The present invention refers to a payment system and a payment process for goods or services for performing a number draw bet.

As known, the art proposes a great number of games based on the choice by a player of at least one number among a series of numbers object of a random draw coupled with an association to such number of a betting amount of money: the event determined by the actual draw of the chosen number or numbers generates a money win equal to the betting amoung multiplied by a predetermined coefficient, usually equal to the draw probability of the chosen number or numbers.

One of the most known games that adopt the above-described system is Lotto, in which, obviously, the draw of numbers occurs periodicaly on many "wheels" institutionally chosen by the entity organising the game.

Documents US-Al-2006/246992 , WO-Al-01/18759 and WO-A2-98/43149 disclose systems for distributing lottery tickets together with payment receipts through connections to lottery managing entities, according to the preamble of Claim 1.

Object of the present invention is providing a payment system and a payment process corresponding to the purchasing of goods or the providing of a service and subjected to the issue of a payment receipt or quittance coupled with the chance of performing a draw bet of at least one number drawn by an institutional draw system.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention, as will appear from the following description, are obtained with a process and a system for paying goods or services as claimed in the respective independent claims.

Preferred embodiments and non-trivial variations of the present invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

It will be immediately obvious that numerous variations and modifications (for example related to shape, sizes, arrangements and parts with equivalent functionality) could be made to what is described without departing from the scope of the invention as appears from the enclosed claims.

The present invention will be better described by some preferred embodiments thereof, provided as a non-limiting example, with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which:

Figures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 show some preferred embodiments or receipts or quittances issued through the process according to the present invention .

The present invention therefore refers to a payment process corresponding to the purchasing of goods or the providing of a service and subjected to the issue of a payment receipt or quittance coupled with the chance of performing a draw bet of at least one number drawn by an institutional draw system, without simultaneously purchasing draw tickets. In particular, therefore, the process according to the present invention comprises the steps of:

a) selecting at least one number N and an institutional extraction system of such number N: for example, the institutional extraction system can be the game of Lotto and in such case, this step will also comprise the substep of selecting at least one Lotto draw wheel R: preferably, it is possible to select a number N and a wheel R;

b) defining at least one amount Q of the money cost P of the goods or the service to be paid as bet sum P/Q to be correlated with the possible draw of number N: obviously, if all money cost P is defined as bet sum, there will be Q = 1;

c) defining at least one cost C for performing the bet; the cost C can be fixed, or depend on the number of numbers N and the number of wheels R being selected and/or the defined amount of the amount Q of the money cost P;

d) defining a multiplying coefficient K of the bet sum in case of win. Obviously, the value of the multiplying coefficient K will be function of the number of numbers N and the number of wheels R being selected: if previously a single number N and a single wheel R have been selected, preferably K = 3;

e) performing a payment of at least one sum of money T = C + P corresponding to the purchase of goods or providing a service: obviously, such payment can occur in any form, for example cash, through credit or debit cards, on-line for purchases on Internet, etc.;

f) issuing a receipt or a quittance proving the above payment;

g) delivering a winning sum V at least equal to V = K * P/Q if afterwards number N is drawn by the institutional extraction system, and in particular if such number N is drawn in the selected wheel R; as known, Lotto extractions are periodic: it is therefore possible to provide that the winning sum V is paid only if number N has been drawn by the institutional extraction system, and in particular if such number N has been drawn in the selected wheel R, only in the draw immediately following the payment made in step f) or in a following number M of such draws: in this latter case, the cost C for performing the bet will also be function of the defined number M of following draws. It is also possible to provide that the receipt or quittance stating the payment issued during the above step f) thereby includes the draw date or the M draw dates valid for the bet performed through the process according to the present invention. Also in this case, the cost C for performing the bet can also be function of the number M of valid draw dates.

Possibly, step b) can comprise the substep of defining an additional betting sum S to be correlated with the possible draw of number N. In such case, step e) will comprise the additional step of performing the payment of an additional sum of money T _a = S corresponding to the purchase of the goods or the delivery of the service, and step g) will comprise the substep of delivering an additional winning sum V _a equal to V _a = * S if afterwards number N is drawn by the institutional extraction system, and in particular if such number N is drawn in the selected wheel R. Also in this case, the cost C for performing the bet can also be function of the amount of the additional betting sum S .

Possibly, step g) can comprise the substep of including on the receipt or quittance stating the payment at least one univocal control code proving the truthfulness of the performed bet.

