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Description  |
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This invention relates generally to electronic gaming systems and more
particularly to a video amusement game terminal for playing a game
providing the illusion of skill.
Prior art lottery gaming systems have typically involved a drawings or
instant "rub-off" games. The current lotteries involving drawing,
incorporate computerized systems using electronic terminals operated by
licensed retail lottery vendors to dispense printed tickets having the
players own selection of lottery numbers printed thereon. These systems
are limited in that they require a clerk to operate the lottery terminal.
Further, lotteries have been criticized for their appeal to lower income
consumers. However, in recent times, there has been explosive growth in
the coin-operated video amusement game market which involves an entirely
new group of consumers in a market different from any existing lottery. A
synthesis of these two fields presents an opportunity to permit consumer
operated terminals offering the opportunity to win a prize and to appeal
to a new market. However, such a lottery system would preferably utilize a
microprocessor based game system which can be customized for different
types of games. Since most lottery systems do not allow skill games, a
need exists in a video amusement game lottery for a game which provides
the illusion of skill in order to attract the largest possible market.
It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide a video amusement
gaming machine having video amusement games which provide the illusion of
skill.
Briefly, according to one embodiment of the invention, a video amusement
game machine for use in a gaming system is provided, having game features
controllable by a game player. The machine comprises player control means
for providing player input signals for player manipulation of at least a
portion of the game features to achieve a designated objective and means
for providing an opportunity to win a prize in response to activation by
the player and for determining a prize win independent of player input
signals. Game processor means provide a presentation of game features
according to a predetermined set of game operational conditions, the
presentation of game features disclosing a prize award through
presentation of achievement of the designated objective and provides to
the player the illusion that the prize award is determined by player skill
in manipulating game features.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are
set forth below with particularity in the appended claims. The invention,
together with further objects and advantages thereof, may be understood by
reference to the following description and taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a generalized functional block diagram of a specific embodiment
of a secure lottery video game with secure remote communications.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a specific embodiment of a secure lottery
video game remote terminal.
FIG. 3A is a detailed block diagram of a specific embodiment of a secure
lottery video game remote terminal.
FIG. 3B is a detailed functional block diagram of a specific embodiment of
the control logic shown in FIG. 3A.
FIG. 3C is a detailed functional block diagram of a specific embodiment of
the game logic shown in FIG. 3A.
FIG. 4 is a detailed block diagram of the specific embodiment of the
terminal controller shown in FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a diagram of a specific message block format utilized in the
illustrated embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a detailed block diagram of the specific embodiment of the
central controller shown in FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 illustrates in functional block diagram form a specific embodiment
of a secure video amusement gaming system with remote secure
communications. The system is a lottery system which includes a number of
player operated remote secure video amusement game lottery terminals 20
(hereinafter referred to as remote terminals). In a preferred embodiment,
thousands of such remote terminals 20 may be installed at remote sites
such as bars, clubs, retail outlets, etc. It should be noted that this
system of terminals may also be used in applications not involving a payed
lottery, for example, in retail outlets where play and an opportunity to
win a prize is provided to patrons as a promotion (e.g. using a token).
Each remote terminal 20 has the general appearance and functions of a video
amusement game including, for example, video display screen, color
graphics, sound, laser disc technology, digital video technology, and
other video technology. A player activates the remote terminal 20 by
placing his money or other form of payment in the terminal and then plays
a video amusement game. The player is provided with the amusement and
entertainment of a video game while at the same time playing the lottery
thus having the opportunity to win a lottery prize. This permits a lottery
system with consumer operated terminals and avoids the need for a trained
terminal operation clerk. Thus, the remote terminals 20 are not bet
collection devices but rather player operated lottery game machines
offering the player an opportunity to instantly win while interacting with
the game machine. Each remote terminal 20, in the preferred embodiment,
permits the player to have a choice of one of a plurality of different
video games. The choice of games may include games using only computer
generated video, games using only prerecorded video, such as on a video
disk, or a game utilizing a combination of both.
