Method and device for data input

1. A method of inputting data, comprising:

marking with a writing instrument a printed media to indicate selected user input values, the printed media including thereon

a plurality of predefined machine-readable codes, and

a plurality of human-readable indicia each indicating a respective user-selectable input value and associated with a respective one of the plurality of predefined machine-readable codes, the marking defacing a first subset of the machine-readable codes, the first subset of the machine-readable codes associated with the selected user input values;

reading a second subset of the plurality of predefined machine-readable codes from the printed media that have not been defaced by the marking; and

writing as the selected user input values the user-selectable input values associated with the first subset of the machine-readable codes.

2. The method of inputting data of claim 1 , further comprising:

attempting to read the machine-readable codes from the printed media;

when attempting to read the machine-readable codes from the printed media, failing to read the predefined machine-readable codes in the first subset of the machine-readable codes associated with the selected user input values.

3. The method of inputting data of claim 1 , wherein

writing as selected user input values includes printing the selected user input values on a lottery ticket.

4. The method of inputting data of claim 1 , wherein

writing as selected user input values includes saving the selected user input values in a lottery ticket sales log.

5. The method of inputting data of claim 1 , wherein

writing as selected user input values includes transmitting the selected user input values to a lottery database server.

6. The method of inputting data of claim 5 , comprising:

determining the predetermined expected quantity of user input values as a function of a machine-readable control code on the printed media.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:

scanning the printed media with a bar code reader.

8. The method inputting data of claim 1 , wherein

the printed media is a lottery pick slip.

9. The method of inputting data of claim 8 further comprising:

determining the predetermined expected quantity of user input values as a function of a machine-readable control code on the printed media.

10. The method of inputting data of claim 1 , wherein

a first human-readable indicia of the plurality of human-readable indicia is associated with a first predefined machine-readable code of the plurality of machine-readable codes by being placed adjacent to the first machine-readable code on the printed media.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

producing an indication that further scanning of the printed media is required if a quantity of distinct machine-readable codes that has been read from the printed media is less than the difference between a predetermined expected quantity of selected user input values and a total quantity of user-selectable input values.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

producing an error indication if a quantity of distinct machine-readable codes that has been read from the printed media is greater than the difference between a predetermined expected quantity of selected user input values and a total quantity of user-selectable input values.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

re-scanning the printed media with the bar code reader, wherein the written selected user input values are only user input values whose associated machine-readable codes have not been read in both the scanning and the re-scanning.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

producing an error indication if a machine-readable check code has not been read.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein

the machine-readable check code is not associated with a human-readable indicia.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

updating an entry in an input record data structure to indicate that a first machine-readable code associated with a first user-selectable input value has been read.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein

the plurality of predefined machine-readable codes are bar codes.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the writing instrument is one of a pen or pencil.

19. A method of generating a lottery ticket, comprising:

receiving a pick slip including a first bar code defaced by marking with a writing instrument, a first human-readable indicia representing a first user-selectable lottery number and associated with the first bar code, and a first marking area containing at least a portion of the first bar code;

scanning the play slip with a bar code scanner;

failing to read the first bar code in the scanning; and

printing a lottery ticket containing the first user-selectable lottery number.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:

if a second bar code associated with a second human-readable indicia representing a second user-selectable lottery number is read from the play-slip when the play-slip is scanned, printing a lottery ticket not containing the second user-selectable lottery number.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the writing instrument is a pen or pencil.

22. The method of claim 19 , wherein

the pick slip includes a second bar code which is unmarked, a second human readable indicia representing a second user-selectable lottery number and associated with the second bar code, and a second marking area containing at least a portion of the second bar code,

and wherein the method further comprises

reading the second bar code in the scanning;

and wherein the lottery ticket does not contain the second user-selectable lottery number.

23. A method of generating a lottery ticket, comprising:

receiving a pick slip including a plurality of bar codes, a first subset of the plurality of bar codes having been defaced by marking with a writing instrument, a second subset of the plurality of bar codes being unmarked, a plurality of human-readable indicia each associated with a respective one of the plurality of bar codes and each representing a respective user-selectable lottery number, and a plurality of player marking areas each associated with a respective one of the plurality of bar codes;

scanning the play slip with a bar code reader without reading the first subset of the plurality of bar codes; and

printing a lottery ticket containing a subset of the plurality of user-selectable lottery numbers, each user-selectable lottery number in the subset of the plurality of user-selectable lottery numbers being associated with a bar code in the first subset of the plurality of bar codes that has not been read when the play slip was scanned.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein

the lottery ticket contains no user-selectable lottery numbers whose associated bar codes were read when the play slip was scanned.

