GB2095567A - Lottery ticket - Google Patents

Abstract

A lottery ticket has initially concealed portions 4, 6, 15 indicating that the user is to remove such numbered squares on a concealed grid below. Other embodiments are disclosed including that of Fig. 4 in which a user chooses one of the concealed boxes 20,22 which when rubbed, reveals an instruction as to what operation to perform on the concealed grid below. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Lottery ticket This invention relates to tickets for use in lotteries, gaming and amusement, all hereinafter referred to in the interests of simplicity as lottery tickets".

There are many types of lottery tickets in use today, and a highly popular type of lottery ticket is the "instant" lottery ticket. The ticket is so-called because the user, once he has purchased the ticket, can play, instantly, the game on which the lottery is based, and he can be aware instantly whether or not he has won a prize. This type of ticket is distinguished from the more traditional "draw" iotteries, in which a participant purchases a ticket which he retains until such times as a draw is made from a large number of tickets, or until an event such as a football match takes place and depending upon the result of the draw or event, then the purchaser knows whether or not he has won a prize.

The present invention is concerned with the instant type of lottery ticket, and seeks to provide a game which will it is believed provide considerable interest and amusement and in the preferred embodiments an element of gambling, on the part of the participant.

There are two constructions of instant lottery tickets in use to a large extent, and these respectively are the break-open type and the rub-off or scratch off type. In the break-open ticket, the user must tear or otherwise destroy the integrity of the ticket in order to reveal certain concealed information relating to the lottery, whilst in the rub or scratch type, the user removes an opaque mask material from the ticket which reveals information previously hidden by the mask, the said mask being irreversibly removed to reveal the information.

In each case, the ticket integrity is destroyed by revealing the information, so that the ticket cannot be re-used.

The present invention is applicable to either construction of instant ticket, and the novelty of the invention is based on the type of game which is played using the ticket.

In accordance with the invention, a lottery ticket has first game information instructing the user to select a particular section or section of second game information which is concealed by means the displacement of which destroys the integrity of the ticket.

In accordance with a preferred form of the present invention, a lottery ticket has first game information concealed and second game information concealed, the lottery ticket being of the instant type in that the user can reveal the first and second game information by destroying the integrity of the ticket, and the ticket is arranged so that in the play of same, the user reveals the first game information, and then reveals the second game information which provides instruction as to the second game information to be revealed, or the relevant parts thereof, and a prize is won depending upon the second game information revealed.

In a particularly suitable adaptation, the first game information comprises three or four numbers from one to sixteen which are concealed by rub-off material and the second game information may comprise sixteen concealed items of information respectively numbered one to sixteen, the arrangement being that the items of the second information corresponding to the numbers of the first information revealed are revealed and depending upon the second game information revealed, then a prize is won or not.

An an alternative to the said first and second game information being concealed by means of irreversibly removable mask material, they may be concealed by tear back flaps forming parts of the ticket, and which in use are torn back to reveal the game information.

It is preferred that the said removable mask material be used, because then the items of the first and second game information can be revealed individually more easily, making the play using the ticket more interesting.

The ticket may comprise a base sheet structure, comprising a layer of cardboard coated with a metallic foil, the first and second game information being printed on the foil, and said information being covered, in known fashion, by the removable mask material.

Several embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a face view of a lottery ticket according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 shows the lottery ticket of Fig. 1 after revealing the first game information thereof; Figure 3 shows the lottery ticket of Fig. 1 after revealing the first and second game information; Figures 4 and 5 respectively show two further embodiments of the tickets according to the invention, prior to the application of the mask material for the purposes of explaining the use of the tickets; and Figure 6 shows a ticket according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3 of the drawings, the ticket shown comprises essentially a layer of cardboard to which is applied a metallic foil or other laminated base sheet materials affording similar security. This construction has been found to be satisfactory, enhancing the security of the ticket, as it is difficult to shine a light through the base sheet material. On the foil are printed first and second information, respectively comprising three numbers which are printed in the areas 10, and sixteen fruit machine symbols respectively printed in the area marked 1 to 1 6 and designated by reference numeral 1 2. The said first and second game information items are covered by a removable mask material as shown in the drawings by stippling, and the material can be removed in individual portions covering the respective symbols.

The ticket may include general display material, and also the rules of play of the game, for example or on the other side of the ticket.

To play the game, the user removes the mask material covering the first game infor mation, so that three numbers are displayed as shown in Fig. 2. When the numbers are displayed the user then reveals the symbols concealed by the corresponding covers in the region 1 2 and, to win a prize, the three symbols of the second information revealed must be in a particular (winning) combination.

Fig. 3 shows the ticket after use. It will be seen that the three members of the first information are 4, 6 and 15, and the symbols revealed in the area 12 by removing the areas 4, 6 and 1 5 are cherries, a plum and a melon, which is not a winning combination.

