SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FACILITATING RECURRING SERIES OF DRAWINGS

Abstract

Aspects of the invention provide systems and methods for facilitating a recurring series of distinct drawings (e.g., lottery, sweepstakes, raffles, etc.), for a prize or a variety of prizes (e.g., from one source or a variety of sources), over an extended period of time, or for an open-ended period of time. In addition, a user can enter the recurring series of drawings through a single registration (e.g., entry into a drawing database). The entrant will be continuously entered into the series of recurring drawings until the entrant is removed from the database, e.g., opts out of the system. In one embodiment, preferences and attributes can be determined for each entrant and these preferences and attributes can be used to enter the entrant into a customized series of recurring drawings.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates generally to contest systems, and more particularly, to methods and systems for facilitating recurring series of drawings.

BACKGROUND ART

In typical drawings, an entrant is given a ticket or entry into a specific drawing, and then a winner is chosen. After the drawing is over, an entrant is no longer registered and is no longer eligible for a prize. In some systems, a series of drawings may be included in one sweepstakes (e.g., an entrant can pre-pay or pre-register for a number of drawings, or the sweepstakes itself may involve more than one prize so multiple winners can be chosen.) However, in a typical sweepstakes, even if multiple drawings are done for multiple prizes or multiple drawings are done over a set period of time, the sweepstakes itself is a single event. Once the event is over, an entrant is un-enrolled, and needs to re-enter to be an entrant in a subsequent drawing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Aspects of the invention provide systems and methods for facilitating a recurring series of drawings (e.g., lottery, sweepstakes, raffles, etc.), for a prize or a variety of prizes (e.g., from one source or a variety of sources), over an extended period of time, or for an open-ended period of time. In addition, a user can enter the recurring series of drawings through a single registration (e.g., entry into a drawing database). The entrant will be continuously entered into the series of recurring drawings until the entrant is removed from the database, e.g., opts out of the system. In one embodiment, preferences and attributes can be determined for each entrant and these preferences and attributes can be used to enter the entrant into a customized series of recurring drawings. The registration into the series of drawings and the selection of winners can be provided using any known method, such as, but not limited to, manual entry, computer software, hardware, email, and/or web registration.

A first aspect of the invention provides a computer-implemented method of facilitating a recurring series of drawings, the method comprising: entering at least one entrant into a database of eligible drawing entrants; entering the at least one entrant into a drawing in a recurring series of drawings based on inclusion of the at least one entrant in the database; and automatically continuing to enter the at least one entrant into subsequent drawings in the recurring series of drawings until the entrant is removed from the database.

A second aspect of the invention provides a computer system for facilitating a recurring series of drawings, the computer system comprising: a component configured to enter at least one entrant into a database of eligible drawing entrants; a component configured to enter the at least one entrant into a drawing in a recurring series of drawings based on inclusion of the at least one entrant in the database; and a component configured to automatically continue to enter the at least one entrant into subsequent drawings in the recurring series of drawings until the entrant is removed from the database.

A third aspect of the invention provides a computer program comprising program code embodied in at least one computer-readable medium, which when executed, enables a computer system to implement a method of facilitating a recurring series of drawings, the method comprising: entering at least one entrant into a database of eligible drawing entrants; entering the at least one entrant into a drawing in a recurring series of drawings based on inclusion of the at least one entrant in the database; and automatically continuing to enter the at least one entrant into subsequent drawings in the recurring series of drawings until the entrant is removed from the database.

Other aspects of the invention provide methods, systems, program products, and methods of using and generating each, which include and/or implement some or all of the actions described herein. The illustrative aspects of the invention are designed to solve one or more of the problems herein described and/or one or more other problems not discussed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features of the disclosure will be more readily understood from the following detailed description of the various aspects of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings that depict various aspects of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative environment for providing a system for facilitating a recurring series of drawings according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 shows a flow chart illustrating the methods involved in the system according to embodiments of the invention.

It is noted that the drawings may not be to scale. The drawings are intended to depict only typical aspects of the invention, and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention. In the drawings, like numbering represents like elements between the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As indicated above, aspects of the invention provide a system and method for facilitating recurring series of drawings.

