text:
Is this accurate?
is Google Video following unsafe practices?
This is on the family
computer, so I want to keep parental controls on.
Surely there's SOMETHING on Google Video that's safe for a 10 yr old!
BTW: I tried multiple times to report to Blue Coat as instructed below, but the link is not working.
It keeps asking me over & over for a valid site for the review process.
=========== Blue Coat Problem Below.
Nothing entered here works.
Web Page Review Process
Please enter a valid site for the review process
================ Trying to Access Google Video yields the following:
The Web site that you have requested is in violation of your Parental Control settings.The site you requested was:
http://video.google.com:80/?hl=en&tab=wv&q=[img]file:///C:/Program%20Files/Zone%20Labs/ZoneAlarm/images/Cerb_logo_small.gif[/img]This site has been categorized as:
Hacking / Proxy Avoidance Systems.
Click here to request a reevaluation of this site or to submit a site that should have been blocked.
To unblock the category Hacking / Proxy Avoidance Systems:
Open ZoneAlarm Suite
Click Parental Control on the left-hand menu
Click the Categories tab
Clear the check box next to the category Hacking / Proxy Avoidance Systems
You may need to supply a password to perform this action.
Operating System:
Windows XP Home Edition
Product Name:
ZoneAlarm Pro
Software Version:
Message Edited by sbulen on 09-25-200607:18 PM
Message Edited by sbulen on 09-25-200607:18 PM


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It's Time to Talk Turkey on 'Volunteer' Boards: Editor/Publisher's Column
I'm very much what you see is what you get. I feel the need to forewarn bosses that I will always be honest with them, and occasionally more honest than I should be for self-preservation. I'm respectful about it and always do it for the right reasons, but there you have it.
I can't abide phonies, laughable mission and vision statements, people who try too hard to look smart and credit union "volunteers" that aren't.
I've written several times in favor of paying credit union board members. I believe it could help recruit board members, as well as provide the proverbial stick and carrot for some who need it so credit unions can justify removing underperforming board members.
However, running to Capitol Hill with the message that credit unions are run by volunteer boards of directors is disingenuous. Sure, most are, but that's never been the message because "most" doesn't deliver as strong an impact. In fact, until recently I didn't know some credit unions paid their directors, and some of those better than many full-time jobs.
I was quite disenchanted with this discovery. I've been covering the credit union community for 14 years and had no idea some volunteer directors are paid, in my own home state even. And paid well! Heck, some credit union executives were caught unaware.
More on Board Director Pay:
Part One – Surprised to Learn Volunteers Paid
Part Two – Liability, Demands Make Pay Necessary
It's all about disclosure. I recognize that these credit unions made the appropriate disclosures as required by the IRS. I'm referring to credit unions as a whole. Those who kept this dirty little secret lost some credibility in my mind that day.
And, the financials at some of the credit unions have not yielded the results to demonstrate the value of what they're paying for. Check out our page 1 story on some of the credit unions that pay board members and the accompanying graphics on pages 22 and 23. It's a mixed bag, which can be explained in part by different goals individual credit unions have and investments the credit unions are making, but negative ROA is not aligned with any credit unions' plan.
So some will say (because I've already heard it), "Cooke, this proves paying board members doesn't make them or the credit union successful." I never said that paying board members alone was a silver bullet to resolve credit unions' issues with uninterested, unqualified board members. It also takes a setting of expectations and evaluation and goal setting and follow-up. And if the credit union is not financially successful to the standards set by a knowledgeable board, the board must act to direct management toward improvement or termination. Board members take on very serious risk, and just because some insurance protection is available, are not absolved of their duty. Succumbing to complacency due to moral hazard is not oversight.
Some board members will argue that they should be paid because others are. That is no reason to be paid for a position either. A true reason for compensating board members, if a credit union decides to, is the real value they bring to the table. The responsibilities of credit union directors warrant compensation. Just because one serves as a director does not mean that director warrants it.
Targeting compensation to expertise could make sense. For example, an accountant or attorney might earn several hundred dollars an hour for a service. One hour a month equals $150. Obviously, there's more work to it than that, but compensating credit union board members isn't about getting rich. A small business owner might earn $100 per hour. One hour board meeting equals $100. The compensation equivalent for a stay-at-home parent (priceless, I know), $75, and so on. It's a logical starting point that can be pegged to real data. Now if that stay-at-home parent is a licensed accountant, up it goes, but if a board member regularly shows up unprepared and doesn't participate in a meaningful way, you dock them. The idea is less about the money and more about being able to set and regulate expectations. If they don't perform, you fire them.
Credit union members should be able to vote for board members from among the membership, but they also have full lives and may need assistance weeding out those who are truly not qualified. Otherwise board elections just become a popularity contest, and while the prom king and queen may make a cute couple, it doesn't paint a pretty picture for the credit union.
Sarah Snell Cooke
Publisher/Editor in Chief

subset: commoncrawl


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This study is provided by ICPSR. ICPSR provides leadership and training in data access, curation, and methods of analysis for a diverse and expanding social science research community.
Eurobarometer 78.1: Europe 2020, the Financial and Economic Crisis, European Citizenship, and Information on European Political Matters, November 2012 (ICPSR 34793)
Principal Investigator(s): European Commission
The Eurobarometer series is a unique cross-national and cross-temporal survey program conducted on behalf of the European Commission. These surveys regularly monitor public opinion in the European Union (EU) member countries and consist of standard modules and special topic modules. The standard modules address attitudes towards European unification, institutions and policies, measurements for general socio-political orientations, as well as respondent and household demographics. The special topic modules address such topics as agriculture, education, natural environment and resources, public health, public safety and crime, and science and technology.
This round of Eurobarometer surveys covers the following special topics: (1) Europe 2020, (2) the financial and economic crisis, (3) European citizenship, and (4) information on European political matters. Opinions were collected on the European economic crisis and the importance of the Europe 2020 strategies for improving the crisis. Respondents were also asked about their thoughts on the effects of the formation of the European Union and the rights of its citizens. Additional information includes respondents' sources of political knowledge and to what extent they feel well informed on political matters.
Demographic and other background information collected include age, gender, nationality, marital status and parental relations, occupation, age when stopped full-time education, household composition, ownership of a fixed or a mobile telephone and other durable goods, difficulties in paying bills, level in society, and Internet use. In addition, country-specific data includes type and size of locality, region of residence, and language of interview (select countries).
Series: Eurobarometer Survey Series
Access Notes
Data in this collection are available only to users at ICPSR member institutions. Please log in so we can determine if you are with a member institution and have access to these data files.
WARNING: This study is over 150MB in size and may take several minutes to download on a typical internet connection.
ASCII + SAS Setup SPSS Setup Stata Setup
Study Description
European Commission. Eurobarometer 78.1: Europe 2020, the Financial and Economic Crisis, European Citizenship, and Information on European Political Matters, November 2012. ICPSR34793-v1. Cologne, Germany: GESIS/Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributors], 2013-10-18. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR34793.v1
Persistent URL: https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR34793.v1
Export Citation:
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- EndNote XML (EndNote X4.0.1 or higher)
Scope of Study
Subject Terms: administration, air pollution, alternative energy, citizen attitudes, citizenship, economic conditions, economic crises, education, employment potential, European Parliament, European Union, financial management, financial policy, greenhouse effect, higher education, Internet, knowledge (awareness), life satisfaction, media coverage, media use, political attitudes, political awareness, political economy, public opinion, social networks
Smallest Geographic Unit: country
Geographic Coverage: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Global, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom
- 2012-11-03--2012-11-18
- 2012-11-03--2012-11-18
Unit of Observation: individual
Universe: In all, Eurobarometer 78.1 interviewed 32,731 citizens in the 27 countries of the European Union after the 2004/2007 enlargement (i.e. including the Accession Countries Romania and Bulgaria), in the remaining Candidate Countries (CC) Croatia, Iceland, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Montenegro and Serbia as well as the Turkish Cypriot Community. All respondents were residents in the respective country, nationals and non-nationals but EU-citizens, and aged 15 and over. Respondents were expected to have sufficient command of one of the respective national language(s) to answer the questionnaire.
The original data collection was carried out by TNS Opinion and Social on request of the European Commission between November 3 and 18, 2012.
The codebook and setup files for this collection contain characters with diacritical marks used in many European languages.
There is a discrepancy between the field work dates reported in the data and documentation. Please review the ICPSR codebook for more information.
Sample: The basic sample design applied in all states is as multi-stage, random (probability) one. In each country, a number of sampling points were drawn with the probability proportional to population size (for a total coverage of the country) and to population density. In order to do so, the sampling points were drawn systematically from each of the "administrative regional units", after stratification by individual unit and type of area. They thus represent the whole territory of the countries surveyed according to the EUROSTAT NUTS II (or equivalent) and according to the distribution of the resident population of the respective nationalities in terms of metropolitan, urban and rural areas. In each of the selected sampling points, a starting address was drawn, at random (following the "closest birthday rule"). All interviews were conducted face-to-face in the people's homes and in the appropriate national language. As far as the data capture is concerned, CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interview) was used in those countries where this technique was available. Please refer to the GESIS Documentation and Technical Specifications within the ICPSR Codebook for additional sampling information.
