System and method for selling lottery game tickets through a point of sale system

• US 20050233797A1
• Filed: 03/29/2005
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scientific Games Corporation
• Original Assignee: Scientific Games International Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Collucci, Vic, Gilmore, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 7,621,810 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/17
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/42 for ticket printing or like apparatus , e.g. apparatus for dispensing of printed paper tickets or payment cards

Abstract

A system for selling game tickets for purchase by a game player within a store, the system comprising a point of sale terminal in communication with a game monitor that detects inputted game selection data and determine therefrom the number and type of game tickets to be played. The system further comprises a ticket dispensing system in communication with the game monitor. The game monitor detecting the activation of a predetermined terminal key of the point of sale terminal and dispenses the desired number and type of game tickets from the ticket dispensing system.

Claims

1. A system for selling pre-printed lottery game tickets for purchase by a lottery game player, the system comprising:

at least one point of sale terminal having a plurality of terminal keys;

at least one ticket dispenser assembly in communication with the point of sale terminal; and

a supply of pre-printed lottery game tickets held within the ticket dispenser assembly;

wherein the ticket dispenser assembly detects the activation of a first predetermined terminal key of said at least one point of sale terminal and determines therefrom the number and type of pre-printed lottery games to be played and dispenses the desired number and type of game tickets therefrom upon the activation of a second predetermined terminal key of the at least one point of sale terminal.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a central inventory computer in communication with the at least one point of sale terminal and adapted to transmit and receive inventory information signals in response to the activation of at least one terminal key of said at least one point of sale terminal.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the number and type of pre-printed lottery game tickets to be dispensed is communicated to the central inventory computer.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the number and type of pre-printed lottery game tickets so dispensed is communicated to the central inventory computer.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the ticket dispenser assembly comprises a memory buffer, and wherein the ticket dispenser assembly stores the number and type of pre-printed lottery game tickets to be dispensed in the memory buffer until the activation of the second predetermined terminal key by the point of sale terminal operator.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the ticket dispenser assembly comprises an automated pre-printed lottery game ticket dispenser assembly.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the ticket dispenser assembly comprises a computer.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a network connecting the point of sale terminal to the ticket dispenser assembly.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the network comprises an Ethernet network.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the network comprises a wireless network.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the network connects the point of sale terminal to a central inventory computer.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the ticket dispenser assembly comprises an interface cable that is operatively coupled to a serial port of the point of sale terminal.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the ticket dispenser assembly comprises an interface cable that is operatively coupled to a printer port of the point of sale terminal.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising wherein the ticket dispenser assembly further comprises a user interface device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the user interface device is selected from a group of interface devices consisting of at least one of a keyboard, a display and a bar code reader.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the second predetermined terminal key comprises a cash tender key.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein each game ticket has an encrypted validation number on a surface of the game ticket that uniquely identifies each game ticket, and wherein the ticket dispenser assembly comprises a scanner adapted to read the encrypted validation number when the pre-printed lottery game ticket is dispensed.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising an off-site computer, wherein the scanner communicates the encrypted validation number to the off-site computer, the off-site computer recording the validation number and returning an authorization of the dispensed ticket.

19. A system for selling game tickets for purchase by a game player within a store, the system comprising:

at least one point of sale terminal having a plurality of terminal keys;

means for inputting game selection data provided by the game player;

a game monitor in communication with the point of sale terminal, the game monitor being constructed and arranged to detect the inputted game selection data and determine therefrom the number and type of game tickets to be played;

at least one ticket dispensing system in communication with the game monitor; and

an off-site computer in communication with the game monitor,

wherein game monitor detects the activation of a predetermined terminal key of said at least one point of sale terminal and dispenses the desired number and type of game tickets from the at least one ticket dispensing system.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the ticket dispensing system comprises at least one ticket dispenser assembly in communication with the game monitor and a supply of pre-printed lottery game tickets held within the ticket dispenser assembly.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the ticket dispensing system comprises a game ticket printer in communication with the game monitor.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the ticket dispensing system comprises:

at least one ticket dispenser assembly in communication with the game monitor and a supply of pre-printed lottery game tickets held within the ticket dispenser assembly; and

a game ticket printer in communication with the game monitor.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the game monitor is constructed and arranged to instruct the ticket printer to pre-print at least one game ticket.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the ticket dispenser assembly comprises a memory buffer, and wherein the ticket dispenser assembly stores the number and type of pre-printed lottery game tickets to be dispensed in the memory buffer until the activation of the predetermined terminal key by the point of sale terminal operator.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one point of sale terminal communicates with the off-site computer to determine the amount to be charged for the game tickets.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein the means for inputting the game selection data comprises at least one terminal key of the point of sale terminal, wherein the game monitor is constructed and arranged to detect a specific game signal from the activation of said at least one terminal key and determines therefrom the number and type of game tickets requested, and wherein the number and type of game tickets is communicated to the off-site computer.

