Apparatus and method for a tabletop bingo card monitor

Abstract

An apparatus and method are described for monitoring bingo cards using a computer and a keyboard communicating via a wireless communication link. Stored in computer memory are data representing a number of bingo cards and a set of games and winning patterns. Stored in keyboard memory is an identifier of the number of cards in play. The keyboard may be powered by a battery and may have a reduced power operating mode to which it switches itself. The keyboard may charge its batteries to full charge individually. The keyboard may have an external power jack to which an external power supply can be connected without interrupting a game in progress. The keyboard may receive data from an external device via its wireless communication link and load that data into its memory. The keyboard may have in its memory a unique identifier that it transmits to the computer.

1 . A system for monitoring bingo cards during play, comprising: 
 a computer system comprising a display and memory;    instructions in the memory of computer system for monitoring bingo cards during a game;    bingo card data stored in the memory of the computer system representative of a plurality of bingo cards;    game data stored in the memory of the computer system representative of a set of games and a set of winning patterns;    a keyboard comprising memory;    player data stored in the keyboard memory including an identifier for a number of bingo cards in play; and    a wireless communication link connecting the keyboard and the computer.    
   
   
       2 . The system of  claim 1 , the keyboard memory further comprising a removable hardware key with memory containing the player data.  
   
   
       3 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising instructions in the computer system memory for a plurality of display formats, each format displaying a different number of bingo cards.  
   
   
       4 . The system of  claim 1 , the keyboard further comprising: 
 a battery power supply;    wherein the keyboard has a reduced power operating mode, the keyboard further comprising circuitry to switch the keyboard to the reduced power operating mode;    the battery power supply further comprising power management circuitry and a plurality of rechargeable batteries, wherein the power management circuitry charges one battery of the plurality of batteries completely before charging the remaining ones of the plurality of batteries; and    the battery power supply further comprising an external power jack, where connection of an external power source to the external power jack does not interrupt a game in progress.    
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising instructions in the keyboard memory for receiving data from the wireless communication link into the keyboard memory.  
   
   
       6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication link is bi-directional; 
 further including instructions in the computer system memory for interrogating the keyboard for status information; and    further including instructions in the computer system memory to blank the computer system display when no response is received from the keyboard in response to communications from the computer system over the wireless communication link.    
   
   
       7 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a unique identifier stored in the keyboard memory;    instructions in the keyboard memory to transmit the unique identifier with messages sent to the computer system over the wireless communication link;    instructions in the computer system memory to store the unique identifier of a keyboard that initiates a bingo game in the computer system memory; and    instructions in the computer system memory to exclude messages during the playing of the bingo game that do not contain the unique identifier of the keyboard that initiated the bingo game.    
   
   
       8 . A method of monitoring bingo cards during play using a computer system and a keyboard, the computer system and keyboard communicating through a wireless communication link, the keyboard including memory, the method comprising the steps of: storing bingo card data in the memory of the computer system representative of a plurality of bingo cards, including bingo cards in play; 
 storing game data in the memory of the computer system representative of a set of games and a set of winning patterns;    storing player data in the memory of the keyboard including an identifier for the number of bingo cards in play;    transmitting called numbers entered at the keyboard from the keyboard to the computer system over the wireless communication link;    the computer system comparing the called numbers on each bingo card in play to the winning patterns; and    the computer system notifying the user when one of the bingo cards in play contains called numbers in a winning pattern.    
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the step of storing game data further comprises the step of inserting a removable hardware key including memory containing the player data.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the computer system includes a display, the method further comprising the step of displaying the bingo cards in play in a plurality of formats, each format displaying a different number of bingo cards.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the keyboard further includes a battery, the method further comprising the steps of: monitoring the operational status of the keyboard; and 
 placing the keyboard into a reduced power mode of operation in response to the monitored status of the keyboard.    
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the keyboard further includes a plurality of rechargeable batteries, the method further comprising the step of recharging one battery to completion before recharging the remainder of the plurality of batteries.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the keyboard further includes a battery and an external power connector, the method further comprising the step of connecting an external power supply to the external power connector without interrupting a game in progress.  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising the steps of: establishing a wireless communication link between the keyboard and an external device; and 
 loading data from the external device into the memory of the keyboard using the wireless communication link.    
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising the steps of: 
 the computer system requesting status information from the keyboard;    the keyboard responding to this request by transmitting status information to the computer system;    wherein the computer system includes a display, the method further including the step of blanking the display when no response is received from the keyboard in response to communications from the computer system over the wireless communication link;    wherein the keyboard further includes a unique identifier, the method further including the step of the keyboard transmitting the unique identifier with messages sent to the computer system over the wireless communication link; and    wherein the computer system includes memory, the method further including the steps of: storing in computer system memory the unique identifier of a keyboard that initiates a bingo game; and    the computer system ignoring messages during the playing of the bingo game that do not contain the unique identifier stored in memory.    
   
   
       16 . A method of supplying game devices for monitoring bingo cards during play, the steps of the method comprising: providing a plurality of computer systems, each including a wireless transceiver and memory; 
 loading data into the memories of the computer systems, the data representative of a plurality of bingo cards, including bingo cards in play, a set of games, and a set of winning patterns;    accepting an order from a player specifying a number of bingo cards to be played;    providing a keyboard including memory and a wireless transceiver; loading data into the keyboard, including an identifier for the number of bingo cards in play; and    initiating a bingo game by communicating between the keyboard and one of the plurality of computer systems using the wireless transceivers.    
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16 , the step of loading data into the keyboard comprising the step of inserting a removable key including memory containing the identifier for the number of bingo cards in play.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the keyboard further includes a battery, the method further comprising the steps of: monitoring the operational status of the keyboard; and 
 placing the keyboard into a reduced power mode of operation in response to the monitored status of the keyboard; and    wherein the keyboard further includes an external power connector, the method further comprising the step of connecting an external power supply to the external power connector without interrupting a game in progress.    
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the step of loading data into the keyboard uses the wireless communication link to load the data; and 
 wherein each of the computer systems further includes a display, the method further comprising the step of blanking the display of a computer system when no response is received from a keyboard in response to communications from the computer system over the wireless communication link.    
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the keyboard further includes a unique identifier, the method further comprising the step of the keyboard transmitting the unique identifier with messages sent to any of the plurality of computer systems using the wireless transceiver; and 
 wherein the step of initiating a bingo game further comprises the step of storing the unique identifier of the keyboard that initiates the bingo game in the memory of the one of the plurality of computer systems, the method further comprising the step of the one of the plurality of computer systems ignoring messages during the playing of the bingo game that do not contain the unique identifier stored in memory.