Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – In a chance application
Reexamination Certificate
1998-01-12
2001-02-27
Sager, Mark A. (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
In a chance application
C463S040000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06193605
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to computerized wagering systems, and more particularly to lottery or wagering games wherein the winners are announced live to a television audience.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many states have used lottery or on-line games, such as number games and “instant winner” games, as an added source of revenue. These games have become quite popular and successful.
One type of numbers game involves the use of numerous remote computer stations located in stores throughout the state which communicate with a central computer. A customer seeking to play the game marks the numbers he wishes to enter as his choices in a computer scannable or readable entry form. The customer pays the entry fee, usually no more than a few dollars, and the store clerk feeds the entry form into a card reader controlled by the computer, which registers the numbers selected and an ID number in the central computer. After wagering has been closed to new entries, a carefully monitored selection committee chooses the winning numbers. This may involve for example, operating a machine loaded with balls having eligible numbers marked thereon to select at random the appropriate number of balls. This selection process often is broadcast on local television stations so that contestants can watch to see if their numbers have been selected. While many varieties of such games exist, examples of patents relating to this general scheme include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,689,742 (Troy) and 4,494,197 (Troy).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,422 (Berman) appears to discuss an interactive game show which seeks to allow home viewers to select an outcome from a number of possible choices and to share in the prizes awarded on the show. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,734 (Van Kohorn) discusses an interactive television wagering system whereby audience members can enter a response to a situation presented on television by entering a response on a keyboard. According to the patent, lottery games may be played by entering numbers at remote stations and stored in a central computer. The winning numbers are selected and presented at a remote station, following which winners can redeem their tickets.
Another computerized lottery wagering system is apparently discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,416 (Scangelli). This system appears to direct a telephone caller with an automatic call director through a number of selections to assist the caller in placing a bet; the cost of the bet is charged to a credit or debit card. The system assigns an associated ticket number to each customer.
Each of the above-identified patents is incorporated by reference herein in their entirety as illustrative of the background and state of the art of the present invention.
While the foregoing patents attempt to make lotteries more accessible to bettors, they do not vary much from standard on-line games. It appears that states and other entities running such lottery games have experienced some difficulty in increasing the number of interested day-to-day participants, and in maintaining the day-to-day interest of those who do participate on a regular basis.
As a result, a need exists for a lottery game which enhances the intrinsic excitement of the game to maintain and preferably increase the interest of those who do not play often, as well as the interest of everyday players.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides method for improving lottery games and enhancing participant excitement by changing the method of selecting randomly generated lottery winners in a numbers game featuring numerous entries.
The method of conducting a lottery according to the present invention initially issues a plurality of lottery tickets each bearing a sequence-specific subset of K different integers, defining for example horses in a horse race, that are selected from a predetermined set of integers. The value of K is a predetermined constant and the number of integers in the set are larger than K. The plurality of tickets includes tickets bearing different sequence-specific subsets of K integers of the set.
Each issued ticket is assigned a unique multidigit identifier which identifies the ticket with the player making the selection. The identifiers of all issued tickets are stored for selective retrieval. After all the tickets are issued, one sequence-specific subset of K different integers from the set is randomly selected, and the identifiers of all issued tickets bearing the one sequence-specific subset are selectively retrieved from memory. One of the retrieved identifiers and the ticket to which the one identifier is assigned is randomly selected to determine the winning ticket of the lottery.
Preferably, the method of the present invention further includes the step of generating an animated video display representing a horse race, after all the tickets are issued. The horse race has a number of horses equal to the number of integers in the set and respectively designated in the display by the integers of the set. The display is generated so that there are win, place and show horses therein which are designated by the first, second and third integers of the one sequence-specific subset.
The present invention also provides a lottery system having in one embodiment a game generator connected to a plurality of existing remote vendor stations through an existing central lottery station. In another embodiment, the game generator may be connected directly to the remote stations.
The plurality of remote vendor stations are configured to provide predetermined game parameters to a player for selection using, for example, a keyboard. Typically, the selected game parameters are entered by an operator of the remote vendor station. Alternatively, if a kiosk type of remote station is used, the player can directly select the game parameters. The remote stations also transfer the selected game parameters to the central station for subsequent transfer to a game generator.
As noted, the game generator may be connected to a central station and configured for data communications therebetween. For example, the central station can transfer the selected game parameters to the game generator using a wide area network, and the game generator can transfer data regarding the winning results to the remote vendor stations through the central station. Direct communications between the game generator and the remote vendor stations can be accomplished in a similar manner.
The game generator includes memory which stores a plurality of video images representing a plurality of game events. Preferably, the video images are animated representations of the particular game event. Each game event is randomly selectable by the game generator and the selected event is retrieved from memory and formatted for broadcast over, for example, public broadcasting mediums.
Preferably, the game events are races, e.g., horse races, dog races, automobile races, and the like, which include many participants, e.g., jockeys and horses, dogs, and cars and drivers. In this configuration, the memory in the game generator may store animated races for different winning combinations corresponding to the number of participants in the race. For example, if the race is a horse race with twelve horses and jockeys participating, the game generator memory can store an animated race for each winning combination of the twelve horses that win, place and show.
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patent: 5283734 (1994-
Bower Daniel W.
Libby Budd O.
Cooper & Dunham LLP
Daily Race Game Joint Venture
Sager Mark A.
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