27. The system of claim 19, wherein the means for inputting the game selection data comprises a scanner in communication with the game monitor, the scanner being adapted to read a game token for the game being played, wherein the game monitor is constructed and arranged to detect a specific game signal generated by the scanner and determines therefrom the number and type of game tickets requested, and wherein the number and type of game tickets is communicated to the off-site computer.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein point of sale terminal comprises the scanner.

29. The system of claim 26 or 27, wherein the specific game signal comprises a lottery game signal, further comprising means for generating a random series of lottery play numbers in response to the detection of the specific game signal by the game monitor.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the game monitor comprises a game monitor computer, the means for generating a random series of lottery play numbers comprising a random number generator stored within and executed by the game monitor computer.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the means for generating a random series of lottery play numbers comprises a random number generator program stored within and executed by the off-site computer, wherein the off-site computer generates the lottery play numbers and communicates the numbers so selected to the game monitor.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the game monitor communicates the lottery play numbers generated by the game monitor to the off-site computer, the off-site computer recording the lottery game play numbers therein and returning an acknowledgement thereof to the game monitor.

33. The system of claim 26 or 27, wherein the specific game signal comprises a lottery game signal, wherein the game monitor detects the specific game signal and determines therefrom a plurality of player selected lottery play numbers, and wherein the game monitor communicates the player selected lottery play numbers to the off-site computer, the off-site computer recording the lottery game play numbers therein and returning an acknowledgement thereof to the game monitor.

34. The system of claim 26 or 27, wherein the specific game signal comprises an on-line wager game signal, wherein the game monitor detects the specific game signal and determines therefrom at least one player selected wager, and wherein the game monitor communicates the player selected wager to the off-site computer, the off-site computer recording the player selected wager therein and returning an acknowledgement thereof to the game monitor.

35. The system of claim 19, further comprising a central inventory computer in communication with the at least one point of sale terminal adapted to transmit and receive inventory information signals in response to at least one terminal key press by the point of sale terminal operator.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the number and type of game tickets to be dispensed is communicated to the central inventory computer.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the number and type of game tickets so dispensed is communicated to the central inventory computer.

38. The system of claim 20, wherein the ticket dispenser assembly comprises an automated pre-printed lottery game ticket dispenser assembly.

39. The system of claim 20, wherein the ticket dispenser assembly comprises a computer.

40. The system of claim 19, wherein the game monitor comprises a plurality of game monitors, each game monitor being connected to at least one of the at least one point of sale terminal, and further comprising a network connecting the plurality of game monitors.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the network comprises an Ethernet network.

42. The system of claim 40, wherein the network connects the plurality of game monitors to a central inventory computer.

43. The system of claim 40 or 42, wherein the network connects the plurality of game monitors to the off-site computer.

44. The system of claim 40, wherein the network comprises a wireless network.

45. The system of claim 19, further comprising a network connecting the game monitor to the offsite monitor.

46. The system of claim 45, wherein the network comprises an Ethernet network.

47. The system of claim 45, wherein the network comprises a wireless network.

48. The system of claim 19, further comprising wherein the ticket dispenser assembly further comprises a user interface device selected from a group of interface devices consisting of at least one of a keyboard, a display, and a bar code reader.

49. The system of claim 19, wherein the predetermined terminal key comprises a cash tender key.

50. The system of claim 19, wherein each pre-printed lottery game ticket has an encrypted validation number thereon a surface of the pre-printed lottery game ticket that uniquely identifies each lottery game ticket, wherein the ticket dispenser assembly comprises a scanner adapted to read the encrypted validation number when the pre-printed lottery game ticket is dispensed.

51. The system of claim 50, wherein the scanner communicates the encrypted validation number to the off-site computer, the off-site computer recording the validation number and returning an authorization of the dispensed ticket.