Lottery ticket validation system

Abstract

A lottery ticket validation system validates a probability lottery ticket that has predetermined play rules and that includes a plurality of player removable material covering play spots that in turn cover play indicia located in predetermined locations on the ticket. In addition, validation data is printed on the ticket in the form of a bar code. The validation system includes a housing, a controller located in the housing, a document channel configured in the housing, a sensor, a data reader, a transport mechanism, a scanning circuit, a memory, a processor, and a stigmatization circuit. The sensor includes an optical detector located in the housing and operatively connected to the controller. The data reader is operatively connected to the controller and is adapted to read the bar code. The transport mechanism is located in the housing and is operatively connected to the controller. The transport mechanism includes at least one roller, a plurality of ticket sensors, and a motor. The roller is effective to transport the probability lottery ticket through the document channel such that at least a portion of the play spots is substantially aligned with the sensor and such that the bar code is substantially aligned with the data reader. The scanning circuit is operatively connected to the sensor and to the controller and scans at least a portion of the probability lottery ticket for the player removable material covering the play spots and generates a validation signal indicating which, if any, of the player removable material covering the play spots has been removed from the probability lottery ticket. The memory is operatively connected to the controller and contains data representing the probability lottery ticket, including at least a portion of the validation data obtained from the data reader, and removed play spot data obtained from the validation signal. The processor is operatively connected to the controller and the memory and relates the portion of the validation data to the removed play spot data to verify the probability lottery ticket and to cause the transport mechanism to exit the probability lottery ticket from the document channel. The stigmatization circuit is operatively connected to the processor and is adapted to change at least a portion of a color of the probability lottery ticket prior to the transport mechanism exiting the probability ticket from the document channel.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.