Encrypted electronic gaming ticket

Abstract

An electronic ticket ( 30 ) is disclosed which includes a date of purchase ( 31 ), a ticket identifier ( 32 ), wager attributes ( 33 ), a draw identifier ( 35 ), a draw date ( 36 ), draw numbers ( 37 ), an authority authorized retail identifier ( 38 ), and an authority authorized retail terminal identifier ( 39 ). The electronic ticket ( 30 ) may be a displayed version of an image file, or other electronic file type, which is stored and displayed upon a mobile computer device ( 50 ). The image file creates a matrix of pixels which together form a picture including text which form the electronic ticket. The image pixels are manipulated by steganographic techniques, to encode various attributes, including the manipulation of the least significant digits of the numeric value of the pixel color.

1 . A method of creating and validating an electronic ticket comprising the steps of:
 A. providing claimant software to enable the selection of wager information;   B. transmitting selected claim validation attributes to a shopping management system;   C. transmitting a payment request from the shopping management system to a shopping point of sale location;   D. transmitting a payment verification from the shopping point of sale location to the shopping management system;   E. transmitting the wager information from the shopping management system to a wager management system which stores the wager information;   F. creating and transmitting a unique identifier from the wager management system to the shopping management system;   G. creating a first file with audio or visual content by the shopping management system;   H. encrypting the wager information into a second file by the shopping management system;   I. encoding the second file into the first file to create a final file by the shopping management system;   J. transmitting in a lossless manner the final file from the shopping management system to a claimant file storage system;   K. presenting the final file from the claimant file storage system to the shopping management system for claim validation;   L. decoding the final file into a decoded file by the shopping management system;   M. decrypting the decoded file by the shopping management system into a claimant file containing the wager information;   N. comparing the claimant file unique identifier and wager attributes to the unique identifier and award validation attributes stored in the wager management system by the shopping management system, and   O. optionally, comparing the claimant file encrypted player credentials to the encrypted player credentials presented by claimant, and   P. authorizing payment of the claim by the wager management system if the comparison results in a match.   
     
     
         2 . A method of creating an anonymous electronic bearer instrument comprising the steps of:
 A. transmitting selected claim validation information to an authority;   B. storing the selected claim validation information with the authority, and   C. transmitting from the authority to the claimant an electronic file containing a humanly detectable first dataset that contains a humanly undetectable second dataset, the humanly undetectable second dataset containing the claim validation information encrypted using a cryptographic key known only to an authority, the humanly undetectable second dataset including the claim validation information also being encoded into the humanly detectable first dataset the resulting electronic file including the claim validation information and being transferred from the authority to the claimant, the humanly undetectable second dataset being undetectable to the claimant.   
     
     
         3 . The method of creating an anonymous electronic bearer instrument of  claim 2  wherein step (C) the electronic file is an image file. 
     
     
         4 . The method of creating an anonymous electronic bearer instrument of  claim 2  wherein step (C) the electronic file is an audio file. 
     
     
         5 . The method of creating an anonymous electronic bearer instrument of  claim 2  wherein step (C) the electronic file is a video file. 
     
     
         6 . The method of creating an anonymous electronic bearer instrument of  claim 2  wherein step (C) the electronic file does not contain personal identification information. 
     
     
         7 . The method of creating an anonymous electronic bearer instrument of  claim 2  wherein step (C) the electronic file contains personal identification information. 
     
     
         8 . The method of creating an anonymous electronic bearer instrument of  claim 2  wherein step (C) a cryptographic signature of a cryptographic hash of the electronic file is stored by a shopping or wagering management system and the cryptographic signature of the cryptographic hash acts as an indicator of authenticity. 
     
     
         9 . The method of creating an anonymous electronic bearer instrument of  claim 2  wherein step (C) the claim validation attributes includes the credentials of more than one claimant. 
     
     
         10 . The method of creating an anonymous electronic bearer instrument of  claim 9  wherein step (C) the electronic file may be possessed by each of the more than one claimant. 
     
     
         11 . The method of creating an anonymous electronic bearer instrument of  claim 2  wherein step (C) the cryptographic key is a symmetric key. 
     
     
         12 . The method of creating an anonymous electronic bearer instrument of  claim 11  wherein step (C) the symmetric key is encrypted with an asymmetric public key with a corresponding asymmetric private key known by the authority. 
     
     
         13 . The method of creating an anonymous electronic bearer instrument of  claim 12  wherein step (C) the encrypted symmetric key is included in the humanly undetectable second dataset. 
     
     
         14 . A method of creating an anonymous electronic bearer instrument comprising the steps of:
 (A) creating an electronic file which includes a final group of bytes by combining a first group of bytes with a second group of bytes, the second group of bytes being encrypted with a cryptographic key known only to a bearer instrument issuing authority, the second group of bytes containing wager information being selected by or for a claimant, the second group of bytes being encoded into the first group of bytes by changing one or more bits of one or more bytes of the first group of bytes resulting in the formation of the final group of bytes without significantly altering by comparison the auditory or visual presentation of the anonymous electronic bearer instrument represented by and between the first group of bytes and the final group of bytes, the resulting final electronic file containing the wager information being transferred from the issuing authority to the claimant, the second group of bytes being undetectable to the claimant of the anonymous electronic bearer instrument, and   (B) transmitting the electronic file from the bearer instrument issuing authority to the claimant.   
     
     
         15 . The method of creating an anonymous electronic bearer instrument of  claim 14  wherein the electronic file is an image file. 
     
     
         16 . The method of creating an anonymous electronic bearer instrument of  claim 14  wherein the electronic file is an audio file. 
     
     
         17 . The method of creating an anonymous electronic bearer instrument of  claim 14  wherein the electronic file is a video file. 
     
     
         18 . The method of creating an anonymous electronic bearer instrument of  claim 14  wherein the electronic file does not contain personal identification information. 
     
     
         19 . The method of creating an anonymous electronic bearer instrument of  claim 14  wherein the electronic file contains personal identification information. 
     
     
         20 . The method of creating an anonymous electronic bearer instrument of  claim 14  wherein a cryptographic signature of a cryptographic hash of the electronic file is stored by a shopping or wager management system. 
     
     
         21 . The method of creating an anonymous electronic bearer instrument of  claim 14  wherein the wager information includes the credentials of more than one claimant. 
     
     
         22 . The method of creating an anonymous electronic bearer instrument of  claim 21  wherein the electronic file may be possessed by each of the more than one claimant. 
     
     
         23 . The method of creating an anonymous electronic bearer instrument of  claim 14  wherein the cryptographic key is a symmetric key. 
     
     
         24 . The method of creating an anonymous electronic bearer instrument of  claim 23  wherein the symmetric key is encrypted with an asymmetric public key with a corresponding asymmetric private key known by the shopping or wager management system. 
     
     
         25 . The method of creating an anonymous electronic bearer instrument of  claim 24  wherein the encrypted symmetric key is included in the humanly undetectable second dataset.