TERMINAL GENERATED MOBILE RANDOM DRAW GAMES
Mobile communications device that uses a camera in a web-enabled PDA, cellular phone or smart phone to capture a barcode image off a lottery ticket, convert it to its unique serial number, pass it via cellular data service through a database query to append or change a game database and initiate a unique computer game sessions on the mobile device that the consumer can play with fixed or variable outcomes to determine the future value of the printed ticket. A method is disclosed of generating a mobile lottery game for play on a mobile device by which a consumer can reach fixed or variable outcomes to determine the future value of a game ticket.
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The present application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/576,126, filed Oct. 8, 2009, incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe present invention relates to terminal generated lottery games presented through mobile computer devices in which the games have a fixed probability of outcome. More particularly described, the present invention relates to terminal generated lottery games played by the game player through on a mobile computer device through the game result based on a fixed outcome.
BACKGROUNDTerminal generated lottery tickets such as MEGA MILLIONS, POWERBALL AND PICK 3 games are typically printed with limited graphics capabilities from network terminals of the lottery system. The lottery system records the ticket into a game database that houses data information fields about the printed lottery ticket including game, purchase date, drawing date and selected numbers. The consumer then holds that ticket until a scheduled drawing is held which will determine the win/loss result of that ticket. Our prior development marketed as MOBILECAT mobile computer device application allows lottery ticket results to be returned by a camera-equipped mobile device/phone for ticket status confirmation.
Terminal generated lottery tickets are often printed on thermal or dot matrix printers with limited graphic capabilities. Nevertheless, such printers may print machine-readable barcode formats that contain unique identifiers or codes for a specific ticket. Those codes can be read by suitable imaging devices including conventional imaging-capable or camera equipped mobile communication devices. In accordance with the present invention, the mobile computer device provides an interactive platform to generate a game application that allows the player to make certain choices that determine the outcome of the game.
Lottery players and garners want to have more interactivity and control over their game. Players or gamblers that play card games or other casino games typically dismiss lottery games as they believe such games do not provide players with an opportunity to control the outcome. In accordance with the present invention, the player my make a series of choices in the play of the game, which choices may change the outcome of the game and thus change the result of the game ticket.
In 2002/2003, the Illinois Lottery launched an add on ‘instant win’ game to their terminal generated PICK 3 and PICK 4 games called EXTRA game. The concept allowed PICK 3 and PICK 4 players to pay an additional or extra dollar and the game then provided a random series of numbers printed on the game ticket below the selected PICK 3 and PICK 4 drawing numbers. If the random numbers underneath their chosen numbers matched in a row, the player may ‘instantly’ win a prize. Also, the player still had a chance to win when the PICK 3 and PICK 4 drawing was held.
There are drawbacks to the EXTRA game. Issues may occur when retail clerks view the ticket to see if it is a winner before handing the ticket to the customer. A dishonest clerk may easily notice a winning ticket, slide it under the register and print out another ticket for the customer.
In addition to this problem, the game only offered an ‘instant’ satisfaction, but did not create any additional play value. The present invention may provide additional play value in which the terminal may hide game data within a barcode on the ticket and the player himself may independently scan that ticket, the result would not be revealed before the purchasing and delivery transaction with the game sales clerk was complete.
In addition, game applications in which a player or customer may independently scan the ticket offer enhanced game play experiences. In 2002/2003, independent scanning was difficult as game terminal access is restricted and scanning technology involved remote and separate devices such as using a home PC and a peripheral scanning device. With MOBILECATS technology, scanning of game tickets and ticket status evaluation may be accomplished with conventional mobile devices having built-in imaging devices or cameras.
While instant scratch lottery tickets have predetermined outcomes, terminal generated lottery tickets have a time-delayed outcome. When a scratch ticket is purchased, before the ticket is scratched to reveal the outcome, the ticket is already a predetermined win/loss with a specific value. The terminal generated ticket has a purchase value, until the time of an undetermined drawing that can change its value to $0 or a range of winning prize amounts.
