U.S. patent application number 13/584322 was filed with the patent office on 2013-02-07 for systems and methods for retail lottery-style games.
This patent application is currently assigned to Roboreus Limited. The applicant listed for this patent is James Allan Oakes. Invention is credited to James Allan Oakes.
Application Number | 20130035149 13/584322 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47278902 |
Filed Date | 2013-02-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130035149 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Oakes; James Allan |
February 7, 2013 |
Systems and Methods for Retail Lottery-Style Games
Abstract
Systems and methods for retail lottery-style games are
disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, a map-based
lottery game is established, by at least one processor, that is
scheduled to have a lottery drawing, where the map-based lottery
game includes a gameboard made up of a plurality of units each
selectable to represent an entry in the lottery game. In addition,
a plurality of game entries are received each identifying a unit on
the gameboard either with an identifier of the unit or with a
lottery combination corresponding to the unit and, at least one
winning entry from the plurality of game entries is selected by
selecting among the plurality of units on the gameboard or among
the units identified by the plurality of game entries.
Inventors: |
Oakes; James Allan; (Rye,
GB) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Oakes; James Allan |
Rye |
|
GB |
|
|
Assignee: |
Roboreus Limited
London
GB
|
Family ID: |
47278902 |
Appl. No.: |
13/584322 |
Filed: |
August 13, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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12180163 |
Jul 25, 2008 |
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13584322 |
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61522927 |
Aug 12, 2011 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
463/17 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07F 17/329 20130101;
G07F 17/32 20130101; G07F 17/3258 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
463/17 |
International
Class: |
A63F 9/24 20060101
A63F009/24 |
Claims
1. A computer-implemented method for lottery-style games, the
method comprising: establishing, by at least one processor, a
map-based lottery game that is scheduled to have a lottery drawing,
said map-based lottery game including a gameboard comprising a
plurality of units each selectable to represent an entry in the
lottery game; receiving a plurality of game entries each
identifying a unit on the gameboard either with an identifier of
the unit or with a lottery combination corresponding to the unit;
and selecting at least one winning entry from the plurality of game
entries by selecting among the plurality of units on the gameboard
or among the units identified by the plurality of game entries.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said lottery
combination comprises a plurality of lottery numbers.
3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said plurality of
lottery numbers comprise a first lottery number, a second lottery
number and a third lottery number, said first lottery number
corresponding to a region, said second lottery number corresponding
to a city or town, and said third lottery number corresponding to a
street, wherein each of the region, city or town, and street is
represented by one or more unit on the gameboard.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one game entry
is received from a retail terminal, a mobile application, or a
web-accessible computing device.
5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the steps
of: receiving a reservation entry; generating a reservation code
for display to a player for input at a retail terminal; receiving
said reservation code from a retail terminal; and storing at least
one game entry based on said received reservation code.
6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said reservation code
is received at a retail terminal through scanning of said
reservation code.
7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said at least one game
entry stored identifies a unit on the gameboard near a unit
identified by the reservation entry or near a unit corresponding to
a lottery combination identified by the reservation entry.
8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of
storing the plurality of game entries at a storage device connected
to the at least one processor.
9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the storing of a game
entry of said plurality of game entries is based on the purchase of
said game entry.
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein said purchase is
received from a mobile application, a web-accessible computing
device, or a retail terminal.
11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of
selecting a second winning entry, wherein said second winning entry
identifies a second unit on the gameboard near the unit
corresponding to the at least one winning entry.
12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of
making at least a portion of the gameboard available for display on
a networked device, thereby to receive at least one game entry from
said networked device.
13. A system for lottery-style games, the system comprising: a
processor; at least one storage device coupled to the processor; a
user interface coupled to the processor via one or more networks;
wherein the processor is adapted to communicate with the at least
one storage device and the user interface to execute instructions
to: establish a map-based lottery game that is scheduled to have a
lottery drawing, said map-based lottery game including a gameboard
comprising a plurality of units each selectable to represent an
entry in the lottery game; receive a plurality of game entries each
identifying a unit on the gameboard either with an identifier of
the unit or with a lottery combination corresponding to the unit;
and select at least one winning entry from the plurality of game
entries by selecting among the plurality of units on the gameboard
or among the units identified by the plurality of game entries.
14. The system according to claim 13, wherein said lottery
combination comprises a plurality of lottery numbers.
15. The system according to claim 14, wherein said plurality of
lottery numbers comprise a first lottery number, a second lottery
number and a third lottery number, said first lottery number
corresponding to a region, said second lottery number corresponding
to a city or town, and said third lottery number corresponding to a
street, wherein each of the region, city or town, and street is
represented by one or more unit on the gameboard.
16. The system according to claim 13, wherein at least one game
entry is received from a retail terminal, a mobile application, or
a web-accessible computing device.
17. The system according to claim 16, the processor is further
adapted to complete the following tasks: receiving a reservation
entry; generating a reservation code for display to a player for
input at a retail terminal; receiving said reservation code from a
retail terminal; and storing at least one game entry based on said
received reservation code.
18. The system according to claim 17, wherein said reservation code
is received at a retail terminal through scanning of said
reservation code.
19. The system according to claim 18, wherein said at least one
game entry stored identifies a unit on the gameboard near a unit
identified by the reservation entry or near a unit corresponding to
a lottery combination identified by the reservation entry.
20. The system according to claim 13, wherein the processor is
further adapted to store the plurality of game entries at the at
least one storage device.
21. The system according to claim 20, wherein the storing of a game
entry of said plurality of game entries is based on the purchase of
said game entry.
22. The system according to claim 21, wherein said purchase is
received from a mobile application, a web-accessible computing
device, or a retail terminal.
23. The system according to claim 13, wherein processor is further
adapted to select a second winning entry, said second winning entry
identifies a second unit on the gameboard near the unit
corresponding to the at least one winning entry.
24. The system according to claim 13, wherein processor is further
adapted to make at least a portion of the gameboard available for
display on a networked device, thereby to receive at least one game
entry from said networked device.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority to, and is a
continuation-in-part of, U.S. patent application Ser. No.
12/180,163, filed on Jul. 25, 2008, which is incorporated herein by
reference in its entirety. The present application further claims
priority to and incorporates by reference U.S. Provisional
Application No. 61/522,927, filed Aug. 12, 2011.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to
games of chance. More specifically, the present invention relates
to systems and methods for lottery-style games.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Lottery is a popular game of chance in which a number of
players contribute to form a jackpot that is later awarded, wholly
or partially, to one or more winners. The participating players pay
money or contribute other things of value in exchange for lottery
tickets. Typically, each lottery ticket bears a combination of
numbers or other symbols, and a winning ticket has to at least
partially match a randomly generated set of numbers or symbols. In
a properly operated lottery game, any one of the outstanding
lottery tickets could be selected in a random drawing as a winning
ticket, entitling its holder to some or all of the jackpot
prize.
[0004] Sweepstakes in United States may be considered one special
type of lottery games which are free to enter and are typically
sponsored by merchants for promotional marketing purposes. In
United Kingdom, a sweepstake is technically a lottery game in which
the prize is financed through the tickets sold. Small-scale
sweepstakes among private parties (e.g., colleagues and classmates)
may also be considered lottery games which are often related to
ongoing sports events.
[0005] Lottery games come in different formats. For example, the
jackpot of a lottery game may be either a fixed cash amount or a
certain percentage of ticket revenue. The combination of numbers on
each lottery ticket could be a unique one, or each player may be
allowed to select his or her own lucky numbers, making it possible
for multiple tickets to share a same combination. Lottery games can
be played either online or offline. The most popular lottery games,
such as Powerball.TM., Mega Millions.TM., and Euro Millions.TM.,
are mostly paper-based, requiring the purchase of actual tickets,
although some are now starting to open to online participants. A
few lottery games can be played completely online. That is, instead
of purchasing a paper ticket and filling in desired numbers with a
pencil, an online player can purchase an electronic (or virtual)
lottery ticket and select a desired combination via a web interface
such as an Internet browser.
[0006] In all traditional lottery games, lottery tickets are sold
in predetermined, fixed denominations, for example, one dollar per
ticket. Accordingly, one winning ticket will entitle its holder to
an entire unit of a corresponding winning prize. Proportional value
lottery games have been proposed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos.
