GB2331467A

GB2331467A - Validation of lottery entries

Info

Publication number: GB2331467A
Application number: GB9825708A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Junichi Kobayashi
Original assignee: KO PACK INTERNATIONAL
Current assignee: KO PACK INTERNATIONAL
Priority date: 1997-11-25
Filing date: 1998-11-25
Publication date: 1999-05-26
Also published as: GB9825708D0; GB2331467A9

Abstract

A lottery system comprises a large plurality of entry tickets in the form of labels which have lottery indicia at an inside location, primary validation means which can be accessed by the player to make a query as to whether transmitted lottery indicia are winning indicia and which replies to the player, and secondary validation means which after remote confirmation that the transmitted indicia are winning indicia are used to transmit proof of said winning indicia to an identified validation station. The first transmission means can be by telephone and the second by mail so that the indicia can be printed on a label which can be adhered to a postcard or the like. The system can be used in an incentive scheme.

Description

2331467 1 LABEL OR THE LIKE FOR LOTTERY PURCHASE INCENTIVE SCHEME This

invention relates to a method of making a product label or the like incorporating a lottery purchase incentive scheme, together with a corresponding label. The invention also applies to products similar in format to labels, to the extent that they incorporate product or service identification marks or the like for use in product or service marketing activities.

Lottery schemes for providing product purchase incentives are used as a basis for encouraging the purchasing public generally, or a sector thereof, to accept such as an additional positive motivation or incentive encouraging purchase of the product or service. Such schemes requ,ire the use of appropriate lottery indicia whereby selected ones of the product, or of service literature, can be identified and thereby provide a means for awarding to the corresponding owner or purchaser an appropriate lottery prize. Such systems require the provision of means for the inhibition of idle or deliberately mischievous or downright dishonest interference with such indicia prior to purchase of the product or service. They also require a method for identification and validation of winning indicia.

This latter question of identification and validation of winning indicia has led to severe procedural complications in the past. Schemes in which the user or purchaser is required to return to the manufacturer or to a validation station an item of paperwork carrying the indicia in order that the indicia can be checked against the data relating to the chosen winning combination of indicia can lead to 2 immense logistical problems arising from the sheer volume of paperwork involved.

Therefore, some means is needed for reducing these logistical problems so that product and service providers can use the purchase incentive effect of a lottery scheme to promote their products and services, and yet not necessarily become involved in the management of a relatively infinite number of returned paper slips or the like from hopeful participants in the lottery.

A further factor is the desirability that such a lottery scheme should operate to provide access to a supply of customer address and other data enabling follow-up mailshots and the like to customers of products and/or services who otherwise would be inaccessible to follow-up campaigns in respect of a product or service development.

An object of the present invention is to provide a product or service label or the like incorporating a lottery purchase incentive scheme offering improvements in relation to the validation of lottery indicia and/or improvements in relation to confirmation of the validity of an indicated winning lottery indicia and/or improvements generally in relation to the provision of lottery purchase incentive schemes in relation to products and services.

According to the present invention there is provided a method of making a product or service label or the like together with a corresponding label or the like as such, as defined in the accompanying claims.

In an embodiment of the invention there is provided a lottery purchase incentive scheme based upon a product or service label or the like. The label or the like is printed and assembled in the format of a booklet or ot her openable label which is 3 adapted to be adhered or otherwise secured to a product or service (literature) to be labelled.

In the embodiment, the booklet label or the like is variably printed with data relating to the lottery incentive scheme, including lottery indicia which permits selected ones or combinations of such indica to be awarded lottery prizes.

In the embodiment, the lottery indicia are printed at an inside location on the booklet labels whereby only a purchaser of a labelled product or labelled service literature can have access to the indicia to enable validation of same.

The product or service labels have lottery indicia validation means comprising primary and secondary validation means. The primary validation means comprises electronic communication means permitting each product user or purchaser to make a remote validation enquiry to a validation station on the basis of the lottery indicia applicable to the specific product or service which has been purchased.

In the embodiment, the electronic communication means comprises the provision of telephonic communication indicia whereby the user or purchaser can communicate with a remote lottery indicia validation station to obtain confirmation or otherwise of the winning status of the lottery indicia on the product or service purchased. It will be understood that at the time of making such a validation enquiry, the user or purchaser can be requested to provide (prior to being provided with a negative or positive response to the validation enquiry) their own name and address data for entry into the corporate database for the purpose of future product commercial updates.