It will be appreciated that the invention can be manifested in different forms, and it is not necessary to use fruit machine symbols as illustrated in the embodiment. Nor is it necessary to have three pieces of information in the first game information for example, instead of three area 10, there could be four or more, but the user would have the choice of only three, the game being played otherwise as indicated above.

Referring now to Fig. 4, this drawing shows another embodiment of the invention, and the operation of the ticket is in principle the same as that described in relation to Figs. 1 to 3. In this case, the first information comprises instruction concealed between two areas 20 and 22, and it will be seen that the information in area 20 is the instruction "scratch off any two lines below", whilst the second area indicates "scratch off any one line below".

These items of information are covered by mask material, and the user will be instructed to scratch one area or the other for his instruction for the utilisation of the ticket.

The second information comprises rows of, in this case football teams marked A, B, C, D, E and F, and each row has six squares each with a football team name therein. Certain of these squares have either one or two stars, whilst the fifth area in row D has a representation of football. The utilisation of the game is extremely simple, in that after the user has revealed an instruction in area 20 or 22, he follows that instruction by either scratching away the mask material covering any two of the lines A to F or any one line A to F.

Depending upon what he reveals by scratching away the mask material covering the line or lines revealed, so he will be able to claim a prize. In the example illustrated, the prizes are based on the stars revealed, or whether or not the football representation such as appears in the fifth space of row D is revealed. By an additional feature, row C has a "rub another line free" square, the impart of which is selfexplanatory. It is arranged that this square should not be on the same line as a football representation.

It is not important that the names of the football teams be used as clearly this material is only included as a theme rather than a principle of the invention. Football teams could be replaced by rugby teams or any suitable information depending upon the customer.

As regards the arrangement shown in Fig.

5, this is very similar to that shown in Fig. 4, in that the ticket has a first area 24 which in this instance contains the instructions scratch any one line across, but this information could be varied in another ticket which may say scratch any four lines across. The lines are marked A to F and constitute the second information, and this case they extend horizontally across the ticket. In the illustrated example, the objective is to scratch the covering material of a line which has a particular combination of playing cards, and the prizes are indicated in Fig. 5, may be related to hands of poker, the higher the hand, the higher the prize.

In the modification of the invention shown in the embodiment of Fig. 6, the ticket is provided with lines of second game information A, B, C, each being three fruit symbols in the example illustrated, and the user of the ticket picks any one or several of said lines, in accordance with the first game information of the ticket (which is not concealed), and reveals the information concealed by said line or lines for example by abrading away an opaque covering coat as described herein to determine whether or not he has won a prize.

The first information may specify "scratch any line" or "any two lines" and the choice of the line or lines is left to the player, provided he plays within the rules of the game. That is to say if the play of the game involves revealing only one line, then only one line must be revealed.

The lines of information may be somewhat similar to those lines of information illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5.

Therefore, considering for example, Fig. 4, in line C there is the instruction "rub another line free" and if in the use of the ticket the user can rub only one line, but reveals an instruction such as indicated above, he is permitted to tub another line in an effort to procure a prize or a higher prize in the lottery.

Rules may provide that the ticket is void if more than three squares are scratched or if the three squares scratched are not all in the same line. Rules may provide that certain combinations of information revealed will yield higher prizes, in much the same manner as the prize structure in a conventional fruit machine.

The tickets described will be embodied in sets of tickets, some of which will be losers, and others of which will be winners, and still others of which will be possible winners or losers, depending upon the selection made by the participant, selecting the information to be revealed from the first information selection.

The invention is also applicable to lottery tickets which are of the break-open type rather than the rub or scratch type, or in fact the ticket can be arranged to have a combination of both types of instant game, i.e. break-open and rub or scratch principle.

Claims (6)

1. A lottery ticket having first game information instructing the user to select a particular section or sections of second game information which is concealed by means the displacement of which destroys the integrity of the ticket.

2. A lottery ticket comprising first game information concealed, and second game information concealed, the lottery ticket being of the instant type in that the user can reveal the first and second game information by destroying the integrity of the ticket, and the ticket is arranged so that in the play of same, the user reveals the first game information, and then reveals the second game information which provides instruction as to the second game information to be revealed, or the relevant parts thereof, and a prize is won depending upon the second game information revealed.

3. A ticket according to claim 2, wherein the first game information comprises three or four numbers from one to sixteen which are concealed by rub-off material and the second game information may comprise sixteen concealed items of information respectively numbered one to sixteen, the arrangement being that the items of the second information corresponding to the numbers of the first information revealed are revealed and depending upon the second game information revealed, then a prize is won or not.

4. A ticket according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the concealed game information is concealed by means of irreversibly removable mask material.

5. A ticket according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sealed information is concealed by means of tear-back flaps or windows.

6. A lottery ticket substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to Figs. 1 to 3, Fig. 4 or Fig. 5 or Fig. 6 of the accompanying drawings.