MULTIPLE PRICING SHARED SINGLE JACKPOT IN A LOTTERY

• US 20050164768A1
• Filed: 01/27/2004
• Published: 07/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lottery Dynamics, LLC
• Original Assignee: Integrated Group Assets Inc.
• Inventors: Wright, Robert J.
• Granted Patent: US 6,935,948 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/17
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards

Abstract

A method of multiple pricing for a predetermined single jackpot in a single lottery game is disclosed. For instance, a lottery ticket that is purchased for one dollar can result in a ten million dollar win, a lottery ticket that is purchased for two dollars can result in a twenty million dollar win, a lottery ticket that is purchased for three dollars can result in a thirty million dollar win, etc. Further, different winnings increments can be used. For instance, the three dollar ticket can result in a forty million dollar win. In addition, the lottery prize can be a variable prize that progressively increases with a percentage of each ticket sold. The prizes are won from a single pool. For instance, even if the revenues for the one dollar ticket do not cover the ten million dollar prize, the combined revenues of the one dollar and the two dollar tickets are likely to cover the ten million dollar prize and vice versa. In one embodiment, a shared multiple pricing lottery game with a single pre-determined jackpot is disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for providing a multi-priced shared lottery, the method comprising:

providing a first price category in which a plurality of first price category lottery tickets can be purchased, wherein the first price category indicates a first known percentage of a prize that can be won with lottery tickets in the plurality of first price category lottery tickets having a winning lottery number,

providing a second price category in which a plurality of second price category lottery tickets can be purchased, wherein the second price category ticket indicates a second known percentage of the prize, distinct from the first known percentage of the prize, that can be won with lottery tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets having the winning number, wherein the prize includes at least a portion of the revenue provided from the plurality of the first price category lottery tickets and at least a portion of the revenue provided from the plurality of the second price category lottery tickets;

randomly selecting the winning lottery number;

providing a first price category intra-shared distribution of the first known percentage of the prize if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of first price category lottery tickets has a winning number, wherein the first category is the only price category having a winning ticket, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of first price category lottery tickets shares the first known percentage of the prize according to a first price category intra-sharing distribution formula;

providing a second price category intra-shared distribution of the second known percentage of the prize if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets has a winning number, wherein the second category is The only price category having a winning ticket, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets shares the second known percentage of the prize according to a second price category intra-sharing distribution formula;

providing a divided first price category intra-shared distribution of the first known percentage of the prize, a divided second price category intra-shared distribution of the second known percentage of the prize, and an inter-shared distribution of the first known percentage of the prize if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of first price category lottery tickets has a winning number and if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets has a winning number, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of first price category lottery tickets shares the first known percentage of the prize according to the divided first price category intra-sharing distribution formula, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets shares the second known percentage of the prize according to the divided second price category intra-sharing distribution formula, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of the second price category lottery tickets shares the first known percentage of the prize with each of the winning tickets in the plurality of the first price category lottery tickets according to an inter-sharing distribution formula

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the prize is a jackpot.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the prize is a fixed prize.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the inter-sharing formula is a weighted distribution that provides a larger portion of the first percentage to winning tickets in the plurality of the second price category lottery ticket.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a third price category in which a plurality of third price category lottery tickets can be purchased, wherein the third price category indicates a third known percentage of the prize, distinct from the first known percentage of the prize and distinct from the second known percentage of the prize, that can be won with lottery tickets in the plurality of third price category lottery tickets having a winning lottery number.