Weight: For each country a comparison between the sample and the universe was carried out. The Universe description was derived from Eurostat population data or from national statistics offices. For all countries surveyed, a national weighting procedure, using marginal and intercellular weighting, was carried out based on this Universe description. In all countries, gender, age, region and size of locality were introduced in the iteration procedure. For international weighting (i.e. EU averages), TNS Opinion and Social applies the official population figures as provided by EUROSTAT or national statistic offices. Please refer to the GESIS Documentation and Technical Specifications within the ICPSR Codebook for additional weighting information.
Mode of Data Collection: face-to-face interview
Extent of Processing: ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection:
- Checked for undocumented or out-of-range codes.
Original ICPSR Release: 2013-10-18
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Every Sunday, 11:00 a - 12:00 p, Room: Room A254
What to Expect
Check-in and Drop-off
- When checking in at one of the kiosks, your will receive an adhesive name-tag with an alpha numeric code to place on the front of your child's shirt. For 1st – 3rd grade parents, an additional sticker will print with the alpha numeric code for you to keep. A leader will be near the entrance to welcome your child into the activities underway.
- 1st - 5th graders meet together for games, worship and large group in A254.
- 1st grade then travels to A256 for small groups.
- 2nd - 5th remain in A254 for small groups.
- When you arrive at the door please have your security sticker available so that we may verify it matches with the code on your child's name tag. Children 1st - 3rd grade will be released to adults or older siblings with the matching security tag or proper identification.
- 1st graders are picked up in A256.
- 2nd - 3rd graders are picked up in A254.
- 4th - 5th graders are dismissed on their own.
What We Provide
We do not serve snacks on a weekly basis. On occasion, we may offer a special treat to our Creek Kids. There will be an Allergy alert sign posted on the door if food or treats are being served or used for an activity.
We start the morning off playing interactive games and singing! Creek Kids then learn Biblical truths using drama and multimedia technology during Large Group. Since we know the value of relationships, we then transition to Small Groups. In Small Groups, Creek Kids spend time with an assigned group and leaders. Through crafts, activities and engaging conversations, friendships and their faith grow deeper. Elementary Creek Kids are asked to only attend one hour and then attend Worship with their family the other hour. The same programming is used for both hours.
We are currently using The Gospel Project for our curriculum. See Tools For You.
Your child's safety is the utmost importance to us. These are the guidelines for our Early Childhood rooms:
- We require two leaders to be in the classroom in order to accept children for drop off.
- All of our adult Creek Kids leaders are annually background checked and will be wearing a lanyard with a picture I.D. badge or a security sticker printed from the check in system.
- Our youth leaders must be 14 years old and completed a Youth Covenant that requires a parent signature to serve without a sponsor.
- 1st – 3rd grade children will only be released to adults or older siblings with a matching security sticker or proper identification. 4th-5th grade children are released on their own.
- We ask that parents stop at the door and not enter the classroom when dropping off your child. This is less disruptive for other children and allows us to know that only background checked adults are in the classrooms.
Awards & Recognition
You may hear your kiddo talk about "Passports" or "Coin Store". These are both tools we use to reward our Creek Kids.
- Passports – Creek Kids earn a passport stamp each Sunday they are in attendance. At the end of each unit, we have a Passport Drawing for Creek Kids that have stamps for each week. If a Creek Kid misses a week for some reason (sick, travelling), they can download the Family Journal page (click here), complete it and return it to their Small Group Leader. The Small Group Leader will collect their work and give them a passport stamp.
- Coin Store – Creek Kids can earn wooden "coins" from their Small Group Leader. They will be rewarded for 1) bringing a friend, 2) small group participation, 3) memorizing the key verse, 4) completing the family journal page, 5) having a birthday, and 6) bringing a non-electronic Bible. They can "spend" their coins each week or choose to save them to "buy" prizes ranging from 1 coin value to 100 coins.
Opportunities for Parents
Tools For You
We want to partner with Creek Kid parents. We provide a set of tools for you each week to share about the biblical lesson taught that week; along with activities you can do as a family to further grow your child's knowledge. Tools include:
- Big Picture Question
- Family Devotion
- Adults/Kids Connection
Volunteer Opportunities
Your child's safety is the utmost importance to us. These are the guidelines for our Early Childhood rooms:
- Creek Kids Children Ministry is volunteer based and focuses on partnering with parents at church and at home to serve and love other families. We encourage to consider the opportunities that Children's Ministry has to offer when you are choosing a place to serve at Cottonwood Creek.
Social Media
Keep up to date and informed on what is going on at church and in Creek Kids Ministry by following us on social media.
- Look for upcoming events
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
Faith Path/One Way Class
A class for kids K - 5th grade who have received Jesus Christ as Savior or have questions. This class is a prerequisite to child baptism.
AWANA is a Bible-centered ministry that partners parents and the church together to develop spiritually strong children and youth who faithfully follow Christ. AWANA club is for children ages three (as of September 1, 2014 and potty trained) through 12th grade.
Creek Kids Praise
Creek Kids Praise is a place for children to grow in their faith as they sing, play instruments, and learn about God's love. Children 3 years old - 5th grade are taught scripture verses and characteristics of Jesus through songs. Our 3s choir children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian in order to participate.
Kid Care
Kid Care is our weekday preschool program for children 18 months – Transitional Kindergarten.
Fresh Spirit for Moms
Fresh Spirits for Mom is a new program at Cottonwood Creek Baptist Church where moms can refresh their spirit through great speakers, Bible based discussions, fun activities, crafts and fellowship with other moms.
Learn more about Fresh Spirit for Moms


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This is the monitor stand that puts all the most common computer inputs and multimedia ports on the front for quick access. While elevating a monitor to an ergonomic eye-level height, this riser offers simpler and more accessible connectivity for such everyday inputs as headphone and microphone jacks; an SD card reader; and four USB 2.0 ports (three in front, plus one in back for permanent wired connections best kept out of sight). The riser is also a retractable, 30-pin docking station for charging iPhones or iPads (iPhone 5 charges via USB), and contains two built-in speakers with an independent volume control dial. The speakers relay sound from a docked iPod, iPhone, or iPad, or by connecting a computer or any other audio device through the included auxiliary cable. A shelf in the center keeps crucial documents or office supplies at an arm's length. Solid MDF construction with rubber feet for stability. Comes with DC adapter to power devices directly, and a USB cable that connects to a computer and provides secondary power for devices. 5" H x 13" W x 16" D. (9 lbs.)
Compatible Devices
Lifetime Guarantee
The Easy Access Monitor Stand comes with The Hammacher Schlemmer Lifetime Guarantee. If this product ever disappoints you, for any reason, you may return your Hammacher Schlemmer purchase for exchange, credit, or refund.
Should you have any questions, we are available seven days a week (8:00 am – midnight EST). Please call 1-800-321-1484 to speak with a specialist or email us at email@example.com to receive a response within three business hours or less.
May we recommend:
COPYRIGHT © 2018 HAMMACHER SCHLEMMER & COMPANY, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. W110147 E. 57th ST • NEW YORK, NY • 10022 • 1-800-_321-1484


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Jhhnn wrote:
Meh. We have but to observe the dog. If the dog performs obviously trained actions for no apparent reason, it's clear that it is responding to stimuli we aren't receiving. The modern political dog whistle is an ultrasonic saxophone, not a simple one tone whistle, and a much more powerful instrument than you've allowed. It provokes responses that are emotional rather than rational, meaning it defies the sort of analysis you suggest as necessary.
If a reaction is obvious, then too should be the action that caused it. It's rather specious to say obvious racism is obvious, then turn around and say it's too irrational to break down why it's so obviously racism. There are entire books, experts, courses, and degrees on racism - a term that describes wholly irrational, emotional thoughts, motivations, actions, etc - yet you're not willing to back an accusation with little more than "it's obvious." Sorry, but this is no better thinking than a KKK member pointing out the obvious reasons whites are superior to blacks.


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"In a doctor's office, time is money," said Anup Singh, manager of Sandia's biotechnology and bioengineering department.
"Patients have become accustomed to an initial visit, some tests, samples that are sent off to a far-away lab, a wait of a week or more for results, more tests and charges every step of the way," he said. "With SpinDx, you can see results before you even leave the office."
According to Singh, the technology advances in SpinDx have profound implications for patient care. Heart attacks, strokes, infections, certain cancers and other afflictions could be detected days or weeks sooner than they are today, with no new burdens placed on patients or their doctors.
The SpinDx platform has several advantages:
* Small sample size: Patients merely have to provide a pin-prick sample of blood.
* Ease of use: The device uses a spinning disk, much like a CD player, to manipulate a sample. The disks contain commercially available reagents and antibodies specific to each protein marker.
