Method and apparatus for facilitating play of fractional value lottery games
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method comprising:
- receiving from a customer a request to purchase a lottery ticket in exchange for a purchase amount that is less than one dollar;
generating a combination of characters at random, the combination comprising;
a first alphanumeric character, a second alphanumeric character, a third alphanumeric character, a fourth alphanumeric character, a fifth alphanumeric character, and a sixth alphanumeric character;
printing a lottery ticket, the lottery ticket including;
an indication of the combination of characters, an indication of the purchase amount, an indication of a draw date, and a signature line;
providing the lottery ticket to the customer in exchange for the purchase amount;
determining a set of lottery tickets purchased for a day'"'"'s drawing, in which each lottery ticket is associated with a respective purchase amount and a respective combination of characters, the set of lottery tickets including the lottery ticket of the customer;
determining a prize amount based on the respective purchase amounts;
drawing a first winning lottery ticket from the set of lottery tickets;
drawing a second winning lottery ticket from the set of lottery tickets;
drawing a third winning lottery ticket from the set of lottery tickets;
determining a total cost based on a purchase amount of the first winning lottery ticket, a purchase amount of the second winning lottery ticket, and a purchase amount of the third winning lottery ticket;
receiving an indication of the combination of characters of the lottery ticket that was provided to the customer;
determining whether the combination of characters is the same as the respective combination of characters associated with the first winning lottery ticket; and
determining a share of the prize amount based on the purchase amount of the first winning lottery ticket and the total cost.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
According to one embodiment, a method is provided for redeeming a game entry. The method includes steps of determining a wager amount that is associated with a winning game entry, determining a proportional share based on the wager amount, and determining a prize share amount based on the proportional share. The method may further include providing the prize share amount to a holder of the winning game entry. In some alternative embodiments, a prize for a winning game entry may be a non-monetary benefit.
-
Citations
25 Claims
-
1. A method comprising:
-
receiving from a customer a request to purchase a lottery ticket in exchange for a purchase amount that is less than one dollar;
generating a combination of characters at random, the combination comprising;
a first alphanumeric character, a second alphanumeric character, a third alphanumeric character, a fourth alphanumeric character, a fifth alphanumeric character, and a sixth alphanumeric character;
printing a lottery ticket, the lottery ticket including;
an indication of the combination of characters, an indication of the purchase amount, an indication of a draw date, and a signature line;
providing the lottery ticket to the customer in exchange for the purchase amount;
determining a set of lottery tickets purchased for a day'"'"'s drawing, in which each lottery ticket is associated with a respective purchase amount and a respective combination of characters, the set of lottery tickets including the lottery ticket of the customer;
determining a prize amount based on the respective purchase amounts;
drawing a first winning lottery ticket from the set of lottery tickets;
drawing a second winning lottery ticket from the set of lottery tickets;
drawing a third winning lottery ticket from the set of lottery tickets;
determining a total cost based on a purchase amount of the first winning lottery ticket, a purchase amount of the second winning lottery ticket, and a purchase amount of the third winning lottery ticket;
receiving an indication of the combination of characters of the lottery ticket that was provided to the customer;
determining whether the combination of characters is the same as the respective combination of characters associated with the first winning lottery ticket; and
determining a share of the prize amount based on the purchase amount of the first winning lottery ticket and the total cost. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. A method comprising:
-
receiving a request from a customer to purchase a lottery ticket in exchange for a fractional monetary amount;
receiving the fractional monetary amount from the customer;
determining a ticket value based on the fractional monetary amount;
outputting a ticket identifier that identifies the lottery ticket;
outputting an indication of the ticket value;
determining a proportional share based on the ticket value;
determining a prize share amount based on the proportional share; and
providing the prize share amount to the customer.
-
-
12. A method comprising:
-
receiving a request from a customer to purchase a lottery ticket in exchange for a fractional monetary amount;
receiving the fractional monetary amount from the customer;
outputting a ticket identifier that identifies the lottery ticket;
determining whether the lottery ticket is a winning ticket; and
if the lottery ticket is a winning ticket, determining a benefit that is associated with the lottery ticket, and providing the benefit to the customer. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
-
-
19. A method comprising:
-
receiving a request to purchase a lottery ticket in exchange for a fractional monetary amount;
receiving the fractional monetary amount;
determining a fractional ticket value based on the fractional monetary amount;
outputting a ticket identifier that identifies the lottery ticket; and
outputting an indication of the fractional ticket value.
-
-
20. A method comprising:
-
receiving a request by a customer to purchase a lottery ticket in exchange for a wager amount, in which the wager amount is not a whole-number multiple of one dollar, and in which the lottery ticket corresponds to a variably-priced lottery game;
determining a ticket value based on the wager amount;
generating a lottery ticket having the ticket value; and
providing the lottery ticket to the customer.
-
-
21. A method comprising:
-
determining a wager amount that is associated with a winning lottery ticket;
determining a proportional share based on the wager amount;
determining a prize share amount based on the proportional share; and
providing the prize share amount to a holder of the winning lottery ticket.
-
-
22. A method comprising:
-
determining a first wager amount that is associated with a first winning lottery ticket;
determining a second wager amount that is associated with a second winning lottery ticket;
determining a proportional share based on the first wager amount and the second wager amount;
determining a prize share amount based on the proportional share; and
providing the prize share amount to a holder of the first winning lottery ticket.
-
-
23. A method comprising:
-
receiving first ticket numbers from a first holder of a first fractional lottery ticket, in which the first fractional lottery ticket is associated with a lottery game;
determining a first purchase price that is associated with the first fractional lottery ticket;
receiving second ticket numbers from a second holder of a second fractional lottery ticket, in which the second fractional lottery ticket is associated with the lottery game;
determining a second purchase price that is associated with the second fractional lottery ticket;
determining a prize amount of the lottery game;
determining a first share of the prize amount based on the first ticket numbers and the first purchase price;
determining a second share of the prize amount based on the second ticket numbers and the second purchase price; and
providing the first share of the prize amount to the first holder. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
-
Specification