Lottery Ticket Registration via Encrypted Validation Codes

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional lottery ticket systems are vulnerable to fraudulent activities such as registering unsold, stolen, or non-existent tickets due to the lack of secure authentication methods, allowing individuals to exploit secondary activities and generate random codes that may match authentic ones, leading to 'fishing' attacks.

Innovation Solution

Each lottery ticket is provided with a unique validation code linked to an electronic validation file, and a separate encrypted registration code is used for authentication, which is decrypted upon entry into a web-based system to verify the ticket's authenticity and status, preventing fraudulent attempts by ensuring only valid tickets can participate in lottery activities.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If conventional access codes are used for registration, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to vulnerability to fraudulent activities

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of registrationVSAvoidticket authentication security

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent transforms the registration code from a plain text format to an encrypted format using cryptographic algorithms. This parameter change in the code structure maintains ease of entry while fundamentally improving security against fraudulent activities like code copying and fishing attacks.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses cryptographic hashing to create a unique encrypted representation of the validation code. This encrypted copy serves as the registration code, which cannot be reverse-engineered to reveal the original validation code, thus preventing fraud while maintaining operational simplicity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Reliability

If encrypted registration codes are implemented, then reliability is improved by preventing fraud, but device complexity increases due to encryption/decryption requirements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveticket authentication securityVSAvoidsystem processing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The encryption of the registration code is performed in advance during ticket generation, before the registration process. This preliminary cryptographic transformation eliminates the need for complex real-time encryption operations during registration, reducing processing complexity while maintaining high security.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces complex cryptographic verification mechanisms with a simpler database lookup process. The encrypted registration code directly maps to validation information in the database, substituting complex cryptographic verification with efficient database querying during the registration process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Reliability

If validation codes are made secure through encryption, then reliability is improved, but difficulty of detecting and measuring increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveauthentication accuracyVSAvoidcode format verification

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates an encrypted copy of the validation code that maintains a consistent, detectable format structure. This encrypted copy can be easily validated for format compliance while the actual security relies on the cryptographic transformation, separating format verification from security verification.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS9997026B2Method and system for validating a lottery ticket using an encrypted registration code

Publication Date: 2018.06.12 SCIENTIFIC GAMES LLC

AI summary

A method for authenticating instant lottery tickets for entry into a lottery activity includes providing each lottery ticket with a validation code that links the lottery ticket to an electronic validation file in a database, wherein the validation file contains a predetermined outcome of the lottery ticket and a status of the lottery ticket. Each lottery ticket is provided with a registration code separate from the validation code, wherein the registration code is used to register the lottery ticket in the lottery activity. The registration code is generated as an encrypted form of the validation code for each respective ticket. With a server and upon receipt of the registration code for entry into the lottery activity, the registration code is decrypted to determine the validation code assigned to the lottery ticket. The validation file associated with the decrypted registration code is accessed and used to verify authenticity and status of the lottery ticket required for entry into the lottery activity.