Method and system for automated collect and win sweepstakes for ATM transactions

• US 6,454,647 B1
• Filed: 06/22/1999
• Issued: 09/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Fleetboston Financial Corporation (Bank of America Corp.)
• Inventors: Woodbury, Jr., Robert D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROCKETTI, JULIE K
• Application Number:
  US09/338,950
• Time in Patent Office: 1,190 Days
• Field of Search: 273/138.A, 273/148.B, 463/1, 463/16-19, 700/91, 700/92
• US Class Current: 463/16
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements

Abstract

A method and system for a promotional game for automated transactions in which customer receipts of certain types of transactions are imprinted with a game piece. The game piece is a portion of a game winning sequence or an instant winning sequence. The game pieces are collected to win a prize.

Claims

1. A method of playing a promotional game for inducing a customer to use one or more particular services of a financial institution comprising the steps of:

determining game winning sequence indicia;

storing said game winning sequence indicia on a storage medium;

determining whether a customer transaction qualifies as a transaction type of the one or more particular services of the financial institution for the promotional game;

determining indicia to be accessed from said stored game winning sequence indicia upon determining a qualified customer transaction exists to form accessed indicia, said accessed indicia is a portion of said game winning sequence;

printing said accessed indicia on a customer receipt; and

collecting a plurality of said customer receipts to match said game winning sequence indicia wherein the step of storing said game winning sequence indicia comprises the steps of;

determining a plurality of game pieces, each said game piece representing an image of a portion of said game winning sequence indicia;

determining a ratio of said plurality of game pieces; and

storing said game pieces in said determined ratio.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

determining promotional indicia to be accessed upon determining said customer transaction does not qualify as said transaction type of the one or more particular services of the institution for the promotional game; and

printing said promotional indicia on a customer receipt.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said promotional indicia describes said one or more particular service of the financial institution for the promotional game.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said game winning sequence indicia is stored as a plurality of images.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said accessed indicia comprises one of said plurality of images.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

collecting a plurality of customers receipts having accessed indicia, and matching said accessed indicia to said game winning sequence indicia from said customer receipts to win a prize.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of said plurality of game pieces has a smaller ratio than the other ones of said plurality of game pieces.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

printing said game winning sequence indicia on said customer receipt.

9. A plurality of remote interface devices, each remote interface device being in electronic communication with a financial institution data processor and each remote interface device having a storage medium and a receipt printer;

means for storing game winning sequence indicia on said storage medium;

a sweepstakes processor having means for determining whether a customer transaction qualifies as a transaction type of the one or more particular services of the financial institution for the promotional game;

means for determining indicia to be accessed from said stored game winning sequence indicia upon determining a qualified customer transaction exists to form accessed indicia; and

means for notifying a customer at one of said remote interface devices of said accessed indicia by providing instructions for printing said accessed indicia on a customer receipt at said receipt printer;

means for determining instant winning sequence indicia;

means for storing said instant winning sequence indicia on a storage medium;

means for determining whether said customer transaction qualifies as an instant winner;

means for accessing said stored instant winning sequence indicia upon determining said instant winner exists; and

means for printing said accessed winning sequence indicia on a customer receipt.

10. A method of playing a promotional game for inducing a customer to use one or more particular services of a financial institution comprising the steps of:

determining game winning sequence indicia;

storing said game winning sequence indicia on a storage medium;

determining whether a customer transaction qualifies as a transaction type of the one or more particular services of the financial institution for the promotional game;

determining indicia to be accessed from said stored game winning sequence indicia upon determining a qualified customer transaction exists to form accessed indicia;

determining instant winning sequence indicia before said step of determining a game winning sequence;

storing said instant winning sequence indicia on a storage medium;

determining whether said customer transaction qualifies as an instant winner;

accessing said stored instant winning sequence indicia upon determining said instant winner exists; and

printing said accessed instant winning sequence indicia on a customer receipt.

11. A method of playing a promotional game for inducing a customer to use one or more particular services of a financial institution comprising the steps of:

determining game winning sequence indicia;

determining a plurality of game pieces, each said game piece representing an image of a portion of said game winning sequence indicia;

determining a ratio of said plurality of game pieces;

storing said game pieces in said determined ratio;

determining whether a customer transaction qualifies as a transaction type of the one or more particular services of the financial institution for the promotional game;

determining indicia to be accessed from said stored game winning sequence indicia upon determining a qualified customer transaction exists to form accessed indicia, wherein the step of determining indicia to be accessed from said stored game winning sequence indicia comprises the steps of;

assigning a number to each of said plurality of game pieces;

determining a game piece counter for counting between a counter lower bound and a counter upper bound, said counter upper bound being the total number of said plurality of game pieces; and

accessing a game piece having said assigned number matching said game piece counter; and

printing said accessed indicia on a customer receipt.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of:

updating said game piece counter to a next value between said counter lower bound to said counter upper bound after said step of accessing a game piece having said assigned number matching said game piece counter.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of:

resetting said game piece counter to said counter lower bound after said game piece counter is updated to said game piece counter upper bound.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein before the step of determining whether a customer transaction qualifies as a transaction type of the one or more particular services of the financial institution further comprising the steps of:

determining a single game piece representing an image of a portion of said game winning sequence indicia that is different than said portion of said game winning indicia determined for said game piece; and

storing said single game piece.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of:

setting said game piece counter to a value less than said counter lower bound;

accessing said stored single game piece; and

updating said game piece counter to said game piece counter lower bound.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of:

overwriting said stored single game piece with one of said game pieces.