Embodiments of the invention disclosed herein include systems and methods for facilitating a recurring series of drawings (e.g., lottery, sweepstakes, raffles, etc.), for a prize or a variety of prizes (e.g., from one source or a variety of sources), over an extended period of time, or for an open-ended period of time. In addition, a user can enter the recurring series of drawings through a single registration (e.g., entry into a drawing database). The registration into the series of drawings and the selection of winners can be provided using any known method, such as, but not limited to, manual entry, computer software, hardware, email, and/or web registration.

The systems and methods disclosed herein can randomly or pseudo-randomly choose winners from a dynamic database of entries, which may grow or shrink over time, but never close to additional registrants. Contestants can elect to remain in the pool for ongoing drawings, and therefore contestants can have a multiple number of opportunities for winning from a single entry.

As discussed herein, embodiments of the invention disclosed herein relate to a recurring series of drawings (e.g., lottery, sweepstakes, raffles, etc.). As one of skill in the art would understand, the term “drawing” can comprise any situation in which an entrant enters a pool of eligible prize recipients, and each entrant is eligible to receive a prize or prizes through a random or pseudo-random selection from all current entrants. Contrary to typical, existing, drawings or sweepstakes, the drawings of the invention disclosed herein comprise a recurring series of drawings. In typical sweepstakes, even if multiple drawings are done for multiple prizes or multiple drawings are done over a set period of time, the sweepstakes itself is a single event. In one known example of these prior art systems, a lottery, such as the New York State lottery, allows a user to pre-pay and pre-register for multiple lottery drawings at once. This simply adds conveniences to a user, since they no longer have to subscribe to each lottery drawing when they arise. However, a user is still opting into each single lottery event, and is un-enrolled from each event once that drawing ends. Simple pre-paying and pre-registering for future drawings is distinct from the systems and methods disclosed herein for allowing an entrant to log in with a single registration to be eligible for multiple series of drawings.

In contrast to prior art systems, the invention disclosed herein relates to a series of events, for example, a series of distinct drawings that can be ongoing, continuous, consecutive, progressive, repetitive, successive, etc. In addition, an entrant is automatically entered into appropriate drawings until they are explicitly removed from the dynamic database. The recurring series of drawings disclosed herein can refer to a regular or irregular drawing, i.e., a set pattern of drawings or a randomly occurring drawing. In one embodiment of this invention, the drawings are undefined at the time the entrant enters the database, i.e., the drawings and/or prizes are dynamic, and can constantly change while an entrant is enrolled. Thus, when enrolling in the database, an entrant will be eligible to be entered into drawings in the future that they are unaware of at the time of enrollment, or which are undetermined at the time of enrollment.

In one embodiment of the invention, an entrant into the series of drawings is in control of how long he/she is entered into the series of drawings, e.g., entered into the database of eligible entrants. In other words, once an entrant is enrolled (e.g., “opts in” or is enrolled by another) and is therefore subscribed or registered into the system, he/she is automatically entered into the series of drawings until the entrant is un-enrolled (e.g., “opts out” or is un-enrolled by another). Therefore, even if one drawing ends, the entrant is still eligible to win another concurrent or future drawing because the entrant is entered into an ongoing series of drawings, not one specific drawing. The ongoing series of drawings can continue for a specific, extended period of time, or can be open-ended, e.g., with no set end date. As discussed above, these on-going, future, drawings can be determined or undetermined at the time an entrant enters the system. The dynamic nature of the series of drawings allows an entrant to enroll in the system once, and then be automatically entered into future drawings that have not yet been established, for prizes that have not yet been set. In other words, an entrant can be entered into future drawings, separate and distinct from each other, that did not exist at the time of enrollment.

An entrant can be enrolled, e.g., “opt in”, to the system by any variety of known methods. For example, an entrant can sign up through a website to be entered into the database, through a mailing that can be entered into the database through manual data entry, through a verbal confirmation that can be entered into the database by a third party, through a social media site, etc. It is also understood that an “entrant” can comprise any person who is entered into a drawing under embodiments of this invention, i.e., an entrant could be one person who signs up for the drawings, a group containing a plurality of persons, or could be a mailing list of persons who will all be entered into the drawings. It is also understood that an entrant can be enrolled by another, i.e., the system, or a third party.

