, said code being intended to cause the display by said processing module of all the information relating to contracts and to data sets previously recorded in all other memory units (25) which are in proximity contact with said reading / writing means.

9 electronic installation for bridge tournament according to claim 1, characterized in that said memory means comprise a second external administrative memory unit, said second administrative memory unit containing the recording of a code intended to be read by one of said processing module (11) when said second administrative memory unit is placed in close contact with the read / write means (13, 14, 15, 16) of said processing module, said code being provided for authorizing recording in said second administrative memory unit of all the information relating to contracts and data sets previously recorded in all other memory units (24, 25, 26) which are in close contact with said reading / writing means.