Each remote terminal 20 is coupled, as shown, by a communications medium 22
to a central controller 24, which is primarily comprised of a computer. In
the preferred embodiment, the communications medium 22 is a telephone link
whereby central controller 24 can maintain two-way communications with the
remote terminals. Clearly, other communications media will be obvious to
those skilled in the art, for example, a two-way dedicated cable, a radio
frequency channel, etc. The two-way communications between the remote
terminals is conducted using encrypted information so as to prevent
unauthorized access to the communicated data.
The central controller 24 maintains supervision over the entire network of
remote terminals 20 handling, for example, accounting, validation,
security, and seeding of pools, among other tasks. The central controller
24 is coupled, as shown, to a number of peripheral devices 26 such as
magnetic disks for storage of data, terminals for operator supervision,
and line printers, etc.
Referring now to FIG. 2, a perspective view of a specific embodiment of the
remote terminal 20 embodying various aspects of the present invention is
shown. Remote terminal 20 is comprised of the cabinet housing 32, having
an appearance similar to an arcade video game which contains all necessary
electronics. A display screen 34, which may be tilted at an angle as
shown, is provided for convenient player viewing. In the illustrated
embodiment, display 34 is a raster scan display which permits display of
video images, instructions, game rules, odds of winning, and other
information. The housing 32 also contains two speakers at the level of the
player's ear (not shown) so as to be easily heard and to provide for
stereo sound. Player control means are provided as a source of player
provided stimuli for transfer to the system electronics. The player
control means are mounted below the video display screen 34 and include
two joysticks with triggers 35, 36 and two pushbuttons 38, 39, such as are
commonly used in the video game art. In the illustrated embodiment, the
joysticks 35, 36 provide signals responsive to user movement of the
joysticks in a 360.degree. radius about the center pivot point of the
joystick to control interaction of the player with the game play and
logic. Typically, the joysticks control movement of some "control spot" on
the screen such as a dot, cursor, star, arrow, or game character to a
desired horizontal and vertical position. The two joysticks allow for dual
play while the trigger allows for easy control during fast game play
action. The two pushbuttons 38, 39 provide for selection of options such
as one or two player game operation and other control functions. Clearly,
other player control configurations known in the art may be utilized, such
as, touch screens, light pens, mice, audio speech recognition units,
keyboards, etc.
Each remote terminal 20 is also provided with a conventional
electromechanical or electronic coin mechanism 40 on the front of the
housing 32 to accept user coins or tokens to actuate the terminal 20. An
optional bill accepter or second coin mechanism may be provided for the
convenience of the player and minimize machine down time by providing a
second means for payment. Other payment mechanisms may also be used, for
example, tokens, debit cards, credit cards, etc. An escrow function is
provided such that a player may decide not to play after inserting the
money and may then receive cash or a credit receipt in return.
Additionally, fewer or greater number of joysticks and pushbuttons, or
other player control devices, can be provided according to the
requirements of the video games desired.
A printer mechanism is provided at the front of the housing 32 mounted
inside the housing. A recessed box 42, mounted behind the front panel of
the housing 32 and opening to the front, keeps the printer beyond the
player's reach and is used as a receptacle for tickets dispensed from the
printer. The printer permits the issuance of lottery tickets as a receipt
indicating a lottery win or loss, and permits printing of agent invoices,
etc. The terminal housing 32 also includes an access door (not shown) to
permit access by authorized personnel to the interior of the housing 32.
The operation of the remote terminal 20 may be understood by reference to
FIG. 3A which shows a functional block diagram of the remote terminal
electronic system. A primary subsystem of the remote terminal 20 is the
game controller 50 which includes game logic 51, which performs all
functions necessary to control the game according to stored operational
conditions. The game controller 50 also includes control logic 52 which
controls a video disc player 53 (e.g. an Hitachi 9500SG laser disc player)
for playback of high resolution video signals prerecorded on a video disc.
