Lottery game card and method for conducting a lottery game

• US 6,676,126 B1
• Filed: 06/16/2000
• Issued: 01/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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: Jorasch, James A., Tedesco, Daniel E., Tulley, Stephen C., Walker, Jay S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pierce, William M.
• Application Number:
  US09/596,008
• Time in Patent Office: 1,306 Days
• Field of Search: 273/138, 273/283
• US Class Current: 273/139
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00097 Board games with labyrinths, path finding, line forming labyrinths in boxes with small balls A63F7/04; other labyrinth games A63F9/0078
• 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: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 283/903 Lottery ticket

Abstract

A lottery game card incorporates player direction in determining the outcome of the game and allows a player to reveal one or more elements on the card according to rules associated with the lottery game. According to one embodiment of the invention, all of the possible combinations of playable elements on the card may be known or knowable in advance to the player before the player begins to expose elements on the card and some or all of possible elements on the card that the player may expose may be known to the player before the player begins to expose elements on the card. The player'"'"'s progression through a card is not predetermined such that the player has significant ability or flexibility to control or direct the play of the lottery game embodied by the card and to influence or direct the outcome of the lottery game embodied by the card.

Claims

1. A method for producing a scratch-off lottery ticket, the method comprising:

causing a plurality of start symbols to be printed on a lottery ticket, the plurality of start symbols being printed along one side of a play area of the lottery ticket;

causing a plurality of finish symbols to be printed on the lottery ticket, the plurality of finish symbols being printed along another side of the play area;

causing a plurality of sets of play symbols to be printed within the play area, each set of play symbols forming a potentially continuous path between one start symbol and one finish symbol;

causing a plurality of links to be printed within the play area,

each link being printed between at least two symbols that form one of the potentially continuous paths, thus indicating the potentially continuous path;

causing at least one void symbol to be printed as part of at least one potentially continuous path formed by at least one of the sets of play symbols,

thereby causing the at least one potentially continuous path that includes the void symbol to be a non-continuous path and

thereby causing the other potentially continuous paths to be continuous paths;

causing each of the plurality of play symbols and the at least one void symbol to be covered with a latex covering; and

causing each of the links to remain uncovered, thereby rendering the at least one non-continuous path to be undifferentiable from the potentially continuous paths until the latex covering is removed from the play symbols forming a potentially continuous path.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the continuous paths is associated with a prize.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the continuous paths includes less than a predetermined number of play symbols.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of causing a plurality of finish symbols to be printed comprises:

causing a plurality of finish symbols to be printed along another edge of the play area of the lottery ticket, wherein the other edge is opposed to the edge along which the plurality of start symbols is printed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of causing a plurality of sets of play symbols to be printed comprises:

causing a plurality of sets of play symbols to be printed within the play area, each set of play symbols forming a potentially continuous path between one start symbol and one finish symbol,

wherein the play symbols comprise a first type of play symbol and a second type of play symbol, and

wherein at least one of the sets includes at least a predetermined number of the first type of play symbol.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing a plurality of bar codes to be printed within the play area, each bar code being printed in close proximity to one of the play symbols,

such that causing a play symbol to be covered with a latex covering comprises causing the bar code in close proximity to the play symbol to be covered with the latex covering.

7. A method for creating a scratch-off lottery ticket, the method comprising:

printing, on a scratch-off lottery ticket, a plurality of nodes in a pattern spanning a play area of the ticket;

printing a plurality of start elements on the ticket;

printing a plurality of finish elements on the ticket;

printing a plurality of links in the play area of the ticket, such that the plurality of nodes and the plurality of links together form a plurality of paths between the plurality of start elements and the plurality of finish elements;

printing at least one symbol within each node,

wherein at least one of the symbols is a symbol that indicates a discontinuity in at least one of the paths; and

covering each of the nodes with a scratch-off material, such that the plurality of links remain uncovered.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one of the paths between a start element and a finish element includes less than a predetermined number of nodes.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one of the paths does not include a symbol that indicates a discontinuity in the path.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

printing an indication of a first prize in association with a first finish element and printing an indication of a second prize in association with a second finish element.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first prize is of a different value than the second prize.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of covering comprises:

covering each of the nodes with a scratch-off material, such that

the plurality of links remain uncovered and

the indication of the first prize and the indication of the second prize remain uncovered.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of printing at least one symbol within each node comprises:

printing at least one bar code within each node.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of printing at least one symbol within each node further comprises:

printing at least one symbol in addition to the bar code within each node.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of printing at least one symbol within each node comprises:

printing at least one first type of symbol within a subset of the nodes and printing at least one of a second type of symbol within another subset of the nodes.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein at least one of the plurality of paths includes at least a predetermined number of the first type of symbol.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one of the plurality of paths does not include the symbol that indicates a discontinuity in the path.

18. A method for creating a scratch-off lottery ticket, the method comprising:

printing a pattern of nodes and links in a play area of a scratch-off lottery ticket,

wherein each link represents a potential connection between at least two nodes;

printing a plurality of start symbols, each start symbol being printed within a node along an edge of the play area;

printing a plurality of finish symbols, each finish symbol being printed within a node along another edge of the play area;

printing a plurality of play symbols, each play symbol being printed within a node that does not contain a start symbol and that does not contain a finish symbol,

wherein each play symbol indicates which link, if any, associated with the node within which the play symbol is printed is a valid connection between the node in which the play symbol is printed and at least one other node, and

wherein at least one set of play symbols indicates a continuous path of valid links between a start symbol and a finish symbol; and

covering each of the play symbols with a scratch-off covering, such that the links remain uncovered.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein a set of the at least one set of play symbols that indicates a continuous path of valid links between a start symbol and a finish symbol comprises a set of less than a predetermined number of play symbols.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

printing a bar code in association with a play symbol.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of printing a bar code comprises:

printing a bar code within a node that contains a play symbol.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein at least one of the play symbols comprises a bar code.

23. A scratch-off lottery ticket, comprising:

a plurality of nodes printed in a pattern on a play area of the ticket;

a plurality of links printed between the nodes,

wherein each link connects a node to at least one other node, and wherein each of the plurality of links is not covered by a scratch-off covering material;

a plurality of start symbols printed thereon, wherein each start symbol is printed within a node along an edge of the play area;

a plurality of finish symbols printed thereon, wherein each finish symbol is printed within a node along another edge of the play area; and

a plurality of play symbols printed therein, wherein each play symbol is printed within a node that does not contain a start symbol and that does not contain a finish symbol,

wherein each play symbol is covered with a scratch-off covering, and

wherein each play symbol indicates which link, if any, connecting the node within which the play symbol is located to another node is a valid link such that contributes to the formation of a path between a start symbol and a finish symbol.

24. The scratch-off lottery ticket of claim 23, wherein a bar code is printed within each node that contains a play symbol.

25. The scratch-off lottery ticket of claim 23, wherein at least one subset of play symbols together indicate a consecutive subset of valid links that form a continuous path between one start symbol and one finish symbol.

26. The scratch-off lottery ticket of claim 25, wherein the continuous path includes less than a predetermined number of play symbols.