System and method for wireless lottery

• US 7,811,172 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2005
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Original Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Inventors: Asher, Joseph M., Bahrampour, Robert F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hotaling, II; John M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): D'AGOSTINO, PAUL ANTHONY
• Application Number:
  US11/256,568
• Publication Number:
  US 20070093296A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,817 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3218 wherein at least part of the system is portable
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards

Abstract

A lottery system is provided. Lottery tickets may be purchased using a communication device, such as a mobile device. Sales commissions, or other credit, for the purchased tickets may be determined for one or more retailers based at least partially on the location of the communication device, for example, when the purchase is made.

Claims

1. A method for determining credit for a sale made at a time using an electronic communication device, the method comprising:

determining, by at least one processor, a location of the electronic communication device at the time of the sale;

determining by the at least one processor, for each of a plurality of retailers, a distance between (a) the location of the electronic communication device at the time of the sale and (b) a location of the respective retailer; and

determining, by the at least one processor, the credit based at least partially on the determined distance between the location of the electronic communication device at the time of the sale and the location of each respective retailer, wherein the step of determining the credit comprises;

determining, based on the determined distance between (a) the location of the electronic communication device at the time of the sale and (b) the location of each respective retailer, one or more of the plurality of retailers that are within a predetermined range of the location of the electronic communication device at the time of the sale, and

providing the credit to the one or more retailers,

wherein the credit is divided equally among the one or more retailers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the credit is provided to a predetermined retailer regardless of a distance between the predetermined retailer and the location of the electronic communication device at the time of the sale.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving purchase information from the electronic communication device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the purchase is only allowed if the electronic communication device is within a predetermined zone.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the purchase is only allowed if the location of the electronic communication device is within a certain predetermined distance from a predetermined second location.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the credit comprises defining at least one zone and determining at least one retailer within the zone, and wherein the location is within the zone.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a message to the user of the electronic communication device.

23. The method of claim 3, wherein the purchase information comprises a code.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of determining the credit is performed based at least partially on the code.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the code is associated with an entity and at least a portion of the credit is provided to the entity.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the code is associated with an entity and at least a portion of the credit is provided to the entity.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the entity is an advertiser.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the entity is a media provider.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the code is provided on media distributed by the media provider.

30. The method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined second location corresponds to the location of an advertisement.

31. The method of claim 7 wherein the message is a promotion.

32. The method of claim 7, wherein the message is a confirmation of the purchase.

44. The method of claim 26, wherein the entity is an advertiser.

45. The method of claim 26, wherein the entity is a media provider.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the code is provided on media distributed by the media provider.

8. A method for determining credit for a sale made at a time using an electronic communication device, the method comprising:

determining, by at least one processor, a location of the electronic communication device at the time of the sale;

determining by the at least one processor, for each of a plurality of retailers, a distance between (a) the location of the electronic communication device at the time of the sale and (b) a location of the respective retailer; and

determining, by the at least one processor, the credit based at least partially on the determined distance between the location of the electronic communication device at the time of the sale and the location of each respective retailer, wherein the step of determining the credit comprises;

determining, based on the determined distance between (a) the location of the electronic communication device at the time of the sale and (b) the location of each respective retailer, one or more of the plurality of retailers that are within a predetermined range of the location of the electronic communication device at the time of the sale, and

providing the credit to the one or more retailers,

wherein the credit is divided among the one or more retailers according to predetermined percentages based on the determined distance between (a) the location of the electronic communication device at the time of the sale and (b) the location of each of the one or more retailers.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein at least a portion of the credit is provided to a predetermined retailer regardless of a distance between the predetermined retailer and the location of the electronic communication device at the time of the sale.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving purchase information from the electronic communication device.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the purchase is only allowed if the electronic communication device is within a predetermined zone.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the purchase is only allowed if the location of the electronic communication device is within a certain predetermined distance from a predetermined second location.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of determining the credit comprises defining at least one zone and determining at least one retailer within the zone, and wherein the location is within the zone.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising sending a message to the user of the electronic communication device.

39. The method of claim 12, wherein the predetermined second location corresponds to the location of an advertisement.

40. The method of claim 14, wherein the message is a promotion.

41. The method of claim 14, wherein the message is a confirmation of the purchase.

15. A method for determining credit for a sale made at a time using an electronic communication device, the method comprising:

determining, by at least one processor, a location of the electronic communication device at the time of the sale;

determining by the at least one processor, for each of a plurality of retailers, a distance between (a) the location of the electronic communication device at the time of the sale and (b) a location of the respective retailer; and

determining, by the at least one processor, the credit based at least partially on the determined distance between the location of the electronic communication device at the time of the sale and the location of each respective retailer, wherein the step of determining the credit comprises;

determining, based on the determined distance between (a) the location of the electronic communication device at the time of the sale and (b) the location of each respective retailer, one or more of the plurality of retailers that are within a predetermined range of the location of the electronic communication device at the time of the sale, and

providing the credit to the one or more retailers,

wherein the credit is prorated among the one or more retailers based on the determined distance between (a) the location of the electronic communication device at the time of the sale and (b) the location of each of the one or more retailers.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the prorating is based on the relative distance from each of the one or more retailers to the location of the electronic communication device at the time of the sale.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein at least a portion of the credit is provided to a predetermined retailer regardless of a distance between the predetermined retailer and the location of the electronic communication device at the time of the sale.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving purchase information from the electronic communication device.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the purchase is only allowed if the electronic communication device is within a predetermined zone.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the purchase is only allowed if the location of the electronic communication device is within a certain predetermined distance from a predetermined second location.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of determining the credit comprises defining at least one zone and determining at least one retailer within the zone, and wherein the location is within the zone.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising sending a message to the user of the electronic communication device.

33. The method of claim 20, wherein the purchase information comprises a code.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the step of determining the credit is performed based at least partially on the code.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the code is associated with an entity and at least a portion of the credit is provided to the entity.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the entity is an advertiser.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein the entity is a media provider.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein the code is provided on media distributed by the media provider.

42. The method of claim 18, wherein the purchase information comprises a code.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the step of determining the credit is performed based at least partially on the code.

47. The method of claim 20, wherein the predetermined second location corresponds to the location of an advertisement.

48. The method of claim 22, wherein the message is a promotion.

49. The method of claim 22, wherein the message is a confirmation of the purchase.