GB2316910A

GB2316910A - Combined lottery ticket and telephone card

Info

Publication number: GB2316910A
Application number: GB9618751A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Galdi
Original assignee: TRANSFER TECHNOLOGIES
Current assignee: TRANSFER TECHNOLOGIES
Priority date: 1996-09-09
Filing date: 1996-09-09
Publication date: 1998-03-11
Also published as: GB9618751D0

Abstract

The combination may take the form of a two-part card having a lottery ticket portion 4 and a telephone card portion 6 separable by means of a line 8. The card portion has a space 10 for a PIN code for using the card with touch-tone telephones. Alternatively the card may be in positioned in a single area or be in the form of a smart card.

Description

A COMBINED LOTTERY TICKET AND TELEPHONE CARD This invention relates to an entirely new product which is a combination of a lottery ticket and a telephone card.

Telephone cards for use in making telephone calls are well known. The telephone cards are fast becoming an essential item of pockets, wallets and purses of a wide variety of persons such for example as business travellers, university students away from home, and housewives. Currently, the main distributors of the telephone cards are national and international telephone companies. However, a growing number of telephone service suppliers are beginning to enter the market and these telephone service suppliers want their telephone cards to be bought by the general public in preference to the telephone cards of the well known national and international companies. It will thus be apparent that the sale of telephone cards is a very competitive industry and companies selling telephone cards are always looking for a new way in which to promote their telephone cards and increase sales.

It is an aim of the present invention to provide a product which provides a way of vastly increasing the sales of telephone cards.

Accordingly, in one non-limiting embodiment of the present invention there is provided a product which is a combined lottery ticket and a telephone card.

Countries which have lotteries sell lottery tickets in their millions. In marketing terms, the sales of lottery tickets are vast. By linking a telephone card to a lottery ticket, the present invention has opened up vast possibilities for selling large numbers of increased telephone cards. Even if only a small percentage of current purchasers of standard lottery tickets purchased a product of the present invention, then the sales of telephone cards would very substantially be increased.

Preferably, the product of the present invention is such that it is able to be dispensed from an online terminal of the type that dispenses known lottery tickets. Thus retailer locations such for example as newsagents and petrol stations that currently dispense known lottery tickets can also dispense the product of the present invention, for example from the same online terminal that dispenses the known lottery tickets.

Preferably, the product of the present invention is one in which the telephone card is for use with a touch tone telephone.

The product may comprise a first portion in the form of the lottery ticket, and a second portion in the form of the telephone card.

The first portion may be separated from the second portion by a separation marking. The separation marking may be a simple line or it may be a line of weakness formed by perforations. If a person with the product should have a winning lottery ticket, then the first portion in the form of a lottery ticket can be torn from the second portion in the form of a telephone card and the first portion presented for lottery prize payment in for example, any one of the known ways for presenting known winning lottery tickets for payment. The separation of the first portion from the second portion can be effected by tearing, cutting or any other suitable and appropriate method.

The product may be made from any suitable and appropriate material including paper and card. lthe product may be made from the same material that is used for known lottery tickets. The precise type of material chosen will depend upon the type of on-line terminal that dispenses the product.

The product may be one in which the lottery ticket bears extra information asking if a telephone card is also required, and if so, the value of the telephone card.

The telephone card may comprise a pre-paid value.

The pre-paid value may be of the same type as on existing known telephone cards. Thus, the pre-paid value may be a monetary value or a time period value.

If desired, the pre-paid value may be some other value.

The telephone card may include an identity number.

The identity number can be the same as identity numbers currently used on telephone cards. During use of the telephone card, the identity number becomes a personal identity number.

The presence of the identity number on the telephone card enables the card to be used such that a user has to enter the identity number into a telephone system as a first step, thereby enabling a telephone service supplier who has sold the product of the invention to identify and control the use of the telephone card. For example, a user may first be required to call a toll-free number and in order to make the call, the user must first enter the identity number that will be on the telephone card. The identity number can be entered into the appropriate telephone system simply by pressing or touching appropriate telephone touch-tone pads or keys. The initial entry of the identity number opens an account for that particular telephone card. The user is then able to telephone a required number. Upon a connection being made to the number called, the telephone system is able automatically to deduct the appropriate value from the telephone card and stored in the account opened for that card. Each telephone card may be used until its pre-paid value has expired.

