DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Procedural Summary
This is responsive to the claims filed 12/03/2024.
Claims 1-20 are pending.
The Examiner acknowledges the preliminary amendment filed on 02/25/2025 in which amendments were submitted.
Applicant’s IDS submission is acknowledged and provided herewith.
The Drawings filed on 12/03/2024 are noted.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites “ticket imager provider” versus “ticket image provider”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for “the ticket image provider” in the claim. Similarly Claim 17 contains the same issue/defect. Dependent Claims 2-16, and 18 inherit this discrepancy by nature of their dependencies. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 7 recites “The scratch-off instant lottery ticket auto-reveal system of Claim 1, the barcode scanner is operable to scan the ticket…” omitting “wherein” transitional word. Appropriate correction is required.
Claims 17 and 19 each recite “a first housing” and then recites “a plurality of ticket drawers in the housing” and “one or more ticket bursters in the housing.” There is insufficient antecedent basis for “the housing”. Similarly, Claims 18 and 20 also recite the same issue/defect.
Claim 20 recites “variable symbols on the substrate.” There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 1 recites “a revealed instant lottery ticket.” Claims 15 and 16 recite “the revealed ticket.” It is unclear whether “the revealed ticket” refers to the previously recited revealed instant lottery ticket or to some other ticket. Appropriate correction is required.
AIA Notice
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-5, 7-9, and 11-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Application Publication 2023/0036542 A1 to Patel in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication 2024/0021054 A1 to Topalian et al., and further in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication 2017/0236371 A1 to Froelich et al. and U.S. Patent 5,222,624 to Burr.
Regarding Claim 1, Patel discloses a scratch-off instant lottery ticket auto-reveal system comprising:
a lottery ticket holder and dispenser (¶¶ [0029]-[0030] discloses the ticket dispensing machine 190 includes a plurality of lottery tickets 192 (e.g., loaded with rolls 192 of tickets or loaded individually depending on the form factor of the tickets). There may be one or more ticket dispensing machines 190 in a single processing system 102. The dispensing machine 190 is configured to receive a dispense command from the controller 110 and output a ticket specified by the dispense command) that comprises:
a ticket barcode associated with a ticket identifier that uniquely identifies that instant lottery ticket (¶¶ [0036], [0073] discloses the scanner 118 is located proximate to an area in which dispensed tickets 196 are provided, and configured to scan identifying information on dispensed tickets 196. For example, identifying information for a ticket may include a unique code such as a lot number or serial number that identifies the ticket. Such a code may or may not be hidden behind the opaque substance. The scanner 118 is configured to transmit the identifying information (either the scan of the identifying information, or the identifying information itself) to the controller 110 … As the ticket advances, a scanner 118 scans the identification code (operation 306) of the ticket),
a barcode scanner operable to scan the ticket barcode printed on the purchased instant lottery ticket to obtain the ticket identifier for the purchased instant lottery ticket (¶¶ [0036], [0073] discloses the scanner 118 is located proximate to an area in which dispensed tickets 196 are provided, and configured to scan identifying information on dispensed tickets 196. For example, identifying information for a ticket may include a unique code such as a lot number or serial number that identifies the ticket. Such a code may or may not be hidden behind the opaque substance. The scanner 118 is configured to transmit the identifying information (either the scan of the identifying information, or the identifying information itself) to the controller 110 … As the ticket advances, a scanner 118 scans the identification code (operation 306) of the ticket);
a ticket activator operable to provide the ticket identifier of the purchased instant lottery ticket to the lottery central system …. (¶¶ [0039], [0058] discloses the ticket redemption terminal 120 may send a scanned identification number (e.g., a serial number) of a dispensed ticket 196 to the controller 110, so that the controller 110 may link the ticket associated with the scanned identification number to a user account … and the application server 108 is also configured to assign or link dispensed tickets 196 (based on or associated with received scan data, such as ticket serial numbers) to user accounts 106);
a ticket revealer comprising an SOC remover operable to remove the SOC covering the validation barcode of the purchased instant lottery ticket to obtain a revealed instant lottery ticket (¶¶ [0047] discloses the scratcher 116 is a mechanical device that is configured to manipulate a scratching tool (e.g., a needle, scratching tool, or other hard object) to scratch the opaque substance off of the scratching area of the ticket… [0032]… one or more areas may contain concealed information which can be revealed by scratching off an opaque substance (e.g., a silkscreen latex panel that bonds with the ticket body), or removing an adhesive... [0015] yielding a revealed ticket – “upon completion of scratching, the barcode scanner scans the unique code that is revealed. In some implementations, the unique code is on the back side of the ticket”;
