Abstract:
A scratch off lottery ticket accessory includes a planar surface disposed in a well between sidewalls, a bottom wall and a front wall. A tray located toward the bottom wall includes a moveable gate and a cup for retaining debris from the material scratched away from the lottery tickets. A clip biases a lottery ticket against the planar surface. A flange extends cantileveredly away from the front wall and provides a cutout to receive a merchandising hook for display purposes.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates to an accessory for use with scratch off lottery tickets and more particularly to a tray which is configured to receive a scratch off lottery ticket therein which provides a rigid surface to support the ticket while a consumer scratches off at least one scratch off panel. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Lotteries are becoming more and more commonplace across America. The State of Georgia initiated a lottery program over five years ago. In 2004, Tennessee started a Lottery Commission as well. Presently, scratch off lottery tickets are sold in Tennessee, Georgia, and many other states across America. 
         [0003]    When a consumer buys a lottery ticket, the consumer normally pulls out a coin, a key, or other hard surface and places the back of the ticket against a hard surface. The consumer then scratches off at least one scratch off panel on the ticket. When the consumer performs this task, it is common for the scratched off material to accumulate on the clothes of the consumer or other undesirable places such as the floor or on the seats of an automobile or other location. 
         [0004]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,693 attempted to provide a scraper and hard surface for scratching off lottery tickets. While it is certainly more advantageous to use this type device than the dashboard of an expensive automobile, this device suffers from many of the disadvantages of other prior art techniques. Primarily, this device lacks an ability to catch and store scrapings from a ticket. Accordingly, any scrapings would most likely find themselves displaced from the container and more than likely in the lap of a consumer or in another undesired location. 
         [0005]    Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved accessory for use with scratch off lottery tickets. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    A need exists for improved lottery ticket holder which is adapted to retain a lottery ticket. 
         [0007]    Another need exists for a improved lottery ticket holder which has a compartment for retaining scrapings therein. 
         [0008]    Another need exists for a simple and economic receiver for a lottery ticket to assist a user in scraping off at least one scratch off portion of a lottery ticket. 
         [0009]    Accordingly, a lottery ticket retainer of the present invention provides a rigid surface which is preferably recessed within ledges which extend at least around three sides of a ticket on the rigid surface. A retaining device such as a clamp or other appropriate device is useful to retain the ticket adjacent to the planar rigid surface. Additionally, a tray or compartment is preferably provided distal of an edge of an inserted ticket so that any scrapings from a ticket may be pushed or otherwise directed into the tray or compartment. It is preferred that the compartment be closable once the scrapings are collected therein. After a predetermined amount of usage, the tray may be emptied into an appropriate trash receptacle so that scrapings are not displaced into the lap or other unwanted location. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    The particular features and advantages of the invention as well as other objects will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of a lottery accessory of the presently preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a side plan view with the internal parts shown in phantom of the lottery accessory shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a side plan view portion of a bottom end of the accessory shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrating how a one piece construction could be performed; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  shows the presently preferred folding of the end shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a top plan view portion of the portion shown in  FIG. 1  prior to folding as shown in  FIG. 4 ; and 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the bottom end portion prior to completing the fold shown in  FIG. 4 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0017]    The lottery accessory  10  shown in the figures is the presently preferred embodiment of the present invention. Other embodiments may take other configurations that will still embody the present invention. The accessory  10  is constructed as a scratch off board or unit. Specifically, a planar surface  12  which may or may not be equipped with optional clip  14 . The clip  14  retains a scratch off lottery ticket  16  so that the scratch off portions  18  are disposed above and parallel to the planar surface  12 . Accordingly, when a user attempts to scratch off the scratch off portion  18  such as with a coin, a fingernail or other article, the scratch off portion  18  is supported by the planar surface  12 . The planar surface  12  is preferably located in a well  20  which is created intermediate side walls  22 ,  24  which extend a distance above the planar surface  12 . Furthermore, a front wall  26  connects to the side walls  22 ,  24  so that the well  20  preferably has a substantially uniform depth. By using walls  22 ,  24 ,  26 , it is preferable to create a wall which may assist in retaining scrapings as described in further detail below. 
         [0018]    In the preferred embodiment, a bottom wall  28  forms a portion of an opening and closing tray  30  that will be discussed in further detail below. The bottom wall  28 , side walls  22 ,  24  and front wall  26  assist in forming the wall  20  in the preferred embodiment. By having the side walls  22 ,  24 , the front wall  26 , and the bottom wall  28 , assist in defining the well  20 , any scrapings such as the material scraped off of any of the scratch off portions  18  or otherwise, will be retained in the well  20 . This is believed to be an advance over the prior art so that any scrapings are retained in the well  20  instead of blowing off laterally of a planar surface onto the clothes of a lottery participant or other undesired location. The well  20  assists in retaining the scrapings. The side walls  22 ,  24 , front wall  26  and bottom wall  28  preferably form a continuous lip thereby assisting in defining the well  20  therein relative to the planar surface  12  with the lip a predetermined distance above the planar surface  12 . 
         [0019]    The walls  22 ,  24 ,  26  are preferably located interior of a flange  34  which preferably extends about a periphery of the walls  22 ,  24 ,  26 . In fact, the flange  34  may extend a distance in front of the front wall  26  to provide a merchandising function by having a cutout  36  in a tab  38  which can be hung on a merchandising hook as is a common way of displaying articles. The flange  34  may, or may not, be coplanar with planar surface  12 . In the preferred embodiment, the flange  34  is coplanar with the planar surface  12 . Additionally, the tab  38  which is preferably an integral portion of the flange  34  that contains the cutout  36  therein may, or may not, be coplanar with the planar portion  12 . The side walls  22 ,  24  and front wall  26  may be constructed so that similar accessories  10  nest inside one another at the merchandising location. Nesting is known in the art and will be obvious from the structure shown. It is anticipated that the tray  30  could be provided as shown in the configuration shown in  FIGS. 3 and 5  should nesting be desired or alternative tray designs could be employed. 
         [0020]    The tray  30  is preferably constructed with the bottom wall  28  connected to top wall  40  which is connected to gate  42 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the bottom wall  28 , top wall  40  and gate  42  are preferably integrally formed and hinged at pivots  44 ,  46  held to one another as illustrated in  FIG. 3 . Furthermore, the bottom wall  28  is pivotable relative to planar surface  12  at pivot  48 . The pivots  44 ,  46 ,  48  may take the form of scored portions or more complex structures as is known in the art, especially when utilizing non-independently formed trays  30 . 
         [0021]    In order to construct the tray  30 , the bottom wall  28  is bent about pivot  48  relative to planar surface  12  so that it is essentially perpendicular thereto. The top surface  40  is bent about pivot  46  so that it is substantially perpendicular to the bottom wall  28  and the gate  42  is appropriately angled relative to the top surface  40  to complete the tray  30 . The gate  42  preferably contacts the planar surface  12  in a closed configuration.  FIG. 4  shows a closed configuration of tray  30  as well as  FIG. 1 . By placing the tray  30  in the closed configuration shown in  FIG. 1 , a pocket  50  is created which can retain scrapings therein. 
         [0022]    It is anticipated that the gate  42  will be displaced from the planar surface  12  and the scrapings from lottery tickets will then be directed towards the bottom  52  of the accessory  10 . The scrapings can slide underneath the gate  42  and be retained in the pocket  50 . The gate  42  can then be redirected against the planar surface  12  to retain the scrapings therein instead of the scrapings inadvertently ending up at an undesirable location. From time to time the gate  42  may be opened and the scrapings discarded in an appropriate receptacle. 
         [0023]      FIG. 6  is also useful in understanding the operation of the preferred tray  30 . Channels  54  may be recessed into side walls  22 ,  24  ( 24  being the only one illustrated) so that the gate  42  extends into the channel  54  until it contacts the planar surface  12 .  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  4  and  6  also show cup  56  which may be formed toward an end or edge of the planar surface  12  which may also assist in retaining shavings or other debris inside the pocket  50 . The well  20  is preferably sized to receive lottery tickets  16  sold by the majority, if not all, states. As of 2004, lottery states include Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, and others. 
         [0024]    Although a clip  14  is illustrated as a connector utilized to retain the lottery ticket  16  in the well  20 , other connectors may be utilized. Other connectors may connect directly to the planar surface  12  or to any of the walls  22 ,  24 ,  26  or even  28  in other embodiments. 
         [0025]    The tray  30  is preferably constructed so that the bottom wall  28  extends in width so as to extend up to the outer edges of the sidewalls  22 ,  24 . However, as long as the bottom wall  28  contacts the interior surfaces of the sidewalls  22 ,  24  such as interior surface wall  58  shown in  FIG. 1 , the opposite side being obscured from view due to the perspective nature of the drawing, the pocket  50  can be created. The top member  40  is illustrated contacting the same interior surface portion  58  as the corresponding wall on the other side wall  24 . However, in the preferred embodiment, both the bottom wall  28  and the top wall extend over a distance past the interior surface wall portion  58  toward an outer portion of the walls  22 ,  24 . The gate  42  preferably does not extend a distance past the interior surface wall portion  58  except to the extent that it extends within the channels  54  which are preferably molded into the side walls  24 . 
         [0026]    It is anticipated that the accessory  10  will be molded from a single sheet of an injection moldable type material to have a sufficient rigidity to perform its intended function. Specifically, it will preferably be thick enough to support a lottery ticket and allow one to scratch off one or more of the scratch off panels  18  with the scrapings preferably retained within the well  20 . 
         [0027]    Numerous alterations of the structure herein disclosed will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be understood that the present disclosure relates to the preferred embodiment of the invention which is for purposes of illustration only and not to be construed as a limitation of the invention. All such modifications which do not depart from the spirit of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.