Strategy gaming format with outcomes determined by external events and auction- and market-based transactions by the players

• US 20060100006A1
• Filed: 11/11/2004
• Published: 05/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Onroo Entertainment, LLC
• Original Assignee: Onroo Entertainment, LLC
• Inventors: Mitchell, Scott, Mitchell, Todd
• Application Number:
  US10/986,555
• Publication Number:
  US 20060100006A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/9
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking

Abstract

A unique gaming format that can be played online and employs procedures for allocating game value units or points among a plurality of users (including through auction bidding and market-based transactions) and applies such procedures to determine certain rights with respect to such game value units or points in a manner that, when combined with certain external events (e.g., a real-life event-RLE), determines the outcome. The RLEs to which the format can be applied include any professional or amateur sports, reality-based television program, competition, or the like. In addition to the applicability to popular domains such as football and baseball, the game format can be applied to a broad variety of participants'"'"' particular interests, and can be configured to suit participants'"'"' particular playing styles, intensity, and competitive tastes.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates a game, comprising:

a rights allocation component of the game that allows allocation of rights to a player in the game for obtaining a right in an aspect associated with an event; and

a transaction component that allows performance of a transaction process during the game in association with the aspect.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the right is associated with receiving value in the aspect of the event.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the event is a real-life event (RLE).

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the RLE is associated with at least one of a sports event and a television program.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the event is associated with event data that is input at least one of manually and automatically.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the rights are allocated via one of an open auction, a blind auction, and a Dutch auction.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the transaction process includes at least one of a buy, sell, and trade, and an offer to buy, sell, and trade.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the event includes at least one of a pre-season, regular season, post-season, and playoff component.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the game includes at least one of limited points and unlimited points for a player that facilitates the allocation of the rights and are for use during the transaction process.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein participation in the allocation of the rights can be performed using a proxy-style bid.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the aspect includes ownership of rights to receive points upon an occurrence related to a team or a contestant, or additional rights upon the occurrence related to the team or the contestant.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein a player can participate in the allocation of the rights and the transaction process from a remote location.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising an artificial intelligence (AI) component that employs a probabilistic and/or statistical-based analysis to prognose or infer an action that a user desires to be automatically performed.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein a commissioner presides over at least one of the allocation of rights and the transaction process to ensure equitability thereof.

15. A server that employs the system of claim 1.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the event is associated with a single game.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein a bid on the aspect by a player is automatically processed during the allocation of rights without interaction by the player.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein at the completion of the event, a winner is determined.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein ownership of the aspect is at least one of individually and in combination with other rights.

20. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for carrying out the system of claim 1.

21. A computer that employs the system of claim 1.

22. A system that facilitates an online game, comprising:

an event component that processes event data related to a RLE;

a rights allocation component that facilitates allocation of rights to a player in the game for obtaining a right to receive value in an aspect of the online game of the RLE based upon an occurrence associated with the RLE; and

a transaction component that allows performance of a transaction process which includes at least one of a buy, sell, or trade of the aspect and an offer to buy, sell or trade the aspect.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the RLE is associated with at least one of a sports event and a television program.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the transaction process occurs throughout duration of the RLE.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein rights obtained via the allocation of rights are shared among a plurality of different players on a pro rata basis.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein ownership obtained via the allocation of rights is limited to a subset of teams or contestants associated with the RLE.

27. The system of claim 22, further comprising an access component that facilitates interacting with the rights allocation component and the transaction component.

28. The system of claim 22, wherein the allocation of rights includes a process that prevents a bid by one player from being viewed by another bidding player.

29. The system of claim 22, wherein if ownership in combination with other rights occurs during the allocation of rights, the ownership in combination with other rights applies during the transaction process.

30. The system of claim 22, wherein if individual ownership occurs during the allocation of rights, at least one of individual ownership and ownership in combination with other rights applies during the transaction process.

31. The system of claim 22, wherein the allocation of rights includes an end time such that if a bid is received within a predetermined time window of the end time, the allocation of rights is extended for an additional period of time.

