Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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LOTTO SPORTS GAME
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent
Application
Serial No.: 61/839,593, filed June 26, 2013, herein incorporated by reference.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention is a unique type of lotto game whereby a
single random
number (in a universe of 1-100) is generated and will correspond to a specific
pre-
numbered box in a two dimensional grid. This box will represent the player's
score
related to a specific sporting game and date selected by the player. Random
numbers
will be generated each time a player purchases a ticket based on the date, and
teams
(game) chosen by the player. For convenience, the word "GAME" (all caps) will
refer to
the present lotto GAME while the word "game" (lower case) will refer to
sporting events.
The GAME, as outlined above, will use a grid with single digits zero to nine
arranged
horizontally (for example, the home team) and another set of single digits
zero to nine
arranged vertically (for example, the visiting team) such that these
horizontal and
vertical numbers form a grid with 100 boxes, each located at the intersection
of one of
the ten horizontal numbers and one of the ten vertical numbers. The digits
represent
the last digit of the score of the two teams at selected points in time in the
game. For
example, in a football game it might represent the last digit of each team's
score after
the first quarter, the second quarter, the third quarter and/or after the end
of the game.
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Often prize value will increase for the later points in time with the greatest
reward being
for the final score. The GAME is applicable in particular to sporting events
wherein the
teams generally accrue over 10 points so that a last digit of any team's score
between
zero and nine would be a viable number. Such sports would include football and
basketball.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] By way of example, the present invention will be described as
applied to
football wherein the score generally exceeds ten points per team so that the
last digit of
any team's score could readily be any digit between zero and nine.
[0004] Figures 1 to 6 illustrate the operation and advantages of the
present invention
as applied to the specific application of professional football in the context
of a New
York lottery. These figures demonstrate the nature of the GAME, how to play
the
GAME and the commercial and other advantages of the GAME.
[0005] Figure 7 is a flow chart diagram showing the system and steps
utilized in the
operation of the GAME.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0006] Referring now to the figures, Figure 1 include a grid which would be
applicable for a specific game, namely a game wherein the New York Jets (the
visiting
team) are playing at the New York Giants (the home team) on a certain date.
The grid
boxes are numbered zero through nine horizontally for the home team and zero
through
nine vertically for the visiting team, hence a total of 100 boxes.
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[0007] Professional football, for example National Football League games,
would be
particularly suitable for the present GAME. First, obviously professional
football is
enormously popular and would draw enormous interest. Second, the NFL has a
large
schedule which is well-known and well-defined in advance. Specifically, for
the regular
season, each of the 32 teams plays 16 games so that there are a total of 256
games,
each uniquely identifiable. Obviously the GAME could include pre-season games
and,
once the playoff teams are known, the playoff games, right up to the Super
Bowl.
[0008] Referring to the example of Figure 1, when the. GAME is played, in
the
manner to be described in greater detail below, if a player pays an amount for
a single
bet, the central server will generate a random number between 1-100 and that
number
will correspond to a unique box within the grid. That box would then be
translated into
the player's lucky score (see Fig. 1) which matches a number on the horizontal
line and
a number which matches a number on the vertical line. Of course a player may
make
different bets for a given game, each one being randomly assigned a different
box on
the grid and the GAME will have varying dollar amounts per bet as the
operators of the
GAME or the player desire. The GAME grid shown in Figure 1 would be only one
of the
256 regular season NFL games, namely the one where the New York Jets play at
the
home stadium of the New York Giants. In the illustration, the player made one
bet and
the computer randomly assigned for that player one horizontal number 4 and
vertical
number 6 which corresponds to a specific box, as shown in gray in Figure 1B so
that the
player's "lucky score" is Giants 4, Jets 6. Since these represent only the
last digits, this
player would win if at any of the specified times in the game, the Giant's
score was 4,
14, 24, 34, etc. and the Jet's score was 6, 16, 26, 36, etc.