In one embodiment of the invention, preferences and/or attributes can be used to determine which types of drawings an entrant will be entered into. Attributes, referring to fact-based information about an entrant, can be objective, and can be determined either by the entrant or by some other means. For example, an entrant's age or geographic location would be an objective attribute (that may change over time, but is still a fact-based data point), that can be obtained directly from the entrant or from publicly available information. In addition, preferences, i.e., dynamic, or subjective, data points can be used to determine which types of drawings an entrant will be entered into.

Preferences and/or attributes can be used to determine the types of drawings in the series of drawings that an entrant would like to be eligible for, and/or the type of drawings that would appropriate for an entrant, and/or drawings in which they would specifically not like to participate. Then, the contestant can be automatically entered or excluded from drawings based on these preferences and/or attributes set in a profile unique to that entrant.

These preferences and/or attributes can be obtained directly from the entrants, or in another embodiment, the preferences and/or attributes can be derived from information available about the entrant. For example, an entrant could fill out a questionnaire while enrolling in the system (or at any later date) to provide preferences and/or attributes for their unique profile. In addition, or instead of directly providing the information, publically available information about the entrant can be used to determine an entrant's preferences and/or attributes. In another example, an entrant could authorize the system to pull information from other sources, such as social media sites (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, etc.), community or professional organization affiliations, other websites, etc. Where an entrant has integrated the systems herein into a social media profile, contestants can register or unregister for the system through their profiles, suggest or recommend to their network, and/or have elements of their profile data determine from which drawings to be included or excluded.

In another example, preferences and/or attributes can be used to block inappropriate content of drawings from specific categories of entrants. For example, an entrant attribute could include the entrant's age. If an entrant either indicates that he/she is under age 21, or information he/she has made available to the system through a social media site (or publically available information) indicates he/she is under age 21, the system could ensure that the entrant is not entered into any drawings that relate to alcohol or adult content. In another example, an entrant attribute could include a geographic area, e.g., a zip code or home city/state/country. This attribute could be used to tailor the drawings to those that would be relevant to an entrant.

Entrants can be given the option to change or edit these preferences and/or attributes at any given time. In addition, attribute or preferences may be automatically changed based on changes to information available to the system. For example, attributes such as an entrant's age or geographic location can be periodically updated to ensure the entrant is entered into appropriate drawings. In addition, preferences can be periodically updated as new or altered information is obtained from an entrant directly, or through a social media site, or from publicly available information.

As discussed above, the database of entrants is dynamic, in that entrants are constantly added and deleted. The systems and methods disclosed herein can conduct each individual drawing in the series of drawings by, for example, freezing (e.g., taking a snapshot of) the dynamic database at a specific moment in time, and then selecting winner(s) for one or more drawings at that moment, while the database can continue to grow and remains open to additional entries for future, recurring drawings. The previous entries can remain in the database and, therefore, are eligible for future drawings.

As discussed herein, an entrant can be removed or un-enrolled from the series of drawings at any time, by the system or by the entrant themselves. Entrants can “opt out” or discontinue their registration at any given time, irrespective of a specific drawing or sweepstake ending. In other words, an entrant will be continuously entered into drawings by the system until the user explicitly and proactively un-enrolls and “opts out” of the system. In one embodiment, a provider of the system described herein could un-enroll an entrant from the database for whatever reason.

A provider of the system and methods disclosed herein could offer to enroll entrants into the dynamic database for free or for a fee. The provider could also request that entrants provide a contact email or preferred contact method so that the provider can notify each entrant that a winner has been selected for a drawing. Even if an entrant is not a selected winner, this allows the entrant to learn about what prizes have been awarded in drawings, and provides the provider with a means to contact each entrant. This is beneficial to the provider (and the providers of the prizes) because they are able to market to entrants and have their products and services visible to all entrants.