Another drawback of current terminal generated game tickets is inflexibility in changing the dynamic of the ‘drawing element’ and consequently the inability to change the mechanics of the particular game. A player-purchased terminal generated ticket has limitations on player play out of the game without more control over the outcome.
Random draw games to date have limited opportunity to utilize technology beyond printed game tickets and trends that make play and wins possible, without breaching the rules and laws that govern lottery business in most jurisdictions.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art by which bar coded terminal generated game tickets can interact or launch a variety of interactive computer games that determine the outcome of the game. The prize structure of the game can still be pari-mutuel, creating rolling jackpot amounts and lower tier prizes based on aggregate ticket purchases, and the database manages the distribution at the point of activating the game. It is to such that the present invention is directed.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention meets the need in the art by providing an interactive random draw game, comprising a random draw game database having a plurality of prizes and a plurality of ticket codes each associated with one random draw game ticket. A game provider configured to receive from a game player an identifier corresponding to one of the ticket codes, to select randomly a ticket status indicative of whether the random draw game ticket associated with the identifier is to receive one of the prizes or be designated as a non-winning random draw game ticket, and to return the ticket status to the game player. An interactive game operated on a mobile communications device requiring at least one play selection by the player before the game displays the ticket status.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a method for an interactive random draw game, comprising (a) providing a random draw game database having a plurality of prizes and a plurality of ticket codes each associated with one random draw game ticket; (b) communicating from a mobile communication device an identifier corresponding to one of the ticket codes to a game provider configured to select randomly a ticket status indicative of whether the random draw game ticket associated with the identifier is to receive one of the prizes or be designated as a non-winning random draw game ticket, and communicating the ticket status to the mobile communication device; and (c) performing an interactive game operated on the mobile communications device requiring at least one play selection
Objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings and the appended claims.
With reference to the drawings in which like parts have like identifiers,
The present invention provides an interactive game for play on a mobile computer device 10 such as a cellular telephone, personal data assistant device, computer, and like devices. The interactive game is based on a random draw game ticket 12. The ticket 12 is purchased by the user or player from a game system ticket vendor. As discussed below, the game ticket 12 is validated and the game provided with an outcome or result for play by the player.
Once the unique numeric code 24 is determined or identified, the numeric code can be used as a parameter communicated to the game provider. For example, the mobile computer device communicates the numeric code 24 in an SQL script that can be sent over the phone data connection to the game provider. The ticket code 24 appends and updates a database of purchased lottery tickets. The query or update pulls the game data from that ticket. Also, as shown in
The consumer may play the interactive game to reach the outcome/value of the purchased ticket.
Gaming enthusiasts and gamblers infrequently play the lottery because they feel they don't have any control over the outcome of the game. Rules and regulations make it difficult for lottery organizations to change this aspect of their product offering. Lottery games are bound by guidelines that mandate random outcome and no-skill type game play.
In order to remedy this conflict, the present invention uses existing technology in the form of mobile phone cameras, data connectivity and operating systems that can handle the game engines.
When a terminal generated ticket (such as MEGA MILLIONS, LOTTO, PICK 3 games) is printed, the ticket value at that point in time is that of the purchase price. The value of that ticket changes at the dedicated time of a drawing. Once the outcome of the random drawing is held, the ticket can be worth $0 or a value in a range of prize amounts based on a table of matching play numbers to the drawing numbers.
Just like the future drawing, a ticket value outcome can be determined by another random action with a variable overlay. Since the lottery cannot payout more than it takes in, the prize outcome may be randomized by the game system database at the point of player game generation. This may include a number of different amounts in the game play. The variable outcome would then be based on the player's actions. In an alternate embodiment, a fixed outcome may also be set.