On the expiry of the pre-paid value, the telephone card will normally be discarded. If desired however, the telephone card could be such that it is able to be replenished with another pre-paid value via a bank credit card or some other similar device.

The product of the present invention may be such that a reverse face of the product bears information apertaining to the use of the lottery ticket part of the product, and also information apertaining to the use of the telephone card part of the product.

An embodiment or the invention will now be described solely by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a product of the invention; Figure 2 shows in more detail the lower half of the product shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a system for dispensing products as shown in Figure 1; and Figure 4 is a perspective view of an on-line terminal forming part of the system shown in Figure 3.

Referring to Figure 1, there is shown a product 2 which is a combined lottery ticket and a telephone card. More specifically, the product 2 comprises a first portion 4 in the form of the lottery ticket, and a second portion 6 in the form of a telephone card.

The first portion 4 is separated from the second portion 6 by a separation marking in the form of a line 8. If the first portion 4 should prove to be a winning lottery ticket, then the first portion 4 can be separated from the second portion 6 and presented for payment in any suitable and appropriate manner.

The second portion 6 has a space 10 for receiving an identity number. During use of the second portion 6 of the telephone card, the identity number in the space 10 becomes a personal identity number.

Referring now to Figure 2, there is shown a second portion 6 with an identity number entered into the space 10. The second portion 6 bears the information shown in Figure 2.

Referring now to Figure 3, there is shown a system 12 for dispensing the product 2. The system 12 comprises a central processing unit 14 which is connected to a plurality of on-line terminals 16. The on-line terminals 16 will normally be located at retail outlets for example, newsagents, garages or public houses. The connection of the on-line terminals 16 to the central processing unit 14 can be via telephone lines or satelites as may be required.

A company wishing to sell the products 2 could insert into the central processing unit 14 an appropriate number of identity numbers, for example one million identity numbers. The central processing unit 14 is then able to distribute randomly the identity numbers to the on-line terminals 16 at the retailer locations.

Anyone wishing to purchase a lottery ticket then does so in the normal manner by presenting the retailer with the chosen numbers or other marks or symbols. The lottery ticket is then issued in a manner which is substantially the same as currently employed for issuing known lottery tickets, except that the product 2 of the present invention also has the second portion 6 which is in the form of the telephone card. The telephone card can then be used with any touch-tone telephone in the manner of known telephone cards for use with touch-tone telephones.

Figure 4 shows in detail an on-line terminal 16.

The on-line terminal 16 has a liquid crystal operator display panel 18 and an entry slot 20 for scanning a lottery coupon and generating a lottery ticket as a receipt. The on-line terminal 16 has a thermal printer 22 which is separately formed from a housing 24 containing the panel 18 and the entry slot 20.

The thermal printer 22 generates a lottery ticket 26 which is automatically cut off by a cutter (not shown).

Figure 4 also shows a users coupon 28 being inserted into the housing 24. Also forming part of the on-line terminal 16 are control light emitting diodes 30 and a keyboard 32 The on-line terminal 16 may also include a magnetic card and bar code reader 34, a smart card reader 36 reading a smart card 38, and a smart card security key reader 40.

The keyboard 32 may contain a random or quick pick key 42, a special function key 44, a transmit key 46, and a key 48 totalling a purchase made by a user.

It is to be appreciated that the embodiment of the invention described above with reference to the accompanying drawings has been given by way of example only and that modifications may be effected. Thus, for example, the product of the invention could be such that the lottery ticket and the telephone card are combined in some way other than having a first portion 4 and a second portion 6. The necessary information to form the lottery ticket and the telephone card could be positioned all in one area.

With appropriate machinery, the telephone card could be in the nature of a smart card for inserting into a telephone machine and for use with push key telephones, rather than for use with touch-tone telephones.

Claims

1. A combined lottery ticket and a telephone card.

2. A product according to claim 1 and which is such that it is able to be dispensed from an on-line terminal of the type that dispenses known lottery tickets.

3. A product according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the telephone card is for use with a touch tone telephone.

4. A product according to any one of the preceding claims and which comprises a first portion in the form of the lottery ticket, and a second portion in the form of the telephone card.

5. A product according to claim 4 in which the first portion is separated from the second portion by a separation marking.

6. A product according to any one of the preceding claims in which the lottery ticket bears extra information asking if a telephone card is also required, and if so, the value of the telephone card.

7. A product substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.