System and method of communication with authenticated wagering participation

• US 5,713,795 A
• Filed: 01/10/1994
• Issued: 02/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Quest NetTech Corporation (Quest Patent Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Response Reward Systems L.C.
• Inventors: Kohorn, Henry Von
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrison, Jessica
• Assistant Examiner(s): ONEILL, MICHAEL W
• Application Number:
  US08/179,589
• Time in Patent Office: 1,485 Days
• Field of Search: 463/17, 463/18, 463/40, 463/41, 463/42, 273/138 A, 273/433, 273/439, 273/269
• US Class Current: 463/17
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/338 using television networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/409 Data transfer via television network
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/063 with hand-placed probe or plug
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/64 for providing detail information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/68 Systems specially adapted for using specific information, e.g. geographical or meteorological information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/08 Systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal, e.g. additional information signals, the signals occupying wholly or partially the same frequency band , e.g. by time division H04N7/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0806 the signals being two or more video signals H04N7/0803, H04N7/081 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0884 for the transmission of additional display-information, e.g. menu for programme or channel selection

Abstract

A system and method for wagering and for evaluating responses to broadcast programs, such as television programs, includes an instructional signal modulated onto a signal transmitted concurrently with the television program, or time-multiplexed with a television. At each of a plurality of remote receiving stations, one or more members of a remote audience has the opportunity to respond to a situation presented in the television program by entering a response on a keyboard. The system includes, at each remote receiving station, a memory responsive to the instructional signal for storing acceptable responses, a comparison circuit for comparing responses entered at the keyboard with those stored in the memory, circuitry for scoring responses in accordance with commands from the instructional signal, and a recording device for providing a permanent record of the audience score at the remote station. For playing a lottery, numbers are entered at the remote stations and are stored at a central facility for verification upon presentation of lottery tickets. The tickets having both a played number(s) and a winning number(s) are printed at the remote stations. For games and other forms of contests, responses may include a key word or phrase, and scoring is performed based on differing levels of difficulty including time for response. The program may be presented live conducted by a host at a central station, or by a prerecorded message accessible by telephone from a remote station with regulation from a central station.

Claims

1. A method for conducting a contest, including games and wagers, by a plurality of players at locations remote from a central location, comprising the steps of

establishing a program of presentation of indicia for players of the contest;

establishing response criteria for judging responses of the players;

introducing a mode of scoring of the responses of the players independently of the program providing step;

selecting a lottery number or equivalent of the indicia at a player'"'"'s remote location;

recording the selected lottery number or indicia on a recording medium at a player'"'"'s location, said recording medium being identifiably associated with a player by a recording upon said medium;

communicating players'"'"' selected numbers or indicia to a central information storage facility;

receiving and storing said selected numbers or said indicia at said central information storage facility;

preventing a storing of further selected numbers or indicia at said central storage facility subsequent to a predetermined point in time;

determining a winning lottery number or indicia, in accordance with said response criteria and said scoring criteria, at a central lottery location subsequent to said point in time;

communicating a winning number or a winning indicia from a central location to said remote locations; and

recording said winning number or said winning indicia on a recording medium at a remote location;

wherein a player'"'"'s recording medium bearing a selected number or selected indicia matching said winning lottery number or said winning lottery indicia serves as a winning recording medium.

2. A method according to claim 1 further comprising a step of awarding a plurality of gradated prizes to players whose selected indicia fall within a predetermined range of indicia values.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein indicia are alphanumeric.