Other video recording devices may also be used for storage of prerecorded
video signals, for example, digital video systems, videotape, etc. In
addition, the control logic 52 couples audio signals to a set of speakers
56 through an amplifier 55, and couples video signals to the monitor 58
under control of the game logic 51. The game logic 51 is coupled, as
shown, to a terminal controller 70, and in conjunction with the terminal
controller 70, executes all necessary lottery functions. The game
controller 50 is further comprised of a NTSC to RGB converter 54 which
converts NTSC video signals from the video disc player 53 to RGB signals
for application to the video monitor 58.
Player stimulus signals are output from player control devices 57
responsive to player activation of the player control devices, such as the
joysticks 35, 36 or pushbuttons 38 or 39 of FIG. 2. The player stimulus
signals are coupled to the game logic 51, as shown. In addition,
activation control signals are coupled from the coin/bill accepters 59 to
the game logic 51 to initiate game play responsive to player insertion of
the proper amount. In the illustrated embodiment, a commercially available
high speed electro-sensitive rotary (e.g. SCI Systems, Inc., Model
1080-2A) printer 60 is coupled to the game logic 51 to permit printing of
lottery tickets under control of the game logic 51. The metallic coated
paper used by this type of printer minimizes the risk of alteration and
counterfeiting. In the case of high tier winners, the printing of a
winning ticket is controlled by a valididation signal from the central
controller. A number of output devices 61, such as lights and solenoids,
are coupled to the game logic 51, as shown.
The game controller 50 has multiple game selection capability. In the
preferred embodiment, one of four games may be selected by the player
through the player control devices 57 after activation of the remote
terminal by payment of the required fee through the coin/bill acceptors
59. The game controller 50 can operate any of a wide variety of games
including real time computer generated video graphics games, games
utilizing only prerecorded video signals recorded on a video disc, and
games combining real time computer graphics with prerecorded video.
Game programs for such computer graphics games and video disc games are
known in the art. The computer control programs involved are stored in
program memory and can be downloaded from the central controller 24,
through the terminal controller 70 to the game controller 50 to permit
changes in the games. There are a wide variety of games which can be
utilized.
Computer graphics games which are suitable for the lottery remote terminals
include such well-known skill based games as TRON. In a lottery system
wherein prize awards are not to be based on skill, these games may be
used, for example, by matching a random number to the score generated by
the game play. As an alternative, a win or loss determined at the time of
activation may be disclosed at some point in the game.
Another highly suitable game is a non-skill game such as Lady and the Tiger
which is disclosed in detail in a copending application, filed Aug. 11,
1983, by Martin A. Keane, et al., entitled "Video Gaming Machine and
Method Based Upon A Dramatic Narration." In this game the player positions
a character before a particular door and once he chooses a door, certain
events result, such as appearance of a Lady signifying a win, a Tiger
signifying a loss, or an open doorway which leads to the next scene. False
clues are sometimes used to enhance play characteristics, for example, the
Lady's handkerchief appears in front of a door but may or may not indicate
the presence of the Lady. In the preferred embodiment, the win or loss is
determined when the remote terminal is activated based upon a pool (to be
described in detail hereinafter) for that game.
A novel game approach particularly suitable for the instant lottery system
creates the illusion of skill while still determining the outcome at the
time the game is started. In a specific embodiment, the player of the game
is flying in a spaceship with a cockpit point of view having a selected
number of missiles available. The view shows many space objects in the
background, occasionally one of the space objects starts becoming larger
and moves toward the player becoming a spaceship which is moving rapidly.
The player, using the joystick, aims and fires a missile at the spaceship.