6,296,569 and 7,351,142, but none appears to have been commercially
implemented. Both of those patents describe the issuance of
proportional denomination lottery tickets, online or at a point of
sale (POS). For example, in any transaction involving change under
a dollar, the change can be converted to a proportional
denomination share of a full-unit (one-dollar) lottery ticket. If
the full-unit lottery ticket is qualified for a prize, the holder
of the proportional denomination ticket will be entitled to a
fraction of the prize. For instance, if a one-dollar ticket
matching all the winning numbers would entitle its holder to a
jackpot amount, then a 25-cent proportional ticket entitles its
holder to 25% of the jackpot.
[0007] All the existing types of lottery games appear to share a
few common characteristics. First, they all have to issue some kind
of lottery tickets, whether paper or electronic, full-denomination
or proportional. The purposes for issuing lottery tickets are
two-fold. The tickets bear numerical combinations or patterns to be
compared to the randomly generated winning combination or pattern.
The tickets also serve as proof of participation in the lottery
games. However, the entire mechanism of generating, drawing, and
matching tickets could impose significant overhead costs on the
operation of lottery games.
[0008] Second, participation in traditional lottery games depends
heavily on player impulse or enthusiasm, which causes ticket
revenue to fluctuate. Except for a handful of gambling fanatics,
most people only purchase lottery tickets occasionally. A loss in
one game might cause an ordinary player to stop playing for a
while. Also, public sentiment towards a lottery game often varies
with the amount of jackpot prize available at the time. There seems
to be a general belief that a one-dollar ticket somehow has a
better chance of winning when the jackpot reaches several million
dollars or more. Therefore, when the total jackpot snowballs into
an unusually large amount, the public often become increasingly
interested in the game. Once the jackpot is won, a period of
stagnation typically follows the news-generating big win. For all
these reasons, ticket revenues from traditional lottery games tend
to swing with time and seldom generate a steady cash flow.
[0009] Third, players in a traditional lottery game have no direct
or perceivable incentive for bringing more players into the game.
Theoretically, an existing player may be indirectly benefited if
more players join the lottery game, because the increased
participation will increase the size of jackpot the existing player
could potentially win. However, that potential benefit may not be
tangible enough to encourage referrals of additional players. In
addition, the existing player's chance of winning does not increase
with the number of new players.
[0010] Furthermore, traditional lottery games including sweepstakes
are pure games of chance and typically do not require any player
skill or strategy. Every player's chance of winning is only
affected by the number of lottery tickets he or she buys. One
player's chance of winner is independent of another player's chance
of winning As a result, there tends to be very little interaction
among lottery participants.
[0011] In view of the foregoing, it may be understood that there
are significant problems and shortcomings associated with
traditional lottery games.
[0012] As disclosed in parent applications U.S. application Ser.
Nos. 12/180,163 and 12/180,201, filed on Jul. 25, 2008,
incorporated herein and described in-part below, lottery-style
games are disclosed that are played using an interactive computing
device such as a computer or mobile phone with an internet
connection. In many cases, this may present an implementation issue
for the current lottery market since over 95% of all lottery sales
are currently made in retail stores, done using a paper betting
slip that is scanned and processed by an online terminal (which is
operated by the shopkeeper). Such online terminals are usually only
set up to handle input in the form of said paper betting slips.
Thus, in view of such issues, it may be understood that there are
certain aspects of these disclosed lottery-style games that can be
further improved upon.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] Systems and methods for lottery-style games are disclosed.
In one particular aspect, a computer-implemented method for
lottery-style games is disclosed. In one particular embodiment, the
method includes the step of establishing, by at least one
processor, a map-based lottery game that is scheduled to have a
lottery drawing, where the map-based lottery game includes a
gameboard comprising of a plurality of units, each selectable to
represent an entry in the lottery game. In addition, a plurality of
game entries are received each identifying a unit on the gameboard
either with an identifier of the unit or with a lottery combination
corresponding to the unit; and at least one winning entry from the
plurality of game entries is selected by selecting among the
plurality of units on the gameboard or among the units identified
by the plurality of game entries.
[0014] In another aspect of the present invention, a system for
lottery-style games is disclosed to include a processor, at least
one storage device coupled to the processor, and a user interface
coupled to the processor via one or more networks. Furthermore, in
one embodiment, the processor is adapted to communicate with the at
least one storage device and the user interface to execute
instructions to establish a map-based lottery game that is
scheduled to have a lottery drawing, where the map-based lottery
game includes a gameboard comprising a plurality of units each
selectable to represent an entry in the lottery game. Furthermore,
the processor is adapted to receive a plurality of game entries
each identifying a unit on the gameboard either with an identifier
of the unit or with a lottery combination corresponding to the
unit; and to select at least one winning entry from the plurality
of game entries by selecting among the plurality of units on the
gameboard or among the units identified by the plurality of game
entries.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] In order to facilitate a fuller understanding of the present
invention, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, in
which like elements are referenced with like numerals. These
drawings should not be construed as limiting the present invention,
but are intended to be exemplary only.
[0016] FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method of
facilitating lottery-style games in accordance with one embodiment
of the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 2 illustrates the flow of tokens from the perspective
of a lottery game operator in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention.
[0018] FIG. 3 illustrates the flow of tokens from the perspective
of a player in a lottery game in accordance with one embodiment of
the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary system
for facilitating lottery-style games in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary software
and data-storage modules for facilitating lottery-style games in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 6 shows a map for an exemplary GeoSweep game in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 7 illustrates an alternative method of establishing a
grid or land boundaries in an exemplary GeoSweep game in accordance
with one embodiment of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 8 illustrates another alternative method of
establishing a grid or land boundaries in an exemplary GeoSweep
game in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention.
[0024] FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method of
facilitating retail lottery-style games in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary GGR Gameboard utilizing the
6-part lottery number.
[0026] FIG. 11 is an exemplary table of an exemplary prize payout
for a lottery-style game in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0027] Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a flow chart
illustrating an exemplary method of facilitating lottery-style
games in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention.
[0028] In step 102, a lottery game may be set up. The lottery game
may be an ongoing one that is scheduled to have a plurality of
lottery drawings over a period of time. For example, the lottery
drawings may occur on a periodic basis, such as once every hour,
one or more times every calendar day or every business day, one or
more times every week, or a predetermined number of times per month
or year. As the lottery game is set up, a set of rules, terms and
conditions may be published or otherwise communicated to potential
participants. The rules may define how the lottery game is operated
and how the lottery drawings are conducted, as well as calculation
and payout of prizes, as will be described in more detail below.
The terms and conditions may specify rights and obligations of
persons participating in the lottery game and lottery drawings.
[0029] In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the
lottery game is established online and accessible via an Internet
website. The lottery game may also be implemented in connection
with one or more social networking websites, such as Facebook.TM.,
MySpace.TM., or LinkedIn.TM.. Alternatively, the lottery game may
also be implemented in connection with one or more virtual reality
games such as Second Life.TM. or other multi-player video games.
The lottery game may be either an add-on or an integrated part of
an associated website, wherein participation in the lottery game
may enhance a player's experience at the associated website or vice
versa. According to some embodiments, the lottery game and lottery
drawings may be implemented at least partially offline, without
requiring every participant to have computer or Internet
access.
[0030] In step 104, players may be enrolled in the lottery game.
Each person wishing to join the lottery game may be required to
make a commitment to participate in a number of the scheduled
lottery drawings. In one exemplary enrollment process, a player may
(a) manifest consent to the set of rules, terms and conditions
established in the lottery game and (b) deposit or pledge some
amount of money or other things of value to be contributed to the
game. The amount of initial deposit or pledge may depend on such
factors as how many lottery drawings the player is obligated to
participate in, how much wager the player is to enter for each
drawing, the player's credit ratings, and so on.
[0031] Enrollment of players may be taken via a web interface, by
mail, or through other communication means. When the lottery game
is implemented in connection with a social networking website or
other membership sites, enrollment in the lottery game may be
simplified with the existing membership information. Alternatively,
the lottery game operator, administrator, or personnel may receive
and approve enrollment in person. In some instances, new players
may join through referrals and/or gift membership.
[0032] In step 106, each enrolled player may be assigned one or
more unique identifiers. Each player identifier (or player ID) may
be a text string, a serial number, or other symbols. According to
one embodiment, each player ID may be associated with a "Lucky
Star" of the player's choice. According to some embodiments, each
player ID may comprise a machine readable portion (e.g., an
alphanumeric string) and a human recognizable portion (e.g., a
logo, icon or catch phrase). For a player, one of the assigned
player IDs may be used as a username for logging into an
Internet-based lottery game. Or, the player may choose a different
username to log in but is still able to manage multiple player IDs
assigned to that player. The assigned player IDs may be imprinted
or encoded on a membership card.