4. A method for conducting a lottery playable by a plurality of players at locations remote from a central location, comprising the steps of:

selecting a lottery number or equivalent indicia at a player'"'"'s remote location;

recording the selected lottery number or indicia on a recording medium at a player'"'"'s location, said recording medium being identifiably associated with a player by a recording upon said medium;

communicating players'"'"' selected numbers or indicia to a central information storage facility;

receiving and storing said selected numbers or said indicia at said central information storage facility;

preventing a storing of further selected numbers or indicia at said central storage facility subsequent to a predetermined point in time;

determining a winning lottery number or indicia at a central lottery location subsequent to said point in time;

communicating a winning number or a winning indicia from a central location to said remote locations; and

recording said winning number or said winning indicia on a recording medium at a remote location;

wherein a player'"'"'s recording medium bearing a selected number or selected indicia matching said winning lottery number or said winning lottery indicia serves as a winning recording medium; and

said determining step is based on actions taken by officials at said central lottery location, and said central lottery location includes a group of lottery officials consisting of judges, referees, handicappers, umpires, racing committee operators, and other officials at or remote from a location of a contest.

5. A method for conducting a contest, including games and wagers, playable by a plurality of players at locations remote from a central location, the method comprising steps of:

establishing a program of presentation of indicia for players of the contest;

establishing response criteria for judging responses of the players;

introducing a mode of scoring of the responses of the players independently of the program providing step;

determining at said central location at least one indicium of said indicia constituting a winning indicium, said indicium being unknown to players;

providing individual players with at least one wagering indicium selected by or for individual ones of said players;

communicating players'"'"' individual wagering indicia to a central data storage facility;

entering each player'"'"'s wagering indicium in said storage facility, each entered indicium being associated with an individual one of said players;

storing players'"'"' entered indicia at least until a winning indicium is known, said storing including a preventing of alteration of said stored indicia after a winning indicium is known;

after a winning indicium is known, disseminating a winning indicium by an operator at a central location to players'"'"' remote locations;

comparing each player'"'"'s wagering indicium with the winning indicium at each player'"'"'s location, in accordance with said response criteria and said scoring criteria; and

identifying individual players whose stored indicium has a determined relationship to a winning indicium.

7. A method according to claim 5 further comprising a step of establishing a relationship between a winning indicium and other ones of said indicia, said relationship being selected from the group of relationships consisting of matching, partially matching, mathematical and exclusionary type.

8. A method according to claim 5 further comprising a step of awarding a plurality of gradated prizes to individual ones of said players whose selected indicia fall within a determined range of indicia values.

9. A method according to claim 5 wherein said indicia are of the alphanumeric type.

10. A method according to claim 5 wherein said contest is a game requiring answers or predictions by players and wherein, in said storing step, there is a storing of an answer or prediction selected by one of said players at said central storage facility in the form of at least one indicium.

6. A method for conducting a contest, including games and wagers, playable by a plurality of players at locations remote from a central location, the method comprising steps of:

determining at said central location at least one indicium of said indicia constituting a winning indicium, said indicium being unknown to players;

providing individual players with at least one wagering indicium selected by or for individual ones of said players;

communicating players'"'"' individual wagering indicia to a central data storage facility;

entering each player'"'"'s wagering indicium in said storage facility, each entered indicium being associated with an individual one of said players;

storing players'"'"' entered indicia at least until a winning indicium is known, said storing including a preventing of alteration of said stored indicia after a winning indicium is known;

after a winning indicium is known, disseminating a winning indicium by an operator at a central location to players'"'"' remote locations;

comparing each player'"'"'s wagering indicium with the winning indicium at each player'"'"'s location; and

identifying individual players whose stored indicium has a determined relationship to a winning indicium; and

wherein said determining step is based on actions taken by officials at said central location, and said central location includes at least one contest official drawn from a group of contest officials consisting of judges, referees, handicappers, umpires, racing committee members, operators and other officials at or remote from locations of the contest.