* Custom applications: Singh envisions a "plug and play" approach whereby the physician chooses among a "cardiac disk," "immune disk" and similar options .Inexpensive technology: The disks -- the crux of the technology -- cost pennies to manufacture.
* Quick response time: Results can be delivered to the physician's computer in 15 minutes.
"We envision medical personnel using SpinDx routinely," said Greg Sommer, the Sandia researcher who spearheaded development of the project.
"Instead of standard blood panels and costly lab tests, a SpinDx disk would be processed right in the office while the medical office staff is gathering routine data like temperature and blood pressure," Sommer said.
The platform also has homeland security and food processing applications.
The device could be the most accurate method available to detect the botulinum toxin, said Sommer. Caused by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum, the botulinum toxin is one of the most toxic substances known -- a miniscule quantity can deliver a lethal dose. But despite scientific advances, laboratory mice remain the only reliable way to test for botulism.
"The mouse bioassay is primitive, but remains the gold standard due to its sensitivity," Sommer said. "Our SpinDx botulinum assay vastly outperformed the mouse bioassay in head-to-head tests, and requires absolutely no animal testing. Plus there are a lot of cost and speed advantages."
While botulism is quite rare -- only about 145 cases are reported in the U.S. each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- the lethality of the toxin makes it an attractive candidate for bioterrorism.
"A very small amount in the food system could harm a lot of people," said Sommer.
Sandia's goal, Sommer said, is to create a handheld, point-of-care device that can be used in the field by emergency responders.
SpinDx's ability to process many substances also makes the device relevant for food safety testing. About 15% of botulism cases are food-borne. In 2007, 14 people in seven states contracted botulism from chili sauce due to faulty manufacturing equipment at a food plant in Georgia.
The Sandia team made improvements to the assay that enabled it to handle thick, viscous food substances. Collaborators at the U.S. Department of Agriculture provided high-quality botulinum antibodies that bind with high affinity, enabling higher sensitivity.
"Food processing plants are looking for something that can be integrated into their assembly lines," said Sommer. "Our device will be suitable because it's fast, inexpensive and simple to operate."
The team is developing a deployable prototype to run the assays, with the goal of a fully integrated, automated device for field testing.
"We've done most of our testing in a bench top setting, where we spin the sample on the disk and then read it out on a microscope," Sommer explained. "The next step is to automate those processes and get the system into users' hands. SpinDx has a lot of potential for so many applications."
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Foursquare's New Ad Layer Ropes In More Brand-Friendly Users
Jul 26, 2012 9:24 AM PT
Foursquare is following up on a feature it introduced last week that layers on new ad functionality for brands seeking to target local customers.
Unveiled last week, "Local Updates" lets users keep up with places they like in their Friends tab. Now the social service has rolled out "Promoted Updates" in the Explore tab.
Promoted updates are similar to local updates except that businesses pay to promote them in Explore results. These updates can be a coupon or information on a new fashion line or, in the case of a local restaurant, a photo of a new dish, Foursquare explained.
Promoted updates are like ads seen on Google when a user searches for, say, exercise clothing, it said. Up pops the search results and alongside of them is a relevant ad.
A search using Foursquare's Explore, conversely, could turn up a special about a weekend sale at a local store the user visited, or otherwise expressed an interest in, which sells exercise clothing.
Foursquare uses the same algorithms that power the personal recommendations made via the Explore tab to select the "perfect" update for a user, it said. In other words, a user will never see a promoted update that is not relevant.
The company is rolling out the feature in a pilot project with 20 companies participating, including B&B Hospitality group, Crunch, Dave & Buster's, Gap, Hilton, Lowe's, Old Navy, Starwood Preferred Guest, The Standard Miami and Walgreens.
Foursquare did not respond to our request for further details.
A New Mindset
Foursquare has some pieces in play that should make promoted updates successful -- but there's a piece missing, said Scott McIntosh, senior account supervisor and Web strategist with Lovell Communications and an avid Foursquare user.
What it does well is the local element. Having a constituency of users who avidly check in wherever they go is a big plus. However, what it is missing is a change in focus by these users, McIntosh told the E-Commerce Times.
"The problem is, right now people mainly use Foursquare to record an event as opposed to searching for something to do," he noted. Foursquare can make the shift, "but it will take time to get users to move to this mindset."
For instance, someone might use Foursquare while at a new restaurant to see what friends like there, McIntosh suggested, but that person wouldn't necessarily use the Explore feature to find the restaurant in the first place.
"More people have to start using the Explore feature for promoted updates to be very successful," he said.
It would also help if Foursquare were to become more user-friendly, McIntosh added. "The new design was confusing when it first rolled out, but I have gotten used to it now."
The Brand Perspective
These drawbacks aside, from a brand perspective -- or at least an agency one -- adding the promoted updates is a good move, according to Tom Edwards, The Marketing Arm's VP for digital strategy.
"The biggest advantage is that Foursquare is enabling its launch partners to push content beyond the current users that are actively engaged with a brand and enable connections with an entirely new customer base that may have a potential affinity for the brand but is not actively engaged," he told the E-Commerce Times.
The intelligence of the algorithm is also a key point of differentiation, Edwards continued. "The promoted updates display algorithm is based on a users actions tied to location, check-ins, tips and even time of day, as well as taking into consideration a user's friends' tastes."
Still, there is the drawback of linking promoted updates to the Explore tab, Edwards acknowledged.
"While this tab has seen increased engagement, a concerted effort may need to be introduced to modify existing user behavior beyond the utility of checking into a known location," he said.
As more of the promoted products are rolled out, added Edwards, additional brand integration into a user's activity stream will become more prominent.


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Jenny McCarthy Gets Foot Tattoo During Super Bowl Blackout
Jenny McCarthy made the most of the Super Bowl blackout Sunday, Feb. 3. Rather than waiting around and watching the commentary for the 34-minute game delay, McCarthy, 40, went out and got some new ink!
"Got a new tattoo during half time blackout," she tweeted with a photo of the new flower tattoo on the top of her foot. "So excited to be wearing heels on The Today Show this morning. Ouch." She also admitted, "Hurts a bit today."
PHOTOS: All the stars at Super Bowl 2013
The Jenny McCarthy Show star showed off the ink job while visiting Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb on Monday to promote her new late night talk show.
"Cramps on press tour. Doing Kathie lee and Hoda next," she tweeted. "Hoping they have a heating pad and whisky. Wait . . . of course they will have whisky."
PHOTOS: Jenny McCarthy's best bikini moments
But McCarthy was in good spirits during her interview, and excited to talk about her new show. "It's been a long time in the making. I've been waiting on this job," the single mother to son Evan, 10, said. "I haven't found one that fit me best in Hollywood . . . Finally I realized that where I can be my most authentic self is in late night because I am a little bit of a dirty bird sometimes."
This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: Jenny McCarthy Gets Foot Tattoo During Super Bowl Blackout
We Recommend
- Jan. 16, 2018 Check out Chris Hemsworth's best (and worst) films
- Jan. 19, 2018 See all the stars at this year's Sundance Film Festival
- Jan. 17, 2018 These girl groups mastered matching outfits!


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Auto Racing
Rain washes out qualifying; Keselowski gets the pole
LAS VEGAS Brad Keselowski will start on the pole after heavy rain forced NASCAR to cancel qualifying for Sundays race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The track got steady rain all morning Friday and again in the early afternoon after a brief break, forcing NASCAR to scrap practice and qualifying for the first time in Las Vegas.
The speedway urged fans to take cover from rain, wind and lightning when the afternoon storm broke.
Sundays field will be set by points and the NASCAR rule book, giving the pole to last seasons Sprint Cup series champion.
Hamlin says no thank you to NASCAR and that $25k fine
LAS VEGAS A furious Denny Hamlin said he wont pay the $25,000 fine leveled on him by NASCAR on Thursday after his criticism of the Gen-6 race car.
The fine also left many of his fellow drivers wondering what they can say about their new cars without incurring NASCARs wrath. Hamlin compared the new race car unfavorably to last years car, along with lamenting the overall quality of racing last week in Phoenix.
Broncos part ways with their Gronk, tender five players
ENGLEWOOD Chris Gronkowski became an unrestricted free agent after the Denver Broncos declined to issue a contract tender to the third-year fullback Friday.
The Broncos tendered running back Lance Ball, punter Britton Colquitt and backup offensive tackle Chris Clark. The team will have a week to match any offers the restricted free agents might receive between the March 12-19 signing period.
The Broncos also issued contract tenders to defensive tackle Mitch Unrein and cornerback Tony Carter as exclusive rights free agents who cant negotiate with other teams.
The Broncos obtained Gronkowski, the brother of Patriots star tight end Rob Gronkowski, in a trade from the Indianapolis Colts for defensive back Cassius Vaughn last spring.
Porte wins Stage 5 and takes Paris-Nice lead from Talansky
LA MONTAGNE DE LURE, France Australian rider Richie Porte won the fifth stage of the Paris-Nice race Friday, taking the yellow jersey from Andrew Talansky of the United States.
