Combination paging and gaming system and apparatus

PRIORITY STATEMENT UNDER 35 U.S.C. §119(E) & 37 C.F.R §1.78

This nonprovisional application claims priority based upon the prior U.S. provisional patent application entitled, “Combination Paging and Gaming System”, application number 60/134,643, filed May 18, 1999, in the names of Kenneth J. Lovegreen and Russell P. Blink.

1. Technical Field of the Invention

This invention relates to radio paging systems and, more particularly, to a combination paging and gaming system and apparatus enabling a user to utilize a pager to play an electronic game while waiting for a page.

2. Description of Related Art

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of an existing on-premises paging system 10 , such as a paging system used in restaurants to notify waiting customers that a table is available. A centralized control station 11 includes a page transmitter 12 and, for example, a plurality of buttons 13 which may be pressed individually to send a page to one of an associated plurality of pagers 14 .

FIG. 2 is a simplified functional block diagram of one of the plurality of pagers 14 in the existing system of FIG. 1 . The pager includes a page receiver 15 and a signal analyzer 16 which determines whether a received signal is intended for that pager. If the received signal is not intended for that pager, the pager takes no action as shown at 17 . If the received signal is intended for that pager, the pager activates an alerting mechanism 18 which alerts the user that a page has been received. In the example of an on-premises paging system in a restaurant, lights in the pager may flash, or the pager may vibrate or beep to indicate to the customer that a table is ready.

In many restaurants, the wait for a table may be long and boring. These restaurants, therefore, need a way to make the wait more enjoyable for their customers. Existing paging systems are inadequate for this purpose. Pagers may be made in the shape of a coaster for use in a bar area while waiting, but the paging system performs no entertainment function. In order to overcome the disadvantage of existing systems, it would be advantageous to have an on-premises paging system that makes the waiting period more enjoyable for the customer. The present invention provides such a system.

In one aspect, the present invention is a combination paging and gaming system that includes a transmitter for transmitting paging signals, and a combination pager and electronic game device. The combination pager and electronic game device includes a receiver for receiving the paging signals, an alerting mechanism connected to the receiver for alerting a user that a page has been received, and an electronic game for playing by the user while waiting for a page.

In another aspect, the present invention is a combination pager and electronic game device comprising a radio frequency (RF) receiver, an alerting mechanism connected to the receiver for alerting a user that a paging signal has been received, and an electronic game for playing by the user while waiting for a page.

In a particular embodiment, the present invention is an on-premises paging system for use, for example, in a restaurant. The paging system provides the user with the opportunity to play a game while waiting for a table to become available. The game may be fully contained within the pager, or the game may be broadcast from a transmitter station to the pager. In alternative embodiments, the game may be played passively by the user or may be played interactively by the user. Interactive play may be handled entirely within the pager, or alternatively, user inputs may be transmitted back to a control station for keeping score and for competing with other users.

The invention will be better understood and its numerous objects and advantages will become more apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the following drawings, in conjunction with the accompanying specification, in which:

FIG. 1 (Prior Art) is a simplified block diagram of an existing on-premises paging system;

FIG. 2 (Prior Art) is a simplified functional block diagram of one of the plurality of pagers in the existing system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram of a first exemplary embodiment of the on-premises paging system of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a more detailed block diagram of the game input device of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a simplified functional block diagram of a first exemplary embodiment of the game pager of the present invention.

The present invention is an on-premises paging system which provides the user with the opportunity to play a game while waiting for a page to be received. The game may be fully contained within the pager, or the game may be broadcast from a transmitter station to the pager. In alternative embodiments, the game may be played passively by the user or may be played interactively by the user. Interactive play may be handled entirely within the pager, or alternatively, user inputs may be transmitted back to a control station for keeping score and for competing with other users.

FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram of a first exemplary embodiment of the on-premises paging system 20 of the present invention. This embodiment is useful for playing games such as trivia games in which a question is displayed on a public display screen for all players to see, while the answer to the question is transmitted to each pager. The user then enters an answer on a keypad on the pager, and receives an indication of whether the entered answer is correct.

