Method of processing data for lotteries in automated lottery system

• US 20020165020A1
• Filed: 04/19/2001
• Published: 11/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Koyama, Takeshi
• Application Number:
  US09/837,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20020165020A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/17
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played

Abstract

When being accessed by a lottery purchaser terminal through a communication network, the server obtains an identification of the terminal and stores the identification in a memory of the server. The identification is unique on the communication network and, for example, is an IP address assigned to the terminal. After the storing, the server transmits a menu of lotteries to the terminal to stimulate the purchaser to purchase a lottery. The purchaser determines a lottery which the purchaser wants to purchase in accordance with the menu, and submits a purchase offer into the server. Then the server carries out random sampling on the basis of predetermined distribution to generate a specific number for the lottery specified by the purchase offer. The server determines that the lottery is a winning lottery if the specific number meets a condition predefined for the predetermined distribution, while the lottery is a blank lottery if not. The server notifies the terminal whether the lottery is the winning lottery or the blank lottery.

Claims

1. A method of processing data on a server which exists on a communication network and performs as an automated lottery machine, the server being connected with a terminal of a purchaser through the communication network, the server having a memory, the terminal having an identification unique on the communication network, the method comprising the steps of:

responsive to access from the terminal to the server, obtaining the identification of the terminal to store the identification in the memory;

transmitting a menu of lotteries to the terminal to stimulate the purchaser to purchase a lottery;

receiving a purchase offer from the terminal, the purchase offer being determined by the purchaser in accordance with the menu and indicating a lottery which the purchaser wants to purchase;

judging whether the lottery specified by the purchase offer is a winning lottery or a blank lottery; and

notifying the terminal of a judgement of the lottery.

2. A data processing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication network stands on TCP/IP stacks, the identification being an IP address assigned to the terminal.

3. A data processing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the terminal is a mobile terminal with telephony function and has a telephone number as the identification.

4. A data processing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein all of the steps are executed in on-line processing.

5. A method of processing data on a server which exists on a communication network and performs as an automated lottery machine, the server being connected with a terminal of a purchaser through the communication network, the server having a memory, the terminal having an identification unique on the communication network, the method comprising the steps of:

responsive to access from the terminal to the server, obtaining the identification of the terminal to store the identification in the memory;

transmitting a menu of lotteries to the terminal to stimulate the purchaser to purchase a lottery;

receiving a purchase offer from the terminal, the purchase offer being determined by the purchaser in accordance with the menu and indicating a lottery which the purchaser wants to purchase;

carrying out random sampling on the basis of predetermined distribution to generate a specific number for the lottery specified by the purchase offer;

determining that the lottery is a winning lottery when the specific number meets a condition predefined for the predetermined distribution, while the lottery is a blank lottery when the specific number does not meets the predefined condition; and

notifying the terminal whether the lottery is the winning lottery or the blank lottery.

6. A server existing on a communication network and serving as an automated lottery machine, the server being connected with a terminal of a purchaser through the communication network, the terminal having an identification unique on the communication network, said server comprising:

a processor, and

a memory including software instructions adapted to enable said processor to cause the server to perform;

responsive to access from the terminal to the server, obtaining the identification of the terminal to store the identification in the memory;

transmitting a menu of lotteries to the terminal to stimulate the purchaser to purchase a lottery;

receiving a purchase offer from the terminal, the purchase offer being determined by the purchaser in accordance with the menu and indicating a lottery which the purchaser wants to purchase;

judging whether the lottery specified by the purchase offer is a winning lottery or a blank lottery; and

notifying the terminal of a judgement of the lottery.

7. A server as claimed in claim 6, wherein the communication network stands on TCP/IP stacks, the identification being an IP address assigned to the terminal.

8. A server as claimed in claim 6, wherein the terminal is a mobile terminal with telephony function and has a telephone number as the identification.

9. A data processing method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the software instructions are executed in on-line processing.

10. A server existing on a communication network and serving as an automated lottery machine, the server being connected with a terminal of a purchaser through the communication network, the terminal having an identification unique on the communication network, said server comprising:

a processor, and

a memory including software instructions adapted to enable said processor to cause the server to perform;

responsive to access from the terminal to the server, obtaining the identification of the terminal to store the identification in the memory;

transmitting a menu of lotteries to the terminal to stimulate the purchaser to purchase a lottery;

receiving a purchase offer from the terminal, the purchase offer being determined by the purchaser in accordance with the menu and indicating a lottery which the purchaser wants to purchase;

carrying out random sampling on the basis of predetermined distribution to generate a specific number for the lottery specified by the purchase offer;

determining that the lottery is a winning lottery when the specific number meets a condition predefined for the predetermined distribution, while the lottery is a blank lottery when the specific number does not meets the predefined condition; and

notifying the terminal whether the lottery is the winning lottery or the blank lottery.

11. A computer program product for enabling a processor to work as a server which exists on a communication network and which serves as an automated lottery machine, the server being connected with a terminal of a purchaser through the communication network and having a memory, the terminal having an identification unique on the communication network, said computer program product comprising software instructions for enabling the processor to perform predetermined operations, the predetermined operations including:

responsive to access from the terminal to the server, obtaining the identification of the terminal to store the identification in the memory;

transmitting a menu of lotteries to the terminal to stimulate the purchaser to purchase a lottery;

receiving a purchase offer from the terminal, the purchase offer being determined by the purchaser in accordance with the menu and indicating a lottery which the purchaser wants to purchase;

judging whether the lottery specified by the purchase offer is a winning lottery or a blank lottery; and

notifying the terminal of a judgement of the lottery.

12. A computer program product as claimed in claim 11, wherein the communication network stands on TCP/IP stacks, the identification being an IP address assigned to the terminal.

13. A computer program product as claimed in claim 11, wherein the terminal is a mobile terminal with telephony function and has a telephone number as the identification.

14. A computer program product as claimed in claim 11, wherein the software instructions are executed in on-line processing.

15. A computer program product for enabling a processor to work as a server which exists on a communication network and which serves as an automated lottery machine, the server being connected with a terminal of a purchaser through the communication network and having a memory, the terminal having an identification unique on the communication network, said computer program product comprising software instructions for enabling the processor to perform predetermined operations, the predetermined operations including:

responsive to access from the terminal to the server, obtaining the identification of the terminal to store the identification in the memory;

transmitting a menu of lotteries to the terminal to stimulate the purchaser to purchase a lottery;

receiving a purchase offer from the terminal, the purchase offer being determined by the purchaser in accordance with the menu and indicating a lottery which the purchaser wants to purchase;

carrying out random sampling on the basis of predetermined distribution to generate a specific number for the lottery specified by the purchase offer;

determining that the lottery is a winning lottery when the specific number meets a condition predefined for the predetermined distribution, while the lottery is a blank lottery when the specific number does not meets the predefined condition; and

notifying the terminal whether the lottery is the winning lottery or the blank lottery.