Card-activated point-of-sale lottery terminal

• US 5,223,698 A
• Filed: 04/05/1991
• Issued: 06/29/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Telecredit Incorporated (Equifax, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Telecredit Incorporated (Equifax, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kapur, Shashi B.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHEPPERD, JOHN W
• Application Number:
  US07/681,017
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/380, 364/409, 364/412
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/34 Betting or bookmaking, e.g. Internet betting
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 15/005 with dispensing of lottery tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking

Abstract

A lottery ticket sales system serves a multiplicity of facilities, each having a plurality of point-of-sale locations. Sales are expedited by cards customized for individual customers only with desired wager data in machine-readable form to identify repeated purchases. Terminals at point-of-sale locations in a facility are coupled to a facility play center for interfacing a remote central computer through telephone communications. Cards, void of individual data, are prepared by the play centers. Terminals receive cards for cooperation with a facility play center to formulate an order data pocket communicated to the central computer. Contemplated purchase data packets are supplied from the central computer for actuating source terminals to display a purchase value for approval or rejection. Approved purchases prompt the terminal to issue one or more lottery tickets with the recorded wager data.

Claims

1. A lottery system for use by a participant utilizing an order card, said system to issue lottery tickets at a facility encompassing a plurality of point-of-sale locations, said system comprising:

a plurality of terminals for use at said point-of-sale locations, said terminals including an order card reader means and a lottery ticket printer means; and

a control means coupled to control said plurality of terminals, said control means including;

input means for receiving card data from a card reader means in an active terminal;

means to formulate lottery ticket identification data for association with card data received from said active terminal;

means for storing said card data and associated lottery ticket identification data; and

means for actuating said active terminal to drive the terminal lottery ticket printer means to print a lottery ticket with said card data and said lottery ticket identification data, said card data consisting solely of wager data specifying wagers to be made by a participant; and

a play center means for processing cards to record said card data, said play center means including means to interface said terminals with other components of said control means at a remote location.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein said play center means includes means to interface other components through telephone facilities.

3. A lottery system for use by a participant utilizing an order card, said system to issue lottery tickets at a facility encompassing a plurality of point-of-sale locations, said system comprising:

a plurality of terminals for use at said point-of-sale locations, said terminals including an order card reader means and a lottery ticket printer means; and

a control means coupled to control said plurality of terminals, said control means including;

input means for receiving card data from a card reader means in an active terminal;

means to formulate lottery ticket identification data for association with card data received from said active terminal;

means for storing said card data and associated lottery ticket identification data; and

means for actuating said active terminal to drive the terminal lottery ticket printer means to print a lottery ticket with said card data and said lottery ticket identification data, said card data consisting solely of wager data specifying wagers to be made by a participant; and

means for testing the format of said card data.