11. A method for conducting a game by a plurality of players at locations remote from a central location comprising the steps of:

establishing a program of presentation of indicia for players of the game;

establishing response criteria for judging responses of the players;

introducing a mode of scoring of the responses of the players independently of the program providing step;

determining at said central location at least one first indicium constituting a winning indicium, said first indicium being unknown to players;

assigning to each of said players at least one second indicium selected by or for the player;

recording said second indicium on a hard copy record by a printer at individual players'"'"' locations;

communicating electronically from individual ones of said players a player'"'"'s information including a player'"'"'s second indicium and individual identification to a central storage facility;

entering each player'"'"'s information in said storage facility, each of said second indicia being identifiably associated with an individual one of said players;

storing players'"'"' second indicia in said storage facility at least until a first winning indicium has been determined, said storing including a preventing of alteration of individual ones of said players'"'"' second indicia after a winning indicium has been determined;

comparing, in accordance with said response criteria and said scoring criteria, individual ones of said players'"'"' second indicia stored in said central storage facility with a first winning indicium;

identifying a winning player whose second indicium has a determined relationship to a winning first indicium;

electronically communicating said relationship of indicia to said printers at players'"'"' remote locations; and

recording said relationship on players'"'"' hard copy records.

12. A method according to claim 11 wherein said determining step determines a plurality of winning indicia having different values.

13. A method according to claim 11 wherein said indicia are of the alphanumeric type.

14. A method according to claim 11 further comprising a step of awarding gradated prizes to individual ones of said players whose selected indicia fall within a determined range of indicia values.

15. A method according to claim 11 further comprising a step of establishing a relationship of player'"'"'s second indicia to a winning one of said indicia by selecting said relationship from a group of relationships consisting of matching, partially matching, mathematical and exclusionary type.

16. In a lottery system playable by a plurality of players at locations remote from a central location in which a player holding a ticket bearing a number selected by the player matching a winning number is deemed to be a winning player, the system comprising

ticketing means at said remote locations operable by individual ones of said players for entering and recording on a ticket medium of wager information including a lottery number selected by one of said players;

wherein said ticketing means is operable remotely by instructional electronic signals transmitted from a central facility for a subsequent recording on said ticket medium of at least one winning lottery number determined at a central location;

said system further comprises means at said remote locations connected to said ticketing means and operable by a player for electronically transmitting a player'"'"'s wager information including a selected lottery number to a central data storage means;

a central facility having said central data storage means and serving for a storing of a player'"'"'s wager information including at least one selected lottery number;

wherein said central facility includes means for storing wager acceptance criteria determined by an operator of the lottery;

said central facility includes first comparison means for accepting or rejecting individual wagers in accordance with said criteria;

said system further comprises central lottery means for determining at least one winning number;

second comparison means at a central facility for comparing a winning number with players'"'"' accepted wager numbers to determine a winning player;

central transmitting means for electronically transmitting a winning number to said players'"'"' remote locations; and

central transmitting means for electronically transmitting instructional signals to said ticketing means at said remote locations for recording a winning number on said ticket medium.

17. In a system for a lottery game playable by a plurality of players at locations remote from a central location, in which game a ticket bearing a number selected by one of said players and matching a number drawn at said central location is deemed to be to be a winning ticket, the system comprising

ticketing means at said remote locations and identified with and operable by individual ones of said players for selecting a lottery number, said ticketing means including means for recording a player'"'"'s selected number on a ticket;

central storage means for receiving and storing individually selected lottery numbers, each selected number being associated with an identified player;

means for communicating individual players'"'"' selected numbers to said storage means;

means for inhibiting a storing of further numbers following a predetermined point in time, said point in time having been announced to said players, said inhibiting means being a part of said communicating means or said central storage means;

means at a central location for determining at least one winning lottery number, said determining taking place subsequent to said point in time;

wherein said communicating means provides for communicating a winning lottery number to said remote locations;

said system further comprises at remote locations means for receiving a winning lottery number, and means for recording said winning number on players'"'"' tickets; and

wherein each ticket bearing a selected number matching a winning number is deemed to be a winning ticket.

