Database driven online distributed tournament system

• US 20010004609A1
• Filed: 01/24/2001
• Published: 06/21/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inventor Holdings LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Walker Digital LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Jorasch, James A., Walker, Jay S.
• Granted Patent: US 6,425,828 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8064 Quiz
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament

Abstract

A method and a system for a distributed electronic tournament system in which many remotely located players participate in a tournament through input/output devices connected to a central controller which manages the tournament. The method includes the steps of (a) uniquely identifying a player communicating with the central controller via an associated input/output device; (b) responding to payment of an entry fee by the player for allowing the player to participate in a tournament occurring within a fixed time window via an associated input/output device; (c) accessing a database to store in the database player information that is generated as the player participates in the tournament, such information being available for use in a subsequent tournament, which is administered by said controller and in which the player participates; and (d) awarding the player a prize for achieving a pre-established performance level in the tournament. In another preferred embodiment, the method further includes the steps of determining whether the player has been qualified to advance to a subsequent game session, in which at least one player is eliminated from the previous game session; and permitting each player qualified to a subsequent game session to participate in that game session. The system includes software and hardware to implement the method steps.

Claims

1. A distributed electronic tournament system in which a plurality of remotely located players participate in a tournament through input/output devices connected to a central controller which manages the tournament, the system comprising:

(a) means for uniquely identifying a player communicating with the central controller via an associated input/output device;

(b) means responsive to payment of an entry fee by the player for allowing the player to participate in a tournament occurring within a fixed time window via an associated input/output device;

(c) means for accessing a database to store in the database player information that is generated as the player participates in the tournament, such information being available for use in a subsequent tournament, which is administered by said controller and in which the player participates; and

(d) means for awarding the player a prize for achieving a pre-established performance level in the tournament.

2. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 1

wherein:

the system further comprises game software; and

part of the game software resides in the central controller and part of the game software resides in the input/output devices.

3. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 2

wherein the part of the game software residing in the input/output device performs bandwidth-intensive functions.

4. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 1

wherein each input/output device includes secured memory storing tournament-related data.

5. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 4

wherein the tournament-related data include signals representing time.

6. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 1

wherein the entry fee for the tournament is based on the amount of time the player participates in the tournament.

7. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 1

wherein the attainment of the pre-established performance level requires dexterity.

8. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 1

wherein the attainment of the pre-established performance level involves answering questions with deterministic answers.

9. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 1

wherein the attainment of the pre-established performance level involves prediction.

10. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 1

the attainment of the pre-established performance level involves solving puzzles.

11. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 1

wherein the attainment of the pre-established performance level involves strategy.

12. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 1

wherein the attainment of the pre-established performance level involves chance.

13. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 1

wherein the pre-established performance level includes the amount of time required to achieve that level.

14. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 1

wherein solutions to problems posed in tournaments are not deterministic and evaluating them requires judgment.

15. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 1

wherein the tournament time window has a fixed end time.

16. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 15

wherein the attainment of the pre-established performance level requires dexterity.

17. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 15

further comprising means for notifying players who are participating in the tournament that the tournament is about to end.

18. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 1

wherein the tournament time window has a fixed start time.

19. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 18

wherein the attainment of the pre-established performance level involves answering questions with deterministic answers.

20. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 18

further comprising means for notifying players who have registered for the tournament that the tournament is about to start.

21. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 1

wherein the prize for the tournament depends on the number of players participating in the tournament.

22. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 1

wherein the number of players in the tournament is restricted to be below a preset value.

23. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 1

wherein a pre-determined number of positions for players are reserved for a selected group of players until the starting time of the tournament is a preset time away, at which time the reserved positions will be made available to all players, including those not within the selected group.

24. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 1

wherein the means responsive to payment of an entry fee provides the option for the player to pay before the player participates in the tournament.

25. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 24

wherein the means responsive to payment of an entry fee provides the option for the player to enter a password, which is linked to the player'"'"'s credit card number to automatically charge the entry fee to the credit card account.

26. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 1

wherein the means responsive to payment of an entry fee provides a plurality of payment options.

27. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 26

wherein the means responsive to payment of an entry fee:

stores the payment option selected by the player in the tournament; and

automatically activates that option after the player has been identified in a subsequent tournament.

28. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 1

wherein there are a plurality of games in the tournament and the games are different.

29. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 28

wherein each game in the tournament is governed by a set of parameters, whose values change as a function of time.

30. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 1

wherein:

the tournament includes at least one game; and

that game is based on a contemporaneous live event.

31. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 1

wherein:

the tournament includes a plurality of games; and

each player participates in a plurality of games.

32. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 1

wherein:

there are a plurality of games in the tournament;

a number of games have different game formats;

different players are involved in games in different game formats;

the outcomes of the games are statistically normalized to facilitate comparison among different game formats; and

the players in games in different game formats compete against each other to win common prizes.

33. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 8

wherein the system keeps track of the amount of time the player participates in the tournament.

34. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 1

wherein each player has to complete a qualifying event before the player can participate in the tournament.

35. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 34

wherein the system determines if a player is eligible to participate in a subsequent tournament based on the results of the player'"'"'s participation in the present tournament.

36. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 1

wherein the difficulty level of the tournament is adjusted as the tournament is played.

37. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 1

wherein:

the tournament includes games; and

the games in the tournament are based on a recently concluded event.

38. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 1

wherein each input/output device comprises a screen having multiple windows thereon, with one window displaying the tournament in which the associated player is currently participating.

39. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 38

further comprising means for the player to enter preferences which determine the size of the window displaying the tournament.

40. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 1

wherein the player information includes payment information.

41. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 1

wherein the player information includes the player'"'"'s performance information.

42. A distributed electronic tournament system as recited in

claim 1

wherein the player information includes the player'"'"'s preferences.

43. A distributed electronic elimination tournament system in which a plurality of remotely located players participate in a tournament having multiple game sessions through input/output devices connected to a central controller which manages the tournament, the system comprising:

(a) means for uniquely identifying a player communicating with the central controller via an associated input/output device;

(b) means responsive to payment of an entry fee by the player for allowing the player to participate in a particular game session occurring within a fixed time window via an associated input/output device;

(c) means for determining whether the player has been qualified to advance to a subsequent game session, in which at least one player is eliminated from the previous game session;

(d) means for awarding the player a prize for being qualified to advance to a subsequent game session; and

(e) means for permitting each player qualified to a subsequent game session to participate in that game session.

44. A distributed electronic elimination tournament system as recited in

claim 43

wherein a database associated with the central controller manages the game sessions, said database containing information on individual players.

45. A distributed electronic elimination tournament system as recited in

claim 43

wherein:

the system further comprises game software; and

for each game session, part of the game software resides in the central controller and part of the game software resides in the input/output devices.

46. A distributed electronic elimination tournament system as recited in

claim 43

wherein each input/output device includes secured memory storing game-session-related data.

47. A distributed electronic elimination tournament system as recited in

claim 46

wherein the game-session-related data include signals representing time.

48. A distributed electronic elimination tournament system as recited in

claim 46

wherein the game-session-related data include payment information.

49. A distributed electronic elimination tournament system as recited in

claim 43

wherein the game session time window has a fixed end time.

50. A distributed electronic elimination tournament system as recited in

claim 43

wherein the game session time window has a fixed start time.

51. A distributed electronic elimination tournament system as recited in

claim 50

further comprising means for notifying players who have registered for a game session that the game session is about to start.

52. A distributed electronic elimination tournament system as recited in

claim 43

wherein the number of players in a game session is restricted to be below a preset value.

53. A distributed electronic elimination tournament system as recited in

claim 43

wherein a pre-determined number of positions for players are reserved for a selected group of players until the starting time of the game session is a preset time away, at which time the reserved positions will be made available to all players, including those not within the selected group.

54. A distributed electronic elimination tournament system as recited in

claim 43

where in the means for a player to pay an entry fee provides a plurality of payment options.

55. A distributed electronic elimination tournament system as recited in

claim 54

wherein the means for a player to pay an entry fee:

stores the payment option selected by a player in a previous game session; and

automatically activates that option after the player has been identified.

56. A distributed electronic elimination tournament system as recited in

claim 43

wherein:

a game session includes at least one game; and

the game sessions are based on a contemporaneous live event.

57. A distributed electronic elimination tournament system as recited in

claim 43

wherein:

there are a plurality of games in a game session;

a number of games have different game formats;

different players are involved in games having different game formats;

the outcomes of the games are statistically normalized to facilitate comparison among different game formats; and

the players in games in different game formats compete against each other to win common prizes.

58. A distributed electronic elimination tournament system as recited in

claim 43

wherein each player has to complete a qualifying event before the player can participate in a game session.

59. A distributed electronic elimination tournament system as recited in

claim 58

wherein the system determines if a player is eligible to participate in a game session based on the results of the player'"'"'s past participation.

60. A distributed electronic elimination tournament system as recited in

claim 43

wherein the difficulty level of a game session is adjusted as the game session is played.

61. A distributed electronic elimination tournament system as recited in

claim 43

wherein:

a game session includes games; and

the games in the game session are based on a recently concluded event.

62. A method of using a distributed electronic tournament system in which a plurality of remotely located players participate in a tournament through input/output devices connected to a central controller which manages the tournament, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) uniquely identifying a player communicating with the central controller via an associated input/output device;

(b) responding to payment of an entry fee by the player for allowing the player to participate in a tournament occurring within a fixed time window via an associated input/output device;

(c) accessing a database to store in the database player information that is generated as the player participates in the tournament, such information being available for use in a subsequent tournament, which is administered by said controller and in which the player participates; and

(d) awarding the player a prize for achieving a pre-established performance level in the tournament.

