GB2112712A

GB2112712A - Method and product of printing

Info

Publication number: GB2112712A
Application number: GB08236295A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ronald Thomas Easter
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1982-01-02
Filing date: 1982-12-21
Publication date: 1983-07-27

Abstract

There is disclosed a method of printing cards, tickets, sheets or the like, and of the kind having a background or matrix which provides a plurality of spaces at least some of which are filled with items of data being a sub-set permed from a full set of such items, and used for playing games of chance or the like where a player having a card attempts to match the items of data thereon with items of data from the full set revealed to him by an organiser of the game, wherein the items of data and the background or matrix are printed in separate operations, the items of data being printed by a high speed controllable printer, e.g. a laser-imaged electrographic printer.

Description

SPECIFICATION Method and product of printing This invention relates to the printing of cards, tickets, sheets or the like, hereinafter for simplicity referred to simply as cards, and of the kind (hereinaftes termed of the kind referred to) having a background or matrix which provides a plurality of spaces at least some of which are filled with items of data being a sub-set permed from a full set of such items, and used for playing games of chance or the like where a player having a card attempts to match the items of data thereon with items of data from the full set revealed to him by an organiser of the game.

Possibly the most widely used cards of the kind referred to are those used for playing the game of bingo.

Until recently, the game of bingo has been played mainly in halls by participants who have purchased a sheaf of printed cards for a session. Now, however, the trend is to play the game, through the auspices of the press, on a regional or national basis.

Conventional methods of printing bingo cards are inadequate to satisfy the demands of the new form of the game for a number of reasons. In the first place, many more differently numbered cards are needed for a single game, which could in theory encompass as many participants as the circulation figure of the newspaper running it.

Secondly, the national press bingo cards need to be printed to a higher standard of print quality and to be made attractive, so as to encourage participation.

Multicolour printing is also desirable as a security measure. This would be extremely difficult using conventional methods of printing bingo cards.

The present invention provides a method which overcomes these problems.

The invention comprises a method for producing cards of the kind referred to comprising printing the items of data and printing the background or matrix in separate operations, the items of data being printed by a high speed controllable printer.

Preferably the high speed printer is controlled directly or indirectly by a computer which has determined the different sub-sets of data and the arrangement thereof to be printed on successive cards.

Frequently the organisers of a game require it to be controlled in the sense that they can determine from the items of data which they reveal when wins will occur and the number thereof.

This is conveniently achieved by providing the computer with the full set of data arranged in a grid of horizontal lines and vertical columns and programming the computer to select the sub-sets of data in accordance with an algorithm which enables the organiser, given the same grid, to select the items of data to be revealed to achieve his purposes. For example, the organiser may, given a grid having five horizontal lines, permanently surpress all items of data in two such lines and only reveal items of data in a third such line, when a potential winner is required, each item in the third such line then providing a possibility of a single winning sub-set when all items of data in the remaining two lines have themselves been revealed.

A suitable high speed controllable printer is a laser printer, in which laser light is directed on to a rotary, photosensitive drum charging it electrostatically in the image of a number (or other character) to be printed, the charge being transferred to the paper which is to be printed as it runs in contact with the drum, the paper charge holding a depositoftoner which is released from uncharged areas and fused by a heating step on to the charged areas to form a permanent image.

The background or matrix may be printed first, and may be printed by a multicolour printing process. High speed controllable printers such as laser printers operate on continuous stationery which is provided with edgewise sprocket holes by which the printing is kept in register.

The controllable printer may be controlled by magnetic tape on which may be stored as many sub-sets of playing data as required.

One method for printing bingo cards according to the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 illustrates a multicolour print on continuous stationery of a matrix for several bingo cards and other fixed information; Figure 2 illustrates a series of complete bingo cards each comprising a set of playing numbers superimposed on the print illustrated in Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of a process for printing the set of cards illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure 1 illustrates a set of seven matrices 11 for bingo cards printed on a single sheet together with other information, for example of an instructional or advertising nature, shown simply as blocks 12.

A feature of this print is a space 13 for a "lucky number" to be inserted which can provide an additional capability for a game of chance or the random award of a prize or prizes.

Only two colours are shown by different kinds of shading, but any desired number of colours can be used.