Porte completed the 110-mile trek from Chateauneuf-du-Pape to La Montagne de Lure in 4 hours, 50 minutes, 54 seconds. Denis Menchov of Russia finished second, 26 seconds behind Porte, and Talansky was third.
Talansky accelerated in the final climb, but Porte passed the American, who slipped to second place in the overall standings, 32 seconds off the pace.
Sagan wins Stage 3 sprint at the Tirreno-Adriatico
NARNI SCALO, Italy Peter Sagan of Slovakia won the rainy third stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico in a sprint Friday, while Mark Cavendish retained the overall lead.
Cavendish of Britain finished second, and Andre Greipel of Germany was third.
Sagan clocked 5 hours, 15 minutes, 12 seconds over the rolling 118-mile leg.
New lineup, new goal-scorers: U.S. women rout China 5-nil
ALBUFEIRA, Portugal Ali Krieger and Whitney Engen did more than defend Friday, scoring their first international goals as the U.S. women stayed atop their group with a 5-0 rout of China at the Algarve Cup.
Christen Press and Sydney Leroux also scored for the Americans, who extended their unbeaten streak to 27 games.
The U.S. also got an own goal.
The Americans will finish group play Monday against Sweden, their first game against former coach Pia Sundhage since she stepped down last fall to return to her native country.
Associated Press


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text:
|Nśmero de publicación
|Tipo de publicación
|Nśmero de solicitud
|Fecha de publicación
|10 Jun 2008
|Fecha de presentación
|19 Jun 2006
|Fecha de prioridad
|31 Mar 1998
|También publicado como
|Nśmero de publicación
|Jay S. Walker, Thomas M. Sparico, James A. Jorasch
|Cesionario original
|Walker Digital, Llc
|Exportar cita
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Citas de patentes (38), Otras citas (10), Citada por (4), Clasificaciones (31), Eventos legales (6)
|Enlaces externos: USPTO, Cesión de USPTO, Espacenet
The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/136,043, entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING LOTTERIES AND FOR GENERATING AND PROCESSING LOTTERY ENTRIES", filed May 24, 2005 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,300,349 on Jun. 21, 2005;
which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/623,046 , filed Jul. 18, 2003 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,908,382 on Jun. 21, 2005;
which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/568,484, filed May 10, 2000, and which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,599,186 B1 on Jul. 29, 2003;
which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/052,295 filed Mar. 31, 1998 and which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,086,477 on Jun. 11, 2000.
Each of the above-referenced applications is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
This application is also related to the following U.S. Patent Applications:
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/424,906 filed Jun. 19, 2006 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/424,912 filed Jun. 19, 2006.
The present invention relates generally to lotteries and more specifically to methods and apparatus for generating and processing lottery entries.
Lotteries currently generate over $30 billion in ticket sales in the US alone. Thirty-eight states in the US offer at least one government-sponsored lottery, with much of the profits going to augment the state tax base, for example by finding state educational systems.
In a typical operation, a lottery is operated by a central authority with a government-licensed sponsor providing much of the equipment and support necessary to establish, market, and run the operation. Such a central authority typically maintains one or more centralized operations for receiving and processing lottery entries, the entries themselves being sold at remote authorized lottery outlets or terminals.
A purchase of a lottery ticket typically requires a visit to one of the authorized lottery outlets, where the process varies depending on the type of game to be played. Commonly known games include 'instant' tickets, or 'scratch' tickets, where the winning status is apparent on the face of the ticket, and 'Lotto' games where the player picks or otherwise receives a set of entry numbers, the status of the numbers determined by a match with numbers selected in a subsequent lottery drawing. The present invention has particular application to Lotto style lotteries, which will be discussed in detail herein.
In a Lotto game, a player selects one or more numbers, the exact format, quantity and ordinal value range of the numbers being dependent on the type of game. In a "6/49" game, for example, six numbers are selected, each in the range from one to forty-nine. The numbers may be selected individually by the purchaser. Alternatively, many lottery authorities offer a 'quick-pick' option whereby, upon request by the purchaser, a random number generator controlled by the lottery authority is used to select the entry numbers. In either case, the actual ticket request is typically made through the completion of a 'sense mark form,' or 'bet slip,' which is a machine-readable paper form having check boxes that are filled in by the purchaser and read by the lottery terminal. For a further description of "Lotto" style lottery games, including the 6/49 game, reference is made to Dr. Z's 6/49 Lotto Guidebook, by Ziemba, Dr, William T., et al., published 1986 by Dr. Z Investments, Inc., ISBN 0-9690097-2-2, incorporated herein by reference.
The ticket purchase information is read by the local lottery terminal and transmitted to the central lottery authority. The central authority processes the ticket request by storing the selected lottery numbers, and assigning a ticket identifier. An appropriate ticket is printed at the terminal and sold to the player. The ticket is kept by the player as validation of an entry in a lottery drawing, which is typically held once or twice per week.
A lottery ticket is typically good for one lottery drawing. Thus, each entry in a lottery normally requires a trip to a lottery terminal to purchase a ticket.
Recently, limited options have been made available whereby lottery tickets may be purchased without visits to a lottery agent. To increase ticket sales, as well as for customer-convenience, some lotteries now offer subscription sales of lottery tickets. With a subscription ticket, lottery entries are automatically re-entered into drawings for a predefined number of weeks. Such subscription tickets are often made available at a discounted price. The Vermont State Lottery, for example, offers multiple drawing "contracts," or a subscription, whereby a player can enter selected numbers in multiple drawings. While a lottery subscription is more convenient, there is no guarantee that the player will win any prize.
In most lotteries, a jackpot that is not won by a player in a drawing is "rolled over" into the next drawing. In fact, the value of the Jackpot is usually progressive, in that it increases each time a winner does not result from a drawing. While the lottery jackpot remains progressive, however, each ticket is typically only valid for a single drawing. Even with subscription purchases, the subscription or contract represents a virtual series of tickets, each good for a predetermined drawing. Despite the fact that the purchase of a ticket is not required for every single drawing in which an entry is required, significant time, energy and planning are still required on the part of a player to purchase lottery tickets, with, of course, no guarantee of a winning return.
One system for enabling lottery players to reuse lottery tickets in subsequent lottery drawings is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,463 to Marin. The Marin patent teaches a system and method by which a lottery player may purchase a lottery entry which is applied to all subsequent drawings in which a jackpot prize is not awarded. Thus, if a jackpot is not awarded for three drawings subsequent to the purchase of the ticket, the ticket is automatically valid and re-entered into each of those drawings. The ticket becomes invalid or expired upon the award of a jackpot, whether that ticket represented a winning selection or not. Thus, the Marin patent relieves at most a small part of the burden of traveling to a lottery agent and waiting on line to purchase lottery tickets.
A number of lottery agencies have adopted the practice of selling lottery tickets that offer bonus prizes in addition to qualifying for prizes associated with a drawing. Still other lottery tickets include promotions offering discounts on products or services if the tickets do not win a drawing-based prize. The Missouri Lottery, for example, offers an instant win ticket having on one side an entry for a lottery prize of up to $1,000 in cash, and on the other side a "bonus spot" providing an opportunity to win one prize from amongst millions of prizes donated by local businesses. Along similar lines, the Pennsylvania Lottery offers a "Cookout Cash" ticket. The "Cookout Cash" ticket is a lotto style ticket which further includes a coupon redeemable for a discounted meal if a prize is not won in a weekly drawing. These programs typically involve promotional advertising by businesses in partnership with a lottery authority. Despite the fact that a purchaser is guaranteed at least a nominal value for each ticket, the tickets are only valid for a single lottery drawing, requiring a player to purchase subsequent tickets to participate in subsequent drawings.
Similar to the state lottery programs described above, private companies have also offered promotional lottery games in which every ticket represents at least a nominal value to the player. Liberty Bank, for example, has offered instant tickets with guaranteed prizes ranging from $0.50 to $100. Similarly, MCA has offered free scratch-and-win cards in which a ticket that does not win through the scratch-off game can be used to obtain a $2 discount on a compact disc at a participating retailer. A further example of a promotional lottery ticket was offered as a benefit for "Art Against Aids," wherein a ticket holder was guaranteed to win one of more than 100 donated art pieces.
While the games described above guarantee a prize for every player, the guaranteed prizes typically represent nominal promotional values. They do not represent the potential to win a significant, drawing-based lottery award, nor are the prizes awarded from the actual lottery prize pool.
Thus, to the best of applicants' knowledge, participation in a lottery drawing has in the past required that a ticket be purchased specifically for that drawing. While some subscription and contract services are now available, whereby entries can be purchased for a series of drawings, the entries are limited to a pre-determined number of drawings, regardless of the results of those drawings. In the instance of Marin, a purchased ticket might have some limited carry-over opportunity if a jackpot is not awarded in a drawing.
