Method and apparatus for identifying a winner in a bingo game
US6257980A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 24, 1998 |
| Grant date | Jul 10, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 24, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA63F3/0645
- WIPO fieldFurniture, games
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
A method and apparatus are disclosed for identifying a winner in a bingo game. Players may obtain bingo cards from point-of-sale (POS) terminals that physically prints bingo cards for players in an embodiment where the player appears in person to purchase tickets, or from point-of-sale (POS) terminals that permit players to play bingo in an on-line environment. A game processor maintains a linked list identifying each card in play containing each possible value. Each entry in a linked list includes a pointer to the next element in the linked list. Each bingo card is represented as a bitmap containing an entry corresponding to each square on the bingo card. Each entry in the linked list also identifies the particular square on the bingo card containing the corresponding value, thereby allowing the appropriate entry in the corresponding bitmap to be identified. As each number is drawn, the game processor utilizes the linked list to identify all of the bingo cards in play having the drawn number. As each card containing the drawn number is identified, the corresponding entry in the bitmap is marked. Each possible winning pattern in a bingo game is likewise represented as a bitmap. If …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.