Method for playing a lottery game using currency bills

A method of playing a lottery game comprising inserting a currency bill or bank note bearing an alphanumeric code, such as a serial number, and denomination into a machine. The machine reads the alphanumeric code and denomination of the currency bill or bank note and stores the information as a set of numbers. The machine then prints a receipt bearing the alphanumeric code and denomination of the currency bill or bank note inserted into the machine and the day of drawing in the lottery game. The set of numbers is then transferred from the machine to a central or main computer's memory. The computer then randomly selects a set of numbers from the transferred set of numbers. The set of numbers chosen is the winning set of lottery numbers. In a preferred embodiment of the method, the central computer stores the number of times the currency bill or bank note has been inserted into any machine, along with the alphanumeric code and denomination of the currency bill or bank note, as a set of numbers. In the most preferred embodiment of the method, the central computer stores the number of times the currency bill or bank note has been inserted into any machine, along with the alphanumeric code and denomination of the currency bill or bank note, as a set of numbers and letters.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates in general to a lottery games and, in 
particular, to a method of playing a lottery game without using or marking 
lottery tickets or game cards or betting slips or selecting a set or 
series of numbers. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Various methods of playing lottery games are known in the prior art. A 
typical example is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,110,129, issued to M. G. 
Alvarez on May 5, 1992. This patent discloses an apparatus and a method of 
playing a lottery game which utilizes a lottery ticket that a ticketholder 
must purchase and use to select a set of lottery numbers. U.S. Pat. No. 
5,156,397, issued to S. W. Valenza discloses an apparatus for use in 
playing a lottery game in which the apparatus is used for automated 
marking of a betting slip. A customer must purchase the betting slip and 
select a set of lottery numbers. Another example of the prior art is U.S. 
Pat. No. 5,340,119, issued to S. Goldfarb, which discloses a method for 
playing games of chance from a remote location by sending by facsimile 
transmission the set of lottery numbers chosen to a central location. 
Again, the player must select a set of numbers and send by facsimile 
transmission a game card or lottery ticket in to a central location. The 
cost of playing the set of lottery numbers is charged to the player' s 
facsimile number. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,232,221 and 5,116,049, issued to 
Sludikoff et. al., disclose a method for playing a lottery game in which 
the player must purchase a special lottery ticket and select the set of 
lottery numbers desired. U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,089, issued to M. W. Wood, 
discloses a method for playing a lottery game in which the player must 
purchase a special lottery ticket and select the set of lottery numbers 
desired. 
All of the prior art patents require the use a lottery ticket or game card 
or betting slip. Printing up and selling lottery tickets adds to the cost 
of running a lottery game, thereby decreasing the profitability of the 
lottery game. Thus, a need exists for a method of playing a lottery game 
that does not require the use of a lottery ticket or game card or betting 
slip. 
Furthermore, all of the prior art patents mentioned above require the 
player to select, with or without the aid of a machine, a set of lottery 
numbers desired. Requiring the player to select his or her own set of 
lottery numbers can result in player errors. Thus, a need exists for a 
method of playing a lottery game which reduces or eliminates player error 
resulting from the player choosing his or her own set of lottery numbers. 
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a method of playing a 
lottery game which does not require the use of a lottery ticket or game 
card or betting slip or selecting a set or series of numbers, the lottery 
ticket and selection process tending to decrease the profitability of the 
lottery game and increase player error in obtaining a set of lottery 
numbers. The present invention substantially overcomes these and other 
prior art problems. 
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
The preferred embodiment of the method of the present invention solves the 
aforementioned problems in a straightforward and simple manner. An object 
of the present invention is to provide an improved method of playing a 
lottery game which does not require the use of a lottery ticket or game 
card or betting slip. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a faster and more 
convenient method of playing a lottery game. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of playing a 
lottery game that is more profitable than the current methods of playing a 
lottery game. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a more accessible and 
user-friendly method of playing a lottery game. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of playing a 
lottery game which may operate on existing on-line equipment by applying 
minor modifications and/or upgrading. 
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method of 
playing a lottery game which includes a multiplicity of games with 
different odds and prize structures. 
The present invention is directed to a method of playing a lottery game 
without the use of a lottery ticket. The method requires a currency bill 
or bank note bearing an alphanumeric code, such as a serial number, and 
denomination. The currency bill or bank note is inserted into a locally 
situated machine which reads the alphanumeric code and denomination of the 
currency bill or bank note. (Alternatively, this information can be 
entered manually by a lottery agent, such as the retailer who is licensed 
to operate the machine.) The locally situated machine then stores the 
alphanumeric code and denomination of the currency bill or bank note as a 
set of numbers in the machine's memory. The machine then prints out a 
receipt bearing the alphanumeric code and denomination of the currency 
bill or bank note along with the day of drawing of the lottery game being 
played. The set of numbers stored in the locally situated machine's memory 
is then transferred to a remotely located main computer's central memory. 
The computer then randomly selects (by running an appropriate software 
program) a set or series of numbers from among the sets or series of 
numbers transferred to the computer. The selected set of numbers wins the 
lottery game. The selection of winning numbers can be for one or more sets 
(e.g., first prize, second prize, third prize). 
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the main computer 
stores the number of times the currency bill or bank note has been 
inserted into all locally situated machines, along with the alphanumeric 
code and denomination of the currency bill or bank note, as a set of 
numbers. 