Given the deficiencies of the prior art in making participation in lotteries convenient to players, it would be most desirable to provide a lottery ticket that is entered into subsequent lottery drawings until that ticket wins a drawing-based prize. Such a ticket would make participation in lottery drawings significantly more convenient and attractive to interested players than has heretofore been available. Such a ticket would desirably have the result of increasing player participation in lotteries, thereby providing the opportunity for a lottery to award more prizes while yielding a higher return to the sponsoring party or government organization.
An object of the present invention is thus to provide a method and apparatus for generating and processing lottery entries whereby a lottery entry is effective for consideration in lottery drawings until that entry wins a drawing-based prize.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for operating a lottery wherein entries are accepted for consideration in lottery drawings until each entry wins a drawing-based prize.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method, apparatus, and program product for operating a lottery, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a result of a lottery drawing; comparing the result to a plurality of stored lottery entries; and if the result corresponds to one of the plurality of stored lottery entries, identifying the one entry as a winning lottery entry. At least one non-winning lottery entry is identified from the plurality of stored lottery entries, and the method is continued for (at least one) subsequent lottery drawing(s) until the at least one non-winning lottery entry is identified as a winning lottery entry.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method, apparatus, and program product for generating lottery entries usable in a plurality of lottery drawings, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a request to purchase a lottery entry; and receiving with the request an indicator that the lottery entry is to be entered into a plurality of lottery drawings until a lottery drawing identifies the lottery entry as a winner. A ticket identifier is generated for the lottery entry to validate the lottery entry and the indicator, and the ticket identifier is transmitted to a remote terminal.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the detailed description of the invention when read in conjunction with the drawing figures, in which.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, a never-lose entry in a lottery remains active, and is thus re-entered in subsequent lottery drawings, until the entry wins a drawing-based prize. That is, the never-lose entry is active until it matches a winning lottery result, i.e. a winning lottery number.
This is in contrast to prior art lotteries wherein a losing ticket might win a prize based on a donated or promotional good or service unrelated to a lottery drawing result.
The term "never-lose" is applied herein to lottery entries, tickets, and other apparatus and steps pertinent to operating a never-lose lottery game in accordance with the present invention. Such never-lose entries can be used in conjunction with conventional lottery games, which applicants then describe as comprising never-lose lottery games.
As will become apparent from a consideration of the detailed description below, the present invention has the advantage of enabling a player, using only a single purchased entry, to participate in that number of lottery drawings necessary to win a drawing-based prize. In prior art lottery drawings, a player seeking a drawing-based prize would often have to buy many tickets to achieve this goal. The invention thus greatly simplifies the ticket purchasing process. Further, in the preferred embodiment a player is fully capable of winning any of the available drawing-based prizes, including the jackpot or top prize, for each of the drawings in which the never-lose entry is active.
By way of background, the preferred embodiment of the present invention is operative in conjunction with a conventional state lottery program. In such programs, several of which are referenced above, a centralized lottery authority, for example a state or a state-licensed authority, processes lottery entries and payouts through many dedicated, remote lottery terminals. Such terminals are typically licensed to and operated by local retail stores.
Referring now to
Examining form 20 of
With specific reference to
Referring now to
Server 30 preferably comprises one of many conventional computer servers, for example an IBM RS6000®, programmed to operate in accordance with the present invention. Storage device 34 comprises an appropriate memory device, for example including an appropriate combination of semiconductor, magnetic and optical memory. IVRU 36 comprises one of many well-known commercial units, for example AT&T's Conversant Voice Information System (VIS) operating on a hardware platform such as a MAP/100C system, while network interface 38 comprises standard network interface hardware and software.
With reference now to
In contrast to server 30 described above, lottery terminal devices of the type such as lottery terminal 31 typically require less processing power, and are generally more 'terminal-like' in construction. More specifically, lottery terminal 31 is seen to include a processor 33, a lottery network interface 35, and a storage device 37. Processor 33 may comprise, for example, an Intel Pentium® compatible processor. Lottery network interface 35 comprises an appropriate network interface device, many of which are well known in the art. Storage device 37 comprises an appropriate memory device, for example including an appropriate combination of semiconductor, magnetic, and optical memory, and is seen to include an audit data database 39. Audit data database stores local sales data, for example including quantities and dollar volumes of ticket sales.
Lottery terminal 31 is seen to further include an input/output (I/O) device(s) 41, a lottery ticket reader 43, a ticket printer 45, and a sense mark form reader 47. I/O device 41 includes appropriate means for communicating data between a human operator and terminal 31, for example a video terminal and keyboard. Ticket printer 45 comprises a printer adapted to print lottery tickets, many of which are commercially available and well known in the art. Likewise, sense mark form reader 47 and lottery ticket reader 43 comprise commercially available units for reading data from completed sense mark forms and printed lottery tickets, respectively, many of which are well known in the art.
With reference to
Ticket identifier 54 represents a unique number generated by the lottery authority server 30 (
With reference now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
In an alternate embodiment, the player may request that the lottery authority randomly select numbers for his entry. Further, the never-lose lottery tickets may be purchased using a more specialized sense mark form, in lieu of the described form with the selectable option. The player would thus be presented with two lottery betting slips, one for obtaining conventional lottery tickets and one for obtaining never-lose tickets. Of course, embodiments negating the use of the bet slip are also apparent where, for example, the player enters his entry information directly into a user-operated lottery terminal or via the Internet.
Once the player has submitted his bet slip to the lottery terminal operator (step 126), the slip is entered into sense mark form reader 47 (step 128), and the data on the slip is communicated from terminal 31 to the central lottery authority server 30 shown in
Referring now to
With reference now to
In accordance with the present invention, server 30 processes the data to determine if the entry is for a never-lose ticket (step 166) and, if so, continues to process the received data for appropriate entry into never-lose ticket database 42 (
Referring to
Referring back to
Referring now to
P=price of the never lose lottery ticket
M=markup added by the lottery authority
T=total number of possible unique outcomes
Prob Xi=probability of a player achieving a certain outcome
Payout Xi=the payout associated with a certain outcome
Prob Z=probability of a player not winning any prize
M is a percent markup included in the calculated ticket price so that the lottery derives a profit from the sale of never lose tickets. A markup factor of 1.5, for example, indicates that an additional 50% has been included in the base cost calculated below. T is the total number of unique outcomes, with a unique outcome representing a different payout. Prob Xi is the probability value for each of the possible outcomes. For instance, if the probability of winning the top prize or jackpot is one in ten million, then the value of Prob Xjackpot is 0.0000001. Payout Xi is the respective amount of money awarded for each outcome. For example, the payout for matching 5 of 6 possible numbers may be $100,000. Prob Z represents the chance that the player receives no payout for that particular lottery draw. Since most tickets are losing tickets, this probability will generally be 80% or higher. An exemplary pricing equation implementing these variables is represented by the following mathematical equation:
It should be noted that the above equation is but one method of calculating the price of the never-lose lottery ticket. Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that there are many other equations which would provide reasonable prices.
With reference now to
Continuing with the calculation of the price, server 30 divides Prob Xi by (1-Prob Z) for each of the outcomes (step 208), and multiplies the result of the division operation of step 208 by Payout Xi for each of the outcomes (step 210). Server 30 adds the result from the multiplication operation of step 210, for each of the (T) outcomes in step 202 (step 212), and rounds the result of the summation up or down to nearest whole number. The resulting number when multiplied by the markup factor, constitutes the price of a never-lose lottery ticket for that particular lottery game structure (step 214). Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that this calculation determines the expected value of the ticket with the addition of a mark-up factor, ignoring the time value of money.
The following is an illustrative example of the pricing process 200 for a never lose lottery ticket entry in a one million dollar top prize, 6-49 game. In this example, there are six possible outcomes. Each outcome has a corresponding payout or prize, with two matches or less resulting in a payout of zero. The "5 of 6+" outcome represents a player entry matching five of the six numbers correctly as well as a bonus number. For example, suppose the regular numbers drawn are 12, 15, 21, 32, 42, and 48 and the bonus number drawn is 44. If the player numbers match five out of the six possible drawn numbers correctly, 12, 15, 32, 42, and 48, and also match the drawn bonus number, 44, then the player wins the second prize.
Lotto 6-49
Top Jackpot - $1,000,000
Payout (Xi)*
[prob Xi/
(1-prob Z)]
For the exemplary one million dollar top prize 6-49 game set out in example 1 of the table above, the price of the never-lose ticket (before markup) is calculated to be $15.65. This is the expected value of the ticket, representing the average return to the player given a large number of ticket purchases. The lottery would then use an appropriate markup (M) to build a profit margin into the ticket price. They could, for example, mark up all tickets by fifty percent so that the resulting price is $23.48 ($15.65×1.5). This price may then be rounded up to the nearest whole dollar amount.
It should be noted that different prize structures and probabilities may yield higher or lower prices for each never-lose lottery game structure. Thus, a 6/45 game with the same prize structure would have a different ticket price due to the different probability values associated with each possible outcome.
In Example 2 set out below, the top prize has been changed to ten million dollars, with the remaining parameters otherwise identical to Example 1 set out above. The resulting price is seen to be calculated at $64.22 (before markup) as illustrated below.