For example, the player would purchase a $1 terminal generated ticket 12 at the lottery retailer for a baseball game as depicted in
When the player is ready to play out his/her ticket 12, the player uses the camera enabled mobile device 10 to activate the interactive game. The mobile device 10 operates computer instructions of an installed software application. The application first scans the barcode 18 on the printed ticket 12. Once the barcode is scanned, the mobile device 10 interprets the bar code and generates the unique identifier associated with the game ticket 12. The mobile device sends a call message to the lottery system controller 38 to activate the interactive game for play on the mobile device 10. In the illustrative embodiment, the interactive game is a baseball game as depicted in
The computer game executes on the player's mobile device 10. The game prompts the player to make at least one game decision. With reference to the example in
The game play may be as detailed as desired for the particular interactive game, but the path preferably is simple for the lottery game database to log the variable outcome.
Once the game play is complete, the outcome is stored in the player's mobile device 10. The mobile device could also regenerate the ticket barcode and store it in that game record. As shown in
If the outcome of the random draw ticket 10 (either directly as a result determined when the random drawing is made or as a result of player option actions discussed above) is a cash prize, the player may return that printed ticket to the lottery retailer to claim his/her prize. In an alternate embodiment, the player presents the mobile device 10 to the retailer. Upon opening the barcode on the screen of the mobile device, the retailer may scan the displayed barcode with a barcode scanner. The scanned barcode is then validated conventionally through the lottery terminal with communication to the game controller 38 and checking the ticket status as maintained in the ticket game database 44.
Just like a drawing game, the value of the ticket is initially set at the purchase price until a future event (a random draw game event) occurs to change the ticket value. Then the ticket reserved in the database is valued at the win/loss value for validation and claims.
Operation of the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in
In an embodiment having a single fixed outcome, the winning prize is associated with one of the three flags 72. The player makes a final selection of one of the three flags 72. If the chosen flag is the winner, a winner message and amount won is displayed. The mobile device communicates the win status to the controller 38 for updating the ticket game database 44 and the available game prize pool 42. The data record for the particular game ticket 12 based on the numeric representation of the bar code identifier 18 is updated to reflect the winning status and amount for the ticket 12. The player may then present the game ticket 12 to a lottery retailer for validation and redemption of the prize. In the event the chosen flag 72 is a non-winner, a message indicating that the ticket is a non-winner is displayed as shown in
Some random draw games provide prizes other than a monetary payout. For example, commercial businesses may offer a random draw contest providing food, discounts, or electronic downloads of music. These contests provide printed tickets often with scratch-off results fields. A winning field displays a code that must be entered and validated at a web-accessible site, before proceeding to a music site to download a prize. As illustrated in
The application executing on the mobile device 10 further evaluates the communications between the mobile device 10 and the lottery system controller 38 and with the commercial transaction and payment service. If the application determines conflicts in communicating with the hardware, communicating with the database or an inability to produce a valid result; an appropriate error or warning message is displayed on the display screen of the mobile device 10 and an entry is made in the log for evaluation by the lottery game provider.
The present invention accordingly relates to:
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- apparatus and method by which a lottery ticket can be generated by an existing lottery terminal with a future value determined by a random selection initiated by a mobile communications device and additionally by variable actions of the user of the mobile device;
- apparatus and method by which a mobile computer device with a built in camera can recognize the ticket barcode, convert the bar code to the unique identifier and communicate with the lottery database to append/change the record value of the ticket;
- apparatus and method as describe above which further stores the present and future value of the purchased game ticket;
- apparatus and method by which the scanned game ticket activates a specific computer game in the mobile device;
- apparatus and method by which the prize results are randomly generated to populate the possible outcomes of an interactive game played on the mobile communications device;
- apparatus and method by which the activated computer game sets the variable choices that the player can make to direct the path to the randomized prize outcomes;
- apparatus and method of managing the communication between the device and the lottery information database server to log the actions of the player;
- apparatus and method by which the appended variable outcome data is encrypted and sent to the lottery database;
- apparatus and method by which the database sets and stores the outcome of the game play to set the new value of the ticket;
- apparatus and method of managing the prize pool to generate possible game outcomes that do not exceed a payout threshold set by the lottery game provider;
- apparatus and method of throwing or reporting errors if the software application determines conflicts in communicating with the hardware, communicating with the database or an inability to produce a valid result;
- apparatus and method of generating a duplicate ticket barcode in the mobile device that can be used as an alternate or backup vehicle to validate/claim the prize at the lottery retailer; and
- apparatus and method of using the mobile device to validate and claim winnings electronically.
