Lottery game system and method of playing

• US 9,072,963 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2011
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intralot, Inc. (Intralot SA)
• Original Assignee: Intralot International Ltd. (Intralot SA)
• Inventors: Antonopoulos, Constantinos
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Bach
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, ANH-VO V
• Application Number:
  US13/183,519
• Publication Number:
  US 20120135793A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,453 Days
• Field of Search: 463/17
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/0659 Drawing a line
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2402 Input by manual operation
• 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 3/0605 Lottery games
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/065 Tickets or accessories for use therewith A63F3/0625 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/068 Accessories therefor, e.g. ticket scrapers
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 15/005 with dispensing of lottery tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 283/903 Lottery ticket

Abstract

A lottery game system includes a number of lottery tickets, a playing area disposed on each lottery ticket, the playing area having a number of paths each traversing in the playing area. A starting point and an end point are disposed on the playing area. A winning predetermined path begins at the starting point and ends at the end point and is initially concealed from a player prior to commencing play of the lottery game. A special point is disposed among the various paths is positioned before the end point. The lottery game system may further include a lottery wand manipulated by a user wherein the lottery wand remains in contact with said lottery ticket along said winning path. Further, the lottery game system may include at least one lottery terminal which is operative to print at least one playing area and to dispense at least one lottery ticket.

Claims

1. A lottery game system, comprising:

a plurality of lottery tickets;

a playing area disposed on each said lottery ticket;

a plurality of paths traversing in said playing area;

a single starting point and a single end point disposed on said playing area;

wherein each of the plurality of paths begins at the single starting point; and

a single winning predetermined path beginning at said single starting point and ending at said single end point, wherein said single winning predetermined path is initially concealed from a player prior to commencing play of the lottery ticket;

wherein the player must traverse the single winning predetermined path within a certain period of time and the lottery game ends upon expiration of the certain period of time

a special point disposed among said playing area, along said single winning predetermined path, and between said single starting point and said single end point;

wherein the player is awarded a first prize if the player traverses the single winning predetermined path from the single starting point to the single end point within the certain period of time;

wherein the player is awarded a second prize which is less than the first prize if the player reaches the special point, but not the single end point, within the certain period of time.

2. The lottery game system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one lottery terminal, wherein said lottery terminal is operative to print said at least one playing area and to dispense said at least one lottery ticket.

3. The lottery game system of claim 1, further comprising:

a lottery wand manipulated by the user to traverse said playing area.

4. The lottery game system of claim 3, wherein said lottery wand remains in contact with said lottery ticket along said single winning predetermined path.

5. The lottery game system of claim 1, further comprising:

a subset of said plurality of lottery tickets on which said playing area has a greater number of paths than a remainder of said lottery tickets to thereby increase a level of difficulty of playing said subset of lottery tickets.

6. The lottery game system of claim 1 wherein said plurality of paths includes a series of dots sequentially traversed on said playing area between said single starting point and said single end point.

7. The lottery game of claim 6 wherein the number of said plurality of paths is increased by increasing a number of said dots.

8. The lottery game system of claim 1 wherein said plurality of paths are delineated by game indicia on the playing area and said game indicia further comprises:

at least one maze disposed on each said playing area, said maze having a plurality of passages and a plurality of walls; and

wherein said single winning predetermined path traverses at least some of said plurality of passages.

9. The lottery game system of claim 8, further comprising:

a subset of said plurality of lottery tickets on which said playing area has a greater number of paths than a remainder of said lottery tickets to thereby increase a level of difficulty of playing said subset of lottery tickets; and

wherein the number of paths is increased by increasing a number of at least one of said passages and said walls.

10. The lottery game system of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of paths ends at the single end point.

11. The lottery game system of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of paths share the single starting point.

12. A lottery game system, comprising:

a plurality of lottery tickets;

a playing area disposed on each said lottery ticket;

a plurality of paths traversing in said playing area;

a single starting point and a single end point disposed on said playing area;

wherein each of the plurality of paths begins at the single starting point and ends at the single end point;

a single winning predetermined path beginning at said starting point and ending at said end point wherein said single winning predetermined path is initially concealed from a player prior to commencing play of the lottery ticket;

wherein the player must traverse the single winning predetermined path within a certain period of time and the lottery game ends upon expiration of the certain period of time;

a special point disposed among said playing area, along said single winning predetermined path, and between said single starting point and said single end point;

wherein the player is awarded a first prize if the player traverses the single winning predetermined path from the single starting point to the single end point within the certain period of time;

wherein the player is awarded a second prize which is less than the first prize if the player reaches the special point, but not the single end point, within the certain period of time;

a lottery wand manipulated by the user to traverse said playing area, wherein said lottery wand remains in contact with said lottery ticket along said single winning predetermined path; and

at least one lottery terminal, wherein said lottery terminal is operative to print said at least one playing area and to dispense said at least one lottery ticket.

13. A lottery ticket, comprising:

a playing area;

a plurality of paths traversing in said playing areal;

wherein each of the plurality of paths begins at a single starting point and ends at a single end point disposed on said playing area;

a single winning predetermined path beginning at said single starting point and ending at said single end point, wherein said single winning predetermined path is initially concealed to a player prior to commencing play of said lottery ticket; and

a special point disposed among said playing area, along said single winning predetermined path, and between said single starting point and said single end point;

wherein the player must traverse the single winning predetermined path within a certain period of time and a lottery game associated with the lottery ticket ends upon expiration of the certain period of time;

wherein the player is awarded a first prize if the player traverses the single winning predetermined path from the single starting point to the single end point within the certain period of time;

wherein the player is awarded a second prize which is less than the first prize if the player reaches the special point, but not the single end point, within the certain period of time.

14. A method for playing a lottery game, comprising the steps of:

generating at least one lottery ticket including a playing area having a plurality of paths using a printer, all of the plurality of paths sharing a common starting point;

defining a single winning path among said plurality of paths, wherein the single winning path is unknown to the player;

supplying a player with the at least one lottery ticket;

allowing the player to attempt to pursue said single winning path by tracing a path among said plurality of paths;

defining a special point disposed among said playing area, along said single winning path, and between the starting point and an end point;

defining a certain period of time during which the player must complete the lottery game;

defining a first prize to the player finishing at said end point prior to the expiration of the certain period of time; and

defining a second prize according to a player passing said special point, but not reaching the end point prior to the expiration of the certain period of time;

wherein said first prize is greater than said second prize.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

dispensing said lottery ticket from a ticket dispenser.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

printing a subset of said lottery tickets on which said playing area has a greater number of paths than a remainder of the lottery tickets to thereby increase a level of difficulty of playing the subset of lottery tickets.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

indicating a desired difficulty level of a lottery game to a vendor; and

receiving a lottery ticket from the vendor with desired difficulty level.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the player traces the path with a wand manipulated by the player.