Systems and methods for operating a sweepstakes

• US 9,881,441 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Meyers Printing Companies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The Meyers Printing Companies, Inc.
• Inventors: Dillon, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Kevin Y
• Application Number:
  US13/826,369
• Publication Number:
  US 20140274301A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,783 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements

Abstract

Systems and methods for determining sweepstakes winners involve a display providing a code to an end-user device and the end user-device providing the displayed code to a computer, which determines whether the displayed code is a winning code. Whether a code is a winning code can be based on a variable factor, such as a geographic location, a date, a time of day, a day of a week, a number of submissions by a particular person, valued activities performed by a particular person. The identification of a code as a winning code can be performed either before the code is provided to the display or after the code is received by the computer.

Claims

1. A method of determining a sweepstakes winner, the method comprising:

providing a code producing element;

receiving, by a computer from an end-user device, a request for a code and an identification of the end-user device;

generating, by the computer based on a variable factor and the identification of the end-user device, a code for the end-user device;

transmitting, from the computer to the code producing element, the code for the end-user device;

receiving, by the computer from the end-user device, the code for the end-user device; and

determining, by the computer, whether the code received from the end-user device is a winning code by comparing the received code with a stored code,

wherein the variable factor includes at least one of a geographic location from which the code is received, a date, a time of day, a day of a week, and a number of submissions by a particular person,

wherein the code producing element is a display that produces the code, wherein the code is a bar code or quick response (QR) code and the end-user device includes an imaging device that captures the code produced by the display,

wherein the code for the end-user device is selected as the winning code

based on the variable factor and the identification of the end-user device, and

after receiving the request for the code and before the code is produced on the display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the display produces different codes for different end-user devices.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the end-user device launches an application in response to the capture of the code, and the application controls the transmission of the code received from the display to the computer.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the variable factor also includes valued activities performed by a particular person.

4. A method of determining a sweepstakes winner, the method comprising:

providing a code producing element;

receiving, by a computer from an end-user device, a request for a code and an identification of the end-user device;

generating, by the computer based on a variable factor and the identification of the end-user device, a code for the end-user device;

transmitting, from the computer to the code producing element, the code for the end-user device;

receiving, by computer from the end-user device, the code for the end-user device; and

determining, by the computer, whether the code received from the end-user device is a winning code by comparing the received code with a stored code,

wherein the variable factor includes at least one of a geographic location from which the code is received, a date, a time of day, a day of a week, and a number of submissions by a particular person,

wherein the code producing element is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag that produces the code,

wherein the code for the end-user device is selected as the winning code

based on the variable factor and the identification of the end-user device, and

after receiving the request for the code and before the code is produced on the display.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the RFID tag produces different codes for different end-user devices.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the end-user device launches an application in response to the capture of the code, and the application controls the transmission of the code received from the RFID tag to the computer.

13. The method of claim 4, wherein the variable factor also includes valued activities performed by a particular person.

7. A system for determining a sweepstakes winner, the system comprising:

an end-user device;

a display configured to output a code associated with a sweepstakes entry, wherein the end-user device is configured to receive the outputted code; and

a computer configured to

receive, from the end-user device, a request for a code and an identification of the end-user device;

generate, based on a variable factor and the identification of the end-user device, a code for the end-user device;

transmit the code for the end-user device to the display;

receive the outputted code from the end-user device; and

determine whether the received, outputted code is a winning code by comparing the received code with a stored code,

wherein the variable factor includes at least one of a geographic location from which the code is received, a date, a time of day, a day of a week, and a number of submissions by a particular person,

wherein the code is a bar code or quick response (QR) code and the end-user device includes an imaging device that captures the code produced by the display,

wherein the code for the end-user device is selected as the winning code

based on the variable factor and the identification of the end-user device, and

after receiving the request for the code and before the code is produced on the display.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the display is configured to produce different codes for different end-user devices.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the end-user device is configured to launch an application in response to the capture of the code, and the application controls the transmission of the code received from the display to the computer.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the variable factor also includes valued activities performed by a particular person.

10. A system for determining a sweepstakes winner, the system comprising:

an end-user device;

a display configured to output a code associated with a sweepstakes entry, wherein the end-user device is configured to receive the outputted code; and

a computer configured to

receive, from the end-user device, a request for a code and an identification of the end-user device;

generate, based on a variable factor and the identification of the end-user device, a code for the end-user device;

transmit the code for the end-user device to the display;

receive the outputted code from the end-user device; and

determine whether the received, outputted code is a winning code by comparing the received code with a stored code,

wherein the variable factor includes at least one of a geographic location from which the code is received, a date, a time of day, a day of a week, and a number of submissions by a particular person,

wherein the display includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag that outputs the code,

wherein the code for the end-user device is selected as the winning code

based on the variable factor and the identification of the end-user device, and

after receiving the request for the code and before the code is produced on the display.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the RFID tag produces different codes for different end-user devices.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the variable factor also includes valued activities performed by a particular person.