[0033] In the drawings or games described herein, each registered
player can participate with one or multiple player IDs. When
participating with multiple player IDs, the rules regarding each of
the multiple player IDs are the same as if each player ID is owned
and controlled by a single player. For ease of illustration, it is
assumed in the following description that each player participates
with a single player ID.
[0034] In step 108, each player may designate the number of tokens
to enter for each drawing. That is, with respect to each lottery
drawing the player is committed to participate in, the player may
specify a wager amount that is typically measured in the number of
tokens. As used herein, a "token" may be or represent any physical
or virtual thing of value that can be counted or quantified. For
example, a token may be or represent one or more units of cash or
credit. Or, a token may be or represent one or more points that are
exchangeable for things of value. According to one embodiment of
the present invention, one token may be the equivalent of one cent
( 1/100 of a dollar). According to another embodiment, one token
may be or represent one value point that may be used to exchange
for music downloads, cell phone ring-tones, or for other online or
in-store purchases. According to yet another embodiment, one token
may represent one unit of a game score in an online video game or a
virtual society. According to still another embodiment, one token
may be or can be exchanged for one or more units of mobile
telephone airtime or long-distance telephone minutes.
[0035] The players may purchase tokens with their initial deposits.
They may set up electronic fund transfers and/or automatic credit
card payments to refill their accounts with tokens. A player's
account may be replenished automatically as soon as its balance
falls below a preset lower limit. Apart from winning or purchasing
refills, the players may alternatively or additionally obtain
tokens through bartering or by engaging in certain activities. For
example, a player may exchange credit card cash-back bonus points
for tokens. The player may also take part in online surveys, view
online advertisements, or increase activity level at social
networking or blogger websites to earn tokens.
[0036] The number of tokens designated for each lottery drawing
should typically fall within a certain range. For lottery drawings
that take place on a daily basis, for example, there may be a daily
minimum and a daily maximum for the number of tokens a player can
contribute per player ID. According to one embodiment of the
present invention, the daily minimum may be one token (e.g., one
cent or one pence) and the daily maximum may be one hundred tokens
(e.g., one dollar or one pound). The number of tokens that a player
designates for each drawing may be any of a fixed value between and
including the daily minimum and the daily maximum. Alternatively,
the player may configure the daily wager to be a variable amount.
To have a minimal level of participation in the lottery game (thus
a more predictable revenue from the game), the game system may be
configured to prevent players from lowering their preset daily
wager amount for any upcoming drawings.
[0037] For each lottery drawing, a jackpot prize may be formed, in
step 110, from two sources: (a) tokens contributed by players who
participate in that drawing, and (b) tokens carried over from one
or more previous drawings, if available. Tokens from the two
sources may be pooled together into one jackpot. The jackpot (or a
portion thereof) may account for a maximum payable amount for a
winner of that lottery drawing.
[0038] In step 112, a random drawing from the player IDs may be
conducted to select at least one winner. Note that the word
"random" does not require randomness in the most rigorous
statistical sense as such randomness is difficult to achieve.
Instead, the word "random" implies a fair drawing process that does
not appear to favor any one player more than any other player. The
random (fair) drawing from the player IDs may be achieved in a
number of computational methods as are well known in the gaming
industry. According to some embodiments of the present invention, a
single winner may be selected for each lottery drawing. According
to some alternative embodiments, two or more winners may be
selected for each drawing and they may share a prize fund on equal
footings or according to an award hierarchy.
[0039] Then, in step 114, a proportional value may be calculated
based on the number of tokens the selected winner(s) contributed
versus the maximum number allowed per player ID. In step 116, a
fraction of the jackpot (or maximum payable prize) may be provided
to the selected winner(s) according to the proportional value
calculated in step 114 above. In step 118, the remainder of the
jackpot prize may be rolled over to a next drawing. Unless one or
more selected winners happen to have wagered the maximum number of
tokens and therefore won the entire jackpot, there would always be
some remaining jackpot to add to the jackpot of the next drawing.
In addition, the enrollment rule ensures continuous participation
in the ongoing lottery drawings. As a result, the jackpot may
quickly snowball into a large amount, further increasing players'
interest in the game.
[0040] For business advantages, it may be preferable to set the
maximum number of tokens that each player ID can contribute to each
drawing at a relatively low value. For example, if the daily
maximum that can be entered for a daily drawing is one dollar, a
player can contribute as little as one cent but never more than one
dollar. The player will not feel any significant financial impact
or burden to continue playing the lottery game for many drawing
days. By wagering the equivalent of pocket change on a daily basis,
the player may still enjoy a decent chance of winning a substantial
amount of money.
[0041] FIG. 2 illustrates the flow of tokens from the perspective
of a lottery game operator in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention. For ease of illustration, it will be assumed
that lottery drawings in the lottery game occur on a daily basis.
On each drawing day, a pie chart 202 represents a jackpot prize and
sources thereof, whereas a pie chart 204 represents the same
jackpot prize (but shown separately for clarity) and disbursement
therefrom. The pie chart 202 indicates that a first portion of the
present drawing day's jackpot include tokens carried over from one
or more previous drawing days. The pie chart 202 also indicates
that second portion of the jackpot include tokens contributed by
individual players for the current drawing. The pie chart 204
indicates that at least a fraction of the jackpot prize may be paid
out to a winner of the day. Assuming there is a single winner and
that player contributed 40 tokens out of the maximum 100 allowed,
40% of the jackpot prize may be paid out to the winner. In that
case, the remaining 60% of the jackpot may be rolled over to a next
drawing day.
[0042] FIG. 3 illustrates the flow of tokens from the perspective
of a player in a lottery game in accordance with one embodiment of
the present invention. The exemplary player, Player K, may be
committed to participate in N lottery drawings occurring on N
consecutive days, wherein N is an integer greater than one. The
bucket of dollar-sign tokens represents an account balance for
Player K. Player K may have started with a "full bucket" of tokens
that were purchased upon enrollment. As described earlier, Player K
may designate one or more tokens to be contributed to each daily
drawing. The number of tokens designated may be constant or may
vary day-to-day. As drawing days go by, unless Player K wins in one
or more lottery drawings, Player K's account may be slowly depleted
and may have to be replenished. If Player K happens to be picked as
a winner in one of the drawings, the proportional payout from that
drawing may also replenish Player K's account to some extent.
[0043] According to one embodiment of the present invention, Player
K may also enjoy another source of tokens--referral rewards. In
order to encourage Player K to refer additional players to join the
lottery game, Player K may be awarded a number of tokens for each
new player brought into the game. The referral rewards may be
simply deposited into Player K's account. Alternatively, the
referral rewards may be automatically entered into daily drawings
on behalf of Player K and in addition to Player K's own
contribution to the daily drawings. For example, for each new
player that Player K received, one or more tokens may be added to
Player K's daily wager amount. These additional tokens may be
awarded to Player K as long as the newly referred player remains an
active participant in the lottery drawings. Furthermore, the amount
of referral rewards may be linked to activity level of the new
player referred.
[0044] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary system
400 for facilitating lottery-style games in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention.
[0045] The system 400 may be or include a computer system. This
embodiment of the present invention may be described in the general
context of computer-executable instructions, such as program
modules, being executed by a computer. Generally, program modules
include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures,
etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract
data types. A series of programmable instructions may be stored in
a computer-readable medium performing the lottery-style gaming
functions disclosed herein and to achieve technical effects in
accordance with the disclosure. More exemplary software and
data-storage modules will be described below in connection with
FIG. 5.
[0046] The lottery-style games described herein may be entered into
and/or played at one or more game terminals or kiosks on or near
the premises of a casino, a department store, a shopping mall, or
other suitable commercial sites. For example, potential
participants in a lottery-style game might be limited by laws which
prohibit online wagering with payment cards. It may be beneficial
for those participants to visit, or have someone else visit on
their behalf, a commercial outlet with above-mentioned game
terminals or kiosks where they can lawfully register and/or play
the lottery-style games. Once a player has registered and funded
his/her membership, he/she may continue monitoring the daily
progress of the game via Internet or other communication means. As
needed, the player may occasionally re-visit the game terminals or
kiosks to re-fill accounts associated with his/her player IDs.
[0047] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention
may be practiced with various computer system configurations,
including hand-held wireless devices such as mobile phones or
personal digital assistants (PDAs), multiprocessor systems,
microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics,
minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. The invention may
also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks
are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through
a communications network. In a distributed computing environment,
program modules may be located in both local and remote computer
storage media including memory storage devices.
