System and method for playing a lottery-type game

• US 7,155,014 B1
• Filed: 07/26/2001
• Issued: 12/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SCA Promotions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: SCA Promotions, Inc.
• Inventors: Westerlage, Kenneth R, Hamman, Robert D, Kennedy, William C
• Primary Examiner(s): Moise, Emmanuel L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): POPHAM, JEFFREY D
• Application Number:
  US09/917,379
• Time in Patent Office: 1,979 Days
• Field of Search: 308/251, 463 16- 18, 463/42, 463 28- 29, 380/251, 713/193
• US Class Current: 380/251
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards

Abstract

A system for playing a lottery-type game includes a play generator, a win generator, and an evaluator. The evaluator receives the playfile from the play generator and a winning a number from the win generator and, in response to player input, determines a win/loss result. The evaluator may perform a record-by-record decryption of the playfile for each game play.

Claims

1. A system for playing a lottery-type game, comprising:

a play generator operable to generate a playfile without input from any player of the game, the playfile having a plurality of records, each record comprising a numeric value;

a win generator operable to generate a winning number based on;

a plurality of seeds from public, verifiable random sources; and

a winning number algorithm received in the playfile from the play generator, the winning number algorithm specifying a numeric calculation using the seeds to generate the winning number; and

an evaluator operable to receive the playfile and the winning number, the evaluator operable to retrieve a record from the playfile in response to input from a player, to compare a numeric value in the retrieved record to the winning number, and to communicate a win/loss result to the player; and

wherein the play generator further comprises a verify module operable to receive the seeds and execute the winning number algorithm to verify the win/loss result.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the evaluator receives the playfile in an electronic format at an interface coupled to a network that provides an electronic communication path between the evaluator and the play generator.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the evaluator receives the playfile prior to the win generator generating the winning number.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the evaluator is further operable to:

store the playfile prior to playing the lottery-type game, the playfile representing a number of plays at a win probability; and

communicate a win/loss result to the player in a sufficiently small amount of time to convey a real-time play experience to a user of the player.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the play generator generates a plurality of numeric values for the playfile based on a number of plays and a win probability.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the random sources comprise a lottery result, weather data, or environmental noise.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the playfile comprises an encrypted playfile and an extractor, the evaluator operable to decrypt, in response to input from the player, only a next record in the encrypted playfile using the extractor.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the playfile comprises an encrypted playfile and an extractor, wherein the evaluator is further operable to:

decrypt a previous record in the playfile, the decrypted previous record comprising a key; and

decrypt, in response to input from the player, only a next record in the encrypted playfile using the extractor and the key.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the playfile comprises an encrypted playfile and an extractor, each record of the playfile comprises a verification string, a numeric value, and a key, the evaluator is further operable to:

decrypt a previous record in the playfile, the decrypted previous record comprising a key;

decrypt, in response to input from the player, only a current record in the encrypted playfile using the extractor and the key;

retrieve a verification string from the decrypted current record;

compare the verification string to an authorized string;

retrieve a numeric value from the decrypted current record if the verification string matches the authorized string; and

retrieve a next key from the decrypted current record for use in decrypting a next record.

10. A method for playing a lottery-type game, comprising:

storing a playfile received from a remote location, the playfile having a plurality of records, each record comprising a numeric value;

receiving a plurality of seeds from public, verifiable random sources;

receiving a winning number algorithm that specifies a numeric calculation using the seeds to generate a winning number;

generating the winning number using the seeds and the winning number algorithm;

receiving input from a player;

retrieving a record from the playfile in response to the input;

comparing a numeric value in the retrieved record to the winning number to determine a win/loss result;

at the remote location, executing the winning number algorithm using the seeds to verify the win/loss result; and

communicating the win/loss result to the player.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the playfile is stored prior to determining a winning number.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the playfile is stored prior to playing the lottery-type game, the playfile representing a number of plays at a win probability; and

the step of communicating a win/loss result to the player is performed in a sufficiently small amount of time to convey a real-time play experience to a user of the player.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the steps of retrieving, comparing, and communicating are performed locally at a single evaluator site without external communication.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein receiving a playfile comprises receiving a playfile in an electronic format from a remote location.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the playfile comprises an encrypted playfile and an extractor, the retrieving step further comprising decrypting, in response to the input, only a next record in the encrypted playfile using the extractor.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the playfile comprises an encrypted playfile and an extractor, the retrieving step further comprising:

receiving a key; and

decrypting, in response to the input, only a next record in the encrypted playfile using the extractor and the key.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

normalizing a numeric value in the decrypted record to adjust locally the win probability.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein receiving a key comprises decrypting a previous record in the playfile, the decrypted previous record comprising a key.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein receiving a key comprises receiving the key from a remote location.