a ticket imager provider operable to capture image data for the revealed instant lottery ticket with the SOC removed from the validation barcode, the ticket image provider operable to provide the image data to the lottery central system (¶¶ [0034] discloses video camera(s) 112 may be located at multiple locations within the ticket processing system 102, providing multiple live angles. For example, a second camera 112 may include the top of a dispensed ticket 196 in its field of view,…. As such, users of the lottery system 100 may remotely view … (ii) the top of a dispensed ticket 196 in order to view a scratching area; [0043], [0081] discloses each ticket processing transaction (e.g., operations 302-318 at the processing system 102) may be video logged and stored (e.g., at the controller 110 and/or the application server 108) for later recall and authentication verification; see also Patel Claim 10); and
a ticket validator operable to provide the validation identifier of the revealed instant lottery ticket to the lottery central system (¶¶ [0037] discloses the scanner 118 is further configured to scan information (e.g., numbers, letters, symbols, markings, and so forth) that is hidden behind the opaque substance and revealed upon the ticket being scratched … [0040], [0077] discloses the ticket redemption terminal 120 may send scanned data associated with the game play of the ticket (e.g., a code revealed from under the opaque substance) to the ticket validation server 122 for validation by the ticket agency 124).
Patel, however, does not explicitly disclose:
a housing,
a plurality of ticket drawers in the housing, each of the plurality of ticket drawers configured to hold a pack of instant lottery tickets, each of the instant lottery tickets
a validation barcode associated with a validation identifier for that instant lottery ticket, and
a scratch-off coating (“SOC”) covering the validation barcode,
one or more ticket bursters in the housing, each ticket burster operable to receive a purchased instant lottery ticket from one of the plurality of ticket drawers and dispense that purchased instant lottery ticket,
wherein the lottery ticket holder and dispenser is operable to:
track dispenser ticket supply data for instant lottery tickets loaded into the plurality of ticket drawers based on the ticket identifiers for the loaded instant lottery tickets, and
provide the dispenser ticket supply data to a lottery central system;
a ticket activator operable to …. to enable activation of the purchased instant lottery ticket by the lottery central system.
In a related invention, Topalian discloses:
a housing (¶¶ [0022]-[0023] discloses the instant lottery ticket vending machine 100 may be referred to herein as the ticket vending machine for brevity. The ticket vending machine 100 includes: (a) a machine housing 110; … the machine housing 110 includes a top wall 120, spaced-apart side walls 130 and 140, a rear wall 150, a base 160, and openable front door), and
a plurality of ticket drawers in the housing, each of the plurality of ticket drawers configured to hold a pack of instant lottery tickets, each of the instant lottery tickets … and one or more ticket bursters in the housing, each ticket burster operable to receive a purchased instant lottery ticket from one of the plurality of ticket drawers and dispense that purchased instant lottery ticket (¶¶ [0021]-[0022], [0024] discloses a ticket pack holder 200 positioned in and supported by the machine housing 110 … The ticket pack holder 200 includes a series of ticket pack drawers 210 (not individually labeled) that are arranged in a plurality of rows. Each of the ticket pack drawers 210 is configured to hold one or more packs of instant lottery tickets for subsequent dispensing by the ticket vending machine 100. The ticket pack drawers 210 can vary in quantity, size, and shape depending upon the particular size of the ticket vending machine 100 and the quantity, size, and shapes of the instant lottery tickets that the ticket vending machine 100 can or will dispense. … each of the ticket pack drawers 210 is configured to feed each instant lottery ticket held by that ticket pack drawer 210 into the ticket burster 600 when the ticket burster 600 is moved into alignment with such ticket pack drawer 210 for receipt, code reading, bursting, and dispensing of that instant lottery ticket).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to supply Patel’s ticket processing system from Topalian multi-drawer, burster type vending machine system as Patel discloses that it’s processing components “may be disposed within the dispensing machine 190,” or that “the dispensing machine 190 may be a machine that is modified to accept dispense commands from the controller 110” with the remaining components located outside of and in proximity to the dispensing machine 190” in order to process tickets. (See Patel ¶¶ [0031]). Substituting Topalian’s cabinet for Patel’s dispenser system is therefore simple substitution of one known ticket-supply arrangement for another to obtain the predictable result of offering many different games from a single cabinet.