[0048] The computer system may include a general purpose computing
device in the form of a computer including a processing unit, a
system memory, and a system bus that couples various system
components including the system memory to the processing unit.
[0049] Computers typically include a variety of computer readable
media that can form part of the system memory and be read by the
processing unit. By way of example, and not limitation, computer
readable media may comprise computer storage media and
communication media. The system memory may include computer storage
media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as
read only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM). A basic
input/output system (BIOS), containing the basic routines that help
to transfer information between elements, such as during start-up,
is typically stored in ROM. RAM typically contains data and/or
program modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presently
being operated on by processing unit. The data or program modules
may include an operating system, application programs, other
program modules, and program data. The operating system may be or
include a variety of operating systems such as Microsoft
Windows.RTM. operating system, the Unix operating system, the Linux
operating system, the Xenix operating system, the IBM AIX.TM.
operating system, the Hewlett Packard UX.TM. operating system, the
Novell Netware.TM. operating system, the Sun Microsystems
Solaris.TM. operating system, the OS/2.TM. operating system, the
BeOS.TM. operating system, the Macintosh.TM..RTM. operating system,
the Apache.TM. operating system, an OpenStep.TM. operating system
or another operating system of platform.
[0050] At a minimum, the memory includes at least one set of
instructions that is either permanently or temporarily stored. The
processor executes the instructions that are stored in order to
process data. The set of instructions may include various
instructions that perform a particular task or tasks, such as those
shown in the appended flowcharts. Such a set of instructions for
performing a particular task may be characterized as a program,
software program, software, engine, module, component, mechanism,
or tool. The system 400 may include a plurality of software
processing modules stored in a memory as described above and
executed on a processor in the manner described herein. The program
modules may be in the form of any suitable programming language,
which is converted to machine language or object code to allow the
processor or processors to read the instructions. That is, written
lines of programming code or source code, in a particular
programming language, may be converted to machine language using a
compiler, assembler, or interpreter. The machine language may be
binary coded machine instructions specific to a particular
computer.
[0051] Any suitable programming language may be used in accordance
with the various embodiments of the invention. Illustratively, the
programming language used may include assembly language, Ada, APL,
Basic, C, C++, COBOL, dBase, Forth, FORTRAN, Java, Modula-2,
Pascal, Prolog, REXX, and/or JavaScript, for example. Further, it
is not necessary that a single type of instruction or programming
language be utilized in conjunction with the operation of the
system and method of the invention. Rather, any number of different
programming languages may be utilized as is necessary or
desirable.
[0052] Also, the instructions and/or data used in the practice of
the invention may utilize any compression or encryption technique
or algorithm, as may be desired. An encryption module might be used
to encrypt data. Further, files or other data may be decrypted
using a suitable decryption module.
[0053] The computing environment may also include other
removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage
media. For example, a hard disk drive may read or write to
non-removable, nonvolatile magnetic media. A magnetic disk drive
may read from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile magnetic disk,
and an optical disk drive may read from or write to a removable,
nonvolatile optical disk such as a CD-ROM or other optical media.
Other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer
storage media that can be used in the exemplary operating
environment include, but are not limited to, magnetic tape
cassettes, flash memory cards, digital versatile disks, digital
video tape, solid state RAM, solid state ROM, and the like. The
storage media are typically connected to the system bus through a
removable or non-removable memory interface.
[0054] The processing unit that executes commands and instructions
may be a general purpose computer, but may utilize any of a wide
variety of other technologies including a special purpose computer,
a microcomputer, mini-computer, mainframe computer, programmed
micro-processor, micro-controller, peripheral integrated circuit
element, a CSIC (Customer Specific Integrated Circuit), ASIC
(Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a logic circuit, a
digital signal processor, a programmable logic device such as an
FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), PLD (Programmable Logic
Device), PLA (Programmable Logic Array), RFID integrated circuits,
smart chip, or any other device or arrangement of devices that is
capable of implementing the steps of the processes of the
invention.
[0055] It should be appreciated that the processors and/or memories
of the computer system need not be physically in the same location.
Each of the processors and each of the memories used by the
computer system may be in geographically distinct locations and be
connected so as to communicate with each other in any suitable
manner. Additionally, it is appreciated that each of the processor
and/or memory may be composed of different physical pieces of
equipment.
[0056] A user may enter commands and information into the computer
through a user interface that includes input devices such as a
keyboard and pointing device, commonly referred to as a mouse,
trackball or touch pad. Other input devices may include a
microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, voice
recognition device, keyboard, touch screen, toggle switch,
pushbutton, or the like. These and other input devices are often
connected to the processing unit through a user input interface
that is coupled to the system bus, but may be connected by other
interface and bus structures, such as a parallel port, game port or
a universal serial bus (USB).
[0057] One or more monitors or display devices may also be
connected to the system bus via an interface. In addition to
display devices, computers may also include other peripheral output
devices, which may be connected through an output peripheral
interface. The computers implementing the invention may operate in
a networked environment using logical connections to one or more
remote computers, the remote computers typically including many or
all of the elements described above.
[0058] Various networks may be implemented in accordance with
embodiments of the invention, including a wired or wireless local
area network (LAN) and a wide area network (WAN), wireless personal
area network (PAN) and other types of networks. When used in a LAN
networking environment, computers may be connected to the LAN
through a network interface or adapter. When used in a WAN
networking environment, computers typically include a modem or
other communication mechanism. Modems may be internal or external,
and may be connected to the system bus via the user-input
interface, or other appropriate mechanism. Computers may be
connected over the Internet, an Intranet, Extranet, Ethernet, or
any other system that provides communications. Some suitable
communications protocols may include TCP/IP, UDP, or OSI for
example. For wireless communications, communications protocols may
include Bluetooth, Zigbee, IrDa or other suitable protocol.
Furthermore, components of the system may communicate through a
combination of wired or wireless paths.
[0059] Although many other internal components of the computer are
not shown, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that
such components and the interconnections are well known.
Accordingly, additional details concerning the internal
construction of the computer need not be disclosed in connection
with the present invention.
[0060] More specifically, the system 400 may comprise at least one
gaming server 402 coupled to one or more databases 404 and/or other
data sources. The gaming server 402 may run a plurality of software
modules to facilitate lottery-style games in accordance with
embodiments of the present invention. The database(s) 404 may hold
data records related to players and lottery drawings. One
additional data source may be a bank or payment provider (406) that
performs payment and/or credit services for the lottery game
operator and players. Via a network 401, the players may
communicate, locally or remotely, with the gaming server 402 in
order to enroll in the lottery game, participate in drawings, and
manage player accounts. The players may employ a variety of
computing devices 408 such as personal computers, mobile computers,
personal digital assistants or handheld devices for communication
with the gaming server 402.
[0061] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary software
and data-storage modules for facilitating lottery-style games in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The
exemplary modules may include a user interface module 502, an
enrollment module 504, an accounting module 506, a game execution
module 508, an administration/service module 510, a player data
module 512, and a game data module 514. These software modules may
be programmed or configured to communicate with one another or with
the data-storage modules.
[0062] The user interface module 502 may provide computer and/or
Internet access for players and game operators/administrators to
communicate with the other software modules. The enrollment module
504 may perform functions related to registering new players, such
as verifying player information, assigning player IDs, and creating
player records. The accounting module 506 may be responsible for
managing player accounts and handling debit and credit transactions
against the player accounts, including daily wagering and winner
payouts. The game execution modules may perform functions such as
scheduling and conducting lottery drawings, generating and
publishing drawing results, and calculating proportional values and
payout amounts. The administration/service module 510 may
facilitate administrative and customer service tasks to be
performed by an operator or personnel of the lottery game
system.
[0063] The player data module 512 may contain and manage data
records related to each player, such as player ID, personal
information, wager preferences, account history, and so on. The
game data module 514 may contain and manage data records related to
the lottery drawings, such as drawing results, winner IDs, jackpot
payouts, and roller amounts.
[0064] As variations of and/or improvement upon the above-described
lottery-style games, other embodiments of the present invention may
offer similar, membership-based games in connection with virtual
and/or real maps. This type of lottery-style games may be referred
to and are intended to be marketed or promoted as GeoSweep.TM.
games. In a typical GeoSweep.TM. game, a grid pattern may be
overlaid over a map dividing a land into grid units. A player may
enroll in the game by taking virtual land ownership of one or more
grid units and becoming committed to participate in a series of
scheduled lottery drawings. The player may participate in a drawing
by contributing tokens of value on behalf of at least one grid unit
the player owns. During any of those drawings, if a grid unit owned
by the player is selected as a (first-prize) winner, that player
may receive a full or proportional prize amount. Additional winners
in that drawing may be selected to win lesser amounts than the
first-prize winner. Those additional winners are selected and their
payout amounts are determined based on map positions of the
additional winners with respect to the first-prize winner.