Turning to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows an illustrative environment 10 for providing a system for facilitating a recurring series of drawings according to an embodiment. To this extent, environment 10 includes a computer system 20 that can perform a process described herein in order to facilitate a recurring series of drawings. In particular, computer system 20 is shown including a recurring drawing facilitator program 30, which makes computer system 20 operable to facilitate a recurring series of drawings by performing a process described herein.

Computer system 20 is shown including a processing component 22 (e.g., one or more processors), a storage component 24 (e.g., a storage hierarchy), an input/output (I/O) component 26 (e.g., one or more I/O interfaces and/or devices), and a communications pathway 28. In general, processing component 22 executes program code, such as recurring drawing facilitator program 30, which is at least partially fixed in storage component 24. While executing program code, processing component 22 can process data, which can result in reading and/or writing transformed data from/to storage component 24 and/or I/O component 26 for further processing. Pathway 28 provides a communications link between each of the components in computer system 20. I/O component 26 can comprise one or more human I/O devices, which enable a human user 12 to interact with computer system 20 and/or one or more communications devices to enable a system user 12 to communicate with computer system 20 using any type of communications link. To this extent, recurring drawing facilitator program 30 can manage a set of interfaces (e.g., graphical user interface(s), application program interface, and/or the like) that enable human and/or system users 12 to interact with recurring drawing facilitator program 30. Further, recurring drawing facilitator program 30 can manage (e.g., store, retrieve, create, manipulate, organize, present, etc.) the data, such as drawing data 40, using any solution.

In any event, computer system 20 can comprise one or more general purpose computing articles of manufacture (e.g., computing devices) capable of executing program code, such as recurring drawing facilitator program 30, installed thereon. As used herein, it is understood that “program code” means any collection of instructions, in any language, code or notation, that cause a computing device having an information processing capability to perform a particular action either directly or after any combination of the following: (a) conversion to another language, code or notation; (b) reproduction in a different material form; and/or (c) decompression. To this extent, recurring drawing facilitator program 30 can be embodied as any combination of system software and/or application software.

Further, recurring drawing facilitator program 30 can be implemented using a set of modules 32. In this case, a module 32 can enable computer system 20 to perform a set of tasks used by recurring drawing facilitator program 30, and can be separately developed and/or implemented apart from other portions of recurring drawing facilitator program 30. For example, modules could be provided such as an entrance/exit facilitator 32a that could enable computer system 20 to allow entrants to opt in or out of the database, a preference/attribute assigner 32b that could enable computer system 20 to set preferences and attributes for an entrant, a customizer 32c that could enable computer system 20 to determine which drawings an entrant is entered into, a selector 32d that could enable computer system 20 to choose a winner for each drawing, etc. As used herein, the term “component” means any configuration of hardware, with or without software, which implements the functionality described in conjunction therewith using any solution, while the term “module” means program code that enables a computer system 20 to implement the actions described in conjunction therewith using any solution. When fixed in a storage component 24 of a computer system 20 that includes a processing component 22, a module is a substantial portion of a component that implements the actions. Regardless, it is understood that two or more components, modules, and/or systems may share some/all of their respective hardware and/or software. Further, it is understood that some of the functionality discussed herein may not be implemented or additional functionality may be included as part of computer system 20.

When computer system 20 comprises multiple computing devices, each computing device can have only a portion of recurring drawing facilitator program 30 fixed thereon (e.g., one or more modules 32). However, it is understood that computer system 20 and recurring drawing facilitator program 30 are only representative of various possible equivalent computer systems that may perform a process described herein. To this extent, in other embodiments, the functionality provided by computer system 20 and recurring drawing facilitator program 30 can be at least partially implemented by one or more computing devices that include any combination of general and/or specific purpose hardware with or without program code. In each embodiment, the hardware and program code, if included, can be created using standard engineering and programming techniques, respectively.

Regardless, when computer system 20 includes multiple computing devices, the computing devices can communicate over any type of communications link. Further, while performing a process described herein, computer system 20 can communicate with one or more other computer systems using any type of communications link. In either case, the communications link can comprise any combination of various types of optical fiber, wired, and/or wireless links; comprise any combination of one or more types of networks; and/or utilize any combination of various types of transmission techniques and protocols.