In the most preferred embodiment of the present invention, the computer 
stores the alphanumeric code and denomination of the currency bill or bank 
note, along with the number of times the currency bill or bank note has 
been inserted into all locally situated machines, as a set of numbers and 
letters. 
In the present invention, it is important to understand that any bill can 
be played numerous times since currency changes hands. For example, a 
person could play a bill on one locally situated machine in Pensacola, 
Fla., one day; the bill can reenter the stream of commerce and find its 
way to Miami, Fla., where someone else can then play the same bill on a 
second locally situated machine in Miami the next day (both players will 
have a receipt). 
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention 
will become better understood with regard to the following description, 
and appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The present invention is directed to a method of playing a lottery game in 
which the players' wagers are placed in a common pool and selectively 
divided among them in accordance with their own selections and the rules 
of the game. 
The present invention comprises a method of playing a lottery game without 
the use of a lottery ticket or game card or betting slip. The method, 
depicted in the FIGURE, requires 12 a currency bill or bank note (such as 
a U.S. dollar bill) bearing an alphanumeric code, such as a serial number, 
and denomination. The currency bill or bank note is inserted 14 into one 
of many machines, located throughout the lottery's geographic area, which 
reads 16 the alphanumeric code and denomination of the currency bill or 
bank note. Preferably, the locally situated machines contain a computer 
with a memory and a printer. The machines store 18 the alphanumeric code 
and denomination of the currency bill or bank note as a set of numbers in 
memory. For example, a one dollar ($1.00) bill having a serial number of 
"I86785237F" might be stored as "09.86785237.06.001": where "09" 
represents the letter "I"; "86785237" represents "86785237"; "06" 
represents the letter "F"; and "001" represents the denomination of the 
currency bill, one dollar. The local machine being used then prints 20 a 
receipt or ticket bearing the alphanumeric code and denomination of the 
currency bill or bank note and the day of the "drawing" for the lottery 
game being played. The set of numbers is then electronically transferred 
22 from the local machine to a main computer's central memory. Preferably, 
the main computer possesses a database for storing the set of numbers and 
software for randomly selecting a set or series (or sets or series) of 
numbers from the database. Even more preferably, the present invention 
uses existing on-line equipment to store the set of numbers and randomly 
select a set or series of numbers. The main computer then randomly selects 
24 a set or series of numbers from among the sets of numbers transferred 
to the main computer. The set of numbers selected wins the lottery game. 
(Again, several sets can be selected for various prizes, i.e., first, 
second and third prizes). 
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the central computer 
stores 28 the number of times any particular currency bill or bank note 
has been inserted 14 into the locally situated machines, along with the 
alphanumeric code and denomination of the currency bill or bank note, as a 
set of numbers. Using the example stated above and assuming the currency 
bill has only been inserted 14 into a machine once, the set of numbers 
might be stored as "09.86785237.06.001.01": where all of the above digits 
represent the same things, discussed in the example above, and the "01" at 
the end represents the number of times the currency bill has been inserted 
into any locally situated machine, namely once. If the same bill were to 
be played three (3) times, the stored number would read 
09.86785237.06.001.03 and if it were the winning set of numbers the prize 
would be divided three ways. 
In the most preferred embodiment of the present invention, the main 
computer stores 38 the alphanumeric code and denomination of the currency 
bill or bank note, along with the number of times the currency bill or 
bank note has been inserted into locally situated machines, as a set of 
numbers and letters. Using the above example described in the previous 
paragraph, the set of numbers and letters might be stored 38 as 
"09.86785237.06,001.AA": where all of the above digits represent the same 
thing, and "AA" represents that the currency bill has been inserted into a 
machine only once. 
As can be seen from the above description, the present invention does not 
require a lottery ticket or game card or betting slip. Thus, the present 
invention provides a more profitable method of playing a lottery game 
because the cost of printing and selling lottery tickets is saved. 
Furthermore, the present invention provides a faster and more convenient 
method of playing a lottery game because a player does not have to select 
any lottery numbers or purchase a lottery ticket; he need only insert 14 a 
currency bill or bank note into a locally situated machine. This advantage 
of the present invention also makes playing the lottery game more 
accessible and user-friendly for players of the lottery game. In addition, 
because a player does not have to select any lottery numbers or fill in 
any lottery tickets, the risk of player error is reduced and/or 
eliminated. 
The present invention does not require the range of lottery numbers to be 
limited. For example, the Florida Lotto lottery game foresees 6 numbers to 
be picked within a range from 1 to 49. The present invention does not 
require any combination of numbers to be played, further distinguishing 
the present invention from the prior art. 
The present invention also contemplates a method of playing a lottery game 
in which a multiplicity of games with different odds and prize structures. 
The present invention further contemplates that the other aspects of the 
method of playing a lottery game, such as administration rules, legal 
aspects, complying with state and federal laws, definition of ticket 
expiration, advertisement, training of retailers, installation of lottery 
ticket vending machines, parting or prizes, saving of data from previous 
drawings, etc., are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in 
the art, and that all equivalent relationships to those described in the 
specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
Because many varying and differing embodiments may be made within the scope 
of the inventive concept herein taught and because many modifications may 
be made in the embodiment herein detailed in accordance with the 
descriptive requirement of the law, it is to be understood that the 
details herein are to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting 
sense.