A "hit" will result in an explosion with a prize value displayed, and
shown on a panel on the screen. The process is repeated with a miss merely
using up a missile while a hit produces another prize value display. Each
missile could follow a curved path which adds realism and the spaceships
fly by at varied speed. The player must aim correctly to hit a spaceship,
however, as the game proceeds the tolerance for a hit is widened and the
explosion of the missile gets stronger to increase the chance of getting a
hit. In addition, the number of spaceships increase until it becomes hard
to miss. Thus, the level of skill diminishes as the game progresses, as
opposed to the conventional practice of increasing difficulty as the game
progresses. This gives the player the illusion that a win or loss is
dependent upon his skill. In actuality, the game controller completely
controls the outcome, such that three identical prize values produce a win
of that value. The result, in the preferred embodiment, is determined at
the time the game is started based on a pool.
Another type of game that is highly suitable for the instant lottery system
is an interactive video disc based game using video image signals and
audio signals prerecorded on a video disc. This type of game provides
elevated levels of sophistication, quality and realism. Such games, using
prerecorded video combined with real time computer graphics, utilizing
game control circuitry as shown in FIG. 3A, are known in the art.
A novel game utilizing only prerecorded video signals is particularly
suited for the lottery system. In this game, 2 to 5 second sequences (i.e.
60-150 coherent action frames) of "live" game action are filmed and
recorded on a video disc. Some computer generated graphics may also be
recorded on the disc as well. Appropriate audio sounds are also recorded
on the disc in conjunction with the video signals. The prerecorded
sequences and audio are manipulated to form game sequences. The computer
graphics, either real time or prerecorded, are occasionally inserted
between the sequences to fill the video disc player search time.
In a specific embodiment, the game shows a motorcycle ridden through the
the hilly streets of San Francisco, with the player controlling the
motorcycle by moving the joystick right or left to turn it. The object of
the game is to catch a limousine and obtain a prize value indicator from
the passenger. This is done several times, and a win results when three
identical prize values have been obtained. False clues are used to enhance
play features, for example, the limousine may be shown ahead of the
motorcycle turning a certain direction, thus giving the impression that
turning the motorcycle in that direction will improve the chances of
catching the limousine. In addition, while the game is played, the audio
provides the sounds of a motorcycle and distinctive San Francisco street
sounds. The player thus can experience some of the sensations of a high
speed motorcycle ride through the streets of San Francisco while playing a
lottery.
The terminal controller 70, shown in FIG. 3A, is a separate, secure unit
within the remote terminal housing 32 which controls all communications in
a secure manner to and from the central controller 24 (see FIG. 1), and
handles non-secure communications with the game controller 50. The
terminal controller 70 also controls all security functions for the remote
terminal 20, directs the printing of tickets, and stores terminal play
history and financial data for transmission to the central controller 24,
and permits downloading of program code and other critical data from the
central controller 74.
In addition, the terminal controller 70 makes the determination for the low
tier prize awards and controls the awarding of all prizes. The win values
are kept in the terminal controller 70 and are sent to the game controller
51 whenever a game starts. If the terminal controller 70 determines a high
tier winner is to occur, it initiates a call to the central controller 24
for validation.
Detailed records of play information are kept by the terminal controller 70
as well as records of exact prize payouts and play frequency data on an
hourly basis (i.e. hourly meters). This data is battery backed to safely
preserve it and is occasionally transmitted to the central controller 24.
The terminal controller 70 includes a central processor for control and
processing, a modem for telephone line communications, battery back-up and
protection circuitry to deter unauthorized access to its stored
information. As shown in FIG. 3, alarm sensor signals are coupled to the
terminal controller 70 from alarm sensors 64, located in the remote
terminal housing and the premises at which the remote terminal is
installed to detect attempts at unauthorized access. In addition, alarm
signals generated by the terminal controller are coupled to an alarm 66 as
well as to the central controller 24 via the communications medium 22. A
cash box lock control solenoid 67 is also provided, as shown, to permit
control of the cash box. The terminal controller 70 can partially shut
down to a power-down, or sleep, condition to save power, and is powered-up
either by a call from the central controller 24 or an internal wake-up
signal. The communications medium 22, which in the preferred embodiment is
a telephone network, links the remote terminal 20 to the central
controller 24 to permit, inter alia, a detailed accounting of terminal
activity upon request from the central controller 24. In addition, the
terminal controller 70 can initiate and transmit exception messages to the
central controller 24 for exceptional conditions, such as unauthorized
entry, power outage, etc. Communications between the terminal controller
70 and the game controller 50 is performed via the cable 68 coupled as
shown.
