Lottery Ticket Authentication via Cryptographic Hashing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for authenticating redeemable documents, such as lottery tickets, are vulnerable to insider fraud, as unscrupulous individuals can create forged copies using access to lists of winning items, especially for smaller winnings where manual authentication is not performed.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that encrypts identifying information for documents, allowing for electronic authentication without manual intervention, using a security key generated at the client, combining it with a server-generated response to create a modified key, and printing this on the document, ensuring only authentic items can be redeemed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual authentication is performed for all redeemable documents, then security against insider fraud is improved, but operational efficiency and processing speed deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual authentication (mechanical human verification process) with an electronic authentication system that uses cryptographic hash functions and database verification. The system automatically compares document identifiers against database records, eliminating the need for manual inspection while maintaining security. This substitution enables high-speed automated verification of redeemable documents without requiring human intervention for each transaction.
Solution Approach 2:
The authentication system enables self-service verification where the redeemable document itself contains sufficient information (identifier and cryptographic verification data) to prove its authenticity. The system allows documents to authenticate themselves through automatic database comparison rather than requiring external manual verification. This self-authenticating mechanism processes documents autonomously at high speed while maintaining security against fraud.
2Productivity
If no manual authentication is performed, then operational efficiency is improved, but security against insider fraud deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary cryptographic hashing of document identifiers and stores these hash values in a database before redemption occurs. This preliminary action creates a secure verification framework that enables automatic authentication without manual intervention. The pre-computed hash values allow the system to quickly verify document authenticity by comparing presented document hashes against stored values, maintaining both security and efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual authentication with automated cryptographic verification using hash function comparison. The electronic system automatically compares the hash of the presented document identifier against the stored hash value, providing secure verification without human involvement. This mechanical-to-electronic substitution maintains security while enabling high-speed processing of redeemable documents.
3Ease of operation
If document identifiers are stored in plain text in the database, then ease of verification is improved, but vulnerability to forgery increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the document identifier from plain text form into a cryptographic hash value form before storage in the database. This parameter change (from readable text to hashed representation) maintains verification ease because the hash function is deterministic and reversible for verification purposes, while simultaneously preventing forgery because the hashed form cannot be easily reversed or manipulated to create valid fake documents. The transformation protects the identifier while enabling efficient verification.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces plain text storage with cryptographic hash storage, substituting a vulnerable data representation with a secure one. The hash-based storage mechanism maintains verification capability through deterministic hashing while providing security against forgery. The electronic verification process compares hashed values rather than plain text, preventing insiders from easily creating fraudulent documents even with database access.
Data Source
AI summary
Credit vouchers from a wagering game machine can be authenticated. This may be accomplished by receiving credit information at a server, the credit information including information indicating a player's balance at the wagering game machine. A security key may be created for the credit voucher. A secured document token may be created by encrypting a document token including the credit information with the security key. This document token may sent to a server which supplies a credit response. A modified security key may be created by combining the credit response with the security key. The credit voucher may be provided, the credit vouchers including the credit information, the credit response and the modified security key.