Lottery Sales Systems and Methodology for Supporting Cross-Platform Reporting

• US 20090163264A1
• Filed: 12/12/2008
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scientific Games LLC (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Scientific Games International Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Behm, William E., Hopkins, Todd, Whiteman, Janine, Herndon, Burbank
• Granted Patent: US 8,290,816 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/17
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• 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 lottery sales method and related system utilizes a computing device interfaced to a printer. The device is configured to track inventory of activated instant tickets and access sales reporting data, the sales reporting data indicating total sales of at least one lottery product of interest. For each lottery product of interest, a machine-readable indicator is generated corresponding to the total sales of the lottery product of interest. A report is printed that includes each generated machine-readable indicator.

Claims

1. A lottery sales computing device interfaced to a printer, the device configured to:

Track inventory of activated instant tickets and access sales reporting data, the sales reporting data indicating total sales of at least one lottery product of interest;

for each lottery product of interest, generate a machine-readable indicator corresponding to the total sales of the lottery product of interest; and

print at least one report comprising each generated machine-readable indicator.

2. The lottery sales computing device set forth in claim 1, wherein a machine-readable indicator comprises a bar code.

3. The lottery sales computing device set forth in claim 1, wherein generating a machine-readable indicator corresponding to the total sales of a lottery product of interest comprises:

selecting an indicator identifying the lottery product of interest; and

embedding data in the indicator, the embedded data identifying the total sales amount.

4. The lottery sales computing device set forth in claim 1, wherein generating a machine-readable indicator corresponding to the total sales of a lottery product of interest comprises:

selecting an indicator mapped to a combination of a sales amount and the lottery product of interest.

5. The lottery sales computing device set forth in claim 1, wherein the sales reporting data further indicates total cash-outs and the computing device is further configured to generate a machine-readable indicator corresponding to the total cash-outs for inclusion in at least one report.

6. A method of cross-platform reporting of lottery activity data, the method comprising:

accessing sales reporting data, the sales reporting data indicating total sales of at least one lottery product of interest;

for each lottery product of interest, generating a machine-readable indicator corresponding to the total sales of the lottery product of interest; and

printing at least one report comprising each generated machine-readable indicator.

7. The method set forth in claim 6, wherein a machine-readable indicator comprises a bar code.

8. The method set forth in claim 6, wherein generating a machine-readable indicator corresponding to the total sales of a lottery product of interest comprises:

selecting an indicator identifying the lottery product of interest; and

embedding data in the indicator, the embedded data identifying the total sales amount.

9. The method set forth in claim 6, wherein generating a machine-readable indicator corresponding to the total sales of a lottery product of interest comprises:

selecting an indicator mapped to a combination of a sales amount and the lottery product of interest.

10. The method set forth in claim 6, wherein the sales reporting data further indicates total cash-outs and the computing device is further configured to generate a machine-readable indicator corresponding to the total cash-outs for inclusion in at least one report.

11. A method of cross-platform lottery activity reporting, the method comprising:

obtaining lottery activity data into a point-of-sale system by scanning a generated machine-readable indicator in at least one report;

based on the obtained lottery activity data, identifying the lottery product of interest and total sales of the lottery product of interest without accessing data from a lottery sales system.

12. The method set forth in claim 11, wherein identifying the lottery product of interest and total sales of the lottery product of interest comprises accessing a set of data correlating machine-readable indicators to lottery products.

13. The method set forth in claim 11, wherein identifying the lottery product of interest and total sales of the lottery product of interest comprises decoding a total sales amount embedded in the machine-readable indicator.

14. The method set forth in claim 11, wherein identifying the lottery product of interest and total sales of the lottery product of interest comprises accessing a set of data correlating machine-readable indicators to combinations of lottery products and sales amounts.