The combination of Patel and Topalian, does not expressly disclose:
a validation barcode associated with a validation identifier for that instant lottery ticket, and a scratch-off coating (“SOC”) covering the validation barcode, … and
a ticket activator operable to …. to enable activation of the purchased instant lottery ticket by the lottery central system.
In a related invention, Froelich discloses
a validation barcode associated with a validation identifier for that instant lottery ticket, and a scratch-off coating (“SOC”) covering the validation barcode (¶¶ [0009], [0010], [0011] discloses The authentication code 12 is unique to the particular lottery ticket. The authentication code 12 contains unique identifying information (i.e., authentication data) pertaining to that ticket that, when scanned by a barcode reader and transmitted to the lottery's central gaming system, can be matched up to a corresponding record in the master data set in the database of the central gaming system … The validation code 5 typically is contained within a game play area 3 on the ticket 1, usually on the front surface 2 of the ticket 1. The game play area 3 contains game play information that is concealed under a coating 4 before play of the ticket 1. Typically, the coating 4 is formed of latex or other suitable material that is scratched off by the player to reveal the game play area 3 after the player has purchased the ticket. This game play area 3 contains all of the information required to actually play the lottery game … This validation code 5, typically a barcode, contains coded information identifying the unique identity of the ticket associated with prize information specific to that ticket that is stored within the master data set stored in the central gaming system's computer. The unique identifying information contained within the validation code 5 is used to “validate” a ticket, that is, to check to see if the ticket is a winner or loser. After the latex coating 4 is scratched off this validation code 5, the code 5 is scanned by a scanning machine connected to the central gaming system) … and
a ticket activator operable to …. to enable activation of the purchased instant lottery ticket by the lottery central system (¶¶ [0087] discloses assigning a ticket activation status to the ticket based on the tampering status information and on eligibility data that is stored in the central computer system, associated with the authentication information of that particular ticket being inspected. Then the central computer system generates an activation signal comprising the ticket activation status, and communicates the activation signal to the remote computer system … ¶¶ [0090] discloses The central system will determine whether to activate or void the ticket based on prior sale or validation information, or information indicating fraud that is stored in the central system … if the ticket is eligible for activation and no tampering was detected by the remote system, then the central system will activate the ticket, and send an electronic signal back to the remote system, signaling that the ticket has been activated ... ¶¶ [0117] discloses the database of the central gaming system can be instantaneously updated to reflect activation of scratch-off tickets on a single-ticket basis. The records in the database are thus useful real-time models of the sales status and activation status on a ticket-by-ticket basis).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the per-ticket activation of Froelich with the combined system of Patel/Topalian as Patel discloses scanning one code to identify the ticket and a second, revealed code for validation ([0036]-[0037], thus utilizing a known technique to improve a similar device in the same way. Froelich further discloses the benefits such as detection of pre-sale tampering an theft of unactivated tickets ([0025], [0118]).
The combination of Patel/Topalian and Froelich, however, does not explicitly discloses
wherein the lottery ticket holder and dispenser is operable to:
track dispenser ticket supply data for instant lottery tickets loaded into the plurality of ticket drawers based on the ticket identifiers for the loaded instant lottery tickets, and
provide the dispenser ticket supply data to a lottery central system.
In a related invention, Burr discloses
wherein the lottery ticket holder and dispenser is operable to:
track dispenser ticket supply data for instant lottery tickets loaded into the plurality of ticket drawers based on the ticket identifiers for the loaded instant lottery tickets, and provide the dispenser ticket supply data to a lottery central system (Col. 5:60 – Col. 6:2 discloses an optional bar-code reader 132 which is positioned to read a bar-code printed on the back of each lottery ticket. This reader can read the identification of the ticket's lot number; the identification of each individual ticket; the ticket batch number; the ticket manufacturer; the ticket manufacturing date; and the game represented by the ticket; whether the ticket is a winner; and how much winnings the ticket is worth. This information then can be used for accounting and security purposes … Col. 7:40-62 discloses each vending unit stores in memory the number of tickets loaded/added, the number of tickets to be dispensed, and the number of tickets remaining … Col. 1:17-22, discloses the machine is connected to a central computer through a modem and is adapted to deliver accounting, sales inventory, and related information in the central computer).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate Burr’s identifier based supply tracking and reporting into Patel/Topalian/Froelich system as Topalian discloses its burster reads code on the back side of every ticket that passes through it and reports the data to the machine controller ([0032]), so the ticket identifiers required for supply tracking are already collected; using them to maintain and report drawer inventory is the application of a known technique to a device ready for improvement, yielding the predictable results Burr and Froelich identified – accurate accounting and inventory.