9. The method of claim 8, furl comprising providing a third price category intra-shared distribution of the third known percentage of the prize if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of third price category lottery tickets has a winning number, wherein the third price category is the only price category having a winning ticket, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of third price category lottery tickets shares the third known percentage of the prize according to a third price category intra-sharing distribution formula.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing the divided first price category intra-shared distribution of the first known percentage of the prize, the divided second price category intra-shared distribution of the second known percentage of the prize, the divided third price category intra-shared distribution of the third known percentage of the prize, and the inter-shared distribution of the first known percentage of the prize if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of first price category lottery tickets has a winning number, if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets has a winning number, and if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of third price category lottery tickets has a winning number, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of first price category lottery tickets shares the first known percentage of the prize according to the divided first price category intra-sharing distribution formula, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets shares the second known percentage of the prize according to the divided second price category intra-sharing distribution formula, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of third price category lottery tickets shares the third known percentage of the prize according to the divided third price category intra-sharing distribution formula, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of the second price category lottery tickets and each of the winning tickets in the plurality of the third price category lottery tickets shares the first known percentage of the prize with each of the winning tickets in the plurality of the first price category lottery tickets according to a first triplet inter-sharing distribution formula, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of the third price category lottery tickets shares the second known percentage of the prize with each of the winning tickets in the plurality of the second price category lottery tickets according to a second triplet inter-sharing distribution formula.

4. (canceled)

5. (canceled)

6. (canceled)

11. A method for providing a multi-priced shared lottery, the method comprising:

providing a first price category in which a plurality of first price category lottery tickets can be purchased, wherein the first price category indicates a first known percentage of a prize that can be won with lottery tickets in the plurality of first price category lottery tickets having a winning lottery number,

providing a second price category in which a plurality of second price category lottery tickets can be purchased, wherein the second price category ticket indicates a second known percentage of the prize, distinct from the first known percentage, that can be won with lottery tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets having the winning number, wherein the prize includes at least a portion of the revenue provided from the plurality of the first price category lottery tickets and at least a portion of the revenue provided from the plurality of the second price category lottery tickets;

randomly selecting the winning lottery number;

providing a first price category intra-shared distribution of the first known percentage of the prize if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of first price category lottery tickets has a winning number, wherein the first category is the only price category having a winning ticket, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of first price category lottery tickets shares the first known percentage of the prize according to a first price category intra-sharing distribution formula; and

providing a second price category intra-shared distribution of the second known percentage of the prize if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets has a winning number, wherein the second category is the only price category having a winning ticket, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets shares the second known percentage of the prize according to a second price category intra-sharing distribution formula.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing a divided first price category intra-shared distribution of the first known percentage of the prize, a divided second price category intra-shared distribution of the second known percentage of the prize, and an inter-shared distribution of the first known percentage of the prize if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of first price category lottery tickets has a winning number and if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets has a winning number, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of first price category lottery tickets shares the first known percentage of the prize according to the divided first price category intra-sharing distribution formula, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets shares the second known percentage of the prize according to the divided second price category intra-sharing distribution formula, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of the second price category lottery tickets shares the first known-percentage of the prize with each of the winning tickets in the plurality of the first price category lottery tickets according to an inter-sharing distribution formula.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the prize is a jackpot.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the prize is a fixed prize.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the inter-sharing formula is a weighted distribution that provides a larger portion of the first percentage to winning tickets in the plurality of the second price category lottery tickets.

15. (canceled)

16. (canceled)

17. (canceled)

19. A method for providing a multi-priced shared lottery, the method comprising:

providing a first price category in which a plurality of first price category lottery tickets can be purchased, wherein the first price category indicates a first known percentage of a prize that can be won with lottery tickets in the plurality of first price category lottery tickets having a winning lottery number;

providing a second price category in which a plurality of second price category lottery tickets can be purchased, wherein the second price category ticket indicates a second known percentage of the prize, distinct from the first known percentage, that can be won with lottery tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets having the winning number, wherein the prize includes at least a portion of the revenue provided from the plurality of the first price category lottery tickets and at least a portion of the revenue provided from the plurality of the second price category lottery tickets;

randomly selecting the winning lottery number;

providing a first price category intra-shared distribution of the first known percentage of the prize if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of first price category lottery tickets has a winning number, wherein the first category is the only price category having a winning ticket, wherein each of the wing tickets in the plurality of first price category lottery tickets shares the first known percentage of the prize according to a first price category intra-sharing distribution formula;

providing a second price category intra-shared distribution of the second known percentage of the prize if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets has a winning number, wherein the second category is the only price category having a winning ticket, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets shares the second known percentage of the prize according to a second price category intra-sharing distribution formula;

providing a guarantee of payment of the first price category intra-shared distribution and a guarantee of payment of the second price category intra-shared distribution, wherein the guarantee is in exchange for a stipulation of a percentage of ticket sales revenue from the first price category lottery tickets and from the second price category lottery tickets, wherein the providing the guarantee occurs prior to ticket sales in the lottery; and

receiving the percentage of the ticket sales revenue.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the guarantee ensures that the payment of the prize will be paid even if the ticket sales are not greater in size than the payment.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the guarantee ensures that the payment of the prize will be paid even if the percentage of the ticket sales revenue is not greater in size than the payment of the prize.

