EP1220174A1

EP1220174A1 - Gaming apparatus

Info

Publication number: EP1220174A1
Application number: EP00311461A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Robin Thomas Mannings
Original assignee: British Telecommunications PLC
Current assignee: British Telecommunications PLC
Priority date: 2000-12-20
Filing date: 2000-12-20
Publication date: 2002-07-03

Abstract

A mobile telephone having a "one-time pad" pseudo-random number generator 11 is used to participate in an electronic lottery. When the user wishes to participate, he activates the telephone which transmits a signal 33 to the lottery organiser, which has a corresponding "one-time pad" memory 21. The lottery organiser debits the user's account 26 by the value of the stake. The telephone 10 then displays a series of blanks (32), and the user selects which blanks to "reveal" (34). The symbols revealed (35) are generated in accordance with data extracted (31) from the one-time pad 11. The result is transmitted (36) to the lottery organiser which determines whether the entry is successful (38) credits the user's account 26 by the value of his winnings, if any (43).

Description

This invention relates to gaming apparatus for lotteries and the like.
Production and distribution of lottery tickets, and the processing of claims are a major logistical overhead for a lottery organiser. For the user, the lottery process requires a visit to a vendor of lottery tickets. Tickets can be damaged, making them invalid, lost, or stolen. If he has a winning ticket the user has to submit his claim for processing. Used tickets must also be disposed of. Many lottery tickets include a backing of cardboard or other rigid stock material, with printed indicia thereupon, and an opaque coating over some or all of the indicia. The coatings are often of metallised plastic or the like, to prevent reading the obscured indicia without removal of the coating. This makes them difficult to use as feedstock in paper recycling plants.
The present invention provides a means for allowing users to participate in a lottery at any time, without access to any vending source, and without the need for cash, with the possibility of instant payment of any prize money due, and with no disposal problems, using only equipment that the player would normally carry on his person anyway, namely a mobile communications devices or "cellular telephone" of the kind that is now becoming ubiquitous.
According to the invention there is provided a telecommunications device having display means, storage means to store a set of pseudo-random data, data access means to cause a subset of the pseudo random data to be displayed on the display means, and communication means to exchange access request data with a control centre to cause a subset of the pseudo-random data set to be accessed.
Preferably, there is provided processing means to compare the displayed data with a predetermined win data set, and transmit a claim message to the control centre if the displayed data and win data correspond.
Preferably, there is provided display means to display one or more data display fields, the data access meansbeing under the control of a user such that the accessed subset of data is displayed in the data fields.
In a preferred arrangement, the telecommunications device is associated with a control centre having account management means to debit a user account in response to receipt of the access request data, and to credit a user account in response to receipt of a claim message. In a preferred arrangement the control centre has storage means for storing the same set of pseudo-random data as the telecommunications device, processor meansfor accessing the data in reponse to receipt of the access control data, processing means for comparing the data with a predetermined win data set corresponding to the win data set stored by the telecommunications device, the processing means controlling the account management means to credit the user account in response to a claim message only in the event that the processing means identifies a correspondence between the displayed data and win data. This arrangement allows false claims to be identified.
The invention also provides a method of processing data to control the crediting of funds to an account comprising the steps of
storing pseudo-random data in a user device and in a control centre,
causing a subset of the data to be displayed on the user device, and
transmitting access request data from the user device to the control centre, thereby causing the same subset of the pseudo-random data set to be accessed.
The pseudo-random data may be stored as a so-called "one-time pad", that is a very large dataset, each element of which can be accessed on demand but is deleted from memory once it has been accessed, thereby preventing re-use. Such data stores have previously been proposed for use in SIMs for other purposes, in particular for encryption. Both the user device and the control centre have such a store. The data set may be stored as simple data, or as an algorithm, in either case being unique to the individual user terminal. Preferably it is programmed into the user's SIM (subscriber identity module) or other user identification device when it is first issued. The other copy may be held by the telecommunications operator or by another party operating the lottery service. Alternatively, the pseudo-random data may be downloaded to the user terminal on request.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings, in which
Figure 1 illustrates schematically a telecommunications device according to the invention, with a first display 101 on a screen 10;
Figure 2 illustrates schematically a control centre according to the invention:
Figure 3 illustrates the process by which the embodiment operates.
Figure 4 a second display 102 on the screen 10 of Figure 1.
Figure 1 shows a telecommunications device 1, which may be a standard mobile communications device having a display screen 10, a first memory 11 in which is stored a "one-time pad" of pseudo-random data, a second memory 12 storing a predetermined win data set (this is not used in all embodiments of the invention, and may be omitted in such embodiments), a data entry means 13 (shown here as a touch-sensitive screen for activation by a stylus - however other means such as a keypad may be used), and communication means 14 (comprising a transceiver, antenna etc) to exchange text or other messages with the control centre 2 shown in Figure 2. There is also processing means 15 associated with the memories 11, 12 and communication means 14, and under the control of the data entry means 13.
Figure 2 shows a control centre 2 having a first and second memory 21, 22 storing the same data as the corresponding memories 11, 12 in the telecommunications device 1, processor means 25 for accessing and processing the data, communications means 24 for communication with the user device 1 of Figure 1 and an account management means 26 to debit a user account in response to receipt of the access request data, and to credit a user account in response to receipt of a claim message. The data in memory 21 are an exact copy of the user's one-time pad 11. Each user 1 has a different one-time pad 11, and a corresponding memory 21 in the control centre. However, the winning codes are the same for each user terminal 1, so only one winning code store 22 is required in the control centre 2. A third copy of the one-time pad data may be stored in an independent memory 29.
In use the process operates as will now be described with reference to Figure 3. It will be understood that all data transmitted between the user terminal 1 and the control centre 2 pass by way of their respective communication means 14, 24, which are omitted from Figure 3 for simplicity. It will be assumed that a pseudo-random "one-time pad" has previously been loaded into the memory 11 of a user device 1. The one-time pad has 1 Megabyte (1MB) of randomly generated digits cached. The one time pad data can be programmed into a new subscriber's SIM (subscriber identity module) when he first subscribes to the operator's network, or it may be downloaded later. Payment may either be made at the time of downloading or when the "scratchcard" display is accessed, as will be described (step 46 below).
When the user wishes to use the service, he enters an instruction using the data entry device 13 (step 30). This causes the processing means 15 to retrieve data from the "one-time pad" memory 11 (step 31) and generate a display 101 on the screen 10, (step 32) showing an array of images emulating the appearance of an unused scratchcard, as shown in Figure 1. The processor 15 also causes a signal to be transmitted by the communication means 14 to the control centre 2, causing the account management means 26 to debit the user's account by the amount of the stake (step 33).
The user now uses the data entry device 13 to select images from the displayed array 101 (step 34), thereby causing the display 10 to change to a second image array 102 (step 35) as shown in Figure 4, emulating the appearance of a scratchcard with selected images revealed. The user may be required to select fewer than the total number of images present on the display 101, for example to select three from five. Once a predetermined number of the images have been selected and revealed, the processing means 15 transmits a signal to the control centre 2 (step 36) indicating which images have been selected. The processor 25 now accesses the one time pad 21 (step 41) and the win data 22 (step 47), and compares the win data 22 with the images selected, as identified by the one-time pad 21 and the signals transmitted from the mobile unit 1, to determine whether the images selected by the user constitute a winning entry (step 48). A response may also be transmitted to the user terminal 1 (step 49) to confirm the result.
Alternatively, if the win data is also stored in the user terminal 1 (store 12), that terminal's processor 15 may retrieve that data (step 37), and perform a corresponding comparison (step 38). In either case, a display is generated (step 49), indicating whether the user has submitted a winning entry. The processor 25 also causes the account management means 26 to credit the user's account if appropriate (step 43), either automatically or in reposnse to an input from the user to register his claim (step 40).
For security, a third copy of the one-time pad data may be stored in a memory 29, under the control of an independent third party such as a regulatory body, updated by the processor 25 when the user accesses the service (step 46). This copy may be accessed in the event of a dispute.

Claims

A telecommunications device having display means, storage means to store a set of pseudo-random data, data access meansto cause a subset of the pseudo random data to be displayed on the display means, and communication means to exchange access request data with a control centre to cause a subset of the pseudo-random data set to be accessed.
A device according to claim 1, having processing means to compare the displayed data with a predetermined win data set, and to transmit a claim message to the control centre if the displayed data and win data correspond.
A device according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the display means is arranged to display one or more data display fields, the data access meansbeing under the control of a user such that the accessed subset of data is displayed in the data fields.
A device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, in association with a control centre, the control centre having account management means to debit a user account in response to receipt of the access request data, and to credit a user account in response to receipt of a claim message.
A combination according to claim 4, wherein the control centre has storage means for storing the same set of pseudo-random data as the telecommunications device, processor means for accessing the data in reponse to receipt of the access control data, and for comparing the data with a predetermined win data set corresponding to the win data set stored by the telecommunications device, the processing means controlling the account management means to credit the user account in reposnse to a claim message only in the event that the processing means identifies a correspondence between the displayed data and win data.
A device according to claim 1,2 or 3, or a combination according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the pseudo-random data is stored as an algorithm.
A method of processing data to control the crediting of funds to an account comprising the steps of
storing pseudo-random data in a user device and in a control centre,
causing a subset of the data to be displayed on the user device, and
transmitting access request data from the user device to the control centre, thereby causing the same subset of the pseudo-random data set to be accessed.
A method according to claim 7, wherein processing means in at least the control centre compares the displayed pseudo-random data with a predetermined win data set, and causes a user account to be credited if the data correspond.
A method according to claim 8, wherein the user terminal also compares the displayed pseudo-random data with the predetermined win data set, and transmits a claim message to the control centre if the displayed data and win data correspond.
A method according to claim 7, 8 or 9 wherein the pseudo-random data is stored as an algorithm