18. A system for playing a lottery game comprising a plurality of home subsystems at players'"'"' locations remote from a central location, a central data processing subsystem having a central data storage at said central location, and a central lottery subsystem, said central lottery subsystem comprising:

central facility including means for providing a program of presentation of lottery numbers, means for establishing response criteria for judging responses of the players, and means for introducing a mode of scoring of the responses of the players independently of the providing of the program;

each of said home subsystems comprising;

an electronics communications receiver;

a response unit operable by a player and having means for entering a selected lottery number and wager information;

wherein said response unit includes means for recording said selected number and wager information on a permanent record and for subsequently recording on said record a winning lottery number in accordance with instructional signals electronically transmitted from said central lottery facility to said receiver, said instructional signals carrying said response criteria and said scoring criteria;

said response unit includes means operable by a player for electronically communicating a player'"'"'s entered lottery number and wager information to said central data storage;

wherein said central data processing subsystem comprises

means for entering said individual players'"'"' selected lottery numbers and wager information into said central data storage, said entering of said central data storage providing for an entering into said storage of criteria, including said response criteria and said scoring criteria, governing acceptance of a player'"'"'s wager wherein said criteria are determined and communicated to said processing system by an operator of said lottery;

comparing means for accepting or rejecting a player'"'"'s wager in accordance with said criteria, said comparing means providing also for comparing a player'"'"'s accepted wager with a winning wager;

wherein said central lottery subsystem further comprises;

means for determining a winning number; and

means for electronically communicating a winning wager number to players'"'"' response units at remote locations, said electronic communicating means directing individual ones of said response units to record said winning number on said permanent record; and

wherein said system further comprises a facility for honoring a permanent record presented by a player, said record having a selected and a matching winning number recorded thereon.

19. A system for a game playable by a plurality of players at locations remote from a central location wherein, in said game, a record bearing indicia selected by a player matching indicia determined at said central location is deemed to be a winning record, the system comprising:

a central station including means for providing a program of presentation of said indicia to elicit responses by the players wherein an individual one of the players responds by selection of an indicia, means for establishing response criteria for judging selection of indicia by the players, and means for introducing a mode of scoring of the responses of the players independently of the providing of the program;

means for selecting a remote player'"'"'s individual indicium;

means at said players'"'"' locations for generating a permanent record indicating said individual indicium;

means for transmitting first electronic signals from players'"'"' locations conveying players'"'"' individual indicia to a central data storage facility;

means for storing said players'"'"' indicia at said data storage facility;

means at said central location for determining at least one winning indicium, said determining occurring subsequent to the transmitting of said first electronic signals;

means at said central location for transmitting second electronic signals conveying at least one winning indicium to players'"'"' locations;

means at players'"'"' locations for receiving second electronic signals; and

means at players'"'"' locations for indicating at least one winning indicium on said permanent record; and

wherein a record on which a player'"'"'s and a winning indicia having a determined relationship is deemed to be a winning record.

20. A system according to claim 19 further comprising a facility for honoring a winning record.

21. A system according to claim 20 further comprising

communication means for communicating between said facility for the honoring of a winning record and said data storage facility for authenticating a winning record.

22. A system according to claim 19 wherein said second electronic signals also convey information relative to a win in said game.

23. A method for conducting a contest, including games and wagers, playable by a plurality of players at locations remote from a central location, comprising steps of:

selecting lottery indicia from said indicia at a player'"'"'s remote location;

recording the selected lottery indicia on a recording medium at the player'"'"'s remote location, the recording medium having a player identification recorded upon the medium;

communicating the player'"'"'s selected lottery indicia and the identification to a central information storage facility;

receiving and storing the selected lottery indicia and the identification at the central information storage facility;

preventing a storing of further selected lottery indicia at the central storage facility subsequent to a predetermined point in time;

determining, in accordance with said presentation program, a winning lottery indicia at a central lottery location subsequent to the predetermined point in time;

communicating the determined winning lottery indicia from the central lottery location to the player'"'"'s remote location; and

recording the wining lottery indicia on the recording medium having the player'"'"'s identification;

wherein the player'"'"'s recording medium bears the selected lottery indicia and the matching determined winning lottery indicia with award based on said response criteria and said scoring criteria.