A centralized control station 21 includes the page transmitter 12 and the plurality of buttons 13 which may be pressed individually to send a page to one of an associated plurality of game pagers 22 . The control station also includes a game transmitter 23 and a text generator 24 . A game input device 25 is connected to the control station by any suitable means by which game questions 26 and game answers 27 may be input to the control station. The game input device may be physically located within the control station, or it may be located in an external location. In the preferred embodiment, the game questions 26 are sent from the game input device to the text generator where they are converted for displaying text on a television screen 28 . Alternatively, if properly formatted, the questions may be sent directly to a scrolling alpha-numeric display 29 . In a restaurant environment, the television may be a large screen television, and the scrolling display may be a large display which is mounted in a position where it may be seen by all the waiting customers.

FIG. 4 is a more detailed block diagram of the on-premises paging system 20 of FIG. 3, showing in particular, more detail of the game input device 25 . The data for the game may come from any one of a plurality of sources. For example, through a cooperative agreement with broadcasters, the game data may be received through a satellite, broadcast, or cable receiver 31 . Alternatively, a game source 32 may feed a signal 33 to a decoder 34 . The signal may be any suitable signal for data transfer, such as a radio frequency (RF) signal, an infrared (IR) signal, wireline signal, or other optical signal. In another configuration, the game may be run on a personal computer (PC) 35 or on a dedicated game device 36 .

In each of the above alternatives, the game signal may then be ported through a port such as an RS232 port 37 to the text generator 24 and television 28 , to the scrolling display 29 , and to the game transmitter 23 for transmission to the game pager 22 . Alternatively, a keypad 38 may be utilized to enter game data directly to the text generator and/or the scrolling display. The keypad may be connected by any suitable means including, but not limited to cable 39 , RF link 41 , and IR link 42 .

FIG. 5 is a simplified functional block diagram of a first exemplary embodiment of the game pager 22 of the present invention. The game pager includes a receiver 51 which receives signals from both the page transmitter 12 and the game transmitter 23 (FIG. 3 ). A first-level signal analyzer 52 then determines whether the received signal is a page, a game answer, or a game question. If the received signal is a page, a second-level signal analyzer 58 determines whether the signal is a page intended for that pager. If not, no action is taken at 59 . If the signal is a page intended for that pager, the pager activates the alerting mechanism 18 which visually, audibly, or tactily alerts the user that a page has been received.

If the received signal is a game answer, the answer is sent to an answer analyzer 53 . The waiting customer, after seeing the game question on the television 28 or scrolling display 29 , enters an answer using a input device such as a customer keypad 54 located on the game pager. The answer analyzer then determines whether the customer's answer is correct.

If the customer enters the correct answer, the answer analyzer 53 activates a correct answer indicator 55 . If the customer enters an incorrect answer, the answer analyzer activates a wrong answer indicator 56 and may then indicate the correct answer at 60 . The indicators may provide visual indications on a display such as an LED display 61 , or audio indications from a speaker, or both. If the customer does not answer, the pager may indicate the correct answer at 60 or may take no action at 57 . Thus, if a customer does not wish to enter answers, he may passively observe the correct answers. In other embodiments of the game pager 22 , the game questions may also be transmitted to the game pager rather than to the television 28 or the scrolling display 29 . In this case, the first-level signal analyzer sends the questions to the LED display 61 .

In additional embodiments, different games can also be played. For example, the LED display on each pager may display a game card such as a unique Bingo card for each pager. This game is passive on the part of the customer. The control station periodically transmits another Bingo number to the game pagers. As numbers are received which are included on the pager's Bingo card, the associated space is filled.

The game pager may also be programmed with self-contained games such as memory games. For example, a plurality of lighted buttons on the pager may be illuminated in a particular sequence, and the user must repeat the sequence by pressing the buttons in the same order. A speaker in the game pager may make an associated audio sound with each illumination. The sequence increases in length after each correct response by the user. As in all of the embodiments of the game pager, the pager is programmed to sound an alarm and then deactivate if it is taken out of range of the central control station. This reduces the possibility that a customer may accidently leave the premises with a pager, and it reduces the incentive for theft of the pagers since they are useless off the premises.

Table 1 indicates examples of the types of games that can be played utilizing the game pager system of the present invention.

In another embodiment, the game pager 22 includes an optional user-input transmitter 62 for transmitting user inputs back to the control station 21 for keeping score and for competing with other users.

It is thus believed that the operation and construction of the present invention will be apparent from the foregoing description. While the system and apparatus shown and described has been characterized as being preferred, it will be readily apparent that various changes and modifications could be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.