Referring now to FIG. 3B there is shown a detailed block diagram of the
control logic 52 of FIG. 3A. The control logic 52 in communication with
the game logic 51, controls the video disc player 53, and switches audio
output between audio from the video disc player 53 and audio from the game
logic 51. The control logic 52 interrogates the video disk player to
determine the current frame location and provides instructions to step the
player to the next required location. In addition, the control logic 52
switches between the video signals from the game logic 51 and video
signals from the video disc player 53 coupling the selected video to the
monitor 58.
During play of a game, player control signals (e.g. representative of
joystick position) generated by player manipulation of the player control
devices 57 are coupled to the programmed game processor 100 of the game
logic 51. The game processor 100 generates appropriate graphics, audio and
control signals determined by the game operational conditions. These
signals are coupled to the control logic 52 where the programmed processor
71 processes the signals and couples them to the monitor 58 and speakers
56 through the video switch 88 and audio switch 90.
For a video disc game the signals from the game logic 51 are primarily
control signals which are based upon the game operational conditions. The
processor 71, responsive to the current video frame location on the video
disc and to the control signals, generates addressing signals to direct
the disk player 53 to the next required video frame location for playback
of the appropriate video and/or audio signals. The addressing signals are
determined using a table or algorithm which relates the player control
inputs to the vidoe image addresses consistent with the game operational
conditions. The video and/or audio signals from the video disc player 53
are coupled, under control of the processor 81, to the monitor 58 and the
speakers 56 through the video switch 88 and audio switch 90.
The control logic 52 comprises a central processor 71 (e.g. a Zilog Z-80)
which is coupled to other circuits, as shown, via a universal bus 72. A
memory 74 is provided for program and data storage, comprising read only
memory (e.g. Intel 2764) and random access memory (e.g. Hitachi HM6264P).
A conventional clock generator 76 is provided to generate required system
clock signals, and a counter-timer chip 78 (e.g. a Zilog 8430) provides
timing, interrupt, and control signals, with each coupled, as shown, to
the bus 72. A serial input-output (SI0) circuit 80 (e.g. Zilog 8440) is
coupled, as shown, to the bus 72 to provide serial to parallel, and
parallel to serial conversion to interface with the I/O circuits 82, 84.
The I/O circuit 82 is an RS232 Driver and Receiver (e.g. Motorola 1488,
1489) which couples output signals to the game logic 51. The I/O circuit
84 is also on RS232 Driver and Receiver for coupling control signals and
address signals to the standard control input of the video disc player 53.
An Input/Output Decoder circuit 86, comprising a conventional decoder
(e.g. 74LS138) and a latch (e.g. 74LS273), couples to the bus 72, as
shown, primarily to provide decoded control signals from the CPU 71 to a
video switch 88 and an audio switch 90.
The video switch 88 (e.g. Motorola 4066's), based on control signals
generated by the CPU 71, switches video signals from either the game logic
51, or the video disc player 53 to the monitor 58. Thus, when computer
generated graphics are to be displayed, the switch 88 couples the signals
from the game logic 51 to the monitor 58, and when prerecorded video is to
be displayed, signals from the RGB converter 54 are coupled to the monitor
58. Similarly, the audio switch 90 (e.g. Motorola 4016) switches audio
signals from either the game logic 51, or the video disc player 53 to the
audio amplifiers 55 and thus to the speakers 56, under control of the CPU
71. The audio switch 90 is capable of controlling each channel of stereo
sound separately, thus, one channnel from each source may be
simultaneously coupled to the audio amplifiers 55.