24. In a system for conduction of contests including games and lotteries, and playable by a plurality of players at locations remote from a central location in which a player holding a ticket bearing a number selected by the player matching a winning number is deemed to be a winning player, the system comprising

a central facility including means for providing a program of presentation of lottery numbers, means for establishing response criteria for judging responses of the players, and means for introducing a mode of scoring of the responses of the players independently of the providing of the program, said central facility further comprising a central data storage means, said scoring criteria serving as wager acceptance criteria determined by an operator or the lottery;

ticketing means at said remote locations operable by individual ones of said players for entering and recording on a ticket medium of wager information including a lottery number of said lottery numbers selected by one of said players;

wherein said ticketing means is operable remotely by instructional electronic signals, carrying said response criteria and said scoring criteria, and transmitted from said central facility for a subsequent recording on said ticket medium of at least one winning lottery number determined at a central location;

said system further comprises means at said remote locations connected to said ticketing means and operable by a player for electronically transmitting a player'"'"'s wager information including a selected lottery number to a central data storage means;

wherein said central data storage means serves for a storing of a player'"'"'s wager information including at least one selected lottery number;

said central facility includes means for storing said wager acceptance criteria;

said central facility further includes first comparison means for accepting or rejecting individual wagers in accordance with said response and said acceptance criteria;

said system further comprises central lottery means for determining at least one winning number;

second comparison means at a central facility for comparing a winning number with players'"'"' accepted wager numbers to determine a winning player;

central transmitting means for electronically transmitting a winning number to said players'"'"' remote locations; and

central transmitting means for electronically transmitting instructional signals to said ticketing means at said remote locations for recording a winning number on said ticket medium.

25. In a system for a lottery game playable by a plurality of players at locations remote from a central location, in which game a ticket bearing a number selected by one of said players and matching a number drawn at said central location is deemed to be a winning ticket, the system comprising

a central facility including means for providing a program of presentation of lottery numbers, means for establishing response criteria for judging responses of the players, and means for introducing a mode of scoring of the responses of the players independently of the providing of the program;

ticketing means at said remote locations and identified with and operable by individual ones of said players for selecting a lottery number from said lottery numbers, said ticketing means including means for recording a player'"'"'s selected number on a ticket;

central storage means for receiving and storing individually selected lottery numbers, each selected number being associated with an identified player;

means for communicating individual players'"'"' selected numbers to said storage means;

means for inhibiting a storing of further numbers following a predetermined point in time, said point in time having been announced to said players, said inhibiting means being a part of said communicating means or said central storage means;

means at a central location for determining at least one winning lottery number in accordance with said response criteria and said scoring criteria, said determining taking place subsequent to said point in time;

wherein said communicating means provides for communicating a winning lottery number to said remote locations;

said system further comprises at remote locations means for receiving a winning lottery number, and means for recording said winning number on players'"'"' tickets; and

wherein each ticket bearing a selected number matching a winning number is deemed to be a winning ticket.

26. A method for conducting a contest, including games and wagers, by a plurality of players at locations remote from a central location, comprising steps of:

providing a program of presentation of indicia to players of the contest;

establishing response criteria for judging responses of the players;

introducing a mode of scoring of the responses of the players independently of the program providing step;

making known a winning indicium of said indicia by a wager operator;

comparing the winning indicium with a selected indicium of a player'"'"'s wager entry in accordance with said response criteria and said scoring criteria, wherein, upon the occurrence of a determined correlation of the player'"'"'s wager entry indicium to the winning indicium, the player'"'"'s wager entry indicium is deemed to be a winning wager;

storing an identification of a player and the player'"'"'s wager entry indicium at a tamper-resisting storage facility; and

authenticating the indicium of the player'"'"'s wager entry indicium by reference to the player'"'"'s stored identification and the player'"'"'s stored wager entry indicium.