Lotto 6-49
Top Jackpot - $10,000,000
Payout (Xi)*
[prob Xi/
(1-prob Z)]
Examples one and two above show typical fixed jackpot amounts. Most lottery jackpots, however, increase when the top payout is not won. The operating lottery authority may offer the never-lose option when the jackpot is at low amounts only, for the purpose of stimulating ticket sales.
It will be apparent from a consideration of the examples above that the price of a never-lose lottery ticket could substantially exceed the price of a conventional lottery ticket. Therefor, it may be desirable in some embodiments to decrease the up-front cost to the player, for example by spreading the cost of the ticket over a number of payments. In such an embodiment, the expected value of the ticket is calculated as described above, billing costs (if any) are added, and the total cost of the ticket is billed in periodic statements to the player. Such periodic billing may be applied to a credit card account, or may be implemented by automatic deductions from a savings or checking account identified by the player.
In an alternate billing arrangement, the player pays a conventional price for each drawing for which the never-lose ticket is entered. The fees and entry terminate upon a winning drawing. The price may be billed as described above to a credit card or other periodic payment mechanism. The valid status of the never-lose ticket may be cancelled if the payment mechanism is disabled or becomes invalid; i.e. if a payment account is terminated by the player. Theoretically, the calculated price of this alternate billing arrangement is the same as the calculated prices described in the examples above.
In an alternate method of calculating a price, the lottery authority could determine an average top prize for a given time period (e.g. one year), and calculate a single, uniform price for a never-lose ticket based on that average top prize. The uniform price would then be used for all ticket sales in lieu of an individually calculated price for each ticket. As an example, if the lottery authority determined that the top jackpot averaged five million dollars over the past year, then the price for all never-lose lottery tickets would be calculated once, in the manner described above, using five million dollars as the top prize.
Yet another method for operating a never-lose lottery having fixed price tickets is to offer a fixed top jackpot. Players purchasing never-lose tickets would thus only be eligible to win this predetermined amount if they win the top prize. The jackpot for never-lose players would remain constant from drawing to drawing, regardless of whether the top prize were paid out. All never-lose entries would remain active until each won a drawing-based prize, but the top prize or jackpot would remain a fixed amount and not increase over time.
In embodiments where the top prize for never-lose ticket holders is different from that of conventional ticket holders, the lottery operator could offer an insurance upsell where the difference between the jackpot amount and the top prize amount available to the ticket holder is paid should the ticket holder match the maximum number of selections correctly.
It is noted that top payouts are often split among multiple lottery winners. This shared top payout fixes the cost of jackpot payouts by the lottery authorities because they pay the same amount of money regardless of the number of winners. While not described in any of the examples above, this element of the lottery prize structure would be considered when determining a fair and accurate price for each never-lose ticket.
While the above pricing equation incorporates a fixed percentage markup for the lottery, there are many other ways in which a markup may be calculated. For example, the lottery could calculate the average number of entries to be sold before a prize is won. This average number of entries is then multiplied by the margin associated with individual lottery ticket sales. For example, most lotteries today operate with a 100% markup on each ticket sold, that is prizes returned typically average half of the purchase price. A lottery offering a never-lose ticket might calculate that it takes ten entries on average to win a prize. To determine the appropriate markup on the never-lose ticket, the lottery authority would multiply a $0.50 markup on a one dollar ticket by ten, and markup the never lose ticket by $5.00.
In yet another embodiment, the lottery assigns a number that equates to less than the average margin on normal ticket sales due to the increased volume as a result of the never-lose option.
It will be understood that numerous other methods for pricing never-lose lottery tickets will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.
With reference now to
More specifically, the winning numbers are received by server 30 (step 222) following a lottery drawing. Such a drawing may be accomplished in one of many known ways, typically including the use of a random number generator which may be electrical or mechanical in form. Such random number generators are known to include, for example, hand drawings of numbers, mechanical operations to identify numbers, and electrical random number generators. The winning numbers may also be generated by an electronic random number generator operated in or by server 30.
It will be understood that the quantity of winning numbers will be a function of the type of game being played. Some games may require the drawing of multiple numbers to identify corresponding multiple classes of winners. In the 6/49 game described herein, a player selects six numbers, each ranging from one to forty-nine. A drawing is conducted twice a week, each drawing identifying six winning numbers in the same one to forty-nine range. Other variations exist where the quantity of numbers selected by the player is less than or more than six, and the pool of numbers from which they are chosen is greater than or less than forty-nine.
Once the winning numbers have been entered into server 30, ticket database 40 is searched to determine if there are any winning entries. Never-lose ticket database 42 is then read to determine if there are any winning never-lose entries. This reading is accomplished by first accessing the database (step 224) and then comparing the NUMBERS SELECTED field 80 to the winning numbers (step 226), whereby any winning entries are identified (step 228). If no winning entries are identified, access to the never-lose ticket database is terminated (step 230).
If a winning entry (i.e. an entry having three or more matches with the drawn numbers) is identified in never-lose ticket database 42, the data in status field 78 of the record 66 identifying the winning entry is changed to "closed" (step 232). The winning record 66 data is extracted from never-lose ticket database 42 (step 234) and, after appropriately accessing winning ticket database 44 (step 236), a new record 88 is created in the latter database (step 238). The winning entry data is stored in the newly created winning ticket database 44 record (step 240) to complete the processing of the winning entry. It will be appreciated that, while a preferred embodiment has been shown and described for processing never-lose entries to identify winning entries, many other embodiments having functionally similar results will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
With reference now to
Describing now
Upon entry by the caller of the digits representing the lottery ticket identifier (step 256), the IVRU captures same (step 258) and transmits the ticket identifier to server 30 (step 260). Server 30 accesses never-lose ticket database 42 (step 262) and queries the data in field 70 of same (step 264) to identify any matching record 66 (step 266). If no matching record exists, an appropriate message is recited to the caller through the IVRU, and re-entry of another ticket number may be requested. If a matching record 66 is found, the data in status field 78 is read (step 268) to determine the status of the entry (step 270). If the status is read as "active," the server 30 directs the IVRU (step 280) to recite a message (step 282) indicating that the ticket is still active.
If the status check done with respect to step 270 indicates that the status is "closed," then winning ticket database 44 is accessed (step 272) and field 96 is read (step 274) to identify the matching record (step 276), i.e. the record containing data identifying the winning ticket. Appropriate information, including the winning numbers, the drawing date, and the prize information are read (step 278) and transmitted to the IVRU (step 280) for reciting to the caller/player (step 282).
Referring now to
On receipt of the winning lottery ticket, the operator enters the ticket into ticket reader 43 attached to lottery terminal 31 (step 294). Appropriate data, for example, the ticket identifier, is transmitted to remote lottery server 30 (step 296). The lottery server transmits back the payout amount (step 297), which the lottery terminal uses to print a payment receipt (step 298). The lottery terminal operator then pays the winning amount to the player (step 300). Details of the process practiced by the lottery terminal are shown in
With reference now to
Referring now to
If the status in field 78 indicates the expected status of "closed," winning ticket database 44 is accessed (step 336) and the contents of field 96 queried (step 338) to identify the record 88 having the matching ticket identifier (step 340). The prize amount, drawing information (i.e. drawing date and game type) and ticket identifier are read from the identified winning ticket record, and transmitted back to the lottery terminal (step 342). The winning record is subsequently shut (step 344) and access to the winning ticket database is terminated.
Referring back again to
There has thus been described a new and improved apparatus and process for operating a lottery to generate, price, sell, process and redeem never-lose lottery tickets. The invention provides significant advantages in the field of lotteries, including simplifying the purchase process while increasing the desirability of the tickets to the players. The invention has particular applicability in the field of state-run lotteries having authorized, distributed lottery dealers operating lottery terminals in communication with a centralized server operated by a lottery authority.
While the present invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments, it is not thus limited. Numerous modifications, improvements, and changes will be apparent to those skilled in the art and which fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.
