The invention relates to lottery products of variable output terminal printed draw games, pre-determined outcome scratch-off games, and digital play lottery games sold by government regulated lottery agencies, specifically lottery games styled as ‘word association’ games, and methods of playing same.
In a typical scratch-off lottery game, a player purchases a physical pre-printed scratch-off lottery game card with outcomes hidden by a layer of overprint material that can be revealed by removing with a scratching motion. The same form of the scratch off ticket can also be achieved digitally using a smart phone, tablet or computer, whereby hidden outcomes are revealed by touching the screen or point and click with a cursor. If these exposed areas reveal a specific outcome or pattern, the player can win a primary prize from the game prize pool structure. If the player does not win a primary prize, the game play value could be extended by offering another chance to win in a secondary prize pool. This could be delivered as another random chance to win from the same purchased ticket by activating a digital second chance game and applying a drawing entry after entering the unique serial number from the ticket into an internet hosted entry site.
In lottery game tickets, there are icons that represent play symbols. In a “Match-Style” game play, you need to match ‘like symbols’ to complete a set and there would be an associate PRIZE awarded for completing that set. In some game play styles, you need to match a set of ‘like PRIZE values’ to determine a prize.
As additional entertainment value, a game play method could be applied to the lottery ticket or game that does not impact the prize outcome, but extends the experience for the player. Applying a word association puzzle play style to the game delivers this type of added value.
The word association game play is for entertainment value only and does not impact the prize outcome. Lottery tickets are a non-skill based game of chance with randomly assigned prize outcomes. However, lottery tickets are also a form of gaming entertainment and can incorporate skill-based game play to extend the entertainment value, as long as it doesn't affect the prize award outcome of the game (“extended game play”). This word association game play provides that extended play entertainment value to each of the different lottery game product types.
In this invention, we would employ the method of matching ‘like PRIZE values’ to determine the prize as the extended play value involves matching words that share a commonality in a skill-based format for entertainment purposes only.
One embodiment provides a physical scratch-off lottery game card with a 4×4 matrix word association puzzle. This card has a substrate with the same 4×4 grid printed on the top of the substrate. One word is printed in each of the sixteen different squares, and the same word is printed in the same location on the scratch off material covering those words. The squares are distributed in a 4×4 matrix. When the squares with the words are uncovered, the printed area under the scratch off material reveals the matching word association groups of four by using one of the common imaging methods below:
In this method, the non-skill prize outcome is pre-determined by printing four (4) ‘like PRIZE values’ within one matching set of four word association groups.
Another embodiment provides the extended play value on a terminal generated draw game style lottery product. This product differs from the aforementioned ‘scratch off lottery game card’ by not hiding any of the play area with any removable printed material. Terminal generated games are printed on demand from a closed-network retail lottery terminal as single-color variable data images on a thermal transfer paper or dot-matrix imaging system. The non-skill based pre-determined prize outcome on this type of game ticket would be a match 4 like prize amounts in a word group and win that prize. As this product does not have a player operated reveal method, the word association extended play value would be hidden by a code printed on the lottery game ticket.
A final embodiment provides for a digital lottery game version, in some lottery jurisdictions referred to as iLottery games. These lottery game tickets provide the same government regulated legal requirements as the previous game examples of non-skill based, pre-determined prize outcomes with each play. However, these games have the added benefit of being distributed electronically on internet enabled computer devices (i.e. laptops, mobile phones, tablet computers) via web browsers and mobile apps. This allows for more multimedia features than a printed lottery ticket can provide, in the form of full color motion images, sound effects, music and animated player graphic UI/UX (user interface, user experience). This makes the word association extended game play experience more entertaining giving the player more hints and chances to group the words, without fully revealing the answers. And the pre-determined prize outcome could be more prominently displayed with end of game callout messaging, to avoid any confusion. A control link button will always be visible in the game to REVEAL PRIZE, giving the player the opportunity to skip the extended play entertainment value and reveal the pre-determined outcome of the game ticket.
Other advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent after review of the hereinafter set forth Description of the Drawings, Detailed Description of the Invention, and the Claims. Objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent upon reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings and the appended claims.
A word association group four game (‘Word Association Group’) involves a table of four columns and an equal or greater number of rows, typically four, to generate a matrix where each cell can house a single word. In a 4×4 matrix example, 16 different words would be randomly placed in the 16 cells. Prior to placing the words in each cell, they are assembled into sets or groups of four that have a common pattern, association or relationship, and that result answer key is hidden from the player. The words are then randomly applied to each of the cells in the matrix to scramble the order of the groups, creating a challenge for the player to re-group them in their word association order. When a player correctly selects and groups four words into a correct association, the result key is revealed to validate the correct group. Certain embodiments of this style of game play are distributed digitally in mobile device applications and html web browser-based software applications. This invention proposes a way of applying this style of game play for both printed and digital lottery game products.