In FIG. 3C, there is illustrated a detailed block diagram of the game logic
51. A central processing unit 100 (e.g. Zilog Z-80) is coupled, as shown,
to a bus 92 through a conventional address and data buffer 94 (e.g.
Motorola 74LS245, 74LS244) The CPU 100 is also coupled to a counter-timer
circuit 96 (e.g. Zilog 8430) which generates interrupt signals and to a
memory circuit 98, as shown. The memory circuit 98 provides storage for
program code and data, and is comprised of read only memory (e.g. Intel
2764, 27132) and random access memory (e.g. Hitachi HM6264) which is
protected by a battery backup circuit 102. Part of the random access
memory is safe RAM, which is protected by a security program, for safe
storage of important machine meter data. In addition, part of the RAM is
accessable, as shown, to downline load control circuitry 104 to permit
downline loading of new program code and data. The safe RAM is controlled
by the CPU from the bus 92 through a safe RAM control circuit 106. The bus
92 couples, as shown, to video generation circuitry composed of a
background memory 108, vertical and horizontal counters 110, a color RAM
114, a video selector and driver circuit 112 and a foreground generator
116. The video generation circuitry creates video signals based upon
control signals from the CPU 100 which specifies the images to be
displayed and their locations on the screen. The monitor 58 ultimately
converts the signals to visible game and diagnostic images. A detailed
description of the video generation circuitry is disclosed in a co-pending
application filed Aug. 8, 1983 by John J. Pasierb, et al., Ser. No.
520,762, and assigned to the instant assignee. A video output 117 from the
video driver circuits 112, couples video signals to the video switch 88 of
the control logic 52 (see FIG. 3A).
A conventional Serial Input-Output (SIO) 120 circuit is coupled, as shown,
to the bus 92 to provide serial to parallel and parallel to serial
conversion for interfacing to the I/O circuits 122. The I/O circuits 122
comprise conventional RS232 Driver and Receiver circuits for
communications with the terminal controller 70 on cable 68. A baud rate
clock 118 provides clock signals to the SIO circuit 120. A conventional
Input/Output address decoder circuit 124 (utilizing, e.g. 74LS138,
74LS139) is also coupled to the bus 92 to provide address decoding for the
SIO 120, and for input buffers 126 and output drivers 128. The input
buffers 126 couple signals from the player control devices 57 through the
bus 92 to the CPU 100, and signals from the printer 60 and the coin/bill
acceptor 59. The output drivers couple signals from the CPU 100 through
the bus 92 to control the output devices 61 and other outputs, such as
printer 60, lights, solenoids, etc.
In addition, a sound generator system 130 is coupled to the bus 92 through
an interface RAM 129, as shown. The sound generator system 130 primarily
comprises a central processing unit 132 (e.g. Zilog Z-80), coupled to a
bus 139, with conventional program memory 134 (containing ROM and RAM) and
address decoding 136 also provided, as shown. The CPU 132 controls two
programmable sound generators 138 (e.g. General Instruments AY-3-8912) to
produce highly complex sounds upon requests from the CPU 100, which are
coupled to the audio switch 90 of the control logic 52 (see FIG. 3A).
Referring now to FIG. 4, there is illustrated a detailed block diagram of
the terminal controller 70 shown in FIG. 3. A two-way communications line
22, is coupled from the central controller 24 through a conventional input
protection circuit 140 to a modem 142 (in the preferred embodiment a 300
baud, auto-answer, auto-dial modem chosen for cost effectiveness), as
shown, to permit reception or transmission of encrypted data. A ring
detection circuit 141 detects an incoming call and couples a detection
signal to a wake-up circuit 178, as shown, thereby activating the wake-up
circuitry in the event that the terminal controller 70 is in a power-down
state. The wake-up circuitry generates an actuation signal which is
coupled, as shown, to a battery backed sleeper power supply 170 providing
power to a terminal controller processor 150.
