Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07C—TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE
  • G07C15/00—Generating random numbers; Lottery apparatus
  • G07C15/006—Generating random numbers; Lottery apparatus electronically

Definitions

• the invention concerns a system for participation in lotteries operated at a distance by data processing systems using a telecommunications network.
• Electronic or other systems are already in use by means of which a player's result can be known and games of great interest be played.
• a winning number is drawn by the player, this being considered stimulating and more reliable than other lotteries in which a winner is drawn some time later with no chance of control by participants.
• To participate in these activities a card must be purchased at an authorized selling point; availability is thus limited to certain hours and certain selling points. To collect a prize the winner must hand in the coupon where it was first purchased from the organizers.
• Subject of the invention is an electronic-telephone-telematic system for taking part in lotteries:
• the system comprises a computer situated at a centre for operating the scheme, a telephone interface card, a vocal card, a memory store and a software program for running the lottery.
• This program controls the flow of data between computer, telephone, memory store and vocal card, reads the vocal card's signals and takes from the store appropriate digital information which is then transformed from the vocal card into data acceptable by the telephone network.
• the computer compares the distinguishing number assigned to that call with the established number and informs the caller whether it is a prize-winning number or not.
• the distinguishing number of the phone call is generally its progressive number or equivalent.
• the number decided by the computer can be obtained in various ways.
• the random function can be corrected by assigning differing importance to different solutions so that the likelihood of the number assigned coinciding with the number obtained by a random process is greater for the class of smaller prizes.
• the number of figures that compose the series of digits assigned to the participant, and the numerical interval within which the random solution identified the numbers to be drawn, can be varied according to the quantity of prizes available so that, from the start, it becomes possible to know what chances there are of winning for every presumed or estimated set of participants.
• the number fixed by the computer can be the one appearing at the end of a certain sequence of events.
• the sequence of events can be one that corresponds to the number of phone calls received. Or else it can be one corresponding to certain time intervals between phone calls received starting from a fixed date and time.
• the number decided by the computer can be one corresponding to certain properties of the number itself. These properties can consist of the formation of the number by one or more digits all the same. Other equivalent systems can of course be used to give automatic announcement of the winner.
• the call can be made by phone or through telematic networks, Internet and equivalent means.
• the player makes a call by calling a number belonging to the lines of services supplied against payment by the telephone company through a network created especially by the network's administration.
• the cost of the call is decided by that administration; it may be equivalent to, or less than, the cost of a single call unit and a method of payment be arranged whereby part of the cost is paid by the administration.
• the memory store has two sets of files, one for storing basic vocal messages such as phrases for arrival or departure, others requesting replies by the caller and checking the answer, messages giving information, sound effects or music, and the other set containing data supplied by the computer as the game proceeds.
• the vocal card has two roles: one that converts signals from the caller into orders the computer can recognise, and the other that converts information in the memory store into digital signals which are then retransmitted through the telephone lines to the caller in the form of vocal messages.
• a guiding voice in the vocal card asks the participant for personal data, explains how the game works, tells the participant to wait for a reply and especially to hold the line for a comparison beween the number assigned and the number obtained by the random process.
• the administration can arrange a different series of prizes of different values and give each one a telephone code so that by associating a certain code to the phone call the participant can compete for one series or another.
• the lottery consists of a series of events some of which are static and some decisional, the static events being those in which the caller's role is a passive one while the computer decides the result.
• the decisional events are those in which the caller's role is active, so that whenever a decision must be made the computer sends the caller a message with a finite number of possible choices, namely, whether the game is to be continued or not by repeating the stakes and therefore prolonging the call, or whether by changing code he can compete for another series of prizes with a greater of lesser likelihood of winning, or any other choices the administration may suggest.
• the function that processes choice information has two possible configurations: one consists in assigning a single possibility to each choice and the other in utilizing the choice for starting a procedure which, according to that choice and by processing associated data, selection is made among a set of further choices thus giving the procedure other functions such as keeping an account of the caller's accumulated winnings during the game, an account of the series chosen, and so on.
• the number of digits forming the number assigned to the participant and the numerical interval within which the random solution identifies the numbers to be drawn can be varied according to the quantity of prizes that make up the total available, so as to know in advance what possibilities exist of winning by each presumed or estimated set of participants.
• An acoustic signal can with advantage be laid on to advise the caller if the attempt has met with failure or success.
• the invention offers evident advantages.
• the game is played for that purpose only and with the aim of winning without any obligation to make purchases or use services in order to play.
• the user pays his fee on the phone bill and payment is therefore deferred compared with the time of playing.
• Fig. 1 Operative diagram with an electronic interface card.
• Fig. 2 Diagram of the interface.
• Fig. 3 Diagram of the software flow for a participant.
• the invented system comprises a computer 12 in which the software for organizing the game has been installed.
• the electronic interface card 15 is connected to the telephone network by wiring 1 and the entry circuit 2 that electrically isolates the telephone line from the electronic logic of the interface card.
• An 8-bit analog/digital converter 3 converts analog-type vocal signals, coming in from the telephone line, to 8-bit digital signals that are then compressed by a vocal compresser 4.
• the vocal message is sent to the output circuit 6 of the interface 15 through a bus 5 that passes it on to the computer aong the parallel cable 7.
• a decoder 8 receives the tones from the telephone line through entry circuit 2 of the interface 15, decodes them into 8-bit binary signals and sends them to the computer through the bus 5, output circuit 6 and parallel cable 7. Through the parallel cable 7 the phonic message in binary code is received from the computer and sent to the expander 9 through the bus 5.
• the expander restores the compressed data, received from the computer, to standard size and passes them on to a digital/analog converter 10 for digital-to-analog conversion of the signal.
• the circuit 2 sends out the message on the telephone line.
• the microprocessor 11 serves for operating the series of devices described above and for discussion with the computer.
• a player calls the system by its telephone number. This number activates interface 15 and the computer 12 which puts questions to the player, stores the answers given in the mass memory store 17, forms the progressive or, in any case, the specific number for the player and informs the player of this number.
• the computer than casually generates any number and compares it with the number previously assigned to the caller. If the two numbers - the assigned number and that obtained with the random process - coincide, the caller has won a prize and is immediately informed by the computer.
• the computer can be programmed to consider a caller as having won if the distinguishing number is the same as other numbers of comparison.
• numbers of comparison may be, for example, all the progressive numbers formed of more than two equal digits, such as 555, 777, 444. Numbers of comparison may be considered those found at the end of a certain sequence of numbers, for example telephone call No. 100, namely, the one at the end of a series of 100 calls, or call No. 200, or No. 300 and so on.
• numbers of comparison can be considered those at the end of a time interval, namely, the call made after a period of 25 minutes starting from midnight on the first day of play and therefore at the end of each further period of 25 minutes or at the end of other time intervals, such as 30 minutes, 50 minutes and so forth.
• 29 Tell the player what number has been allocated. 30 Transfer data previously stored in the temporary store, plus the allocated number, to the permanent mass memory store.

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Telephonic Communication Services (AREA)
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging Apparatus (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

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• 1996
  • 1996-02-21 IT IT96MI000327A patent/ITMI960327A1/it unknown
  • 1996-03-21 EP EP96907649A patent/EP0883865A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1996-03-21 WO PCT/IT1996/000056 patent/WO1997031339A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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