The foregoing specification describes the present invention that provides an interactive game configured for a player to make selective optional actions during play of the game to reach a predetermined result or a result selected from two or more possible results in a random draw game thereby providing a player with active participation opportunities in determining whether a ticket in a random draw game is a winning ticket. It is to be understood, however, that numerous changes and variations may be made in the construction of the converter within the spirit and scope of the present invention and that modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the scope thereof as set forth in the appended claims.
Claims
1. An interactive random draw game, comprising:
- a random draw game database having a plurality of prizes and a plurality of ticket codes each associated with one random draw game ticket;
- a game provider configured to receive from a game player an identifier corresponding to one of the ticket codes, to select randomly a ticket status indicative of whether the random draw game ticket associated with the identifier is to receive one of the prizes or be designated as a non-winning random draw game ticket, and to return the ticket status to the game player;
- an interactive game operated on a mobile communications device requiring at least one play selection by the player before the game displays the ticket status.
2. The interactive random draw game as recited in claim 1, wherein the player obtains the random draw game ticket from a terminal operated by the game provider.
3. The interactive random draw game as recited in claim 2, wherein a future value of the random draw game ticket is determined by the player initiating communication with the game provider using the mobile communications device.
4. The interactive random draw game as recited in claim 3, wherein the ticket status is based on the random draw game ticket selected to receive one of the prizes and the prize is selected from at least two different prizes as an outcome result; and the future value of the random draw game ticket is determined by the player making at least one variable action before the game displays a final ticket status associated with one of the outcome results; and further comprising the game provider configured to receive a communication as to the final ticket status and to update the random draw game database as to which prize was selected by the variable action of the player.
5. The interactive random draw game as recited in claim 4, wherein the game provider maintains an outcome record value of the random draw game ticket based on the final ticket status communicated by the mobile communications device to the game provider.
6. The interactive random draw game as recited in claim 3, wherein the ticket status is selectively one of the prizes and a non-wining result, and the future value of the random draw game ticket is determined by the player making at least one variable action before the game displays a final ticket status associated with one of the ticket status; and further comprising the game provider configured to receive a communication as to the final ticket status and to update the random draw game database as to whether a prize was selected for the random draw game ticket by the variable action of the player.
7. The interactive random draw game as recited in claim 6, wherein the mobile communications device further comprises:
- an imaging device to image a unique code printed on random draw game ticket; and
- an analyzer configured to interpret the unique code and to generate a numerical representation thereof, the numerical representation communicated as the identifier of the random draw game ticket.
8. The interactive random draw game as recited in claim 7, wherein the identifier and the ticket status communicate between the mobile communications device and the game provider using a telecommunications network.
9. The interactive random draw game as recited in claim 8, wherein the game provider maintains at least an outcome record value of the random draw game ticket based on the final ticket status communicated by the mobile communications device to the game provider.
10. The interactive random draw game as recited in claim 9, wherein the game provider maintains an initial record value of the random draw game ticket.
11. The interactive random draw game as recited in claim 1, wherein the mobile communications device is configured to commence an interactive game playable by a player using the mobile communications device.
12. The interactive random draw game as recited in claim 11, wherein upon imaging of the random draw game ticket the interactive game commences.
13. The interactive random draw game as recited in claim 11, wherein the game includes variable choices that a player may make to direct the game to one of the outcome results.