As discussed herein, recurring drawing facilitator program 30 enables computer system 20 to facilitate a recurring series of drawings. As shown in FIG. 2, computer system 20 (FIG. 1) can allow a user to first enroll or “opt in” to the system in process S1. Again, an entrant can register to “opt in” through any known means and then is registered, e.g., entered into the dynamic database. Next, in process S2, the computer system 20 can determine if any preferences or attributes are available for the entrant. This step can include assigning preferences and attributes to an entrant based on the entrant's direct input, or deriving those preferences and attributes through other available sources, as discussed in more detail herein. If no preferences or attributes are set, an entrant is automatically entered into all drawings by computer system 20 in process S3A. If any preferences or attributes are set, an entrant is automatically entered into a set of customized drawings by computer system 20 in process S3B, according to the preferences and attributes. As discussed above, the customized drawings can be set based on drawings a user specifically has asked to be excluded from or included in, or can be set based on the computer system 20's determination of what drawings a user is likely to be interested in based on their preferences and attributes.

As shown in FIG. 2, if an entrant has been entered into all drawings in process S3A, the computer system 20 then determines whether a user has explicitly opted out of the recurring series of drawings in process S4A. If no, the entrant is continued to be entered into all drawings by the computer system 20 and the loop continues. If yes, the entrant is taken out of the database and not entered into any more drawings by the computer system 20 in process S5. Also in process S4A, the computer system 20 can determine whether the entrant has added any preferences or attributes to his/her profile, or whether there is more information available that would result in preferences or attributes being added. If yes, the computer system 20 can add the preferences and attributes, and then the computer system 20 could move to process S3B and enter the entrant into customized drawings based on those preferences and attributes.

As shown in FIG. 2, if an entrant has entered a customized set of drawings in process S3B, the computer system 20 moves to process S4B and determines whether an entrant has asked to “opt out” of the recurring series of drawings or if any preferences or attributes have been modified. This modification could result from an entrant proactively changing their preferences and/or attributes, or from more information that is now available to the computer system 20 that would cause the preferences and attributes to be modified. For example, if an entrant has changed information available on a social media site, or has moved to a different geographic area, a preference or attribute could be affected. If modifications to preferences have been made, the computer system 20 can reassess what drawings to enter the entrant into, and the loop continues as the computer system 20 enters the entrant into a new customized set of drawings. Again, after process S4B, if an entrant has requested to “opt out” of the recurring series of drawings, the entrant is not entered into any more drawings by the computer system in process S5.

While shown and described herein as a method and system for facilitating recurring series of drawings, it is understood that aspects of the invention further provide various alternative embodiments. For example, in one embodiment, the invention provides a computer program fixed in at least one computer-readable medium, which when executed, enables a computer system to facilitate a recurring series of drawings. To this extent, the computer-readable medium includes program code, such as program 30 (FIG. 1), which implements some or all of a process described herein. It is understood that the term “computer-readable medium” comprises one or more of any type of tangible medium of expression, now known or later developed, from which a copy of the program code can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated by a computing device. For example, the computer-readable medium can comprise: one or more portable storage articles of manufacture; one or more memory/storage components of a computing device; paper; and/or the like.

In another embodiment, the invention provides a method of providing a copy of program code, such as program 30 (FIG. 1), which implements some or all of a process described herein. In this case, a computer system can process a copy of program code that implements some or all of a process described herein to generate and transmit, for reception at a second, distinct location, a set of data signals that has one or more of its characteristics set and/or changed in such a manner as to encode a copy of the program code in the set of data signals. Similarly, an embodiment of the invention provides a method of acquiring a copy of program code that implements some or all of a process described herein, which includes a computer system receiving the set of data signals described herein, and translating the set of data signals into a copy of the computer program fixed in at least one computer-readable medium. In either case, the set of data signals can be transmitted/received using any type of communications link.