20. The method of claim 10, wherein the playfile comprises an encrypted playfile and an extractor, each record of the playfile comprises a verification string, a numeric value, and a key, the retrieving step further comprises:

decrypting a previous record in the playfile, the decrypted previous record comprising a key;

decrypting, in response to the input, only a current record in the encrypted playfile using the extractor and the key;

retrieving a verification string from the decrypted current record;

comparing the verification string to an authorized string;

retrieving a numeric value from the decrypted current record if the verification string matches the authorized string; and

retrieving a next key from the decrypted current record for use in decrypting a next record.

21. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of storing the playfile occurs before the step of determining the winning number.

22. A method for playing a lottery-type game, comprising:

storing a playfile received in an electronic format from a remote location, the playfile representing a number of plays and a win probability and including an encrypted playfile having a plurality of records and an extractor, each record of the playfile comprising a verification string, a numeric value, and a key;

after storing the playfile, receiving a winning number computed using a plurality of published, independent lottery results;

receiving a key;

decrypting, in response to input from a player, only a current record in the encrypted playfile using the extractor and the key;

retrieving a verification string from the decrypted current record;

comparing the verification string to an authorized string;

retrieving a numeric value from the decrypted current record if the verification string matches the authorized string;

normalizing a numeric value in the decrypted record to adjust locally the win probability;

comparing the numeric value to the winning number;

communicating a win/loss result to the player; and

retrieving a next key from the decrypted current record for use in decrypting a next record.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein receiving a key comprises decrypting a previous record in the playfile, the decrypted previous record comprising a key.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein receiving a key comprises receiving a key communicated from a remote location.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of communicating a win/loss result to the player is performed in a sufficiently small amount of time to convey a real-time play experience to a user of the player.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the steps of retrieving a numeric value, comparing, and communicating are performed locally at a single evaluator site without external communication.

27. An apparatus for playing a lottery-type game, comprising:

a memory operable to store a playfile received from a remote location, the playfile having a plurality of records, each record comprising a numeric value, the memory further operable to store a winning number;

wherein the playfile comprises an encrypted playfile and an extractor, the processor further operable to;

receive a key;

decrypt, in response to the input, only a next record in the encrypted playfile using the extractor and the key; and

normalize a numeric value in the decrypted record to adjust locally the win probability;

an interface operable to receive input from a player; and

a processor operable to retrieve a record from the playfile in response to the input, to compare a numeric value in the retrieved record to the winning number, and to communicate a win/loss result to the player.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the memory stores the playfile prior to storing the winning number.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the playfile comprises an encrypted playfile and an extractor, the processor further operable to decrypt, in response to the input, only a next record in the encrypted playfile using the extractor.

30. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the playfile comprises an encrypted playfile and an extractor, each record of the playfile comprises a verification string, a numeric value, and a key, wherein the processor is further operable to:

decrypt a previous record in the playfile, the decrypted previous record comprising a key;

decrypt, in response to the input, only a current record in the encrypted playfile using the extractor and the key;

retrieve a verification string from the decrypted current record;

compare the verification string to an authorized string;

retrieve a numeric value from the decrypted current record if the verification string matches the authorized string; and

retrieve a next key from the decrypted current record for use in decrypting a next record.

31. Logic encoded in a computer-readable medium for playing a lottery-type game, the logic operable, when executed by a computer, to perform the following steps:

storing a playfile received from a remote location, the playfile having a plurality of records, each record comprising a numeric value;

determining a winning number based on;

a plurality of seeds from public, verifiable random sources; and

a winning number algorithm received in the playfile from the play generator, the winning number algorithm specifying a numeric calculation using the seeds to generate the winning number;

receiving input from a player;

retrieving a record from the playfile in response to the input;

comparing a numeric value in the retrieved record to the winning number to determine a win/loss result;

at the remote location, executing the winning number algorithm using the seeds to verify the win/loss result; and

communicating a the win/loss result to the player.

32. The logic of claim 31, wherein:

the playfile is stored prior to playing the lottery-type game, the playfile representing a number of plays at a win probability; and

the step of communicating a win/loss result to the player is performed in a sufficiently small amount of time to convey a real-time play experience to a user of the player.

33. The logic of claim 31, wherein the playfile comprises an encrypted playfile and an extractor, the retrieving step further comprising decrypting, in response to the input, only a next record in the encrypted playfile using the extractor.

34. The logic of claim 31, wherein the playfile comprises an encrypted playfile and an extractor, the retrieving step further comprising:

receiving a key;

decrypting, in response to the input, only a next record in the encrypted playfile using the extractor and the key; and

normalizing a numeric value in the decrypted record to adjust locally the win probability.

35. The logic of claim 31, wherein the playfile comprises an encrypted playfile and an extractor, each record of the playfile comprises a verification string, a numeric value, and a key, the retrieving step further comprises:

decrypting a previous record in the playfile, the decrypted previous record comprising a key;

decrypting, in response to the input, only a current record in the encrypted playfile using the extractor and the key;

retrieving a verification string from the decrypted current record;

comparing the verification string to an authorized string;

retrieving a numeric value from the decrypted current record if the verification string matches the authorized string; and

retrieving a next key from the decrypted current record for use in decrypting a next record.