Ticket for instant lottery game and method of playing same

• US 6,224,055 B1
• Filed: 11/05/1999
• Issued: 05/01/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Inventor Holdings LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Walker Digital LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Tulley, Stephen C., Jorasch, James A., Walker, Jay S.
• Primary Examiner(s): LAYNO, BENJAMIN
• Application Number:
  US09/434,270
• Time in Patent Office: 543 Days
• Field of Search: 273/139, 273/138.1, 273/269, 283/901, 283/903
• US Class Current: 273/139
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2001/005 Poker
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2001/008 adapted for being playable on a screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/0655 Printing of tickets, e.g. lottery tickets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/0665 having a message becoming legible after rubbing-off a coating or removing an adhesive layer for educational purposes G09B
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 283/901 Concealed data
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 283/903 Lottery ticket

Abstract

A ticket for an instant lottery game and method for playing the same is disclosed. As described in one aspect of the disclosure, a ticket for an instant lottery game simulates computerized video poker. The ticket comprises an initial hand of cards imprinted on the ticket, wherein the initial hand is normally hidden under a corresponding alterable area so that when the alterable area corresponding to the initial hand is altered, the initial hand is revealed. The ticket also includes a plurality of strategies for the game each imprinted on the ticket, wherein each strategy is related to the initial hand, wherein the strategies are those that are most likely to result in a player achieving a favorable outcome for the game, and wherein each strategy is normally hidden under a corresponding alterable area so that when an alterable area corresponding to one of the plurality of strategies is altered, the strategy corresponding thereto is revealed. The ticket also includes a plurality of final hands for the game imprinted on the ticket, wherein each of the plurality of final hands is associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of strategies, and wherein each of the plurality of final hands is normally hidden under a corresponding alterable area. In this way, when a strategy is selected by a player and the alterable area corresponding thereto is altered, the final hand for the game is revealed.

Claims

1. A method for playing an instant lottery game using a ticket, comprising the steps of:

determining an initial configuration for the game from the ticket wherein said initial configuration comprises a plurality of indicia;

selecting a game strategy from a plurality of game strategies on the ticket, wherein each of the game strategies has instructions specifying which indicia to discard, thereby drawing new indicia to replace the discarded indicia, and each game strategy is based on the initial configuration, and wherein only a selected number of game strategies and not all possible game strategies are on the ticket, wherein the selected game strategies are those that are most likely to result in a player achieving a favorable outcome for the game; and

from a plurality of alterable areas on the ticket each associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of game strategies and each corresponding to one of a plurality of outcomes for the game, altering the alterable area corresponding to the selected game strategy to reveal the corresponding outcome for the game.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the game comprises a computerized video poker simulation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the initial configuration comprises a plurality of cards.

4. The ticket of claim 3, wherein the strategies are those with the highest expected values.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of altering the alterable area comprises the step removing a scratch-off material.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of game strategies is normally hidden under a corresponding alterable area, and wherein the step of selecting a game strategy comprises the step of altering at least one of the alterable areas to reveal the corresponding game strategy.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the initial configuration is normally hidden under a corresponding alterable area, and wherein the step of determining the initial configuration comprises the step of altering the alterable area corresponding to the initial configuration to reveal the initial configuration.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of game strategies is normally hidden under a corresponding alterable area, and wherein the step of selecting a game strategy comprises the step of altering at least one of the alterable areas to reveal the corresponding strategy.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of determining a payout for the game based on the revealed outcome for the game.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the ticket further comprises a plurality of payouts for the game, wherein each of the plurality of payouts is associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of outcomes, and wherein the method further comprises the step of altering the alterable area corresponding to the outcome for the game to reveal the payout for the game corresponding thereto.

11. A method for playing an instant lottery game using a ticket, wherein the game has game indicia associated therewith, and wherein the method comprises the steps of:

determining an initial configuration for the game from the ticket, wherein the initial configuration represents a subset of the game indicia;

selecting a game strategy from a plurality of game strategies on the ticket, wherein each of the game strategies has instructions specifying which indicia to discard, thereby drawing new indicia to replace the discarded indicia, and each game strategy is based on the initial configuration, and wherein only a selected number of game strategies and not all possible game strategies are on the ticket, wherein the selected game strategies are those that are most likely to result in a player achieving a favorable outcome for the game; and

from a plurality of outcome areas each associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of strategies and each comprising a plurality of indicia representing the complement of the subset with respect to the game indicia and normally hidden under a corresponding alterable area, altering a portion of the alterable area corresponding to the selected game strategy to reveal certain of the indicia so that an outcome for the game can be determined.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the game comprises a computerized video poker simulation.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the initial configuration comprises a plurality of cards.

14. The ticket of claim 11, wherein the strategies are those with the highest expected values.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of altering the alterable area corresponding to the selected game strategy comprises the step removing a scratch-off material.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the initial configuration is normally hidden under a corresponding alterable area, and wherein the step of determining the initial configuration comprises the step of altering the alterable area corresponding to the initial configuration to reveal the initial configuration.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein each of the plurality of game strategies is normally hidden under a corresponding alterable area, and wherein the step of selecting a game strategy comprises the step of altering at least one of the alterable areas to reveal the corresponding game strategy.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of game strategies is normally hidden under a corresponding alterable area, and wherein the step of selecting a game strategy comprises the step of altering at least one of the alterable areas to reveal the corresponding strategy.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of determining a payout for the game based on the outcome for the game.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the ticket comprises a payout table indicative of payouts for the game, and wherein the step of determining the payout comprises the step of comparing the outcome for the game to the payout table.

21. A method for playing an instant lottery game using a ticket, wherein the game has game indicia associated therewith, and wherein the method comprises the steps of:

determining an initial configuration for the game, wherein the initial configuration comprises a plurality of initial indicia representing a subset of the game indicia; and

selecting a strategy included on the ticket to indicate discarding of at least one of the initial indicia;

altering a portion of an alterable covering surface normally hiding final indicia representing the complement of the subset with respect to the game indicia to reveal a predetermined number of the final indicia so that an outcome for the game can be determined.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the game comprises a computerized video poker simulation.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the game indicia comprise a deck of playing cards.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the initial indicia comprise a first plurality of cards selected from the deck.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the final indicia comprise a second plurality of cards from the deck with the exception of the first plurality of cards.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the initial indicia are normally hidden under an alterable area, and wherein the step of determining the initial configuration comprises the step of altering the alterable area corresponding to the initial indicia to reveal the initial indicia.

27. The method of claim 21, further comprising the step of determining the outcome for the game based on the initial indicia and the revealed final indicia.

28. The method of claim 21, further comprising a payout table for determining a payout for the outcome of the game.

29. The method of claim 21, wherein the ticket comprises an electrical circuit associated with the final indicia, further comprising the step of determining the outcome for the game comprises the step of causing a machine to read the electrical circuit to determine a payout for the game.