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 a finishing point are disposed on the playing area. A first winning predetermined path begins at the starting point and ends at the finishing 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 and a second winning path, defined as a portion of the first winning path, begins at the starting point and ends at the special point. The special point is positioned before the finishing point. The second winning path results in a higher winning amount than the first winning path. 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.

Description:
[0001]    This claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/417,914, filed Nov. 30, 2010 and hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention generally relates to a lottery game system, and more particularly, to a lottery game where the skill of a user determines the outcome. 
         [0003]    There are many “instant-win” lottery games which players can buy and subsequently play at point-of-sale lottery locations. Many of the instant-win lottery games in the prior art are embodied in a ticket having a surface which the player must “scratch-off” in order to play the game. Moreover, many instant-win lottery games are meant to play electronically on a computer via the internet. Although many of the games in the prior art require active participation by the user, such as scratching off the surface, playing the games in the prior art does not require a player to use skill or coordination. These games are based on chance; players are required only to guess as to the correct portions of a ticket to “scratch-off,” for example, in order to reveal winning indicia. 
         [0004]    Moreover, the games in the prior art typically involve a fixed stake amount. The lottery game tickets in the prior art may be sold at a fixed price, for example, two dollars, and have a predetermined winning amount, known as fixed odds. Players may not increase their wagers in order to raise the potential winning amount. Furthermore, players typically may not request an increase or decrease in the level of difficulty of the lottery game. Finally, games in the prior art do not have time limits. Players typically may take as much time as is desired in order to complete the game on the lottery ticket or electronic medium such as a computer. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    It is an object of this invention to provide a lottery game system and method for conducting a lottery game. This invention relates to a lottery game system and method meant to be played at point-of-sale locations using lottery tickets. A player traverses a path on the lottery ticket which may include using a special purpose lottery terminal, lottery wand, or wand-like device. Although there is a predetermined path that the player must follow, the player must use skill and coordination in order to guess the correct path, for example, by connecting dots in a “snake” shape or traversing a maze on a lottery ticket. The player may request a certain difficulty and accordingly may adjust his or her wager. Although the game is “fixed odds,” adjusting the difficulty (and thus the wager) results in higher potential winnings, adding to the excitement of the game for the player. Further adding to the excitement of the game and providing an element of suspense, the player must complete the game in a certain period of time. Providing a time limit further requires the player to think ahead and use skill in playing the game. 
         [0006]    The invention in various aspects is embodied in a lottery ticket and associated lottery game. A prospective player participates in the lottery game by purchasing a lottery ticket from a retailer. The player selects a level of difficulty with which he wishes to participate and advises the retailer on the stake amount he desires. The retailer then prints a ticket fulfilling the player&#39;s choices and informs the player about his potential winnings. The player is given a specified time in which to start and finish the lottery game. The player in one embodiment of the invention starts the game by using a special purpose lottery terminal on a playing area of the ticket. The special purpose lottery terminal may be a STYLOT™, manufactured by Intralot (www.Intralot.com). The player then traverses the playing area on the ticket using the special purpose lottery terminal or other instrument or device as appropriate. The player loses, or does not win, when the player lifts the instrument from the ticket, does not complete the game before the allotted time has run or the player fails to follow one of the rules. 
         [0007]    A lottery ticket is also provided, which includes a playing area, a number of paths traversing in the playing area, a starting point and an end point disposed on the playing area, and a first winning, predetermined path beginning at the starting point and ending at the end point, wherein the first winning path is initially concealed to the player prior to commencing play of the lottery ticket. In an alternative embodiment, the lottery ticket additionally has a special point disposed among the plurality of paths and a second winning path, defined as a portion of the first winning path, wherein the portion beings at the starting point and ends at the special point before the finishing point. 
         [0008]    A method for playing a lottery game includes supplying a player with at least one lottery ticket including a playing area having a number of paths, including a first winning path having a single, predetermined path among the variety of paths. The winning path is unknown to the player and allows the player to attempt to reach the end of the path and win the game by tracing a path among the various paths. In an alternative embodiment, the method also includes printing at least one playing area on the lottery ticket and dispensing the lottery ticket to the user. In another alternative embodiment, the method also includes defining a special point disposed among the various paths and defining a second winning path as a portion of the first winning path. In yet another alternative embodiment, the method for playing a lottery game also includes defining a subset of said lottery tickets on which the 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. In yet another embodiment, the method includes defining a first winning amount according to the first winning path and a second winning amount according to the second winning path, wherein the first winning amount is greater than said second winning amount. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  is a front planar view of an embodiment of a lottery ticket including a playing area with a plurality of dots on the playing area; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a flow chart of the steps according to one embodiment of this invention; and 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a front planar view of an alternative embodiment of a lottery ticket including a playing area with a maze on the playing area. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0013]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , one embodiment of a lottery ticket  10  as part of a lottery game system according to this invention is shown. The ticket  10  includes a playing area  12  with a number of playing indicia  14  such as dots, a starting point  16  and an end point  18 . A first winning, predetermined path  20  is shown between the starting point  16  and end point  18  connecting each of the various dots  14  in the playing area  12 . It is appreciated that there are many alternative, but non-winning paths possible which also connect the dots and which begins at the starting point and end at the end point  18 . The dots  14  are randomly generated on the playing area  12  by a lottery terminal and printed on the lottery ticket  10  accordingly. This version of the game may resemble a snake winding through the playing area  12 . The playing area  12  also includes at least one special point (two of which are shown in  FIG. 1 ) along the winning path, denoted as “CHECK POINT”  22 ,  22   a  in  FIG. 1 . The ticket  10  also contains at least one ticket identifying portion  24  having information identifying the game, time, date, and other information necessary to lottery play and compliance with state or other regulations. 