17. A system of playing a promotional game for inducing a customer to use one or more- particular services of a financial institution comprising:

means for storing said game winning sequence indicia on a storage medium;

means for determining a plurality of game pieces, each said game piece representing an image of a portion of said game winning sequence indicia;

means for determining a ratio of said plurality of game pieces;

means for storing said game pieces in said determined ratio on said storage medium;

means for determining whether a customer transaction qualifies as a transaction type of the one or more particular services of the financial institution for the promotional game;

means for determining indicia to be accessed from said stored game winning sequence indicia upon determining a qualified customer transaction exists to form accessed indicia, said accessed indicia is a portion of said game winning sequence;

means for collecting a plurality of said customer receipts to match said game winning sequence indicia; and

means for printing said accessed indicia on a customer receipt.

21. The system of claim 17 wherein said means for storing said game winning sequence indicia comprises:

means for determining a plurality of game pieces, each said game piece representing an image of a portion of said game winning sequence indicia;

means for determining a ratio of said plurality of game pieces; and

means for storing said game pieces in said determined ratio.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein at least one of said plurality of game pieces has a smaller ratio than the other ones of said plurality of game pieces.

23. The system of claim 17 further comprising:

means for determining a single game piece representing an image of a portion of said game winning sequence indicia that is different than said portion of said game winning indicia determined for said game piece; and

means for storing said single game piece.

18. The system of claim 18 further comprising:

means for determining promotional indicia to be accessed upon determining said customer transaction does not qualify as said transaction type of the one or more particular services of the institution for the promotional game; and

means for printing said promotional indicia on a customer receipt.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein said game winning sequence indicia is stored as a plurality of images.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein said accessed indicia comprises one of said plurality of images.

24. A system of playing a promotional game for inducing a customer to use one or more particular services of a financial institution comprising:

means for determining whether a customer transaction qualifies as a transaction type of the one or more particular services of the financial institution for the promotional game;

means for determining indicia to be accessed from said stored game winning sequence indicia upon determining a qualified customer transaction exists to form accessed indicia;

means for determining a plurality of game pieces, each said game piece representing an image of a portion of said game winning sequence indicia;

means for determining a ratio of said plurality of game pieces;

means for storing said games pieces in said determined ratio;

said means for determining indicia to be accessed from said stored game winning sequence indicia comprises;

means for assigning a number to each of said plurality of game pieces;

means for determining a game piece counter for counting between a counter lower bound and a counter upper bound, said counter upper bound being the total number of said plurality of games pieces; and

means for accessing a game piece having said assigned number matching said game piece counter; and

means for printing said accessed indicia on a customer receipt.

25. A system of playing a promotional game for inducing a customer to use one or more particular services of a financial institution comprising:

means for storing said game winning sequence indicia on a storage medium;

means for determining whether a customer transaction qualifies as a transaction type of the one or more particular services of the financial institution for the promotional game;

means for determining a single game piece representing an image of a portion of said game winning sequence indicia that is different than said portion of said game winning indicia determined for said game piece;

means for setting said game piece counter to a value less than said counter lower bound;

means for accessing said stored single game piece; and

means for updating said game piece counter to said game piece counter lower bound.

26. A system of playing a promotional game for inducing a customer to use one or more particular services of a financial institution comprising:

means for storing said game winning sequence indicia on a storage medium;

means for determining whether a customer transaction qualifies as a transaction type of the one or more particular services of the financial institution for the promotional game;

means for determining indicia to be accessed from said stored game winning sequence indicia upon determining a qualified customer transaction exists to form accessed indicia;

means for determining instant winning sequence indicia;

means for storing said instant winning sequence indicia on a storage medium;

means for determining whether said customer transaction qualifies as an instant winner;

means for accessing said stored instant winning sequence indicia upon determining said instant winner exists; and

means for printing said accessed instant winning sequence indicia on a customer receipt.

27. A system for playing a sweepstakes like game comprising:

a plurality of remote interface devices, each remote interface device being in electronic communication with a financial institution data processor and each remote interface device having a storage medium and a receipt printer;

means for storing game winning sequence indicia on said storage medium, said means for storing said game winning sequence indicia comprises;

means for determining a plurality of game pieces, each said game piece representing an image of a portion of said game winning sequence indicia;

means for determining a ratio of said plurality of game pieces;

means for storing said game pieces in said determined ratio; and

a sweepstakes processor having means for determining whether a customer transaction qualifies as a transaction type of the one or more particular services of the financial institution for the promotional game;

means for determining indicia to be accessed from said stored game winning sequence indicia upon determining a qualified customer transaction exists to form accessed indicia; and

means for notifying a customer at one of said remote interface devices of said accessed indicia by providing instructions for printing said accessed indicia on a customer receipt at said receipt printer.

28. The system of claim 27 further comprising:

means for determining a single game piece representing an image of a portion of said game winning sequence indicia that is different than said portion of said game winning indicia determined for said game piece; and

means for storing said single game piece.