[0065] FIG. 6 shows a grid map for an exemplary GeoSweep game in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The game
may be referred to as "GeoSweep Texas," wherein a map of the State
of Texas is overlaid with a grid 602. Each grid unit 604 may be a
rectangle or a square of the same or similar size. In general, a
grid unit can take any other shape, such as triangle, hexagon
(honeycomb) or other polygon. In some GeoSweep games, the grid
units can have different shapes and/or sizes without substantially
affecting the operation of the games. As a result, the grid 602 may
divide up land of Texas into a plurality of small parcels with well
defined boundaries. Each of the parcels (or grid units 604) may be
uniquely identified.
[0066] To participate in the GeoSweep Texas game, a player may be
required to register to become a member. During registration, the
player may pick one or more of available parcels to become a
virtual owner thereof. There may or may not be an upfront cost for
"owning" a parcel. Both sole and shared ownership may be possible
for a parcel. In some instances, it might be beneficial to hold an
auction among multiple interested players to determine which player
gets a popular parcel. In addition, the player may make a
commitment to participate in a plurality of scheduled lottery-style
drawings involving the one or more parcels. The plurality of
scheduled lottery-style drawings may take place periodically, such
as once or more times a day, every other day or every few days, or
a number of times per week or month. In each drawing, each
participating parcel may be required to contribute a predetermined
number of tokens to a prize pool or jackpot. The predetermined
number may be a fixed one set by the game operator or
administrator, or, alternatively, a variable one to be designated
by each individual owner of the participating parcels. In any case,
upon registration, each player may be required to fund his or her
commitment to participate in drawings by depositing or pledging
some amount of money.
[0067] At each drawing, one or more parcels or grid units 604 may
be randomly selected as sole winner(s) or first-prize winner(s).
For ease of explanation, it is assumed hereinafter that each
drawing selects a single grid unit as a sole winner or a
first-prize winner. In the case of a sole winner, an entire amount
of jackpot or a calculated fraction thereof may be awarded to the
owner of that winning grid unit. More typically, in addition to a
first-prize winner, one or more winners of lesser amounts may be
determined based on their relative map positions with respect to
the first-prize winner. According to some embodiments, the drawing
may be limited to parcels that are already owned or claimed by
participating players, thereby ensuring at least one player will be
entitled to a prize as described in more detail below. According to
some embodiments of the present invention, the parcels or grid
units may each have the same chance of being drawn as a first-prize
winner. According to other embodiments, the parcels or grid units
may have varying chances of being picked as a winner. For example,
when a parcel costs more to own than others, it might enjoy a
better chance of winning.
[0068] The prizes in each drawing may comprise tokens of value
which have been contributed to that drawing by participating
parcels. The prizes may also comprise rollover prizes from a
previous drawing. In addition or as an alternative, the prizes may
comprise other things of value. For example, a marketing
partnership may be formed between the game operator and other
business entities. In return for promotional or advertising
activities on the GeoSweep game platform, the business partners may
contribute products and services to be awarded as prizes. If
justified by the cost or return on investment, an actual piece of
land or other real property may be awarded to a first-prize winner
or a sole jackpot winner.
[0069] FIG. 7 illustrates an alternative method of establishing a
grid or land boundaries in an exemplary GeoSweep game in accordance
with one embodiment of the present invention. In this version of
the GeoSweep Texas game, rather than overlaying a uniform grid over
the Texas map, actual boundaries among the Texas counties may help
define grid units of various sizes and shapes. Alternatively,
actual land boundaries may define grid units for the GeoSweep game,
such that the GeoSweep grid units correspond to actual land
parcels. According to one embodiment, every grid unit (e.g., county
or smaller parcels) may still cost exactly the same to "own" and/or
have the same chance of being selected as a winner. According to
another embodiment, the grid units or counties may cost differently
and/or have varying chances of winning based on size and popularity
of each county or parcel. In some embodiments, game parameters
associated with a parcel on the GeoSweep map may be correlated to
or associated with the conditions, market value, and popularity of
the corresponding piece of land in the real world.
[0070] Since the grid units are irregularly shaped and in a
non-uniform grid, different grid units may have different number of
neighbors. For example, County A has eight neighboring counties,
County B has five, and County C has only one. Depending on which
grid unit is selected as a first-prize winner, there may be at
least one but up to eight immediate neighbors who may be entitled
to a second prize. One solution is to designate a fixed percentage
of the jackpot that each second-prize winner is entitled to. For
example, if each second-prize winner takes 2% of the jackpot, then
9 neighbors of the first-prize winner will share 18% of the jackpot
while 2 neighbors (if there are only two) will only take 4% of the
jackpot. Alternatively, a fixed percentage of the jackpot may be
shared among the second-prize winners regardless of how many
second-prize winners there may be. In that case, if a first-prize
winner has only one neighbor, such as the case of County C, that
single neighbor will be the sole second-prize winner taking the
entire amount that has been allocated to second prizes. If the
first-prize winner has eight neighbors, such as the case of County
A, the eight neighbors will each take 1/8 of the entire amount that
has been allocated to second prizes.
[0071] Many variations of prize-sharing schemes may be implemented
for GeoSweep and/or proportional lottery-style games. In one
embodiment, players that were introduced to the game by an existing
player may share some of their winnings with that original
(referring) player. In a further embodiment, groups of players may
form prize-sharing clusters or syndicates.
[0072] Although a map of the State of Texas is used above as an
example, it should be appreciated that maps of other types of
geographic regions (e.g., township, city, county, country, ocean,
island, and continent) may also be appropriate in GeoSweep games in
accordance with embodiments of the present invention. For example,
there may be GeoSweep USA, GeoSweep Europe, GeoSweep London,
GeoSweep Hawaii, and so forth. In fact, a GeoSweep game may be
established for a tourist destination and help promote tourism by
offering prizes related to that destination or portions thereof.
For example, a GeoSweep Alaska game may offer free roundtrip
airline tickets as or in addition to a first prize. The game may
also offer free hotel accommodation in hotels that happen to be
located within a winning grid unit. Since the GeoSweep games are
map-based and/or location-specific, promotional opportunities and
variations are almost endless, as will be appreciated by those of
ordinary skill in the art of advertising and marketing.
[0073] FIG. 8 illustrates part of a New York City map to be used in
an exemplary game which may be referred to as "GeoSweep Big Apple."
As shown, the actual streets and avenues in mid-town Manhattan may
serve to define grid units for the GeoSweep game. Local residents,
business entities, and/or tourists may be encouraged to participate
in this game. Each potential group of players may be offered
different incentives. A local resident may be interested in virtual
ownership of a street block that he or she actually lives on, and
participation in the GeoSweep game may also be a social networking
opportunity with other community members. A local business might be
interested in sponsoring promotions and placing its name on the
GeoSweep map. In fact, the GeoSweep map may be an online,
interactive map with promotional and informational features. A
tourist may also be interested in the game for various reasons,
such as to get familiar with the area and to win travel-related
prizes offered by local businesses.
Geoball-GeoSweep Retail
[0074] Embodiments of the invention allow players to play GeoSweep
as part of a traditional retail lottery game, similar to games such
as Powerball, Pick 3, and others. Each potential unique set of
lottery numbers may be mapped to a single unit (also referred to as
a "Geo") on a GeoSweep Gameboard, thereby converting traditional
lottery numbers to actual locations and vice versa. Lottery numbers
may be selected according to the rules of the traditional lottery
game and a player who owns or has selected the particular Geo
corresponding to the selected lottery number combination may be
determined (e.g., by a lottery drawing) to be the winner.
Accordingly, embodiments of this retail-based GeoSweep game, which
may occasionally be referred to as "Geoball-GeoSweep Retail" (GGR),
may be played at traditional retail locations and without the need
for players to rely on the use of personal interactive devices such
as computers or mobile phones with Internet connections, though in
certain embodiments, players may also access many features of the
game through interactive devices as well.
[0075] FIG. 9 depicts a method of playing a game of GGR in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. At 904,
consumers may begin to play the game by selecting lottery numbers
or Geos. In one preferred embodiments, players may make their
selection by visiting a retail location, by using a mobile app, or
by using a personal computer. Other embodiments of the present
invention may allow players to select through various other
computing devices or means.
[0076] At a retail location, players may have access to a retail
terminal where the players may select lottery numbers or Geos.
