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US 12,118,855 B2Granted
Method and systems for selecting a winner of a competition
OwnerMike McCarthyinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure provides a method for randomly selecting a winner from a group of participants which is verifiably random, removing the requirement of a trusted third party in competitions such as lotteries. Also provided are processing systems and architectures for implementing the method.
Claims18
A computer-implemented method of selecting a winner of a competition by a processor, the method comprising:
- a. electronically receiving, by at least one computer processor, a competition request comprising one or more competition parameters including a start date parameter and a run-time parameter from a user input via a computerized input device;
- b. electronically generating, by at least one computer processor, a verification string by taking the hash of a cryptographic nonce comprising zero or more characters appended to a server seed;
- c. electronically creating, by at least one computer processor, a certificate of validity comprising the verification string;
- d. electronically publishing, by at least one computer processor, the certificate of validity on an online platform viewable by public;
- e. electronically determining, by at least one computer processor, that an amount of time equal to the run-time parameter has elapsed since the start time;
- f. in response to the determination, electronically requesting, by at least one computer processor, user data for one or more competition participants;
- g. electronically assigning, by at least one computer processor, each of the one or more competition participants an integer;
- h. electronically generating, by at least one computer processor, a determination string by taking the hash of a client seed created based on the user data for the one or more competition participants appended to the server seed;
- i. electronically calculating, by at least one computer processor, a determination integer based on the determination string;
- j. electronically selecting, by at least one computer processor, a participant having an assigned integer corresponding to the determination integer as the winner of the competition;
- and
- k. electronically adding, by at least one computer processor, the user data of the winner of the competition to the certificate of validity.
9 more elements
A system, comprising:
- one or more hardware computer processors configured with computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more computer hardware processors to:
- a. receive a competition request comprising one or more competition parameters including a start date parameter and a run-time parameter from a user input;
- b. generate a verification string by taking the hash of a cryptographic nonce comprising zero or more characters appended to a server seed;
- c. create a certificate of validity comprising the verification string;
- d. publish the certificate of validity on a public register an online platform viewable by public;
- e. determine that an amount of time equal to the run-time parameter has elapsed since the start time;
- f. in response to the determination, request user data for one or more competition participants;
- g. assign each of the one or more competition participants an integer;
- h. generate a determination string by taking the hash of a client seed created based on the user data for the one or more competition participants appended to the server seed;
- i. calculate a determination integer based on the determination string;
- j. select a participant having an assigned integer corresponding to the determination integer as the winner of the competition;
- and
- k. add the user data of the winner of the competition to the certificate of validity.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.