The modem 142 is coupled through a conventional serial communicator 144 to
the terminal controller processor 150, as shown. In addition, the cable 68
is coupled from the game controller 50 (see FIG. 3) through conventional
input protection circuitry 146 to a standard RS232 interface 148 to permit
communications between the terminal controller 70 and the game controller
50. The interface 148 couples signals through the serial communicator 144
(in the preferred embodiment, comprising Zilog 8440 SIO's) to the terminal
controller processor 150, as shown. The processor 150 is preferably a low
power processor, such as a Zilog Z-80, and is coupled directly to a
program memory 152, as shown. The memory 152 includes ROM and battery
backed up, down-loadable RAM which permits alteration of program code from
the central controller. In addition, a battery powered RAM 154 is provided
to permit safe data storage. A battery powered encryption and decryption
key RAM 156 permits storage of an encryption or decryption key used for
encrypting or decrypting data for secure communications between the
terminal controller 70 and the central controller 24. The encryption key
stored in encryption key RAM 156 is utilized by the processor 150 to
encrypt any information which is to be transferred from the terminal
controller 70 to the central controller 24 and the decryption key is used
for decrypting received data from the central controller 24. The
encryption and decryption key RAM 156 and RAM 154 is also coupled to a
memory battery 162 through a "key killer" circuit 158 which cuts off power
to the RAM 156 and 154 in response to an attempt at unauthorized access to
the terminal controller 70, thereby erasing the encryption and decryption
key and all other RAM data. The unauthorized access is detected by sensors
163 coupled to a terminal controller internal alarm 164 which generates an
alarm signal which is coupled as shown to the key killer 158.
The power line, constituting the primary power source, is coupled as shown
to a battery charger 166. The battery charger 166, is coupled to a battery
168, and thus continuously charges this battery to provide for battery
back-up during power line failures. The sleeper power supply 170 is
coupled to the battery 168 to provide short-term back-up power for the
terminal controller processor 150. The memory battery 162 is coupled, as
shown, to the battery 168, and to the sleeper power supply 170, both of
which charge the memory battery 162. The battery 168 also provides power
to the alarm circuit 172, which generates an alarm signal in response to
the detection of unauthorized access to the remote terminal housing 32 by
any of a number of sensors 64. The alarm signal is coupled to the terminal
controller internal alarm circuit 164, the terminal controller processor
150, and to a protection circuit 174 which drives an alarm transducer 66
(e.g. bell, light, etc.). The alarm sensor signals are coupled through a
conventional protection circuit 176 and through a sleeper circuit 178 to
the alarm circuit 172. An alarm sensor signal causes the sleeper wake-up
circuit 178 to activate the sleeper power supply 170, if the system is in
the power-down mode. Normally, the processor 150 determines if the alarm
66 should be activated and inhibits the alarm 66, if it should not be
activated. If the processor 150 fails to activate, the alarm 66 will not
be inhibited. The processor 150 also determines if a call to the central
controller is required and initiates the call when appropriate.
The terminal controller circuitry described hereinabove, incorporates
numerous novel security features to provide for secure functioning of the
remote terminal. In addition to battery back-up and protection circuitry
to permit erasing the encryption keys, the terminal controller 70 is
enclosed in its own tamper resistant enclosure with sensors 163 attached
to detect tampering. Other sensors 64 are positioned within the remote
terminal housing 32 and at all doors to detect penetration of the housing
32. The terminal controller 70 includes door sensors, AC power sensors,
and phone line connection sensors. In addition, the terminal controller 70
allows for connection to the burglar alarm of the premises. The terminal
controller 70 can also relay a message indicating detection of tampering
or power failure to the central controller as well as to react locally
with alarm 66, shut-down of the remote terminal 20, or erasure of secure
information. All communication between the terminal controller 70 and the
central controller 24 are sent in encrypted form.