Players may also fill out a conventional lottery betting slip by
hand. Where the player is allowed to choose lottery numbers, a
GeoSweep Gameboard may be made available so that the player can use
it to identify the lottery number combinations to get the
particular Geos that the player wants. For example, if the player
wants the Geo corresponding to the White House at 1600
Pennsylvania, Northwest, Washington, D.C., the player could find
the number combination that identifies the White House Geo and
select it. On the other hand, players might not know (either
because the information is not made available ahead of time or
because they decide not to make use of it) which number
combinations correspond to which Geos. In that case, players may
select a number combination (or have one generated for him/her),
and then the player may learn after the fact what Geos the numbers
identify ("Look, I got the White House!"). In at least one
embodiment, players may select Geos instead of lottery numbers. In
such cases, the players may then be provided with the lottery
number combination corresponding to each of the selected Geo. Using
the above example, a player may select the White House Geo and may
be provided with the corresponding number combination.
[0077] In yet another embodiment, the retail terminal may be
configured to translate a piece of player-supplied location
information into the lottery number. For example, a player may walk
up to a retailer and request a lottery ticket that maps to his/her
own home address, and the retailer may enter the complete address
into the terminal which then retrieves in real-time the
corresponding lottery numbers. For another example, the player may
request a quick draw from lottery numbers corresponding to a
particular zip-code (5- or 9-digit) or even a particular
street/town/city. For yet another example, the player may supply a
set of coordinates for a location on the GRR Gameboard (e.g.,
longitude plus latitude), and the retail terminal may converts the
coordinates into corresponding lottery numbers. In one embodiment,
the GeoSweep mobile apps and website may also have such
capabilities.
[0078] In addition to (or as an alternative to) retail locations,
players may also play by accessing a website associated with an
implementation of GGR. Similarly, players may play by downloading
and accessing a GGR mobile application on his or her smart phone,
tablet, television, or other devices. For example, players may
download a GGR mobile app on his or her iOS, Android, or Windows
Mobile smartphones by selecting the app for download from an app
store or repository. The player may then select the downloaded and
installed app to access the GGR game on his or her mobile
device.
[0079] Upon accessing the GGR website or mobile app, the player may
be asked to create an account or login to his previously activated
account. In one embodiment, players may access the Gameboard even
without first logging in or registering. Players may be shown the
Gameboard that may be updated in real time and/or may correspond to
the Gameboards that are shown at a retail location.
[0080] Similar to the Gameboard that may be available for players
at a retail location, a player can select a particular Geo from
anywhere on the Gameboard (something meaningful to them like their
house, for example) and then request to be shown the associated
unique lottery number associated with that Geo. Players may have
the option to see their selected/reserved/purchased Geo(s) on the
map.
[0081] In one embodiment, Geos occupied by other players are
highlighted in red on the map. Clicking on one causes a popup to
appear that displays the nickname of the occupier if known, the
date it's been occupied from and, if one exists, the "Why here?"
tagline (descriptive text that the occupier of the Geo has
entered). In contrast, the player's own Geos may be displayed in
green on the map. Players will be able to have a deed of tenancy
symbol or animation presented to them when they associate a Geo
with their account. The player may able to see a zoomed out and
zoomed in view of the Gameboard. In another embodiment, each Geo on
the map may contain a symbol (Star, Moon, Sun, etc). There are a
system-configurable amount of symbols, with each symbol distributed
randomly but evenly amongst all of the Geos such that each symbol
appears the same amount of times on the map. The symbols may be
used as a mechanism for awarding low-tier prizes, as described in
other portions of this disclosure.
[0082] A player may also have a quick and easy way of searching for
a particular Geo. The player can search for the Geo by entering a
Zip Code, landmark, address or street name, in the same way as on
Google Maps or other mapping or navigation applications. They can
also use the mobile App to find the Geo which is near their present
physical location. The player may be informed if no results can be
found, or if more than one result has been found. Links to all the
possible locations are displayed, and clicking on one of them takes
the user to that location on the map. It is also simple to navigate
back to where the player was before they chose to look at the
map.
[0083] Upon selection of a Geo, the selected Geo is added to the
player's list of chosen Geos. Players may continue to select
additional Geos. In one embodiment, players may be given the option
to purchase the Geos that the player has selected. Players may be
directed to a payment gateway in the Lottery's system, which will
ask them to register a payment card and take them through the
interactive payment process. In an embodiment, the player is simply
provided with the lottery number associated with the selected Geos
that the player then uses to complete a retail bet slip and have
their entry processed through the retail terminal in the ordinary
course.
[0084] In one embodiment, a player may select desired Geos using a
smartphone or personal computer. A player may be provided with a
code that the player may either print out or reproduce at a retail
terminal. For example, the smartphone may produce a QR code, a bar
code, or other coded symbols that could then be scanned directly by
the retailer or at a retail terminal, without the need to translate
the code onto a paper betting slip. In one embodiment, the player
may visit a retail terminal with his or her smartphone and may
select units by connecting his or her smart phone with the retail
terminal, either through wired or wireless connections. Upon
connection, the player's selections may be automatically determined
at the retail location and the player may be provided with his or
her ticket, which may contain the Geos selected and/or the
corresponding lottery numbers. The mechanism for producing the
code, symbol, or lottery numbers on the smartphone could be either
web-based (e.g., hosted on the webpage) or app-based (e.g.,
performed by a locally-installed software application).
[0085] Once the QR code has been scanned by the retailer and a
ticket received, the purchase information may automatically be
received and stored in the player's mobile app. The registered
player may also manually enter the transaction number on the ticket
to associate Geos with their online accounts, including when the
Geos were bought by Quick-Pick.
[0086] In an embodiment, the use of the smartphone and/or computer
may allow a player to reserve Geos for a system-configurable amount
of time, at which point, the player may then visit a retailer to
purchase the reserved Geo. In embodiments in which each Geo may be
owned by only one player, the presence of a reservation on a Geo
prevents other players from selecting that same Geo. In one
embodiment, a user selecting a reserved Geo may be given a nearby
vacant Geo, or nearby Geo fitting various requirements of a player
(e.g., a point of interest).
[0087] Players may be provided with a checkout summary interface
that provides important information about price per Geo, and price
per block of days. Other information that may be provided includes
Geo identification numbers, QR codes, and others. Players may have
the option to save the QR code for retrieval once the player
arrives at the retail location. In a preferred embodiment, player
Geo purchases, reservations, QR codes, and other actions and
information may be saved and associated with the player's account.
As a result, players may view their list of Geos, QR codes, and
other information at a later time, even with a different device
from which the player initially perform the action (e.g., purchase
Geo).
[0088] In any of the above-described GGR game embodiments,
exclusive occupancy of any given Geo may or may not be enforced.
According to some embodiment, two players who purchase entries to
the GGR game at the same or different retail locations may happen
to choose the same lottery combination, that is, the same set of
lottery numbers. In that case, if the game authority does not
impose exclusivity with respect to Geo occupancy, the two players
may be allowed to occupy the same corresponding Geo. If that Geo
happens to be winner of any prize, then the two players occupying
it may share that prize. The same goes for three or more players
who happen to occupy the same Geo. Alternatively, if the game
authority does impose exclusivity with respect to Geo occupancy,
then a predetermined set of rules may be followed to force the two
players onto different Geos. For example, one rule may dictate that
whoever submitted or purchased his/her entry earlier in time will
get priority to occupy the Geo directly corresponding to or
identified by the game entry. The game entry that is later in time
may be associated with another or a nearby Geo (if the lottery
drawing selects winner(s) based on Geos) or assigned to a different
lottery combination. In another embodiment, the selection of one
Geo by multiple players may cause the system to split that Geo into
multiple new, non-overlapping Geos and enter those new Geos into
the upcoming lottery drawing. Numerous other solutions exist to
"distinguish" game entries pointing to the same Geo, if
necessary.
[0089] The Gameboard that may be utilized in an implementation of a
GGR game may vary. In one embodiment, a retail player can select 5
different numbers from the specified range of 1-59, and 1 number
from a specific range of 1-39. In such games, the odds of matching
all 6 balls are 1 in 195,249,054 (see, e.g.,
http://www.durangobill.com/PowerballOdds.html and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lottery_mathematics (both accessed on
Aug. 12, 2011) for more detail). Therefore, by assigning each grid
with a unique 6-part number from the available range, a GeoSweep
Gameboard based on the map of the United States (or any other real
or virtual map of the United States and/or any other country or
countries or territories in the world) with 195,249,054 grid
squares, can exactly map the entire potential outcome space for
such a number-based lottery drawing. Thus, a GeoSweep player can
select or be assigned Geos by getting numbers from a lottery number
generator that correspond to specific Geos. FIG. 10 illustrates an
exemplary Gameboard of the state of Texas utilizing the 6-part
lottery number described. As seen in the cutout portion 1004 of a
small region in Texas, Geos are each associated with a unique
6-party lottery number combination. Geo 1008, for example may be
associated with lottery numbers 33:35:37:39:12:5 whereas the
bordering Geo 1012 may be associated with lottery numbers
34:12:14:16:18:2.