25. The method of claim 23 , wherein

the marking areas are located so that when a player marks one of the marking areas the respectively associated bar code will be rendered unscannable.

26. The method of claim 23 , wherein the writing instrument is a pen or pencil.

27. The method of claim 23 , wherein the scanning fails to read any of the bar codes in the first subset of the plurality of bar codes.

28. The method of claim 27 , wherein the scanning reads all the bar codes in the second subset of the plurality of bar codes.

29. An article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions adapted to be executed by a processor, the instructions which, when executed, define a series of steps to be used to control a method for inputting data, said steps comprising:

marking with a writing instrument a printed media to indicate selected user input values, the printed media including thereon

a plurality of predefined machine-readable codes, and

a plurality of human-readable indicia each indicating a respective user-selectable input value and associated with a respective one of the plurality of predefined machine-readable codes, the marking defacing a first subset of the machine-readable codes, the first subset of the machine-readable codes associated with the selected user input values;

reading a second subset of the plurality of predefined machine-readable codes from the printed media that have not been defaced by the marking; and

writing as the selected user input values the user-selectable input values associated with the first subset of the machine-readable codes.

30. A data input device, comprising:

a scanner;

a processor in communication with the scanner;

a set of predetermined input values each associated with a machine readable code configured to be marked with a writing instrument by a user to reflect a user selection of a respective one of the set of predetermined input values, the set of predetermined input values accessible to the processor; and

an output device in communication with the processor, the output device configured to communicate a user selected value when an input media is scanned with the scanner and a machine-readable code associated with the user selected value in the set of predetermined input values is not read by the scanner because said machine-readable code associated with the user selected value has been defaced with a writing instrument by the user to indicate a user selection.

31. The data input device of claim 30 , further comprising,

a set of game identifiers, each game identifiers associating a type of game with a quantity of machine-readable codes associated with a quantity of predetermined input values that are expected to be read from the input media.

32. The data input device of claim 30 , wherein:

the output device is a computer-readable medium.

33. The data input device of claim 30 , wherein

the output device is a network connection to a central server.

34. The data input device of claim 30 , wherein

the output device is a printer.

35. The data input device of claim 30 , wherein

the input media is a lottery pick slip and the output device is configured to print a lottery ticket containing the user-selected value as a lottery number.

36. An article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions adapted to be executed by a processor, the instructions which, when executed, define a series of steps to be used to control a method of generating a lottery ticket, said steps comprising:

receiving a pick slip including a first bar code defaced by marking with a writing instrument, a first human-readable indicia representing a first user-selectable lottery number and associated with the first bar code, and a first marking area containing at least a portion of the first bar code;

scanning the play slip with a bar code scanner;

failing to read the first bar code in the scanning; and

printing a lottery ticket containing the first user-selectable lottery number.

37. The article of claim 27 , wherein the method further comprises:

if a second bar code associated with a second human-readable indicia representing a second user-selectable lottery number is read from the play-slip when the play-slip is scanned, printing a lottery ticket not containing the second user-selectable lottery number.

38. An article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions adapted to be executed by a processor, the instructions which, when executed, define a series of steps to be used to control a method of generating a lottery ticket, said steps comprising:

receiving a pick slip including a plurality of bar codes, a first subset of the plurality of bar codes having been defaced by marking with a writing instrument, a second subset of the plurality of bar codes being unmarked, a plurality of human-readable indicia each associated with a respective one of the plurality of bar codes and each representing a respective user-selectable lottery number, and a plurality of player marking areas each associated with a respective one of the plurality of bar codes;

scanning the play slip with a bar code reader without reading the first subset of the plurality of bar codes; and

printing a lottery ticket containing a subset of the plurality of user-selectable lottery numbers, each user-selectable lottery number in the subset of the plurality of user-selectable lottery numbers being associated with a bar code in the first subset of the plurality of bar codes that has not been read when the play slip was scanned.

39. The article of claim 38 , wherein:

the lottery ticket contains no user-selectable lottery numbers whose associated bar codes were read when the play slip was scanned.