Regarding Claim 2, Patel in view of Topalian, Froelich, and Burr discloses the scratch-off instant lottery ticket auto-reveal system of Claim 1, wherein the image data comprises still image data (Patel, [0034], [0043] discloses camera 112 captures image data of the dispensed ticket and transmit it onward).
Regarding Claim 3, Patel in view of Topalian, Froelich, and Burr discloses the scratch-off instant lottery ticket auto-reveal system of Claim 1, wherein the ticket image provider comprises a still image capture device configured to capture still image data (Patel, [0034], [0043] discloses camera 112 captures image data of the dispensed ticket and transmit it onward). However, Patel does not explicitly disclose a still image capture device. Topalian discloses a still image capture device ([0029], [0032] discloses code reader 630 may be a compact image sensor). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to capture still images because a video stream is a sequence of still frames and selecting a still image device to document the pre and post ticket state for the audit Patel expressly contemplates ([0081]) is a routine choice yielding the predictable benefits of reduced storage.
Regarding Claim 4, Patel in view of Topalian, Froelich, and Burr discloses the scratch-off instant lottery ticket auto-reveal system of Claim 1, wherein:
the image data for the revealed instant lottery ticket with the SOC removed from the validation barcode comprises second image data (Patel, [0010], [0034], [0043], [0073]),
the ticket image provider is operable to capture first image data for the purchased instant lottery ticket with the SOC covering the validation barcode (Patel, [0010], [0034], [0043], [0073]), and
the ticket image provider is operable to provide the first image data to the lottery central system (Patel, [0010], [0034], [0043], [0073]).
Regarding Claim 5, Patel in view of Topalian, Froelich and Burr discloses the scratch-off instant lottery ticket auto-reveal system of Claim 4, wherein the first image data comprises still image data (Patel, [0034], [0043] discloses camera 112 captures image data of the dispensed ticket and transmit it onward).
Regarding Claim 7, Patel in view of Topalian, Froelich, and Burr discloses the scratch-off instant lottery ticket auto-reveal system of Claim 1, the barcode scanner is operable to scan the ticket barcodes of the loaded instant lottery tickets to obtain the ticket identifiers for the loaded instant lottery tickets (Topalian, [0032], [0040] discloses the code reader 630 is configured to emit light waves to read the respective code (such as a barcode) on the back side of each instant lottery ticket as that ticket moves in the ticket movement path 623 and through the top of the code reader scan area 627; Burr, Col. 5:61 – Col. 6:2).
Regarding Claim 8, Patel in view of Topalian, Froelich, and Burr discloses the scratch-off instant lottery ticket auto-reveal system of Claim 1, wherein the barcode scanner is operable to scan the validation barcode printed on the revealed instant lottery ticket to obtain the validation identifier of the revealed instant lottery ticket (Patel, [0077] discloses upon completion of the scratching operation, the scanner 118 scans (operation 318) information that is revealed in the scratching area (referred to as second ticket data). The information may include a unique code, gameplay numbers, or any other data initially hidden underneath the opaque substance before the scratching operation. The scanner 118 transmits the second ticket data (the revealed information) to the ticket redemption terminal 120 for processing by the ticket validation server 122 (or is sent directly to the ticket validation server 122).
Regarding Claim 9, Patel in view of Topalian, Froelich, and Burr discloses the scratch-off instant lottery ticket auto-reveal system of Claim 1, wherein the ticket activator comprises the barcode scanner (Patel, [0036], [0039]).
