Pre-paid phone card system with promotional link
First Claim
1. A method for cooperatively promoting the sale of telephone usage services by a telephone service provider and the sale of lottery tickets associated with a lottery game by a lottery services provider comprising:
- communicating an identification code from the lottery service provider to the telephone service provider;
generating an indicia corresponding to the idetification code;
printing the pre-paid telephone card with an associated PIN number and the indicia correspondin to the identification code;
the telephone service provider verifying tihe validity of the PIN number associated with the pre-paid telephone card and providing telephone services in conjunction with the pre-paid telephone card only if the PIN number is valid; and
,the lottery service provider;
upon presentation of the pre-paid telephone card, verifing that the indicia associated with the pre-paid telephone card corresponds to the identification code and in that event providing a lottery ticket for the lottery game only if the indicia associated with the pre-paid telephone card corresponds to the identification code.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method for cooperatively promoting the sale of telephone usage services by a telephone service provider and the sale of goods and/or services such as lottery tickets associated with a lottery game by a lottery services provider. A phone card in accordance with the invention has a substrate such as paper, paperboard or plastic, a personal identification number (PIN) which can be covered by a removable opaque coating and machine readable indicia such as a bar code or magnetic strip used to link the phone card to a lottery game such as a state run Pick 4, Pick 6 or the like. Users purchase the pre-paid phone card for a fixed fee which entitles the user to a set amount of long distance phone service and a promotional lottery ticket. The lottery ticket is issued at a lottery agent terminal and the lottery number is selected via currently available methods such as user selection or a machine generated quick pick.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. A method for cooperatively promoting the sale of telephone usage services by a telephone service provider and the sale of lottery tickets associated with a lottery game by a lottery services provider comprising:
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communicating an identification code from the lottery service provider to the telephone service provider; generating an indicia corresponding to the idetification code; printing the pre-paid telephone card with an associated PIN number and the indicia correspondin to the identification code; the telephone service provider verifying tihe validity of the PIN number associated with the pre-paid telephone card and providing telephone services in conjunction with the pre-paid telephone card only if the PIN number is valid; and
,the lottery service provider;
upon presentation of the pre-paid telephone card, verifing that the indicia associated with the pre-paid telephone card corresponds to the identification code and in that event providing a lottery ticket for the lottery game only if the indicia associated with the pre-paid telephone card corresponds to the identification code. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A pre-paid telephone card system for use in conjunction with a separate lottery game system comprising:
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a pre-paid telephone card system having associated telephone hardware and a telephone card central computer operable to provide telephone service, track a usage value and to verify a PIN number, both associated with the pre-paid telephone card; a lottery game system having a lottery central computer and a plurality of associated agent terminals for generating and validating lottery tickets and for reading machine readable indicia representing an identification code associated with the pre-paid telephone card; a pre-paid telephone card having a pre-printed PIN number and machine readable indicia corresponding to the identification code; wherein the pre-paid telephone card system is operable to provide telephone service using the pre-paid telephone card system if the PIN number is valid, the pre-paid telephone card system being able to track usage of the pre-paid telephone card and to adjust the usage value associated with the pre-paid telephone card based on usage; and
,wherein the lottery game system is operable to generate a lottery ticket for the separate lottery game if the machine readable indicia matches the identification code. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for cooperatively providing the sale of telephone usage services by a telephone service provider and goods or services by a goods and services provider comprising:
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communicating an identification code from the goods and services provider to the telephone service provider; generating an indicia corresponding to the identification code; printing the pre-paid telephone card with an associated PIN number and the indicia corresponding to the identification code; the telephone service provider verifyig the validity of the PIN number associated with the pre-paid telephone card and providing telephone services in conjunction with the pre-paid telephone card only if the PIN number is valid; and
,the goods and services provider, upon presentation of the pre-paid telephone card, verifying that the indicia associated with the pre-paid telephone card corresponds to the identification code and in that event providing at least one of promotional goods and services provided the iudicia associated with the pre-paid telephone card corresponds to the identification code. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification