Lottery ticket having connected symbol set feature

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12112602-B2
Application number	US-202217658458-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 8, 2022
Priority date	Apr 8, 2022
Publication date	Oct 8, 2024
Grant date	Oct 8, 2024

Abstract

Lottery tickets and lottery gaming systems and methods providing such lottery tickets, wherein the lottery tickets each have a connected symbol set feature including a plurality of connected symbol sets, a plurality of player symbols, and potential awards that can be won based on the connected symbol sets and the player symbols.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A physical lottery ticket comprising:
a base comprising a substrate;
a board on the substrate, the board comprising a plurality of borders that define a plurality of adjacent spaces on the board, the plurality of adjacent spaces arranged in a continuous pattern;
multiple symbol sets printed on the substrate in the plurality of adjacent spaces on the board defined by the borders, wherein a plurality of the symbol sets are different, wherein each of the symbol sets comprises a plurality of symbols comprising one of a shared symbol and an un-shared symbol, and wherein a plurality of pairs of the symbol sets are connected by the shared symbol of that pair of symbol sets;
a plurality of different color-coded indicators on the substrate, each different color-coded indicator indicating the plurality of symbols of a different one of the plurality of the symbol sets for a potential completion award associated with that symbol set, wherein for each shared symbol, two of the different color-coded_indicators indicate that shared symbol as a last symbol of a first symbol set of a pair of the symbol sets connected by that shared symbol and a first symbol of a second symbol set of the pair of the symbol sets connected by that shared symbol;
multiple player symbols printed on the substrate;
a removable covering formed on the substrate and covering the player symbols; and
a paytable printed on the substrate, the paytable indicating a first award associated with a first quantity of the symbol sets that are completed based on the player symbols, and the paytable indicating a second award associated with a second quantity of the connected symbol sets that are completed based on the player symbols, wherein the symbol sets, the color-coded indicators, the player symbols, and the paytable co-act to determine a value of the physical lottery ticket.

2. The physical lottery ticket of claim 1 , wherein the symbol sets are words comprising letters, and the player symbols comprise letters.

3. The physical lottery ticket of claim 1 , wherein each of the symbol sets comprises a shared symbol and an unshared symbol.

4. The physical lottery ticket of claim 1 , wherein each of a plurality of the symbol sets comprises two shared symbols and an unshared symbol.

5. The physical lottery ticket of claim 4 , wherein for each of a plurality of the symbol sets, the two shared symbols of that symbol set are the first and last symbols of that symbol set.

6. The physical lottery ticket of claim 1 , wherein the continuous pattern is a spiral pattern.

7. The physical lottery ticket of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of adjacent spaces comprise a first space, a plurality of intermediate spaces, and a last space, wherein the first space is adjacent to only one of the plurality of intermediate spaces, the last space is adjacent to only one of the plurality of intermediate spaces, and each of the plurality of intermediate spaces is adjacent to only two other spaces.

8. The physical lottery ticket of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of different color-coded indicators indicate, for each of the symbol sets, a beginning boundary and an end boundary of that symbol set, wherein one of the beginning boundary and the end boundary of that symbol set overlaps the other of the beginning boundary and the end boundary of an adjacent symbol set.

9. The physical lottery ticket of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of different color-coded indicators indicates, for a corresponding symbol set of the symbol sets, a beginning boundary and an end boundary of that symbol set, wherein for each shared symbol, the end boundary of the first symbol set of the pair of the symbol sets connected by that shared symbol overlaps the beginning boundary of the second symbol set of the pair of the symbol sets connected by that shared symbol.

10. A physical lottery ticket comprising:
a base comprising a substrate;
a board on the substrate, the board comprising a plurality of borders that define a plurality of adjacent spaces on the board, the plurality of adjacent spaces arranged in a continuous pattern;
multiple words printed on the substrate in the plurality of adjacent spaces on the board defined by the borders, wherein each of the words are different, wherein each of the words comprises a plurality of letters comprising at least one shared letter and at least one un-shared letter, wherein each of a plurality of the words comprises two shared letters, and wherein each adjacent pair of the words are connected by the shared letter of that adjacent pair of words, and wherein the shared letter of that adjacent pair of words is a last letter of a first word of the adjacent pair and a first letter of a second word of the adjacent pair;
a plurality of different shading indicators on the substrate, each different shading indicator indicating the plurality of letters of a different one of the words for a potential completion award associated with that word, wherein for each shared letter, two of the different shading indicators indicate that shared letter, an end boundary of the first word of the adjacent pair connected by that shared letter, and a beginning boundary of the second word of the adjacent pair connected by that shared letter;
multiple player letters printed on the substrate;
a removable covering formed on the substrate and covering the player letters; and
a paytable printed on the substrate, the paytable indicating a first award associated with a first quantity of the words that are completed based on the player letters, and the paytable indicating a second award associated with a second quantity of the connected words that are completed based on the player letters, wherein the words, the player letters, and the paytable co-act to determine a value of the physical lottery ticket.

11. The physical lottery ticket of claim 10 , wherein the continuous pattern is a spiral pattern.

12.
A lottery gaming system comprising:
a processor; and
a memory device that stores a plurality of instructions, that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to cause a physical lottery ticket to be created, the physical lottery ticket comprising:
a base comprising a substrate;
a board on the substrate, the board comprising a plurality of borders that define a plurality of adjacent spaces on the board, the plurality of adjacent spaces arranged in a continuous pattern;
multiple symbol sets printed on the substrate in the plurality of adjacent spaces, wherein a plurality of the symbol sets are different, wherein each of the symbol sets comprises a plurality of symbols comprising a shared symbol and an un-shared symbol, and wherein a plurality of pairs of the symbol sets are each connected by the shared symbol of that pair of symbol sets;
a plurality of different color-coded indicators on the substrate, each different color-coded indicator indicating the plurality of symbols of a different one of the plurality of the symbol sets for a potential completion award associated with that symbol set, wherein for each shared symbol, two of the different color-coded indicators indicate that shared symbol as a last symbol of a first symbol set of a pair of the symbol sets connected by that shared symbol and a first letter of a second symbol set of the pair of the symbol sets connected by that shared symbol;
multiple player symbols printed on the substrate;
a removable covering formed on the substrate and covering the player symbols; and
a paytable printed on the substrate, the paytable indicating a first award associated with a first quantity of the symbol sets that are completed based on the player symbols, and the paytable indicating

Assignees

• Igt Global Solutions Corp

Inventors

• Morin Amy
• Schmidt Patricia
• Levesque Derek
• Shang Xianfeng
• Carpenter Sandra

Classifications

• G07F17/3211

  Display means · CPC title

• G07F17/329 Primary

  Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards · CPC title