Regarding Claim 11, Patel in view of Topalian, Froelich, and Burr discloses the scratch-off instant lottery ticket auto-reveal system of Claim 9, wherein:
the barcode scanner comprises a first barcode scanner (Patel, [0036], Topalian, [0029], [0032], Froelich, [0044], Burr, Col. 5:61 – Col. 6:2);
the lottery ticket holder and dispenser comprises a second barcode scanner (Patel, [0036], Topalian, [0029], [0032], Froelich, [0044], Burr, Col. 5:61 – Col. 6:2); and
the second barcode scanner is operable to scan the ticket barcodes of the loaded instant lottery tickets to obtain the ticket identifiers for the loaded instant lottery tickets (Patel, [0036], Topalian, [0029], [0032], Froelich, [0044], Burr, Col. 5:61 – Col. 6:2).
Regarding Claim 12, Patel in view of Topalian, Froelich, and Burr discloses the scratch-off instant lottery ticket auto-reveal system of Claim 9, wherein:
the barcode scanner comprises a first barcode scanner (Patel, [0036], Topalian, [0029], [0032], Froelich, [0044], Burr, Col. 5:61 – Col. 6:2);
the ticket validator comprises a second barcode scanner (Patel, [0036], Topalian, [0029], [0032], Froelich, [0044], Burr, Col. 5:61 – Col. 6:2); and
the second barcode scanner is operable to scan the validation barcode printed on the revealed instant lottery ticket to obtain the validation identifier of the revealed instant lottery ticket (Patel, [0036], Topalian, [0029], [0032], Froelich, [0044], Burr, Col. 5:61 – Col. 6:2).
Regarding Claim 13, Patel in view of Topalian, Froelich, and Burr discloses the scratch-off instant lottery ticket auto-reveal system of Claim 12, wherein:
the lottery ticket holder and dispenser comprises a third barcode scanner (Patel, [0036], Topalian, [0029], [0032], Froelich, [0044], Burr, Col. 5:61 – Col. 6:2); and
the third barcode scanner is operable to scan the ticket barcodes of the loaded instant lottery tickets to obtain the ticket identifiers for the loaded instant lottery tickets (Patel, [0036], Topalian, [0029], [0032], Froelich, [0044], Burr, Col. 5:61 – Col. 6:2).
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Patel in view of Topalian, Froelich, and Burr as applied to claim 1 above.
Regarding Claim 14, Patel discloses the scratch-off instant lottery ticket auto-reveal system of Claim 1,
wherein each ticket burster is operable to separate the purchased instant lottery ticket from the pack of instant lottery tickets and provide the purchased instant lottery ticket to the ticket activator to enable the activation of the purchased instant lottery ticket ([0053] discloses The ticket cutter 132 (also referred to as a cutting device or cutting mechanism) is a mechanical device including a cutting element configured to separate dispensed tickets 196 from tickets in the stream 194 that have not yet been dispensed or otherwise processed. The ticket cutter 132 receives a cut command from the controller 110 after the ticket 196 has been processed (e.g., after the ticket has been signed, scratched, and scanned).
Patel, however does not disclose wherein each ticket burster:
defines a ticket inlet and a ticket outlet,
is movable to a plurality of different ticket receipt positions, each different ticket receipt position associated with and in alignment with a different one of the plurality of ticket drawers, and
is movable to a ticket dispense position of the lottery ticket holder and dispenser.
In a related invention Topalian discloses wherein each ticket burster:
defines a ticket inlet and a ticket outlet ([0028], [0030], [0033], [0040] steps 5-7),
is movable to a plurality of different ticket receipt positions, each different ticket receipt position associated with and in alignment with a different one of the plurality of ticket drawers ([0028], [0030], [0033], [0040] steps 5-7), and
is movable to a ticket dispense position of the lottery ticket holder and dispenser([0028], [0030], [0033], [0040] steps 5-7).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to supply Patel’s ticket processing system from Topalian multi-drawer, burster type vending machine system as Patel discloses that it’s processing components “may be disposed within the dispensing machine 190,” or that “the dispensing machine 190 may be a machine that is modified to accept dispense commands from the controller 110” with the remaining components located outside of and in proximity to the dispensing machine 190” in order to process tickets. (See Patel ¶¶ [0031]). Substituting Topalian’s cabinet for Patel’s dispenser system is therefore simple substitution of one known ticket-supply arrangement for another to obtain the predictable result of offering many different games from a single cabinet.