By definition a government regulated lottery game involves a game of chance by which the outcome cannot be determined with any application of skill. While this invention involves a puzzle game play that can provide an advantage to players more skilled in the game style, the play style does not have any impact on the random outcome applied to the lottery game in determining a win. This play style adds a layer of entertainment value for the lottery purchaser that desires additional game play before revealing the outcome.
At any time, the purchaser can expose the outcome of the game by scratching off all the removable material without engaging in the play style for entertainment value. A game ticket win status can be determined by asking an authorized lottery retailer to check the ticket, or by using any available ‘ticket checking’ devices or applications provided by the lottery.
Revealing the win or no-win outcome of the lottery game employing the word association group play style involves two levels of grouping.
The first embodiment of the invention is applied to a multi layered, commercial printing press method of printing secure lottery game tickets commonly referred to as scratch-off tickets (‘scratch-off tickets’) where a printed game card starts with a flat substrate upon which a grid of sixteen (16) squares is printed in a 4×4 matrix. The substrate may be of suitable card stock material on which printing can be received, generally of paper. The squares are populated with a combination of words, symbols and prize descriptions typically formatted as USD currency amounts. This initial printing layer holds the variable data outcome of the game that is randomly generated by software applications and imaged in an initial stage of the printing process. After which a layer of removable material, typically latex, is applied over the outcome imaging to mask the results until the player removes the layer by scratching off the material. An identical 4×4 matrix is imaged on the removeable layer in the same position as the first image, positioning the 16 words in the same location, masking the PRIZE outcome with a repeating single word PRIZE. This guides the player to the area under the removable material where the random prize values will be visible.
The randomly arranged single words are printed one to each cell 101 in the grid, with the repeating common word PRIZE 102 printed below, to indicate where the variable data outcome prize value will be printed underneath. The lottery game card also includes a masked GROUP KEY table 103 above the 4×4 matrix of a single column with 4 rows, each labeled GROUP 1, GROUP 2, GROUP 3, GROUP 4.
After a player purchases a lottery game card, the player may play out the word association game by guessing a first set of four words on the grid, and scratching off the removeable material in just those four cells. Each different embodiment of the scratch-off game application allows for a different method of mapping the groups under the scratch off material.
Alternatively, the player can select to first scratch-off one or all of the GROUP KEY values to provide a hint as to which words should be grouped together. Then try to group the words in the grid. At any point the player can scratch off all the material to reveal the outcome and determine if they won a prize.
Briefly defined, terminal generated lottery games are printed on demand from a closed-network retail lottery terminal as single-color variable data images on a thermal transfer paper or dot-matrix imaging system. Contrast to previous embodiments, this eliminates the possibility of masking an outcome and does not allow for any color imaging. The game of chance random win or no win outcomes are generated by a central computer draw system within the network operated by a contracted lottery system vendor.
At any time, the purchaser can expose the outcome of the game without engaging in the play style for entertainment value. A game ticket win status can be determined by asking an authorized lottery retailer to check the ticket, or by scanning the ticket serial number barcode with any available ‘ticket checking’ devices or applications provided by the lottery.
Another embodiment of the terminal generated lottery game product can mask the outcome of the word game by encapsulating the word association group puzzle results and GROUP KEY in a 2d barcode 600. This method provides for more of a challenge and surprise reveal of the word association entertainment play value within the game by not exposing the patterns on the printed ticket at time of purchase.
Briefly defined, Digital Lottery Games, also known as iLottery Games, share the same pre-determined, randomly generated outcome, no-skill games of chance as Scratch-Off games and Terminal Generated Draw games, with a few advantages. Digital lottery games have the added benefit of being distributed electronically on internet-enabled computer devices (i.e. laptops, mobile phones, tablet computers) via web browsers and mobile apps. This allows for more multimedia features than a printed lottery ticket can provide, in the form of full color motion images, sound effects, music and animated player graphic UI/UX (user interface, user experience).
One final embodiment of the invention allows for the game play style to be applied to Digital Lottery games or iLottery product.
At any time, the purchaser can expose the outcome of the game without engaging in the play style for entertainment value. In the digital lottery game embodiment of the invention, there is a REVEAL button 904 on every screen of the application. If the player selects this button, the game will automatically animate through all the group associations, exposing all the PRIZE amount groups and possible WIN and NO WIN outcomes.
While the embodiments and its subparts, as outlined in this application are understood to be the most applicable to this invention, it is possible that these may be enhanced and further embodiments formed by those having the benefit of using the descriptions and drawings utilized herein to which this patent should encompass. Furthermore, while specific terms are used herein and in the claims provision, they are not meant to limit the invention in any way or the claims as set forth below.