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|29 Nov 2005
|Ronald Borruso
|Methods for conducting and playing a lottery game
|14 Mar 2000
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|Walker Digital, Llc
|System and method for applying lottery multipliers
|14 Feb 2005
|7 Mar 2006
|Walker Digital, Llc
|Off-line remote system for lotteries and games of skill
|15 Oct 2002
|30 May 2006
|Walker Digital, Llc
|System and method for conducting and playing a supplemental lottery game
|25 Jun 2003
|14 Nov 2006
|Scientific Games Royalty Corporation
|Methods and apparatus for providing a lottery game
|26 Jul 2001
|26 Dic 2006
|Sca Promotions, Inc.
|System and method for playing a lottery-type game
|4 Dic 2001
|30 Ene 2007
|Method and system for weighting odds to specific gaming entities in a shared bonus event
|24 May 2005
|27 Nov 2007
|Walker Digital, Llc
|Method and apparatus for operating lotteries and for generating and processing lottery entries
|15 Oct 2002
|13 Mar 2003
|Walker Jay S.
|System and method for conducting and playing a supplemental lottery game
|"Backups likely at Skyway toll plaza", St. Petersburg Times, Mar. 15, 1994, Section: Tampa Bay State, Times Digest, p. 1B, 2pp.
|"Columbus Produces Another Winner in Super Lotto Game", Columbus Dispatch, Jul. 16, 1996, Section: News Local & National, p. 7B, 1pg.
|"Fundraiser Was Art For Life's Sake", The Times-Picayune, Dec. 8, 1994, Section: Metro, p. B6, 2pp.
|"Savings Bank's Instant Lottery Draws Customers to New Office", The American Banker, Mar. 18, 1986, Section: Marketing Today, p. 14, 2pp.
|Caswell, Cheryl, "Woman Tilts Scales with Losing Tickets Lottery Losers Can Play Again in State's Second-Chance Drawing", Charleston Daily Mail, Jan. 26, 1994, Section: News, p. P2A, 3pp.
|Lindecke, Fred W., "It's a Winner! New Lottery Game Guarantees a Prize", St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Apr. 4, 1992, Section: News, p. 5A, 2pp.
|Loro, Laura, "Lottery ticket offers cash and coupons; New game links food marketers' products with instant-win tickets", Advertising Age, Jul. 6, 1992, Section: Sales Promotion News, p. 24, 3pp.
|McQueen, Patricia A., "A look at the on-line game", International Gaming and Wagering Business, Feb. 1, 1995, Section: p. 18, ISSN: 8750-8222, 4pp.
|Price, Deborah Evans, "David Lee Murphy's top-shelf set", BPI Entertainment News Wire, Apr. 1996, (http //library northernlight com/AF19980...Onhjbz4LcARsDmAJWgZfWEgHGh5QcAh5FQE%253D), 3pp.
|Scarne, John, "Scarne's New Complete Guide to Gambling", Simon and Schuster, Copyright 1961, 1974, p. 175, 3pp.
|Patente citante
|Fecha de presentación
|Fecha de publicación
|9 Jun 2008
|24 Ago 2010
|Walker Digital, Llc
|Method and apparatus for operating lotteries and for generating and processing lottery entries
|7 Dic 2007
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|Clasificación de EE.UU.
|463/17, 463/25, 273/138.2, 463/16, 273/138.1, 463/26
|Clasificación internacional
|Clasificación cooperativa
|Clasificación europea
|19 Sep 2011
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 4
|8 Ago 2014
Owner name: IGT, NEVADA
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text:
Detwiler undergoes hip surgery
Nationals lefty out at least three months with labral tear
By Bill Ladson / MLB.com
The procedure was performed in Vail, Colo., by Dr. Marc Philippon, the same doctor who performed hip surgery on Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and former Nats closer Mike MacDougal.
Detwiler, 23, is scheduled to arrive in Viera this weekend. He will begin a throwing program in six weeks.
According to manager Jim Riggleman, Detwiler started feeling pain about a week ago while throwing the baseball. Detwiler then went to the trainers and had an MRI on the hip. The trainers didn't like what they saw, so Detwiler went to Colorado to see Dr. Philippon, who confirmed that surgery was needed.
Detwiler was scheduled to compete with a least 10 pitchers for the final two spots in Washington's rotation.
Detwiler, the Nationals' first pick in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, made his Major League debut last season and went 1-6 with a 5.00 ERA in 15 games with Washington, but had a 1.90 ERA during the month of September.
Bill Ladson is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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He was born Sept. 13, 1947, in Little Rock to O.G. and Betty Jo Kimes Croom. He married Kandis Smith of Davenport, Iowa, on June 1, 1968.
Mike served as a band director in Arkansas schools for 43 years. A graduAate of Arkansas Tech University in 1969 (a student of Gene Witherspoon), he received a master of music education degree from the University of Arkansas (a student of Eldon Janzen) and started his music teaching career in North Little Rock with J. Raymond Brandon. Mike started the band program at Lakewood Junior High. He also started the marching band program at Northeast High School when he moved to direct the Northeast High School band.
Mike received many awards, recognitions and superior ratings throughout his career, but one award he was most proud of was the Arkansas Omicrom Chapter of Phi Beta Mu Hall of Fame, awarded by his peers. He taught at North Little Rock schools, Northside High School, Fort Smith schools, Russellville schools, many other area schools and served as an adjunct for Arkansas Tech University during his career.
Mike wrote articles, presented workshops and visited any director who asked. Helping young directors was his passion. He also loved to work with small groups and individual clarinet students. Mike touched many lives. He cared about kids. He cared about advancing the love of music. He cared about the profession. He was a giant in the Arkansas band world and will be missed by so many.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a son, Jason M. Croom; and a brother, Patrick Croom.
Survivors include his wife, Kandis Croom; a son, Joseph Croom of Russellville; two granddaughters, Zoe, 8, and Bentleigh, 6, of Little Rock; and his parents-in-law, Marvin L. and Dawn Smith of Davenport, Iowa.
A funeral service will begin at 10 a.m. Friday, July 13, 2012, at Shinn Chapel officiated by Dr. Tim Carter and Mr. Mark Gotcher. Private burial will be in Roselawn Memorial Park in Little Rock by Shinn Funeral Service of Russellville.
The family will receive friends from 5-6 p.m. today at the funeral home.
Memorials may be made to Northside High School Band Parents Association, 2301 N. B St., Fort Smith, AR 72901.
An online obituary and guestbook are available at www.shinnfuneral.com.
Paid obituary


text:
- Buy New
- Alerts
Not just well built drums, but visual beauties as well.
GMS Special Edition drums are made up of select 8-ply North American maple with no gradation in the thickness of the shell as the diameter gets larger. After extensive research, GMS decided the thicker shells give the best performance, providing good vibrations in all dynamic situations with little to no distortion or necessity for reinforcement hoops which can cause problems with resonance. The drum shells they came up with are thin enough to give you wide tonal ranges, strong enough to not need reinforcement hoops, but not so thick as to raise the frequency to a higher pitch. Another unique aspect of their construction is the staggering in the seam construction so none of the ply seams line up with each other. This cross-laminating process creates an even sturdier drum.
One of the more innovative drum companies in the market, GMS Drum Co., is known for creating ingenious, yet functional products for drummers.
Knowing many drummers prefer the split-lug look and to see more of the shell's finish, they developed the "SE" (Special Edition) lug. Despite its very small footprint, it provides the same musical quality and resonance of its larger predecessor, the "Grand Master lug." It also has the same swivel nut as the "GM" lug, but diverts shell stress, by tensioning from the bottom of the lug casing, as opposed to the top. This makes it visually appealing while also contributing to the quality sound of these Special Edition Rack Toms.
GMS bearing edges utilize a 45-degree cut on the inside of the shell, a shallow 45-degree counter cut on the outside, and a gradated bearing edge around the set. In essence, the edges are sharper on smaller-diameter toms and get rounder as the diameter gets larger. This exclusive process enhances the drums' attack and sustain, while offering larger drums more low end and punch. All toms feature Evans coated G1 top, and G1 clear bottoms with hoops that are 2.3mm steel triple flanged.
The GMS Suspension System is designed to securely mount your toms, and give you maximum resonance at the same time. The system secures itself to two tension rods on the top side and stabilizes itself with a clip on the bottom hoop. The rubber bumper mounted bottom clip housing, lets the drum "hang", so it will not choke the drum with rigidity. The profile of the mount is very sleek, making it almost invisible to the eye. The actual tom bracket that is on the mount, is a solid piece, exclusive to GMS.
These drums go through an intense process that starts with hand sanding of the raw shell to give the paint a better surface to which to adhere. They're then primed with a clear primer. They get sanded again until they are flat and even and ready for the paint. After they dry for 10-14 days, they are sanded with no fewer than 6 grades of sandpaper. As soon as they are deemed smooth as glass, they are sent to be buffed by two grades of imported European compounds. The end result is an unmatched mirror-like finish.
Rack 'em up with these GMS Special Edition Toms.
- Wood: 8-ply maple
- "SE" lug
- GMS Suspension System
- Super glossy finish
- G1 top
- G1 clear bottom
GMS builds instruments for the discriminating drummer. Get them coming your way.


text:
Minor Leaguer Carpio suspended for 50 games
By Eric Single / MLB.com
ATLANTA -- Braves Minor Leaguer Humberto Carpio was one of two Dominican Summer League players to be handed 50-game suspensions on Friday for violations of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
Carpio, a 19-year-old right-handed pitcher for the Dominican Summer League Braves, received a 50-game suspension without pay after testing positive for Stanozolol, effective immediately.
Hudson undergoes surgery for fractured ankle
ATLANTA -- Tim Hudson underwent season-ending surgery on Friday afternoon in Atlanta to repair his deltoid ligament and fractured fibula in his right ankle, ruling the 15-year veteran out for at least four months before he can resume baseball activities.
Hudson suffered the gruesome injury in the eighth inning of Wednesday night's win in New York after Mets outfielder Eric Young Jr. stepped on the back of his right ankle as Hudson covered first base.
