Random animated lottery system

• US 7,674,169 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2002
• Issued: 03/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scientific Games LLC (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Scientific Games International Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Libby, Budd O., Bower, Daniel W., Fisk, Michael G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau; Ronald
• Assistant Examiner(s): HARPER, TRAMAR YONG
• Application Number:
  US10/218,155
• Publication Number:
  US 20030027621A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,766 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/6, 463/40, 463/42, 463/43, 463/17, 463/22, 463/31, 463/35, 273/139, 273/269, 273/144.R, 273/144.A, 273/144.B, 379/93.13
• US Class Current: 463/17
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00082 Racing games racing games characterised by figures moved by action of the player A63F9/14
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/0605 Lottery games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3251 involving media of variable value, e.g. programmable cards, programmable tokens
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played

Abstract

A lottery system graphically portraying a lottery result in animation is provided. The lottery system includes a game generator which comprises a random number generator and an animation drawing subsystem. The random number generator randomly selects a lottery result at a predetermined time. The animation drawing subsystem selects one or more game events associated with the randomly selected lottery result, and compiles into an animated lottery game video one or more animation sequences corresponding to the selected game events.

Claims

1. A lottery system graphically portraying a lottery result in animation, comprising:

a plurality of lottery terminals configured to provide lottery game parameters to a plurality of players for selection; and

a game generator including a random number generator and an animation drawing subsystem, said animation drawing subsystem including a storage device,

said random number generator configured to generate a plurality of randomly selected numbers for a candidate game event;

said storage device comprising a plurality of different appropriate animation segments associated with each respective randomly selected number;

said animation subsystem configured to build a video sequence for each candidate game event by randomly selecting one of said animation segments from said plurality of possible appropriate segments associated with each randomly generated number, and compiling all of the randomly selected animation segments corresponding to the respective randomly selected numbers into the video sequence;

wherein the animated lottery game video is made available to the plurality of players.

2. The lottery system of claim 1, wherein the animation drawing subsystem retrieves selected graphical components from a library of animation elements, virtual images and/or recorded video images, and applies a compositing process to the selected graphical components to generate the animation segments corresponding to the plurality of randomly selected numbers.

3. The lottery system of claim 2, wherein each game event is associated with a plurality of combinations of the graphical components stored in the library of animation elements and virtual images, and the animation drawing subsystem selects for each selected game event one of the corresponding combinations.

4. The lottery system of claim 1, wherein the animated lottery game video includes overlay of one or more video segments with the animation segments.

5. The lottery system of claim 4, wherein the game generator further comprises a user interface.

6. The lottery system of claim 5, wherein the user interface provides means for managing and configuring a library of animation elements and virtual images.

7. The lottery system of claim 5, wherein to user interface provides means for customizing graphical components.

8. The lottery system of claim 5, wherein the user interface provides means for configuring and/or customizing a compositing process.

9. The lottery system of claim 5, wherein the user interface provides means for synchronizing voice overlays and/or audio tracks with animation sequences and/or video segments.

10. The lottery system of claim 5, wherein the game generator maintains an archive of lottery game results, and the user interface provides means for obtaining statistics and/or historical data from the archive.

11. The lottery system of claim 1, wherein the animated lottery game video includes one or more voice overlays and/or audio tracks.

12. The lottery system of claim 1, wherein the game generator maintains an archive of lottery game results and automatically stores the animated lottery game video in the archive.

13. The lottery system of claim 1, further comprising a lottery server, wherein the lottery server is coupled to the lottery terminals through one or more computer and/or telecommunicative networks.

14. The lottery system of claim 13, wherein the lottery server is coupled to the game generator to trigger to random selection of the lottery result by the random number generator.

15. The lottery system of claim 13, wherein the animated lottery game video is posted and available to the lottery terminals on demand through a computer or telecommunicative network.

16. The lottery system of claim 13, wherein the game generator further comprises a communication interface configured for communicating the animated lottery game video to the lottery terminal for display.

17. The lottery system of claim 1, wherein the animated lottery game is a virtual ball draw.

18. The lottery system of claim 1, wherein the animated lottery game video includes announcement of the lottery result by a real person in one or more recorded video segments.

19. The lottery system of claim 1, wherein the animated lottery game is an animated playing card game.

20. The lottery system of claim 1, wherein the animated lottery game is an animated lucky date game.

21. The lottery system of claim 1, wherein the animated lottery game is an animated race.

22. The lottery system of claim 1, wherein the animated lottery game is broadcasted.

23. The lottery system of claim 1, wherein a game controller concatenates the selected animation segments.

24. The lottery system of claim 23, wherein the concatenated animation segments are contiguous and seamless.

25. The lottery system of claim 1, wherein the animation segments include a plurality of graphic components, and a compositing process is repeatedly applied to the graphic components to produce the animation segments.

26. The lottery system of claim 1, wherein, at the predetermined time, the random number generator randomly selects the lottery result and then the animation drawing subsystem automatically compiles the animated lottery game video.