Granted Patent B2

US 8,444,469 · App. 13/223,607 · Granted May 21, 2013

Abstract

Claims (16)

1. A method for implementing ticket based lottery game wherein consumers are offered the chance to increase the prize value of a first lottery ticket by linking subsequently purchased second lottery tickets in a redemption chain, comprising:

providing a plurality of lottery tickets for purchase by a consumer including the first lottery ticket and the second lottery tickets, wherein each lottery ticket includes an unique validation code and play of lottery game enabled by the lottery ticket may result in an associated prize within a given prize structure;

providing an option to the consumer to redeem the first lottery ticket for the associated prize or to register and designate, via a computing system having at least a processor, the first lottery ticket as the first lottery ticket in a redemption chain;

providing for the consumer to enhance the associated prize of the first lottery ticket by subsequent registration and designation, via the computing system, of one of the second lottery tickets with the redemption chain, wherein upon being registered, the first lottery ticket and the one second lottery ticket cannot be individually redeemed for each ticket's associated prize, and wherein upon being registered the redemption chain becomes associated with the enhanced prize of the first lottery ticket for subsequent redemption of the redemption chain; and

providing the option to the consumer to close the redemption chain by redeeming the first lottery ticket, at a lottery retailer validation system having at least one processor, for the enhanced prize associated with the redemption chain or to allow the redemption chain to remain open for allowing the player to register and designate one or more additional second lottery tickets to further enhance the enhanced prize associated with the redemption chain.

2. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the option to register and designate the one or more additional second lottery tickets is presented to the consumer only when the previous second lottery ticket registered with the redemption chain enhanced the prize associated with the redemption chain.

3. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the option to register and designate the one or more additional second lottery tickets is terminated after a pre-defined number of additional second lottery tickets have been previously registered and designated.

4. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the consumer enters the validation code of the first lottery ticket at an Internet website of the computing system to register and designate the first lottery ticket as starting the redemption chain, and enters the validation codes from one or more of the second lottery tickets at the Internet site to designate those second lottery tickets as part of the redemption chain.

5. The method as in claim 4 , wherein upon registration and designation of the first lottery ticket as starting the redemption chain, a Digital Gate within a lottery authority's central site system associated with the validation code is modified so that upon redemption of the ticket, the enhanced prize associated with the ticket is awarded to the consumer.

6. The method as in claim 5 , wherein upon registration and designation of additional second lottery tickets in the redemption chain, one or more Digital Gate statuses modify a validation file within the lottery authority's central site system associated with respective validation codes so that the one or more additional second lottery tickets cannot be subsequently registered or individually redeemed.

7. The method as in claim 5 , wherein the registration and designation of the one or more additional second lottery tickets in the redemption chain occurs at different times.

8. The method as in claim 1 , where the lottery game enabled by the first lottery ticket in the redemption chain requires matching a set of player indicia provided on the first lottery ticket with a field of indicia provided on the first lottery ticket, wherein the prize associated with the first lottery ticket is a function of the number of matches, and wherein the field of indicia from any of the one or more additional second lottery tickets being combined with the field of indicia from the first lottery ticket to increase the chance for additional matches.

9. The method as in claim 1 , wherein once the first lottery ticket is registered as the start of the redemption chain, at least one second lottery ticket must be registered and designated as part of the redemption chain, via the computing system, before the first lottery ticket can be redeemed by the consumer, even if the at least one second lottery ticket does not enhance the prize of the first lottery ticket.

10. The method as in claim 9 , wherein the consumer enters a validation code of the first lottery ticket at an Internet website of the computing system to designate the first lottery ticket as starting the redemption chain, and enters the validation codes from one or more second lottery tickets at the Internet site to designate those second lottery tickets as part of the same redemption chain.

11. The method as in claim 10 , wherein the option to enter the one or more second lottery tickets in the redemption chain at the Internet website terminates when an entered second lottery ticket does not enhance the enhanced prize associated with the redemption chain.

12. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the lottery game enabled by the first lottery ticket is an instant-win game.

Assignments (13)