Claims 15 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Patel in view of Topalian, Froelich, and Burr as applied to claim 1 above.
Regarding Claim 15, Patel discloses the scratch-off instant lottery ticket auto-reveal system of Claim 1, wherein the ticket validator comprises a ticket ownership labeling device operable to imprint ticket ownership information onto the revealed ticket ([0039], [0045]-[0046], [0058]).
However, it does not explicitly discloses wherein the ticket ownership information comprises a player identifier that identifies a purchaser account associated with the revealed instant lottery ticket.
Burr discloses wherein the ticket ownership information comprises a player identifier that identifies a purchaser account associated with the revealed instant lottery ticket (Col. 5:53-60 discloses an optional bar-code reader 132 which is positioned to read a bar-code printed on the back of each lottery ticket. This reader can read the identification of the ticket's lot number; the identification of each individual ticket; the ticket batch number; the ticket manufacturer; the ticket manufacturing date; and the game represented by the ticket; whether the ticket is a winner; and how much winnings the ticket is worth).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to imprint the purchaser-account identifier because the account association is already maintained by Patel’s application server and printing it on the ticket preserves chain of ownership for audit purposes.
Regarding Claim 16, Patel discloses the scratch-off instant lottery ticket auto-reveal system of Claim 1, wherein the ticket validator is operable to:
receive an award tier identifier associated with the revealed ticket from the lottery central system ([0078]-[0079] discloses upon receiving the second ticket data, the ticket agency (by way of the validation server 122) determines ticket status data corresponding to a win status or a loss status of the ticket based on the second ticket data in operation 320. If the ticket is a winning ticket (the ticket status data corresponding to a win status),
assign a secure storage bin identifier to the revealed ticket based on the award tier identifier, and
provide the secure storage bin identifier to a revealed ticket storer ([0054] discloses The ticket sorter 134 may place the winning tickets into a winning ticket pile or receptacle 138 and the losing tickets into a losing ticket pile or receptacle 136, making them available for system auditing and, in some cases, physical proof of winning tickets that may be sent).
Patel does not disclose: assign a secure storage bin identifier to the revealed ticket based on the award tier identifier.
Topalian discloses assign a secure storage bin identifier to the revealed ticket based on the award tier identifier ([0035] discloses the ticket burster 600 can be moved to a dispensing location for each instant lottery ticket dispensed, or for only certain of the lottery tickets dispensed. It should also be appreciated that the ticket burster can moved to a different location for any instant lottery ticket that is deemed to be bad or non-dispensable for any reason, and to deposit that ticket into a suitable rejection area).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to supply Patel’s ticket processing system from Topalian multi-drawer, burster type vending machine system as Patel discloses that it’s processing components “may be disposed within the dispensing machine 190,” or that “the dispensing machine 190 may be a machine that is modified to accept dispense commands from the controller 110” with the remaining components located outside of and in proximity to the dispensing machine 190” in order to process tickets. (See Patel ¶¶ [0031]). Substituting Topalian’s cabinet for Patel’s dispenser system is therefore simple substitution of one known ticket-supply arrangement for another to obtain the predictable result of offering many different games from a single cabinet.
Claims 17 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Patel in view of Topalian, Froelich, and Burr, for the reasons given as to Claims 1 and 4 above.
Regarding Claim 17, it is similarly rejected as Claim 1 but it differs in three separate limitations. It discloses a first housing, … a ticket barcode on a back surface of the instant lottery ticket, …, and a validation barcode on a front surface of the instant lottery ticket. Patel discloses that the concealed code may be on the “back side of the ticket” ([0015]).
In a related invention, Topalian discloses a first housing ([0022]-[0023]), … a ticket barcode on a back surface of the instant lottery ticket, …, and a validation barcode on a front surface of the instant lottery ticket ([0020], [0032] discloses a ticket substrate have a front surface and a back surface; (2) a predefined scratch-off area on the front surface; (3) variable lottery game indicia printed on the predefined scratch-off area; (4) a scratch-off coating (“SOC”) covering the variable lottery game indicia and the predefined scratch-off area; and (5) variable instant lottery ticket information indicia printed on the back surface. The instant lottery ticket information indicia can include text, one or more ticket numbers, one or more ticket codes (such as barcodes). The code reader 630 is configured to emit light waves to read the respective code (such as a barcode) on the back side of each instant lottery ticket as that ticket moves in the ticket movement path 623).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to supply Patel’s ticket processing system from Topalian multi-drawer, burster type vending machine system as Patel discloses that it’s processing components “may be disposed within the dispensing machine 190,” or that “the dispensing machine 190 may be a machine that is modified to accept dispense commands from the controller 110” with the remaining components located outside of and in proximity to the dispensing machine 190” in order to process tickets. (See Patel ¶¶ [0031]). Substituting Topalian’s cabinet for Patel’s dispenser system is therefore simple substitution of one known ticket-supply arrangement for another to obtain the predictable result of offering many different games from a single cabinet.