In still another embodiment, the invention provides a method of generating a system for facilitating a recurring series of drawings. In this case, a computer system, such as computer system 20 (FIG. 1), can be obtained (e.g., created, maintained, made available, etc.) and one or more components for performing a process described herein can be obtained (e.g., created, purchased, used, modified, etc.) and deployed to the computer system. To this extent, the deployment can comprise one or more of: (1) installing program code on a computing device; (2) adding one or more computing and/or I/O devices to the computer system; (3) incorporating and/or modifying the computer system to enable it to perform a process described herein; and/or the like.

It is understood that aspects of the invention can be implemented as part of a business method that performs a process described herein on a subscription, advertising, and/or fee basis. That is, a service provider could offer facilitate a recurring series of drawings as described herein. In this case, the service provider can manage (e.g., create, maintain, support, etc.) a computer system, such as computer system 20 (FIG. 1), that performs a process described herein for one or more customers. In return, the service provider can receive payment from the customer(s) under a subscription and/or fee agreement, receive payment from the sale of advertising to one or more third parties, and/or the like.

The foregoing description of various aspects of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and obviously, many modifications and variations are possible. Such modifications and variations that may be apparent to an individual in the art are included within the scope of the invention as defined by the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of facilitating a recurring series of drawings, the method comprising: entering at least one entrant into a database of eligible drawing entrants;entering the at least one entrant into a drawing in a recurring series of drawings based on inclusion of the at least one entrant in the database; andautomatically continuing to enter the at least one entrant into subsequent drawings in the recurring series of drawings until the entrant is removed from the database.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: setting at least one preference for the at least one entrant; anddetermining a customized subset of the recurring series of drawings in which to enter the entrant based on the at least one preference.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one preference is provided by direct input from the at least one entrant.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one preference is determined from available information related to the at least one entrant.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: setting at least one attribute for the at least one entrant; anddetermining a customized subset of the series of recurring drawings in which to enter the entrant based on the at least one attribute.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one attribute is provided by direct input from the at least one entrant.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one attribute is determined from available information related to the at least one entrant.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a winner of at least one drawing from all entrants included in the database at a given point in time.

9. A computer system for facilitating a recurring series of drawings, the computer system comprising: a component configured to enter at least one entrant into a database of eligible drawing entrants;a component configured to enter the at least one entrant into a drawing in a recurring series of drawings based on inclusion of the at least one entrant in the database; anda component configured to automatically continue to enter the at least one entrant into subsequent drawings in the recurring series of drawings until the entrant is removed from the database.

10. The computer system of claim 9, further comprising: a component configured to set at least one preference for the at least one entrant; anda component configured to determine a customized subset of the recurring series of drawings in which to enter the entrant based on the at least one preference.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the at least one preference is provided by direct input from the at least one entrant.

12. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the at least one preference is determined from available information related to the at least one entrant.

13. The computer system of claim 9, further comprising: a component configured to set at least one attribute for the at least one entrant; anda component configured to determine a customized subset of the recurring series of drawings in which to enter the entrant based on the at least one attribute.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the at least one attribute is provided by direct input from the at least one entrant.

15. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the at least one attribute is determined from available information related to the at least one entrant.

16. The computer system of claim 9, further comprising selecting a winner of at least one drawing from all entrants included in the database at a given point in time.

17. A computer program comprising program code embodied in at least one computer-readable medium, which when executed, enables a computer system to implement a method of facilitating a recurring series of drawings, the method comprising: entering at least one entrant into a database of eligible drawing entrants;entering the at least one entrant into a drawing in a recurring series of drawings based on inclusion of the at least one entrant in the database; andautomatically continuing to enter the at least one entrant into subsequent drawings in the recurring series of drawings until the entrant is removed from the database.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising: setting at least one of: a preference and an attribute for the at least one entrant; anddetermining a customized subset of the recurring series of drawings in which to enter the entrant based on the preference or the attribute.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the preference and the attribute are provided by direct input from the at least one entrant or are determined from available information related to the at least one entrant.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising selecting a winner of at least one drawing from all entrants included in the database at a given point in time.