Likewise in the embodiment, the secondary validation communication means is provided which permits the product user or purchaser who has obtained 4 remote confirmation that his or her lottery indicia is or are a winning indicia, to make a remote validation confirmation communication in which proof is transmitted concerning said winning indicia to an identified validation station. Thus, for example, the secondary communication means may be in the form of an adhesive address label or a postcard on which the lottery indicia have been variably printed. This can be sent to the validation station in confirmation of the winning status of the indicia which has already been obtained by telephone.

As a result of the use in the product or service incentive scheme of the combination of remote telephonic primary communication to enable the is majority of lottery participants to ascertain their non-winning status, coupled with the facility for remote postal confirmatory validation of the relatively small number of winning indicia, the result is achieved that the logistics of handling the paperwork associated with a single lottery draw are reduced to extremely minor and easily handled proportions. Only validation slips relating to actual winning indicia are likely to be received. Moreover, by providing for a relatively large number of telephonic response persons to receive and respond to the lottery prize enquiries at the time of launch of the product or service, there can be obtained an immense number of user address details without any significant difficulty, due to the users' or purchasers' willingness to divulge such data in the circumstance that the enquiry for it is made prior to the provision of a response to the validation of the lottery indicia of the person in question.

Likewise in the embodiment, the use of a booklet or other openable/closeable label structure permits the lottery indicia to be printed internally so that they are maintained secret and inaccessible and protected until a purchaser or user deliberately opens the label structure in a manner which will likely be tamper-evident.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig 1 shows a flow diagram relating to the method of production in accordance with the invention; and Fig 2 shows a perspective view of a label or other product in accordance with the invention, the product being shown in an opened condition for access to the lottery indicia information within it.

In the embodiment, there is provided a method of making a product label or the like which incorporates a lottery purchase incentive scheme.

As a f irst step in the method, a product or service (literature) are provided to be labelled and for incorporation into the lottery scheme. The label or the like is provided by printing and assembling a booklet or other openable label, in a format whereby it is adapted to adhere or be otherwise secured to a product to be labelled, or indeed to service literature.

As part of the method of making the product or service label or the like, there is provided the step of variably printing the booklet label with data relating to the lottery incentive scheme, including lottery indicia. These lottery indicia permit selected ones or a combination of the indicia to be awarded lottery prizes.

The variable printing step is carried out by software-controlled printing apparatus capable of printing at an interior location on the booklet label either by exterior impact printing, or indeed by interior pre-label assembly steps. In this way, only 6 a purchaser of a labelled product can have access to the indicia. The labels or the like are applied to the product or indeed to the service literature on an automated basis by merger of label-carrying webs with a correspondingly-timed supply of the product or service literature.

For the purpose of validation of the lottery indicia, there is provided validation means in or on the product or service label or the like whereby a user can relatively rapidly ascertain his or her winning or otherwise status in relation to the lottery indicia. This is achieved by means of primary and secondary communication means whereby the user communicates with a lottery validation station to enable the winning or otherwise status of his or her indicia to be ascertained, and in the former case enabling confirmation of the winning status to be transmitted to the lottery station.

For this purpose, the primary validation means comprises electronic communication means which in this embodiment is provided in the form of telephone indicia permitting a user to communicate with the lottery station accordingly.

In accordance with the rules of the lottery, the user/purchaser makes a telephone call to the lottery validation station and discloses the lottery indicia applied to his or her product.

In the case where the lottery validation station indicates that a winning indicia has been identified, then the user/purchaser is invited to confirm such status by means of the associated secondary communication means which in the embodiment comprises an address postcard or address label which likewise has been variably printed with the (in this case) winning lottery indicia. All the user has to do is to mail this confirmatory documentation to the 7 validation station, while retaining duplicate lottery indicia, which are provided within the label structure, to enable the winner's winning status to be documentarily confirmed for the subsequent award of the lottery prize.

It will be understood that numerous modifications can be made within the above embodiment while remaining within the scope of the invention as defined within the accompanying claims. Such modifications include the use of a wide variety of label structures, incorporating openable means within which the lottery indicia can be initially hidden. Other modifications include the provision of alternative communication means for validation of the winning or otherwise lottery indicia.