[0090] In another embodiment, players may be able to select 5 balls
from a set of 56 numbered balls and 1 bonus ball from a set of 46
numbered balls. As is the case in a Mega Millions game, the odds of
matching all 6 balls are 1 in 175,711,536. The corresponding
GeoSweep Gameboard may have about 175,711,536 units. It may be
appreciated that other traditional retail lottery games involving
fewer or more numbered balls, such as Daily 3 or Daily 4, can also
be adapted to map with a GeoSweep Gameboard. Rather than picking
distinct numbers from a specified range (e.g., five of the six
Powerball numbers must be from the 1-59 range), a player may be
required to pick from a fixed range (e.g., 0 through 9 or 1 through
50) for each of his/her lottery numbers. For example, in a 6-number
game, the player may pick from the 0-9 range, each of the six
numbers independently; in a 4-number game, the player may pick from
the 1-50 range, each of the four numbers independently. The
corresponding GeoSweep Gameboard should then have approximately or
exactly 10.sup.6 (1 million) units and 50.sup.4 (6.25 million)
units respectively.
[0091] In one embodiment, the allocation of each unique possible
ball draw corresponds randomly to a unique grid square. In another
embodiment, a canonical ordering of all possible ball draws is
algorithmically mapped to a canonical ordering of the grid
squares.
[0092] A person of ordinary skill will readily appreciate that the
invention contemplates that the numbers chosen by the player and
any restrictions on the range will be a function of both the retail
game device (6 balls, 5 balls, 4 balls, etc.) and the number of
Geos to be mapped to numbers given to players. If there is a
greater number of Geos to be mapped, then, for example, the range
of numbers can be increased as appropriate.
[0093] According to some embodiments, the lottery numbers picked at
the retail terminal may have a more direct association with the
GeoSweep Gameboard. For example, a unit (or Geo) on the United
States map may be uniquely identified with a 4-part number: the
first number (1-50) indicates a state, the second number (1 through
c, actual c dependent on the state) indicates a town/city/county,
the third number (1 through s, actual s dependent on the state and
town/city/county) indicates a street, and the fourth number
indicates a house/building street number of an actual or virtual
address. Numerous other ways of associating a set of lottery
numbers with a Geo exist, as may be appreciated by one of ordinary
skill in the art.
[0094] It should be noted that the total number of Geos on the
GeoSweep Gameboard (this number being denoted G) need not be
exactly the same as the total number of possible combinations of
the numbered balls (this number being denoted B). In fact, it will
typically be the case that there is not an exact numerical match.
For instance, in the 6-number Powerball example, according to one
embodiment, G=B=195,249,054. However, if there happens to be
200,000,000 Geos on the Gameboard (G>B), then those additional
Geos could be marked as not corresponding to the 6-number Powerball
codes so that players can be alerted. Alternatively or
additionally, those additional Geos could be bonus Geos randomly
linked with one or more of the 195,249,054 coded Geos and be used
to determine multiplier factors. For example, if a retail player
picked a 6-number combination that has a hidden association with X
of the additional (uncoded) Geos, any winning of that player may
get multiplied by X. Conversely, if G<B, some of the 6-number
combinations will have no corresponding Geos on the gameboard.
However, those un-mapped lottery numbers could be pre-designated
(secretly) as bonus (free) numbers or even instant-win numbers. In
any case, those skilled in the art would appreciate there is no
need to require an exact one-to-one match between the Geos and the
lottery number combinations.
[0095] Other variations are within the spirit and scope of the
present invention. Most conventional number pickers in retail
establishments allow the player to either pick his/her numbers or
allow the player to have his/her numbers randomly generated. For
example, in the state of Virginia's "Cash 5" lottery (see
http://www.valottery.com/cash5/howtoplay.asp, accessed on Aug. 12,
2011), the player can choose five numbers between 1 and 34 or the
computer can generate those four numbers. The odds of any five
number combinations matching the winning selection are 1 in 278,256
(B). If this Cash 5 option is used to select Geos, then up to
278,256 Geos could be mapped.
[0096] If B>G, then unmapped lottery numbers could be handled in
any of the manners described above for the 6-number Powerball
example. Alternatively, the unmapped numbers could be associated
with nearest-distance Geo's. For example, using any suitable
nearest numerical distance algorithm well known in the art, a
number combination that does not exactly correspond to a Geo could
be associated to the nearest existing Geo. In some embodiments of
Geosweep, a Geo can be owned by only one person/entity/syndicate.
In that case, as Geos are selected, they are taken off the GeoSweep
gameboard and the nearest distance measurement will be based on
remaining Geos. A person of ordinary skill in the art will
appreciate that the nearest Geo algorithm for unmapped Geos could
be none other than a pure numerical distance measurement and still
be within the spirit and scope of the present invention. For
example, the "nearest" Geo might simply be the one that is closest
in moving along a vertical or horizontal line (longitude or
latitude) on the grid map.
[0097] According to one aspect of a nearest-Geo embodiment, the
player could be given the option to cancel the selection if the Geo
is unsatisfactory ("Oh, I got Waco, Texas. I want a different
location so please let me submit a different number pick").
[0098] Once the numbers are chosen at the retail location, either
through selection at the retail location or through a mobile app or
personal computer, the player selection may be entered and a
lottery slip or receipt may be provided at 908 of FIG. 9, which may
include an indication of the Geo units corresponding to the
numbers. For example, the lottery slip might state the name of the
country and the location for the Geo units. Or the lottery slip
might include a picture or diagram of the country and location of
the Geo units. The printed ticket may further display, textually or
graphically, identifying information of the corresponding
geographical location (e.g., address, coordinates, map snippet) as
well as information relating to that location (e.g., ads for nearby
merchants). In other words, since the lottery ticket carries
meaningful location information, it could be a medium for conveying
location-based advertisements, news, and other information.
[0099] After a user has selected Geos and purchased a ticket,
players may access additional features of the game. In one
embodiment, tickets printed by the retail lottery terminal may also
contain a QR code (or codes) or an alphanumeric code (or codes)
that the player could use to find his/her Geo(s) on the map on the
website using a smartphone, tablet, PC or similar device. In
addition to showing the location of the Geo on the map, this code
may uniquely identify the ticket and thus allow the player to see
details of his/her bet online. Moreover, by registering on the
website, the player may be able to enter his/her Geo(s) into
additional online-only/2.sup.ndchance draws. The website may be
further configured to display to a player whether any other player
happens to have chosen his/her Geo(s).
[0100] Thus, whereas in a conventional lottery this is where all
interaction and gameplay stops, the GGR game adds a totally new
dimension by allowing a player to enhance his/her playing
experience both before and after buying a ticket.
[0101] At 912, a drawing may be completed to determine a winner. In
one preferred embodiment, a conventional lottery ball based draw
machine is utilized to select the winning lottery numbers. For
example, 6 balls may be randomly selected by the balls-based draw
machine. The 6 selected balls as drawn may be analyzed to determine
the winning Geo. In at least one other embodiment, a winning unit
is selected from the Gameboard and may be selected amongst those
units that are in play (e.g., have been entered for play by a
player).
[0102] As in a conventional lottery drawing there may be prize
tiering based on how many of the selected numbers are correctly
matched with those chosen on a ticket. In one example where the
Gameboard is of a map of the USA containing 195,249,054 squares and
five balls and drawn from 59 available balls and 1 bonus ball is
drawn from 39 available balls, the prize matrix depicted in FIG. 11
may be utilized.
[0103] In this example, each draw results in a set of 6 numbers
that correspond to a unique grid square on the Gameboard. If any
player has chosen those exact 6 numbers then they will win the
Jackpot, allowing the player to win $250,000.00. If more than one
player has chosen them, then they may equally share the
Jackpot.
[0104] Furthermore, each of the lower prize tiers may correspond to
a multiple winning grid square on the GGR Gameboard. In the example
above, there are 38 squares that share the correct standard 5
numbers but do not contain the correct bonus ball number. And there
are 3,162,510 squares that share the correct bonus ball number but
none of the standard ball numbers.