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[0009] While only 100 bets could be made for a given game on a single grid,
the
number of bets for that specific game is unlimited because as soon as all of
the 100
boxes on a grid fill up, the central server will close out that grid and start
a new grid as
more bets are made on the game. There is no practical limited to the number of
new
grids that could be opened up for any given game.
[00010] Referring to Figure 7, a central server has access to and/or contains
applications that include the following: (1) a data base which compiles,
summarizes
and accounts for all game requests and sales, (2) a random number generator
that
randomly generates numbers zero through nine horizontally and zero through
nine
vertically corresponding to the 100 boxes of the grid and (3) a complete
schedule of
games, for example in the illustrated example, the entire NFL 2013-2014
regular
season. The central server will have an interface for communicating with all
remote
lotto terminals, via any suitable connection type (e.g. a network connection)
only one of
which is shown in Figure 7. Each lotto terminal will receive the player input,
i.e., the
player's requested bet or bets, and will include or be coupled with a printer
to print out
the player's ticket.
[00011] At the player input, the player will select a specific game, for
example by
identifying the home team and the date. The lotto terminal will transmit a
request
corresponding to this selection to the central server, which will recognize
this as
corresponding to a specific one of the 256 games during the NFL regular
season. The
player will select a dollar value, for example, $5.00 and the number of bets,
meaning the
number of boxes on the grid to be purchased. This request will be transmitted
to the
central server where it will be fulfilled.
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[00012] The process of fulfilling the request comprises the following. The
central
server will identify a request as applying to a specific game based on teams,
date, and
bet amount determined by the player. The server will then access a random
number
application whereby a random number between 1-100 will be generated, and
correspond to a predetermined internally numbered box within that game's grid.
Predetermined internal boxes will be identified by box 1 in the upper left box
followed by
internal numbered box 2 in the box on the same horizontal line to its right,
box three will
be the box on the same horizontal line to the right of box 2 and so on until
all 100 boxes
are internally numbers such that the bottom box in the bottom right
horizontally and
vertically will be internal box 100. Alternatively, where the player makes
more than one
bet on a given game at any given time, the player could receive one ticket
with all bets
(assigned boxes) marked thereon or a single ticket for each bet.
[00013] Because the entire NFL regular season's schedule is known and put into
the
central server, a player may walk in and select any one of the 256 games at
any time, at
any lotto terminal. As noted above, when all boxes on a single grid are
filled, the central
server will close out that grid and open a new grid. Thus, the number of grids
for a
single football game, and thus the number of bets on that football game is
essentially
unlimited.
[00014] Although the GAME is capable of being played throughout the entire
country,
it must in practice be played only where it has state approval. However, if
state
approval is not considered, or viewed differently, if every state approves the
game,
terminals can be placed ubiquitously like Powerball terminals throughout the
country
and with sufficient computer capacity, which is well known, taking every NFL
regular
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season game as an example, anyone in the country can on any given day walk up
to
any terminal and place any number of bets at anyone of the yet unplayed 256
NFL
games. The number of bets placed would be staggering and the number of bets
placed
on the Super Bowl is unimaginable.
[00015] As shown in the Figure 1 through 6, and in particular, Figure 4, the
GAME can
provide an enormously increased level of enjoyment to the participants. For
example,
unlike numbered lotteries wherein the moment of excitement is simply the few
minutes
of listening to the winning lottery numbers, in a grid-type game, the player
knows his or
her number during the game and thus has a heightened interest throughout the
entire
game. This aspect of a grid game is of course the same as in an office grid-
type pool
wherein each person manually selects a box on the grid prior to the game.
However,
the present GAME carries this type of interest to a whole new level, namely
beyond the
single location of the office pool to potentially every home, restaurant or
bar where NFL
fans are watching games.
[00016] Additionally, since lotto games are run by governments such as states,
revenues generated by increased bets will create more revenue for the state
and the
community.
[00017] It will now be clear that the present invention provides features and
advantages not found in prior known compositions and treatments. Further, one
of
ordinary skill in the art will recognize that aspects of the present
disclosure can be
modified using routine techniques consistent with the present disclosure.
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