         [0014]    A player may start the game by placing a tool, instrument or special purpose lottery terminal wand  26  on the starting point  16 . To win, the player must traverse the playing area  12 , connect the dots  14  in the predetermined, winning path  20  to the end point  18 . The player must begin the game within a certain period of time after being issued the ticket  10  and must finish the game within a certain period of time after starting the game. A second winning path  28  may also be provided, and is defined as a portion of the first winning path  20 . The second winning path  28  also begins at the starting point  16 , coincides initially with the first winning path and ends before the end point  18  at the special or check point  22 . In  FIG. 1 , an additional, second special or check point  22   a  is shown, providing at least a third winning path  30  beginning at starting point  16 , traversing the predetermined path  20  initially and ending at second special point  22   a . In each winning path in this embodiment denoted as a snake game in  FIG. 1 , each predetermined path passes through each dot  14  on the playing area  12  only one time. The respective path  20 ,  28 ,  30  must not pass through the same line between two dots  14  more than once. There may be more than one, two or three winning paths and this specification is not meant to limit this amount. 
         [0015]    More specifically, to win the maximum amount for the game, the player must traverse the first winning path  20  on the playing area  12  of the lottery ticket  10 . The winning path  20  is predetermined when the playing area  12  on the ticket  10  is printed, and is initially concealed to the player. Throughout this specification, the terms “the winning path,” “the predetermined path” and “first winning path” are used interchangeably and are meant to indicate the path on the lottery ticket  10  which the player must follow to win the game. To start the game, in one embodiment the player may place a special purpose lottery terminal stylus or wand  26 , one example of which is a STYLOT™ offered by Intralot (www.Intralot.com) on the starting point  16  of the playing area  12 , which may be graphically represented, for example, as a large “button” or dot shape containing the word “start.” The player, while keeping the special purpose lottery wand  26  in contact with the surface of the lottery ticket  10 , traverses the playing area  12  and connecting the dots  14  until he reaches the end point  18 . The end point  18 , similar to the starting point  16 , may be graphically represented on the lottery ticket  10 , for example, as a large button, a dot shape containing the word “end” or as a flag. There are many paths between the starting point  16  and end point  18  that the player may traverse while playing the game, with only one or a select few being the winning path  20 . The player must use skill and guess-work to select the winning path. When the player wins, he may receive a predetermined winning amount, which is determined by the stakes desired or chosen by the player and the difficulty of the game. In another embodiment of this invention, the game is played without the wand, and another instrument or tool may be used to delineate the path chosen by the player, examples being a pencil or pen, scratching off of a cover portion of the ticket  10  to reveal the chosen path, etc. If the game is played in this manner, the ticket  10  may be returned to the lottery retailer or agent to determine and verify the results of the lottery game via a scan of the ticket or another mode of inspection. 
         [0016]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , an alternative embodiment of a lottery ticket  10  is shown, having a playing area  12  with a starting point  16 , an end point  18 , and playing indicia  14  in the form of a maze. The winning, predetermined path  20  is shown. The ticket  10  also contains at least one ticket identifying portion  24  having information identifying the game, time, date, and other information necessary to lottery play and regulation. To win, the player must traverse the playing area  12  in the predetermined, winning path  20  to the end point  18 . The player must begin the game within a certain period of time after being issued the ticket  10  and must finish the game within a certain period of time after starting the game. In each winning path  20 , the path does not reach a dead end, does not double-back on itself, or run into a wall. 
         [0017]    In various embodiments, there is at least one additional winning path, hereinafter also referred to as “second winning path,” “second path” or “additional path,” defined as a portion of the winning predetermined path, which the player may traverse in order to win. The end of these additional paths may be denoted by special points  22 ,  22   a , for example, “checkpoints,” on the playing area. Because it will be less difficult for the user to traverse the playing area to the checkpoints  22 ,  22   a  than to the finishing point, the potential winning amount for reaching a checkpoint along the additional path  28  will be less than for reaching the end point  18 . In the dots or snake embodiment of  FIG. 1 , for example, a checkpoint  22  may be denoted as one of the dots and labeled “checkpoint” or may be represented as a special dot having a different design than the remainder of the dots, or both. It should be understood that “special point” and “checkpoint” are used interchangeably in this specification. 
