Method and apparatus for conducting a game of chance using pull-tab tickets

• US 8,047,907 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2005
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Scientific Games Corporation
• Original Assignee: Scientific Games Corporation
• Inventors: Herrmann, Mark E., Kane, Steven N., Sabet, Bijan, Hardy, Dow, LaRocca, Paul, Yanowitz, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol; Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim; Andrew
• Application Number:
  US11/133,153
• Publication Number:
  US 20060030388A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,357 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 20, 463/25, 463/29, 463/40, 463/42, 273/138.1, 273/139, 273/138.2, 273/269, 283/94, 283/901, 283/903
• US Class Current: 463/16
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 283/901 Concealed data
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 283/903 Lottery ticket

Abstract

A system and method are provided for playing a game of chance. The game of chance may include, for example, a lottery-type game using a pull-tab ticket. A result of the game of chance is revealed to a player in another medium. In one example, the result is revealed during multiple game instances of one or more online games.

Claims

1. A method for playing a game of chance comprising acts of:

issuing a pull-tab ticket to a player, the ticket including a code printed beneath a pull-tab cover of the ticket on an outside surface of the ticket, the ticket having thereon a ticket based game of chance, wherein ticket combinations indicating a result of the ticket based game are printed in a hidden location on an inside surface of the ticket that is a different surface than the outside surface, the ticket based game having an overall prize value;

determining, subsequent to issuing the pull-tab ticket to the player, the result of the ticket based game;

providing for the player to play a plurality of game instances of a computer based game that is a different game than the ticket based game on a different medium than the issued ticket;

providing for the player to obtain, from play of the computer based game, a result of the ticket based game of chance using the code to reveal the result of the ticket based game during play of the computer based game, wherein a plurality of prizes awarded in response to play of at least one of the plurality of game instances of the computer based game accumulate to form the overall prize value of the ticket;

wherein the result of the ticket based game that is revealed during play of the computer based game is a different result than a result of the computer based game and play of the computer based game does not affect the result of the ticket based game;

requiring the player to perform an action to reveal the code wherein this action does not reveal the ticket combinations; and

wherein the inside surface of the pull-tab ticket containing the ticket combinations is sealed and the outside surface of the ticket is free of perforations and cutting lines and does not reveal that the ticket may be opened to access the ticket combinations printed in the hidden location, such that the player plays the computer based game to reveal the result of the ticket based game of chance.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the different medium is a computer system.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the act of providing for the player to obtain the result of the ticket based game of chance includes:

providing an interface to the computer system to allow the player to enter the code; and

permitting access to the result of the ticket based game of chance by using the code as a decryption key to obtain the results form the computer based game.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising an act of storing, on a server associated with the computer system, the result of the ticket based game of chance.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising storing, in a database associated with the computer system, a portion of the decryption key, the portion being used along with the code by the computer system to obtain the result of the ticket based game of chance.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising an act of obtaining, from the database, the portion of the decryption key based on an identifier printed on the ticket that uniquely identifies the ticket.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of revealing the result of the ticket based game on the inside surface of the ticket when the ticket is opened.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising:

cutting open the ticket to reveal the result of the ticket based game on the inside surface of the ticket.

20. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of revealing the result of the ticket based game on the inside surface of the ticket, wherein the outside surface of the ticket is free of instructions to indicate that the result of the ticket based game is on the inside surface.

9. A pull-tab ticket, the ticket comprising:

a ticket based game of chance printed on the ticket and having an overall prize value;

an access code printed on an outside surface of the ticket that directs a player to a computer based game that is a different game than the ticket based game; and

at least one ticket combination that determines a result of the ticket based game of chance printed in a hidden location on an inside surface of the ticket, wherein the outside surface of the ticket and the inside surface of the ticket are different surfaces, wherein the ticket combination that determines the result of the ticket based game of chance is based in part on an outcome of a plurality of game instances of the computer based game, and wherein at least one price awarded in response to play of at least one of the plurality of game instances of the computer based game accumulates to form the overall prize value of the ticket;

wherein obtaining the access code does not reveal the at least one ticket combination; and

wherein the inside surface of the ticket containing the at least one ticket combination is sealed and the outside surface of the ticket is free of perforations and cutting lines and does not reveal that the ticket may be opened to access the at least one ticket combination printed in the hidden location, such that the player plays the computer based game to reveal the result of the ticket based game of chance.

10. The pull-tab ticket according to claim 9, wherein the pull-tab ticket includes no obvious means for opening the pull-tab ticket to reveal the ticket combination printed in the hidden location.

11. The pull-tab ticket according to claim 10, wherein the access code is printed beneath a scratchable surface, the scratchable surface being located beneath a pull-tab cover.

12. The pull-tab ticket according to claim 9, wherein the outside surface of the ticket is free of instructions to indicate that the result of the ticket based game is on the inside surface.

13. The pull-tab ticket according to claim 12, wherein the access code is printed on the outside surface of the ticket, beneath a pull-tab cover of the pull-tab ticket.

14. The pull-tab ticket according to claim 13, wherein the inside surface of the ticket reveals the hidden location when the ticket is opened.

15. A gaming system comprising:

a pull-tab ticket that includes an access code printed on an outside surface of the pull-tab ticket, the pull-tab ticket having a ticket based game of chance thereon, wherein the pull-tab ticket further includes ticket combinations indicating a result of the ticket based game of chance printed in a hidden location on an inside surface of the pull-tab ticket and wherein the outside surface of the pull-tab ticket and the inside surface of the pull-tab ticket are different surfaces and obtaining the access code does not reveal the ticket combinations, the ticket based game of chance having an overall prize value;

a computer system including a storage element an a game program that controls play of a plurality of game instances of a computer-based game that is a different game than the ticket based game;

an interface that enables a player to play the plurality of game instances of the computer-based game and that is adapted to accept the access code, wherein the computer system is adapted to provide the result of the ticket based game of chance in response to the player playing the computer-based game, wherein at least one prize awarded in response to play of at least one of the plurality of game instances of the computer based game accumulates to form the overall prize value of the ticket based game of chance and the result of the ticket based game that is revealed during play of the computer based game is different than a result of the computer-based game and play of the computer based game does not affect the result of the ticket based game; and

wherein the inside surface of the pull-tab ticket containing the ticket combinations is sealed and the outside surface of the ticket is free of perforations and cutting lines and does not reveal that the ticket may be opened to access the ticket combinations printed in the hidden location, such that the player plays the computer based game to reveal the result of the ticket based game of chance.

16. The gaming system according to claim 15, wherein the result of the ticket based game of chance is stored on the storage element and wherein the computer system is further adapted to provide the result of the ticket based game of chance to the player by using the access code as a decryption key to obtain the result from the computer-based game.

17. The gaming system according to claim 16, wherein the ticket based game of chance has an associated prize and wherein a prize total for the pull-tab ticket is determined prior to issuing the pull-tab ticket to the player.

18. The gaming system according to claim 15, further comprising a retrieval element that retrieves the results of the ticket based game of chance in response to entry of the access code at the interface.

19. The gaming system according to claim 18, further comprising a revelation element that creates a sequence of reveals of prizes in response to retrieval of the results of the ticket based game of chance.

21. The gaming system according to claim 15, wherein the outside surface of the ticket is free of an indication that the result of the ticket based game is on the inside surface.

22. The gaming system according to claim 21, wherein the outside surface of the pull-tab ticket reveals the access code when a pull-tab cover is removed from the pull-tab ticket.

23. The gaming system according to claim 22, wherein the inside surface of the ticket reveals the result of the ticket based game of chance when the ticket is opened.