Instant-win lottery ticket allowing keyless validation and method for validating same

Abstract

A game ticket is disclosed. The game ticket includes a substrate, a game play area located on the substrate, and a first machine-readable code located on the substrate. The machine-readable code includes a first piece of authentication information. A second machine-readable code is located on the substrate. The second machine-readable code includes a second piece of authentication information. A removable opaque covering applied to the substrate conceals the game play area and the second machine-readable code. The first machine-readable code is not concealed by the removable opaque covering. Both the first piece of authentication information and the second piece of authentication information are required for authenticating the game ticket. A method and apparatus for using the game ticket is also disclosed.

1 . A game ticket, comprising a substrate; 
 a game play area located on the substrate;    a first machine-readable code located on the substrate, the machine-readable code including a first piece of authentication information;    a second machine-readable code located on the substrate, the second machine-readable code including a second piece of authentication information,    a removable opaque covering applied to the substrate, the removable opaque covering concealing the game play area and the second machine-readable code;    wherein the first machine-readable code is not concealed by the removable opaque covering, and wherein both the first piece of authentication information and the second piece of authentication information are required for authenticating the game ticket.    
   
   
       2 . The game ticket of  claim 1 , wherein the game ticket is an instant-win lottery game ticket.  
   
   
       3 . The game ticket of  claim 1 , wherein the removable opaque covering is a scratch-off layer.  
   
   
       4 . The game ticket of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 an indicia located under the removable opaque covering and visually indicating the game ticket is a winning ticket.    
   
   
       5 . The game ticket of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a first numeric code located on the substrate and not concealed by the removable opaque covering, the first numeric code containing information also included in the first machine-readable code.    
   
   
       6 . The game ticket of  claim 5 , further comprising: 
 a second numeric code located on the substrate and concealed by the removable opaque covering, the second numeric code containing information also included in the second machine-readable code.    
   
   
       7 . The game ticket of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second machine-readable codes are bar codes.  
   
   
       8 . The game ticket of  claim 7 , wherein first and second machine-readable codes are two-dimensional bar codes.  
   
   
       9 . The game ticket of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a checking code concealed beneath the removable opaque covering, the checking code adapted to contain sufficient information to allow a determination that the game ticket is a winning ticket, the checking code lacking at least some of the information required for the authentication of the game ticket.    
   
   
       10 . The game ticket of  claim 9 , wherein the checking code is machine-readable.  
   
   
       11 . The game ticket of  claim 9 , wherein the checking code is included in the second machine-readable code.  
   
   
       12 . A method for validating a game ticket, comprising: 
 reading a first machine-readable code from a first area of the game ticket, the first area not having been previously covered with a removable opaque coating that has been subsequently removed, the first machine-readable code including a first piece of authentication information which is part but not all of the information required to validate the game ticket as a winning ticket;    reading a second machine-readable code from a second area of the game ticket, the second area having been previously covered with a removable opaque coating, the second machine-readable code including a second piece of authentication information which is part but not all of the information required to validate the game ticket as a winning ticket;    validating the game ticket using both the first and second pieces of authentication information.    
   
   
       13 . The method of validating a game ticket of  claim 12 , wherein the game ticket is an instant-win lottery ticket.  
   
   
       14 . The method of validating a game ticket of  claim 12 , wherein the removable opaque covering is a scratch-off coating.  
   
   
       15 . The method of validating a game ticket of  claim 12 , wherein the first machine-readable code is a bar code.  
   
   
       16 . The method of validating an instant-win lottery ticket of  claim 15  wherein the first machine-readable code is a two-dimensional bar code.  
   
   
       17 . The method of validating an instant-win lottery ticket of  claim 12 , further comprising: 
 verifying that a different game ticket with the same authentication information as the game ticket has not been previously redeemed.    
   
   
       18 . The method of validating a lottery ticket of  claim 17 , further comprising: 
 recording information indicating that the game ticket has been redeemed.    
   
   
       19 . The method validating an instant-win lottery ticket of  claim 16 , wherein the second machine-readable code further includes checking information adapted for determining whether the game ticket is a winning ticket, but that is insufficient to validate the game ticket as a winning ticket.  
   
   
       20 . The method of validating a game ticket of  claim 12 , further comprising: 
 receiving the game ticket, the first machine-readable code included in the first area of the game ticket, the first area not covered by the removable opaque coating, the second machine-readable code included in the second area of the game ticket, the second area covered by the removable opaque coating;    removing the removable opaque coating so that the second machine-readable code is exposed; and    tendering the game ticket for redemption of a prize.    
   
   
       21 .- 30 . (canceled)