Referring now to the illustration of the embodiments with reference to Fig 1 of the drawings, there is shown at A the web fed within the product printing and assembling press leading to a web print stage at B. As shown at C, web printing includes a variable printing stage whereby internal lottery indicia are inserted within the structure of the label or other product which is then assembled at E so as to provide tamper-evident sealing of the indicia. The assembly includes the adhesive-coated surface mentioned above whereby the product may be optionally adhered to a primary product in order to fulfil its labelling function, whereupon the primary product is sold and the user opens the labelling product as at G.

Thereupon, the prima ry electronic communication means is utilised by the user as a validation means at H by contact with the validation station at J. This is a two-way flow of information which in appropriate cases includes validation of winning lottery indicia. In those circumstances the user then makes use of the secondary communication/validation means at K to send 8 z hard-copy confirmation of the winning indicia, whereupon the validation station (or other authorised body) issues the lottery prize at L and sends same to the user at M.

Fig 2 shows the label or other product in one embodimental format. In this embodiment, the product is in the form of a label 10 comprising a base sheet 12 carrying adhesive on its lower surface whereby the label can be adhered to a primary product (not shown).

Mounted in superimposed relationship to the base sheet 12 is a cover sheet 14 which is initially retained in proper superimposed relationship by means of a frangible connection line 16 which may, for example, be in the form of a perforation line provided between a tab end 18 of cover sheet 14 and the main body thereof.

Thus, label 10 provides an openable structure offering tamper-evident protection of data within the label construction and lottery indicia 20 are variably printed within the label construction accordingly. The indicia may be printed on a detachable or peelable portion of the label, together with a duplicate confirmation portion whereby the user can readily provide verifiable evidence of an indicia providing an identified winning combination.

While the product has been identified as a label in the above embodiment and has accordingly been provided with the requisite features or facility for adhesion to a primary product, it will be understood that the invention is perfectly equally applicable to products which are not strictly labels as such and which carry merely commercial or other data on the exposed or exposable surfaces.

9

Claims

CLAIMS:-

1 A method of making a product label or the like incorporating a lottery purchase incentive scheme, the method comprising:

a) printing and assembling a booklet or other openable label or the like, said booklet or other label being adapted to adhere or to be secured to a product to be labelled; b) variably printing said booklet or other label with data relating to said lottery incentive scheme including lottery indicia permitting selected ones or combinations of indica to be awarded lottery prices; c) said lottery indicia being printed at an inside location on said booklet label whereby only a purchaser of a labelled product may have access to said lottery indicia; d) said method including providing validation lottery indicia means comprising a primary validation electronic communication means permitting each product user/purchaser to make a remote validation enquiry to a validation station on the basis of the lottery indicia applicable to the specific product purchased; and e) said method including providing lottery indicia validation means comprising a secondary validation communication means permitting a product user/purchaser who has obtained remote confirmation that said lottery indicia communicated by said electronic means is a winning indicia, to make a remote validation confirmation communication transmitting proof of said winning indicia to an identified validation station.

2 A method according to claim 1 caracterised by O said primary communication means comprising telephone indicia.

3 A method according to claim 1 or claim 2 characterised by said secondary communication means comprising postal address data provided on peelable/removable address or postcard means.

4 A method of making a product label or the like incorporating a lottery purchase incentive scheme substantially as described herein.

1

5 A product label or the like incorporating a lottery purchase incentive scheme, said label or the like comprising:

a) a printed and assembled booklet or other openable label structure, adapted to adhere or to be secured to a product to be labelled; b) said booklet or other label being variably printed with data relating to said lottery incentive scheme including lottery indicia permitting selected ones or a combination of said indicia to be awarded lottery prizes; c) said lottery indicia being printed at an inside location on said booklet or other label whereby only a purchaser of a labelled product may have access to said indicia; d) said label or the like including lottery indicia validation means comprising a primary validation electronic communication means permitting each product user or purchaser to make a remote validation enquiry to a validation station on the basis of the lottery indicia applicable to the specific product purchased; and e) said label or the like also including lottery indicia validation neans comprising a secondary validation communication means permitting a product user or purchaser who has obtained remote confirmation that said lottery indicia communicated by said electronic means is a winning indicia, to make a remote validation confirmation communication transmitting proof of said winning indicia to an identified validation station.

6 A label or the like according to claim 5 characterised by said primary communication means comprising telephone indicia.

A label or the like according to claim 5 or claim 6 characterised by said secondary communication means comprising postal address data provided on peelable/removable address or postcard means.

8 A label or the like incorporating a lottery purchase incentive scheme substantially as described herein.