A public key encryption method known as RSA public key encryption can be
utilized as a high security method of encryption. This scheme involves the
use of a secret key by each controller for decryption. The encryption key
is made common knowledge but the decryption key is not available and is
kept secure in the decryption key memory 116 of the terminal controller
70. This RSA method is known to be computationally intractable. This
method may be used only for highly sensitive data such as transmission of
medium security encryption keys or high tier winners because it is
computationally complex and time consuming.
A second encryption method which may be used is the widely known DES (Date
Encryption Standard) method developed by the National Bureau of Standards.
This method is used for higher speed encryption of medium security data,
such as low security encryption or decryption keys or seed data. To
improve security, multiple levels of DES encryption may be used. Simpler,
but less secure encryption methods which are known in the art are options
for low security, high speed data transmissions, such as meter data, or
program code.
A standard message format is utilized for transmissions between the
terminal controller 70 and the central controller 24, as illustrated in
FIG. 5. A block with a maximum message length of 256 bytes of eight bits
each is used. As shown, the first two bytes are synchronization codes,
followed by a message number, then the message length. The message number
is an eight bit number which is incremented after each message is sent,
and is used for determining error recovery on missing blocks as well as
for security to detect unauthorized communications. The message length is
the number of bytes used for the text segment of the block with a maximum
of 247 bytes per block. This text segment is encrypted for all
transmissions. Following the message length is a message type code, with
four types used in the illustrated embodiment. They are (1) STX-data to
follow, (2) ACK-previous message correctly received, (3) NAK-previous
message not correctly received, and (4) XOF-retransmit previous message
after ten seconds. After the text bytes, an end of text or end of block
code is inserted followed by two bytes of cyclic redundancy code and a
guard end byte. If a message is more than 247 bytes, multiple blocks are
used for the message.
Among the secured functions performed by the terminal controller processor
150 is the determination of prize pools to insure accurate prize payouts
guaranteeing a predetermined total prize value within a preselected group
of plays, referred to as a "pool." In a preferred embodiment, each pool
contains a million plays and each pool is further divided into a thousand
mini-pools of a thousand plays each. This multi-level pool system may be
expanded to three or more levels as needed. For example, a major pool for
high tier winners, secondary pool for intermediate winners and a mini-pool
for low end winners.
The mini-pool is used to implement a fixed low-end prize structure such
that within a small number of plays (i.e. 1000) there is a preselected
amount of low-end prize value (for example, low-end winners could include
all prizes of $25 or less). Thus, there is a known amount of low-end prize
value in each mini-pool. This ensures that each terminal will have its
share of winning value and may be accomplished by using a predetermined
number of each win value or by a distribution of different wins having
equal total prize values. The central controller 24 assigns a mini-pool
for each particular game to each remote terminal 20 from its larger supply
of 1000 mini-pools. Since each remote terminal 20 has a number of
different games, each terminal controller maintains an equal number of
separate mini-pools. Each time a mini-pool is completely used, the
terminal controller 70 initiates a telephone call to the central
controller 24, reports on the completion of the mini-pool, and a new
mini-pool is assigned by the central controller 24. When all 1000
mini-pools of a given pool have been assigned, the central controller 24
then creates a new pool.
Intermediate and large or grand prize winners are generally not sufficient
in number to permit even one of them in each mini-pool. Thus, there is a
selected set of these high tier winners in each pool, and some mini-pools
will contain such a large prize while some may contain none.
The pools and mini-pools are determined based on random seed numbers. In
the preferred embodiment, pool seeds, and minipool seeds are used which
determine the outcome of every play. The digits for the pool seeds are
created at the instant when the central controller needs to start a new
pool. These digits are generated using a pseudo-random number generator,
such as are known in the art, using an input from the computer's clock. As
a result, there is no way to predict in advance the randomization of a
given pool.
When a mini-pool seed is requested by the terminal controller 70, a value
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