With reference to Figures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, it is possible to note some preferred embodiments of payment receipts or quittances issued in step g) of the process according to the present invention. In general, the receipt or quittance can include, in addition to usual information of an accounting, tax character, etc., such as money cost P, any other information related to the process according to the present invention, such as selected number N and/or selected wheel R and/or amount Q and/or cost C for performing the bet and/or multiplying coefficient K and/or winning sum V and/or valid draw dates and/or additional bet S and/or additional sum of money T _a and/or additional winning sum V _a and/or univocal control code proving the truthfulness of the performed bet.

In particular, Figures 1 and 2 show payment quittances as mail bulletins 1, 3 on which, following the payment of the money cost P of goods or services (as an example equal to € 200.00) performed according to step f) of the process according to the present invention, a first field 9 is printed (both on the payment receipt 11 and on the credit receipt 13) containing number N and wheel R selected by a player/payer user during the above step a) , together with a second field 15 including the cost C (as an example equal to € 0.70) for performing the bet defined in the above step c) .

Figure 3 instead shows a payment receipt 5 issued following a remote payment on which, after the payment of the money cost P for the goods or services (as an example equal to € 212.05) performed according to step f) of the process according to the present invention, a first field 9 is printed (including number N (82) and wheel R (TO) seleced by the player/payer user during the above step a) , together with a second field 15 containing the cost C (as an example equal to € 0.70) for performing the bet defined in the above step c) , and a third field containing the actually paid sum of money T (equal to € 213.75 = C + P = 0.70 + 212.05: in this case Q = 1 and S = 0) .

Figure 4 instead shows a payment receipt as a first tax ticket 7 on which, following the payment of the money cost P for the goods or services (as an example equal to € 39.76) performed according to step f) of the process according to the present invention, a first field 17 is printed, containing number N (85) and wheel R (TO) selected by the player/payer used during the above step a) , together with cost C (as an example equal to € 0.70) for performing the bet defined in the following step c) , and a second field containing the actually paid sum of money T (equal to € 40.96 = C + P = 0.70 + 39.76: in this case Q = 1 and S = 0) and a third field 19 again containing number N and wheel R selected by the player/payer user during the above step a) , the draw date D (20/05/10) valid for the bet and the winning sum V possibly paid in case of draw of the number N on the wheel R on the date D: in this case, K = 3 and V = € 119.18 = K * P = 3 * 39.76).

Figure 5 instead shows a payment receipt as a second tax ticket 7 on which, following the payment of the money cost P for the goods or services (as an example equal to € 20.30) performed according to step f) of the process according to the present invention, a first field 17 is printed, containing number N (19) and wheel R (NA) selected by the player/payer user during the above step a) , together with cost C (as an example equal to € 0.70) for performing the bet defined in the above step c) , and a second field containing the actually paid sum of money T (equal to € 21.00 = C + P = 0.70 + 20.30: also in this case Q = 1 and S = 0) and a third field 19 again containing number N and wheel R selected by the player/payer user during the above step a) and the winning sum V possibly paid in case of draw of number N on the wheel R: also in this case, K = 3 and V = € 60.90 = K * P = 3 * 20.30). In addition, the ticket 8 also includes a field containing an univocal control code CC proving the truthfulness of the ticket 8 and the performed bet.

Obviously, the above examples of receipts and quittances, as well as the distribution thereon of printings and fields containing information related to the process according to the present invention are in no case limiting, since it is wholly obvious that any other form of payment receipt or quittance can be adopted, as well as any other type or distribution of the above information without thereby departing from the scope of the invention.

The invention also refers to a computer program comprising computer program code means adapted to perform all steps of the above described process when such program is run on a computer.

The invention also refers to a computer program as defined and contained on a medium readable by a computer.

Moreover, the present invention also refers to a system for electronically enacting the procedure according to the present invention, comprising:

means for manually entering data, in particular for entering values related to number N, wheel R, amount Q, money cost P, cost C for performing the bet, multiplying coefficient K and possibly additional betting sum S and possibly number M of valid draws;

- means for storing the above values; means for processing the above values;

means for receiving a sum of money T as payment of goods or services;

means for printing at least one receipt or quittance proving the above payment and including at least information related to:

- at least the selected number N;

- at least the selected wheel R.

In particular, the processing means comprise: - means for computing the bet sum as P/Q; and/or means for computing the cost C for performing the bet as function of the number of numbers N and the number of wheels R being selected and/or the defined amount of the amount Q of the money cost P and/or the amount of the additional betting sum S and/or the number M of valid draw dates; and/or

means for computing the sum of money T = C + P and possibly the additional sum of money T _a = S; means for computing the winning sum V equal to V = K * P/Q and possibly the additional winning sum V _a equal to V _a = K * S; and

means for computing the univocal control code. Preferably, the above-described system according to the present invention is made as a cash register.