63. A method as recited in

claim 62

wherein:

the system further comprises game software; and

part of the game software resides in the central controller and part of the game software resides in the input/output devices.

64. A method as recited in

claim 63

wherein the part of the game software residing in the input/output device performs bandwidth-intensive functions.

65. A method as recited in

claim 62

wherein each input/output device includes secured memory storing tournament-related data.

66. A method as recited in

claim 65

wherein the tournament-related data include signals representing time.

67. A method as recited in

claim 65

wherein the tournament-related data include payment information.

68. A method as recited in

claim 62

wherein the entry fee for the tournament is based on the amount of time the player participates in the tournament.

69. A method as recited in

claim 62

wherein the attainment of the pre-established performance level requires dexterity.

70. A method as recited in

claim 62

wherein the attainment of the pre-established performance level involves answering questions with deterministic answers.

71. A method as recited in

claim 62

wherein the attainment of the pre-established performance level involves prediction.

72. A method as recited in

claim 62

wherein the attainment of the pre-established performance level involves solving puzzles.

73. A method as recited in

claim 62

wherein the attainment of the pre-established performance level involves strategy.

74. A method as recited in

claim 62

wherein the attainment of the pre-established performance level involves chance.

75. A method as recited in

claim 62

wherein the pre-established performance level includes the amount of time required to achieve that level.

76. A method as recited in

claim 62

wherein solutions to problems posed in tournaments are not deterministic and evaluating them requires judgment.

77. A method as recited in

claim 62

wherein the tournament time window has a fixed end time.

78. A method as recited in

claim 77

wherein the attainment of the pre-established performance level requires dexterity.

79. A method as recited in

claim 77

further comprising the step of notifying players who are participating in the tournament that the tournament is about to end.

80. A method as recited in

claim 62

wherein the tournament time window has a fixed start time.

81. A method as recited in

claim 80

wherein the attainment of the pre-established performance level involves answering questions with deterministic answers.

82. A method as recited in

claim 80

further comprising the step of notifying players who have registered for the tournament that the tournament is about to start.

83. A method as recited in

claim 62

wherein the prize for the tournament depends on the number of players participating in the tournament.

84. A method as recited in

claim 62

wherein the number of players in the tournament is restricted to be below a preset value.

85. A method as recited in

claim 62

wherein a pre-determined number of positions for players are reserved for a selected group of players until the starting time of the tournament is a preset time away, at which time the reserved positions will be made available to all players, including those not within the selected group.

86. A method as recited in

claim 62

wherein the step of responding to payment provides the option for the player to pay before the player participates in the tournament.

87. A method as recited in

claim 86

wherein the step of responding to payment provides the option for the player to enter a password, which is linked to the player'"'"'s credit card number to automatically charge the entry fee to the credit card account.

88. A method as recited in

claim 62

wherein the step of responding to payment provides a plurality of payment options.

89. A method as recited in

claim 88

wherein the step of responding to payment includes the steps of:

storing the payment option selected by the player in the tournament; and

automatically activating that option after the player has been identified in a subsequent tournament.

90. A method as recited in

claim 62

wherein the re are a plurality of games in the tournament and the game s are different.

91. A method as recited in

claim 90

wherein each game in the tournament is governed by a set of parameters, whose values change as a function of time.

92. A method as recited in

claim 62

wherein:

the tournament includes at least one game; and

that game is based on a contemporaneous live event.

93. A method as recited in

claim 62

wherein:

the tournament includes a plurality of games; and

each player participates in a plurality of games.

94. A method as recited in

claim 62

wherein:

there are a plurality of games in the tournament;

a number of games have different game formats;

different players are involved in games in different game formats;

the outcomes of the games are statistically normalized to facilitate comparison among different game formats; and

the players in games in different game formats compete against each other to win common prizes.

95. A method as recited in

claim 68

wherein the system keeps track of the amount of time the player participates in the tournament.

96. A method as recited in

claim 62

wherein each player has to complete a qualifying event before the player can participate in the tournament.

97. A method as recited in

claim 96

wherein the system determines if a player is eligible to participate in a subsequent tournament based on the results of the player'"'"'s participation in the present tournament.

98. A method as recited in

claim 62

wherein the difficulty level of the tournament is adjusted as the tournament is played.

99. A method as recited in

claim 62

wherein:

the tournament includes games; and

the games in the tournament are based on a recently concluded event.

100. A method as recited in

claim 62

wherein each input/output device comprises a screen having multiple windows thereon, with one window displaying the tournament in which the associated player is currently participating.

101. A method as recited in

claim 100

further comprising the step of entering by the player preferences which determine the size of the window displaying the tournament.

102. A method as recited in

claim 62

wherein the player information includes payment information.

103. A method as recited in

claim 62

wherein the player information includes the player'"'"'s performance information.

104. A method as recited in

claim 62

wherein the player information includes the player'"'"'s preference.