Regarding Claim 18, it is rejected for the same reasons as Claim 4.
Claims 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Patel in view of Topalian, Froelich, and Burr, as applied to Claim 17 above.
Regarding Claim 19, it is rejected for similar reasons as Claim 1 and 17 above. It, however differs from Claim 17 by reciting the following:
“a combined ticket imager provider and ticket validator operable to capture image data for the revealed instant lottery ticket with the SOC removed from the validation barcode, and to provide the image data to the lottery central system that comprises the validation identifier of the revealed instant lottery ticket.”
Patel discloses both a camera capturing image data of the revealed scratching area [0034] and a scanner reading for revealed code and transmitting it for validation [0037], [0040], [0077]). Patel does not explicitly disclose a single device that performs both functions. Froelich discloses a “combined ticket imager provider and ticket validator operable to capture image data for the revealed instant lottery ticket with the SOC removed from the validation barcode, and to provide the image data to the lottery central system that comprises the validation identifier of the revealed instant lottery ticket” ([0044], [0047] discloses “the barcode reader 33 captures an image of the codes, and for each code image captured, generates an electronic signal based on the image that contains the data embedded in the image, and communicates that signal to a barcode recognition module 54 in the controller 17, which will parse the data in the signal for communication to the central lottery system and/or the retailer's point-of-sale computer system, which may include retail check-out registers.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate Froelich with the system of Patel and combine the imaging and code-reading functions into a single device such that the image data captured of the revealed ticket itself carries the validation identifier, making integral two elements, with the predictable benefits of fewer components.
Regarding Claim 20, Patel in view of Topalian, Froelich, and Burr discloses the scratch-off instant lottery ticket auto-reveal system of Claim 19, wherein the image data for the revealed instant lottery ticket with the SOC removed comprises variable symbols on the substrate (Topalian, [0020], Patel, [0037]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6 and 10 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims, and if the § 112(b) deficiencies as identified above are corrected.
Regarding Claim 6, the prior art of record does not teach, suggest, or disclose, in combination with the remaining limitations of Claims 1 and 4, “… the ticket revealer comprises a ticket movement path and a plurality of ticket engagers; and the plurality of ticket engagers are positioned to: move the purchased instant lottery ticket forward through the ticket movement path to the ticket image provider to enable the capture of the first image data for the purchased instant lottery ticket with the SOC covering the validation barcode, move the purchased instant lottery ticket backward through the ticket movement path to the SOC remover to enable the removal of the SOC covering, and move the revealed instant lottery ticket forward through the ticket movement path to the ticket image provider to enable the capture of the second image data for the revealed instant lottery ticket with the SOC removed from the validation barcode.” Patel moves each ticket in a single downstream direction – imaging and scanning as the ticket advances as disclosed in para. [0073], signing – para. [0075], then scratching – para. [0076], then scanning the revealed data – [0077], then cutting and sorting [0080]- but does not disclose reversal of a ticket.
Regarding Claim 10, the prior art of record does not teach, suggest, or disclose, in combination with the remaining limitations of Claim 1 and 9, “…wherein the ticket activator is operable to: receive a game identifier associated with an order for the purchased instant lottery ticket; employ the barcode scanner to obtain scanned ticket data for the purchased instant lottery ticket, the scanned ticket data comprising a scanned game identifier; compare the received game identifier with the scanned game identifier; and cause the purchased instant lottery ticket to be discarded without activation of the purchased instant lottery ticket if the received game identifier and the scanned game identifier do not match.”
Conclusion
Claims 1-20 are examined above.
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/S.N.H/Examiner, Art Unit 3715
/XUAN M THAI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3715
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