Figure 2 shows the same print, but with added playing numbers overprinted by a tape controlled laser printer. An additional "lucky number" is printed at the same time in the space 13.

Either the multicolour printing or the controlled printing can be performed first, but it may be preferred to perform the multicolour printing first, especially if the squares of the cards are to be coloured in.

Figure 3 illustrated the method of producing the print shown in Figure 2. Continuous stationary 14 is first printed with the bingo card matrices and other fixed matter on a multicolour printing press 15. The thus printed paper is transferred to a laser printer 16 controlled by a magnetic tape unit 17.

The laser printer is able to print the different sets of numbers at extremely high speeds, and can be programmed rapidly to produce long runs of bingo cards with the required differentiation between the sets of playing numbers from card to card, without the need to produce many printing plates for conventional number set printing.

In order for the game to be controlled, the computer which prepares the magnetic tape which controls the laser printer may be provided with the full set of numbers from which the different sub-sets are permed arranged in a particular manner, for example in five horizontal rows and twenty vertical columns, and programmed to prepare the sub-set in accordance with an algorithm such that an organiser of the game provided with the same arrangement can reveal the numbers by publication or otherwise in a manner which enables him to control the numbers and timing of winning cards.

Thus, for example, the organiser may, given a grid having five horizontal lines of numbers permanently supress all numbers in two such lines and only reveal numbers in a third such line when a potential winner is required, each item in the third such line providing a possibility of a single winning sub-set when all numbers in the remaining two lines have themselves been revealed.

It will be appreciated that it is not intended to limit the invention to the above example only, many variations, such as might readily occur to one skilled in the art, being possible, without departing from the scope thereof.

Thus, for example, single stationery may be used in place of continuous stationery.

The techniques may be applied to other games than bingo, and the items of data may be alphabetic, for example whole words, or symbolic.

For certain types of game a third printing stage may apply a "scratch-off" opaque covering the same or all of the data.

CL4IMS 1. A method for producing cards of the kind referred to comprising printing the items of data and printing the background or matrix in separate operations, the items of data being printed by a high speed controllable printer.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the high speed controllable printer is a laser printer.

3. A method according to either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the high speed controllable printer is directly or indirectly controlled by a computer.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the computer is provided with the full set of items of data from which the sub-sets are to be permed arranged in a particular manner and programmed to prepare the sub-sets in accordance with an algorithm which enables an organiser of the game given the same arrangement of the full set of items of data to reveal items to control the incidence of winning sub-sets.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the full set of items of data comprises a plurality of horizontal rows and a plurality of vertical column.

6. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the background or matrix is printed first.

7. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the cards are bingo cards.

8. Cards of the kind referred to printed in accordance with the method of any preceding claim.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. The laser printer is able to print the different sets of numbers at extremely high speeds, and can be programmed rapidly to produce long runs of bingo cards with the required differentiation between the sets of playing numbers from card to card, without the need to produce many printing plates for conventional number set printing. In order for the game to be controlled, the computer which prepares the magnetic tape which controls the laser printer may be provided with the full set of numbers from which the different sub-sets are permed arranged in a particular manner, for example in five horizontal rows and twenty vertical columns, and programmed to prepare the sub-set in accordance with an algorithm such that an organiser of the game provided with the same arrangement can reveal the numbers by publication or otherwise in a manner which enables him to control the numbers and timing of winning cards. Thus, for example, the organiser may, given a grid having five horizontal lines of numbers permanently supress all numbers in two such lines and only reveal numbers in a third such line when a potential winner is required, each item in the third such line providing a possibility of a single winning sub-set when all numbers in the remaining two lines have themselves been revealed. It will be appreciated that it is not intended to limit the invention to the above example only, many variations, such as might readily occur to one skilled in the art, being possible, without departing from the scope thereof. Thus, for example, single stationery may be used in place of continuous stationery. The techniques may be applied to other games than bingo, and the items of data may be alphabetic, for example whole words, or symbolic. For certain types of game a third printing stage may apply a "scratch-off" opaque covering the same or all of the data. CL4IMS

1. A method for producing cards of the kind referred to comprising printing the items of data and printing the background or matrix in separate operations, the items of data being printed by a high speed controllable printer.