         [0018]    In the dots or snake embodiment of  FIG. 1 , each predetermined path  20  passes through each dot  14  on the playing area  12  only one time. The path  20  must not pass through the same line between two dots  14  more than once. These limitations on the path  20  traversal may also be considered “rules” of the game and may be referred to as such throughout this specification. 
         [0019]    In each embodiment, a subset of lottery tickets  10  may be provided where the level of difficulty to complete the lottery game may be increased. The level of difficulty to traverse the correct winning path  20  may be increased by increasing the number of possible paths to be traversed. In the dots or snake embodiment of  FIG. 1 , this may be accomplished by increasing the amount of dots  14  which are printed on the playing area  12 , thereby increasing the amount of possible paths that the user may choose from. In the maze embodiment of  FIG. 3 , the level of difficulty may be increased by increasing the number of walls and “dead ends” included on the playing area  12 , thereby increasing the amount of possible paths that the user may traverse. In each embodiment, the level of difficulty determines the duration of the game. Preferably, the duration of the game does not exceed two minutes. 
         [0020]    In an alternative embodiment, use of a “dedicated terminal” or dedicated lottery terminal for the facilitation of playing lottery games and the avoidance of any queues with the point of sale is desired. 
         [0021]    Reference to a “line” as referred to in this specification with respect to the dots embodiment is meant to refer to a segment between two dots or game indicia  14 . The predetermined path that the player must traverse is not exact in the sense that the player fails to follow the winning path  20  if his lines are not perfectly straight or are overly straight. For example, in the dots embodiment of  FIG. 1 , a player must connect the dots  14  in a certain order to create the predetermined path, but he will not be penalized if the lines comprising the path are, for example, not perfectly straight. In the maze embodiment of  FIG. 3 , the path  20  also need not be exact in the same sense as described with respect to the dots embodiment. The player may be provided with one or more hints as to the winning path  20  at least one area on the playing area  12 , which may be depicted as the mentioned checkpoints  22 ,  22   a , or in an alternative way. 
         [0022]      FIG. 2  shows a flow chart demonstrating that a player may select  32  from three levels of difficulty. The flow chart of  FIG. 2  is for illustrative purposes and different embodiments of the invention may have more or less than three levels of difficulty. The player requests  34  a retailer to print out a ticket, such as that seen in  FIG. 1  or  FIG. 3 , with the player&#39;s desired difficulty level. The ticket  10  may be printed with any appropriate printer of lottery ticket paper, including a laser or other printer, although a thermal printer may not be compatible with the wand  26 . Certain rules of embodiments of this invention may require the player to begin  36  the game in a specified time frame after receiving the ticket and also finish the game in a specified time frame after starting. These time frames are determined by the chosen difficulty level. The period of time in which the player must finish the game preferably does not exceed two minutes. This amount of time may be adjusted to exceed two minutes in order to adjust the difficulty of the lottery games upon the finding that two minutes is too difficult for players, for example. Because this invention is a game of skill, statistics will be kept in order to examine whether the levels of difficulty and periods of time in which to finish the games are appropriate for a certain desired player winning percentages. If players are winning games at a higher success rate than is desired, for example, levels of difficulty and periods of time allowed for play may be adjusted accordingly, and vice versa. 
         [0023]    The selling period of the ticket will depend on the legal restrictions of the appropriate state or governmental entity. The player may participate in the game up to a specified closing sales time specified by the lottery authority of the appropriate state or governmental entity. The total cost of a ticket, or the participation value, is calculated by multiplying the single game value of the ticket times the stake selected. If the player wins as described in this specification, winnings will be paid in accordance with a to-be-published pay-table. Winners may claim their prizes within a predefined period of time. After the end of this period, any unclaimed prizes will be purged according to the existing rules of the lottery authority. A winner can win only one winning category, that is, the one with the highest winning amount. For example, a player traversing  38  the winning path from the start point to the finishing point is not also entitled to prizes for reaching the check points. 
         [0024]    The lottery game is defined as “fixed odds,” wherein a player knows in advance his or her potential winnings  40 . In the dots or snake embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the winning amount for each winner of every game is fixed, regardless of the actual participants and number of winners of each draw. 
         [0025]    Again referring to  FIG. 2 , the player must successfully traverse the winning path between the starting and finishing points without lifting the lottery wand, such as the STYLOT™, or failing to follow one of the rules, as noted previously in this specification. Another rule provided is that the player may lose if he or she “misses a hint.” In one embodiment, one of the check points, as previously described in this specification, may act as a hint to the player as to whether he or she is following the correct path, in addition to being an end point of a second or third winning path, for example. However, a hint may be represented as something other than a check point on the playing area. 
         [0026]    From the above disclosure of the general principles of the present invention and the preceding detailed description of at least one preferred embodiment, those skilled in the art will readily comprehend the various modifications to which this invention is susceptible. Therefore, we desire to be limited only by the scope of the following claims and equivalents thereof.