22. A multi-priced shared lottery system comprising:

a first price category module that provides a first price category in which a plurality of first price category lottery tickets can be purchased, wherein the first price category indicates a first known percentage of a prize that can be won with lottery tickets in the plurality of first price category lottery tickets having a winning lottery number;

a second price category module that provides a second price category in which a plurality of second price category lottery tickets can be purchased, wherein the second price category ticket indicates a second known percentage of the prize, distinct from the first known percentage, that can be won with lottery tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets having the winning number, wherein the prize includes at least a portion of the revenue provided from the plurality of the first price category lottery tickets and at least a portion of the revenue provided from the plurality of the second price category lottery tickets;

a random number selection module that randomly selects the winning lottery number;

a first price intra-shared distribution module that provides a first price category intra-shared distribution of the first known percentage of the prize if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of first price category lottery tickets has a winning number, wherein the first category is the only price category having a winning ticket, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of first price category lottery tickets shares the first known percentage of the prize according to a first price category intra-sharing distribution formula; and

a second price category intra-shared distribution module that provides a second price category intra-shared distribution of the second known percentage of the prize if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets has a winning number, wherein the second category is the only price category having a winning ticket, wherein each of the wining tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets shares the second known percentage of the prize according to a second price category intra-sharing distribution formula.

23. The multi-priced shared lottery system of claim 22, further comprising a divided first price category intra-shared distribution module that provides a divided first price category intra-shared distribution of the first known percentage of the prize, a divided second price category intra-shared distribution module that provides a divided second known price category intra-shared distribution of the second known percentage of the prize, and an inter-shared distribution module that provides an inter-shared distribution of the first known percentage of the prize if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of first price category lottery tickets has a winning number and if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets has a winning number, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of first price category lottery tickets shares the first known percentage of the prize according to the divided first price category intra-sharing distribution formula, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets shares the second known percentage of the prize according to the divided second price category intra-sharing distribution formula, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of the second price category lottery tickets shares the first known percentage of the prize with each of the winning tickets in the plurality of the first price category lottery tickets according to an inter-sharing distribution formula.

24. The multi-priced shared lottery system of claim 23, further comprising a third price category intra-shared distribution module that provides a third price category intra-shared distribution of a third known percentage of the prize, distinct from the first known percentage of the prize and distinct from the second known percentage of the prize, if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of third price category lottery tickets has a winning number, wherein the third price category is the only price category having a winning ticket, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of third price category lottery tickets shares the third known percentage of the prize according to a third price category intra-sharing distribution formula.

25. The multi-priced shared lottery system of claim 24, further comprising a divided third price category intra-shared distribution module that provides a divided third price category intra-shared distribution of the third known percentage of the prize, if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of first price category lottery tickets has a winning number, if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets has a winning number, and if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of third price category lottery tickets has a winning number, wherein the inter-shared distribution module provides an inter-shared distribution of the first known percentage of the prize, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of first price category lottery tickets shares the first known percentage of the prize according to the divided first price category intra-sharing distribution formula, wherein each of the wining tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets shares the second known percentage of the prize according to the divided second price category intra-sharing distribution formula, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of third price category lottery tickets shares the third known percentage of the prize according to the divided third price category intra-sharing distribution formula, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of the second price category lottery tickets and each of the winning tickets in the plurality of the third price category lottery tickets shares the first known percentage of the prize with each of the winning tickets in the plurality of the first price category lottery tickets according to a first triplet inter-sharing distribution formula, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of the third price category lottery tickets shares the second known percentage of the prize with each of the winning tickets in the plurality of the second price category lottery tickets according to a second triplet inter-sharing distribution formula.