"He's got a fracture, he's got a dislocation, and they'll get in there and find out what kind of ligament involvement," Braves general manager Frank Wren said before Friday's game. "There's a number of things they're going to be fixing and repairing."
Hudson flew back to Atlanta with his teammates yesterday after the final game of their series against the Mets, and Wren said that he planned to visit Hudson at Piedmont Hospital after Friday night's game.
"He was in a good mood, good spirits," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "I'm sure he was doing a lot of reflecting and that kind of stuff, but he'll be fine. He's got a good support system there with his wife Kim and his family and everyone else here in Atlanta and in Auburn."
With the surgery completed, Kim Hudson tweeted that her husband was indeed watching from the hospital as Mike Minor and the Braves shut down the Cardinals in a 4-1 victory on Friday night: "Watching/listening to Tim watch the Braves game and cheer for his teammates, heavily under the influence of pain meds, is entertaining."
Watching/listening to Tim watch the Braves game and cheer for his teammates, heavily under the influence of pain meds, is entertaining. ❤- Kim Hudson (@kimberlybhudson) July 27, 2013
Hudson received plenty of teammates in his hotel room the night of the injury and was given a standing ovation in Citi Field as he was carted off. Gonzalez said on Friday that he had received multiple texts from former teammates of Hudson passing along their thoughts and best wishes, and the manager planned to reconnect with the right-hander later this weekend after he fully recovers from the surgery.
"When they're doing that, I think sometimes it's better just to let him get the rest and leave him alone," Gonzalez said. "We'll touch up tomorrow or the next day, whenever our doctors say he's good to talk and give him a breather."
Schafer, B.J. Upton test out leg injuries
ATLANTA -- Outfielders B.J. Upton and Jordan Schafer both felt comfortable enough to take the field before Friday's game and test out their respective leg injuries. While Schafer is still a few weeks away from being able to return from an intraosseous stress fracture in his ankle, B.J. Upton could be back to patrolling center field as early as next week after testing his strained right adductor muscle during an encouraging workout on Friday afternoon.
"I did some sprints today, like really ran, and then agility, like cutting to see how it felt, and it felt pretty good," Upton said. "Overall, it's night and day from what it was a couple weeks ago, even a couple days ago. It's coming along well, and we'll just see."
Upton was optimistic about heading out on a rehab assignment early next week and possibly rejoining the team at the tail end of its current seven-game homestand. On Sunday, he will be eligible to be activated from the 15-day disabled list.
Schafer had been taking swings off a tee and doing some underwater exercises over the past two days to test the strength of his ankle before putting his full weight on it with above-ground exercise.
"The water takes away a lot of your body weight, that's why we started there," Schafer said before heading out to the field on Friday. "So if I can actually jog by myself with my weight on the field today, that'll be a big step."
"He said he feels, other than his legs feeling a little jelly, he felt good," Gonzalez said later on Friday, after Schafer had finished testing out the injury.
Beachy to return Monday as Braves assess options
ATLANTA -- As expected, Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez announced on Friday that Brandon Beachy would take Tim Hudson's place in the rotation starting on Monday in the team's series opener against the Rockies. But with Paul Maholm likely to miss at least one more start with a sprained wrist, Beachy's return from Tommy John surgery is just one facet of the self-evaluation process as the Braves front office takes inventory of its options for making upgrades to both the rotation and the bullpen in the final days before the Trade Deadline.
"We have to make a decision regardless of what we actually see with those guys," general manager Frank Wren said. "Paul Maholm, his situation, I think he'll be fine in the next few days. And as pertaining to Beachy, we've seen him make a number of rehab starts, and those have all gotten progressively better, and his last one was the best yet, so I think we pretty much know what we have there."
Beachy completed six innings on Wednesday night in his final rehab start for Triple-A Gwinnett, allowing just two runs on two hits but surrendering four walks. If all goes well with one final side bullpen session at Turner Field this weekend, Beachy will get the ball on Monday for his first start since June 16, 2012.
"We'll put him there on Monday if everything goes well," Gonzalez said. "I don't expect any problems with that side, and then he'll be scheduled to pitch on Monday for Huddy's spot."
Wren called this summer's trade market the thinnest he's ever seen from a buyer's perspective, making his short list of prime trade targets just that -- short.
"I've had years where I've had two legal pages written out of names of potential trade possibilities," Wren said. "This year, I've got half a page of names that really fit for us, so it's a small number."
The Braves are in the enviable position of protecting a comfortable lead in the National League East heading into the Trade Deadline. That allows a healthy margin of error to be picky with trade options while the rotation adjusts to life without Hudson's veteran presence.
"Yeah, it's a young rotation, but they have to grow up sooner or later," Gonzalez said. "We have to grow up and mature. Somewhere down the line is going to be your first playoff or pennant chase or pennant run. It's going to be your first, so we're young, but we'll get through it."
The unusually high cost of many of the top targets around the league also has tempered the urgency with which Wren shops his team's assets in the hunt for a playoff-ready piece.
"We want to win the World Series, so is there a guy that really makes that kind of difference?" Wren said. "If there is, I think you're willing to pay for him. We weigh that every year, whether we're in or out. We're always weighing what's the value of the player down the road when the games are more meaningful."
Eric Single is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
We are available to answer any questions you may have about our European travel products. Answers to our most frequently asked questions can be found in our FAQs. We also encourage you to visit our new online Support Community to interact with Rail Europe staff and other travelers to share information and tips about European rail travel and more. Visit the Rail Europe Support Community. If you prefer you can also contact us by email anytime and we will respond to you as quickly as we possibly can.
We also have a dedicated staff to assist with Group Travel. Our Group department is equipped to handle your every need when it comes to group train travel. So if you've got to put together a terrific package for a group of 10 or more travelers, just call us at 1-800-462-2577 in the United States and Canada or 1-914-682-7456 in the United States and we'd be happy to help. Monday - Friday 9:00am - 5:30pm Eastern Time.


text:
NCUA Chair Calls for Regulatory Expansion and Streamlining
WASHINGTON — Saying that her goal is to "target risky behaviors in credit unions, not credit unions themselves," NCUA Chairman Debbie Matz on Sept. 19 announced that the agency will beef up certain safety and soundness regulations but ease up on others.
Later this fall, the agency plans to issue a proposed rule mandating loan originators to keep some risk on their balance sheets and require loan buyers to increase due diligence, she said during a speech to NAFCU's Congressional Caucus.
Matz also announced that next year the agency will issue a proposed rule limiting investment concentration for natural person credit unions that will be similar to rules enacted last year for corporate credit unions.
In an interview after Matz's speech, Navy FCU President/CEO Cutler Dawson praised the idea of limiting investments because it can minimize certain risks, but he said he would like to see the details of the proposal.
Matz also said that in light of the comments on the agency's proposed rule to beef up regulations on CUSOs, the agency is likely to make changes that could exempt CUSOs that perform back-office operations that don't pose a potential risk to the credit union system.
In July, the agency sent out for comment a proposed rule that would require CUSOs to submit financial reports to the NCUA and there would be limits on the investments certain credit unions can make in CUSOs.
The agency also wants less than adequately capitalized state-chartered federally insured credit unions to get permission from their regulators before making investments in a CUSO. The proposed rule requires CUSOs to use GAAP accounting, prepare quarterly financial reports and get annual audits.
Matz also noted that the proposed rule mandating credit unions to devise interest rate risk management plans was needed to protect the credit union system's safety and soundness.
In the area of regulatory relief, she reiterated her pledges that the NCUA will likely issue rules allowing credit unions to use derivatives as an interest rate hedge and allow credit unions to count subordinated debt toward risk-based net worth.
She also promised that the agency would expand some of the benefits that are currently only available to well-managed credit union under the Regulatory Flexibility program. The program allows CAMEL 1 and CAMEL 2 credit unions to be exempt from certain regulations, such as limiting charitable donations to nonprofit organizations promoting credit unions and requirements to stress test certain investments. The only privilege that the NCUA cannot extend without permission from Congress is the ability to purchase eligible obligations from other federally insured CUs without regard to member status or the need to complete a secondary-market pool.
CUNA President/CEO Bill Cheney said he is cautiously optimistic that the agency's efforts will ease the regulatory burden facing credit unions. However, he fears that there may not be a net benefit for credit unions if the agency imposes additional burdens in other areas.
"We'd like to see relief but not have additional regulations. Credit unions are already the most heavily regulated of the financial institutions," he said.
Matz reiterated her support for legislation raising the cap on member business loans and to raise supplemental capital.
She said the agency hopes to create a regulatory environment that will enable credit unions to expand their overall membership while still operating in a safe and sound manner. She reiterated a goal that she stated in 2009 that by the time her term expires in 2015, she's like the credit union industry to serve 100 million members. There are currently 91 million credit union members.
Navy FCU's Dawson, whose Vienna, Va.-based credit union has assets of $456 billion, said he sees expansion opportunities as a result of the problems facing Bank of America and Wachovia Bank.
"They are closing branches and cutting back on services. This is great opportunity for us," he said.


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