[0105] In one embodiment of the present invention, a GGR system
will update a scale digital heat-map display (DHMD) of the (USA)
Gameboard in real-time as the numbers are drawn. Players, for
example, may access the DHMD through their app, the website, at
retail locations, or even on their televisions. After the first 3
standard balls have been drawn the DHMD may flash the locations of
the 543,780 squares that have just won (in the example above) at
least $7. With each subsequent ball drawn, the DHMD may highlight
the decreasing subset of those original winning locations that now
match more numbers and are eligible for higher prizes. In this
example the Bonus Ball is drawn last and the DHMD flashes the
locations of all of the squares that correctly match this number,
before finally zooming in on the single square that correctly
matches all 5 standard balls and the bonus ball.
[0106] According to one embodiment of the present invention, where
the winning grid is not owned by or purchased by any player, a
player or players whose Geos are located closest to the exact-match
unit could be declared winner of the jackpot. In this variation of
the GGR game, each draw will result in at least one jackpot winner.
A further variation could be to reduce the jackpot prize in
proportion to that "closest distance" from the unit having an exact
match. For instance, if the closest occupied Geo is 10 Geos away
from that exact-match unit, then the jackpot winner will take home
a prize that is 10% less than if he had an exact match. Numerous
other algorithms for discounting the jackpot prize are also
possible. Similarly, runner-ups and their respective prizes could
be determined based on their proximity to either the exact-match
unit or the actual winning Geo. Where there is no guarantee of a
jackpot winner, the jackpot could be rolled over to the next draw;
where there is a guaranteed jackpot winner, the potential players
may have more incentive to participate in a draw and there may
still be leftover wages to roll over to the next draw.
[0107] In one embodiment, players may be provided with a bonus draw
based on states. Because each lottery combination corresponds to a
place on the map, it therefore, may also correspond to (in the case
of the U.S.) a state: the state in which that place is located. For
instance, after the winning balls are drawn, the location and state
of those numbers can be shown to those watching the draw (either
live, or via TV or internet broadcast). Then, an additional "state
ball" may be drawn from a set of balls each representing one of the
states of the map. (So in a US instance of the game, there would be
50 such balls (51 if D.C. is included)). If the "state ball"
matches the state of the jackpot winning location, a multiplier
could be applied either to the jackpot prize or to all prizes won
by tickets with the same state printed on them (which is to say by
tickets whose corresponding Geo is in that state).
[0108] If the multiplier is sufficiently larger then one attraction
of this multiplier is that it gives players an extra element of
excitement and anticipation waiting to see whether the advertised
jackpot is going to be, say, multiplied by ten by the state ball
draw.
[0109] This state can be printed on the ticket. The state can also
be selected instead of numbers on the betting slip when the player
simply wants a random Geo in that state. In this instance the GGR
system will select a random Geo in the specified state and cause
the retail terminal to print the six numbers corresponding to that
Geo (along with the state the user selected) on the ticket.
[0110] To adjust odds, different geographical areas or locations
could be used in an analogous way to states. For instance a time
zone, an electoral district or a nearest city could all be derived
from the location of the Geo corresponding to the player's ticket.
Other types of regions may be used instead of states, such as
cities, counties, countries (in the case of Europe), boroughs,
school districts, and others. Indeed, various other types of
classifications may be utilized instead of physical locations, such
as attributes of the units, (e.g., the type of buildings contained
of each unit [e.g., hospital, park, school, house] or elevation).
Any of these could be printed on the ticket instead of, or as well
as, the state and used in a bonus draw.
[0111] At 916, the winning player(s) may be determined and the
prize may be provided to the winning player(s). For example,
players may redeem prizes at retail locations by presenting the
retailer or retail terminal with his or her winning ticket. In one
embodiment, players may provide the ticket to the retailer or a QR
code generated from the mobile app or website that demonstrates
that the player owns the winning Geo. Prizes may be provided to the
player at the retail location or the player may be given the prize
through other means in accordance with local lottery rules. Players
are also able to check if they have a winning GeoSweep ticket by
accessing the mobile app, mobile-optimized website or
desktop/tablet optimized website and entering the transaction
number from the paper ticket. In addition to cash prizes, players
may win tokens that the player may use to play additional games of
GGR or may play other GeoSweep games (e.g., GeoSweep above,
TreasureHunt).
[0112] In one embodiment, the unique identifier code (UIC) shown on
the ticket printed by the retail lottery terminal may also be
entered into a raffle draw. In this draw, a winning UIC would be
drawn from amongst all those entered in the draw. The winner might
share the same grid square as many other people without sharing
his/her raffle prize (because each of the other players has a
different UIC on his/her ticket, despite having selected the same
set of six numbers to play).
[0113] Embodiments of the present invention further allow players
of GGR to receive the benefits of numerous interactive features. In
addition to the location-based play described above, embodiments
further allow location-aware play. In particular, the location of
the player, which may be determined through the GPS features of a
smartphone, a personal computer, tablet, or other devices, can
allow a player to find out the particular lottery number
corresponding to the device's (and the player's) current physical
location at the time.
[0114] In one embodiment, group play is available. Players are
allowed to join online syndicates to pool tickets and share prizes.
For example, co-workers may create a group through a user interface
on the GGR website for all of the coworkers to join. The group as a
whole may select units that they may choose to play. In one
embodiment, participating players may vote to select units for each
draw period.
[0115] As another feature, players may add tag lines or information
to the Geo that the player has purchased or is playing with,
thereby allowing a player to personalize his or her Geo. A tagline
may be a short sentence about why they picked that landmark/Geo or
could be a comment personal to them, e.g., "Our first date",
"`boys' night out`" etc. These taglines are visible to all players
who view the Geo on the map. The App will encourage players to
"tag" their geos. In one embodiment, players may access the GGR
game (i.e., select units, view the Gameboard) through a social
network. A player may view the Gameboard and may view his or her
friend's units (including their personalization).
[0116] In embodiments of the present invention, a player may also
configure his or her GeoSweep account so that he or she may receive
notifications in response to various events associated with his or
her account, including, but not limited to, winning a prize, an
upcoming draw, purchases, reservations, upcoming expirations, and
others. Notifications may be in the form of emails, text messages,
push notifications, app-based messages, voice generated messages,
and others. For example, each registered player may receive a
notification each day, soon after the draw occurs. The draw
notification may contain a link, where the player can check to see
how near they were to that day's winning Geo(s).
[0117] In an embodiment, players may also utilize the player's
mobile app to find the nearest retail terminal based on the
player's current location or based on entered address, zip code, or
other information. The mobile app may further provide the player
with directions to the determined location.
[0118] In addition to selecting units, players may select units for
more than one drawing in accordance with several embodiments of the
present invention. That is, players may reserve a Geo for two or
more drawings, which may be consecutive or nonconsecutive periods.
For example, players may reserve the white house Geo from July 3
through July 6. The length in which players may own a Geo may
differ depending on the method in which the player is purchasing
the Geo (e.g., retail or online). In yet another embodiment,
Players can renew their purchased Geos for an additional draw
period(s) by taking their paper ticket into the retail outlets--so
that once they own them they never have to run the risk of losing
those Geos. It may be possible to do this a configurable number of
days in advance of expiration. However, in certain embodiments, if
the Geos are not re-purchased before the retail purchase expiration
time, the Geos will be available for purchase by any user. If the
geos are renewed in advance, the player may be given a new ticket
for the next play period and may retain their existing ticket to
cover the remaining period to the end of the initial play
period.
[0119] It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that,
although the foregoing description frequently refers to a lottery
game involving a 6-part number, embodiments of the present
invention are not limited to drawings of six numbered balls. While
the foregoing description includes many details and specificities,
it is to be understood that these have been included for purposes
of explanation only, and are not to be interpreted as limitations
of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in
the art that other modifications to the embodiments described above
can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention, including integrating the features of Geosweep with GGR
and vice versa. Accordingly, such modifications are considered
within the scope of the invention as intended to be encompassed by
the patent claims ultimately issued from this application.
[0120] While the foregoing description includes many details and
specificities, it is to be understood that these have been included
for purposes of explanation only, and are not to be interpreted as
limitations of the present invention. It will be apparent to those
skilled in the art that other modifications to the embodiments
described above can be made without departing from the spirit and
scope of the invention. Accordingly, such modifications are
considered within the scope of the invention as intended to be
encompassed by the following claims and their legal
equivalents.
* * * * *
References