14. The interactive random draw game as recited in claim 1, wherein the game provider is configured for managing the prize pool to generate possible game outcomes that do not exceed a predetermined payout threshold set by the game provider.
15. The interactive random draw game as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for accessing a prize that is downloaded from a web site to the mobile device upon determining the ticket status is a winning ticket.
16. A method for an interactive random draw game, comprising:
- (a) providing a random draw game database having a plurality of prizes and a plurality of ticket codes each associated with one random draw game ticket;
- (b) communicating from a mobile communication device an identifier corresponding to one of the ticket codes to a game provider configured to select randomly a ticket status indicative of whether the random draw game ticket associated with the identifier is to receive one of the prizes or be designated as a non-winning random draw game ticket, and communicating the ticket status to the mobile communication device; and
- (c) performing an interactive game operated on the mobile communications device requiring at least one play selection by the player before the game displays the ticket status on the mobile communications device.
17. The method for the interactive random draw game as recited in claim 16, further comprising obtaining the random draw game ticket from a terminal operated by the game provider.
18. The method for the interactive random draw game as recited in claim 17, further comprising determining a future value of the random draw game ticket by the player initiating communication with the game provider using the mobile communications device.
19. The method for the interactive random draw game as recited in claim 18, wherein determining the ticket status is based on the random draw game ticket selected to receive one of the prizes and the prize is selected from at least two different prizes as an outcome result; and determining the future value of the random draw game ticket by the player making at least one variable action before the game displays a final ticket status associated with one of the outcome results; and further comprising communicating the final ticket status to the game provider to update the random draw game database as to which prize was selected by the variable action of the player.
20. The method for the interactive random draw game as recited in claim 19, further comprising maintaining an outcome record value of the random draw game ticket based on the final ticket status communicated by the mobile communications device to the game provider.
21. The method for the interactive random draw game as recited in claim 18, wherein the ticket status is selectively determined from one of the prizes and a non-wining result, and further comprising determining the future value of the random draw game ticket from the ticket status by the player making at least one variable action before the game displays a final ticket status associated with one of the ticket status; and further comprising communicating the final ticket status to the game provider to update the random draw game database as to whether a prize was selected for the random draw game ticket by the variable action of the player.
22. The method for the interactive random draw game as recited in claim 21, further comprising:
- imaging a unique code printed on random draw game ticket; and
- interpreting the unique code and generating a numerical representation thereof, which numerical representation communicates as the identifier of the random draw game ticket.
23. The method for the interactive random draw game as recited in claim 22, wherein the mobile communications device and the game provider communicate using a telecommunications network.
24. The method for the interactive random draw game as recited in claim 23, further comprising maintaining at least an outcome record value of the random draw game ticket based on the final ticket status communicated by the mobile communications device to the game provider.
25. The method for the interactive random draw game as recited in claim 24, further comprising maintaining an initial record value of the random draw game ticket.
26. The method for the interactive random draw game as recited in claim 16, further comprising commencing an interactive game playable on the mobile communications device by a player using the mobile communications device.
27. The method for the interactive random draw game as recited in claim 26, wherein the interactive game commences upon imaging of the random draw game ticket.
28. The method for the interactive random draw game as recited in claim 26, further comprising providing at least one variable choice that a player may make to direct the interactive game to one of the outcome results.
29. The interactive random draw game as recited in claim 16, further comprising managing the managing the prize pool to generate possible game outcomes that do not exceed a predetermined payout threshold set by the game provider.
30. The interactive random draw game as recited in claim 16, further comprising the step of downloading a prize from a web site to the mobile device upon determining the ticket status is a winning ticket.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 8, 2010
Publication Date: Apr 14, 2011
Applicant: ALCHEMY 3, LLC (Alpharetta, GA)
Inventors: Paul Francis Guziel (Roswell, GA), David Jason Schorr (Cumming, GA)
Application Number: 12/900,985
International Classification: A63F 9/24 (20060101);