32. The system of claim 22, wherein the allocation of rights is a limited points auction that includes a reserve amount.

33. The system of claim 22, wherein at least one of a player and a winner of the game is rewarded financially.

34. The system of claim 22, wherein the RLE is associated with a private game in which a player can play by invitation only.

35. The system of claim 22, wherein the game public, such that a fixed number of public players can register and play.

36. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method of providing an online game, the method comprising:

bidding on an aspect of an event, which event is external to the game;

receiving event data associated with the event;

performing at least one of buying, selling, and trading the aspect of the event;

processing at least one of an offer to buy, sell, and trade the aspect of the event; and

determining a winner of the game at an end of the event.

37. The method of claim 36, the act of receiving comprises the acts of:

manually inputting the event data; and

automatically receiving the event data from a remote event source.

38. The method of claim 36, the act of bidding is performed according to one of an open auction, blind auction, Dutch auction, and draft auction.

39. The method of claim 36, the event is one of a sports event, a television program, and a computer-generated event.

40. The method of claim 36, further comprising providing a limited number of points for both of the act of bidding and the act of performing.

41. The method of claim 36, further comprising basing the event data on one or more of a pre-season, regular season, post-season, and playoff component.

42. The method of claim 36, further comprising processing a bid of a player without the player participating during the act of bidding.

43. The method of claim 36, further comprising communicating event data to a player via a player communications device.

44. The method of claim 36, further comprising receiving player instructions from a location that is remote from a game server that is running the game.

45. The method of claim 36, further comprising presenting targeted information to a player of the game.

46. The method of claim 36, further comprising awarding the aspect, which aspect is rights in ownership of a team or contestant, to a highest bid, which highest bid is one of a single player and a plurality of players.

47. The method of claim 36, further comprising limiting a number of aspects of the event which a player can own.

48. The method of claim 36, further comprising presenting in substantially real-time standings information, bid information, buying information, selling information, and trading information.

49. The method of claim 36, further comprising allowing the act of performing to continue throughout duration of the external event.

50. A system that facilitates a game, comprising:

a game configuration component that facilitates creation of a game configuration for the game to be played, which game is played in association with an event or series of events;

a rights allocation component that facilitates allocation to or ownership by the player, of rights; and

an event component that allows for input and processing of data according to the game configuration component and the right allocation component.

51. The system of claim 50, wherein the event or series of events is at least one of a RLE, and a fantasy event that is driven by a pseudo-random number generator.

52. The system of claim 51, wherein the RLE is associated with at least one of a sports event, a television program, a series thereof of the sports event or the television program, and a portion of the sports event or the television program.

53. The system of claim 51, wherein the RLE includes at least one of a pre-season, regular season, post-season, and playoff component.

54. The system of claim 50, wherein the game configuration allows defining at least one of an objective of the game with respect to the related RLE, sub-events upon which the rights and points will be allocated or awarded to players in the game, and the rights and amounts of the points to be allocated or awarded upon occurrence of each sub-event.

55. The system of claim 54, wherein the sub-events include any and all events that can occur during the RLE.

56. The system of claim 50, wherein the manner in which rights are allocated pursuant to the rights allocation component is at least one of individually and in combination with other rights.

57. The system of claim 50, wherein rights allocations to players are limited in accordance with the game configuration to a percentage or other subset of all rights available in the game.

58. The system of claim 50, wherein the rights allocation component allows for at least one of allocation of rights to players upon the rights first being made available in the game and an exchange of rights between players during the game.

59. The system of claim 50, wherein the rights allocation component facilitates an initial allocation of rights via at least one of a random allocation, open auction, and blind auction.

60. The system of claim 50, wherein rights allocation component facilitates initial allocations of rights to players via an interactive process that allows players to submit bids for rights and allows for automated processing of bids and allocation of the rights.

61. The system of claim 50, wherein the rights allocation component makes available to players in the game bids submitted by one or more other players in the game.

62. The system of claim 50, wherein the rights allocation component does not make available to players in the game bids submitted by one or more other players in the game.

63. The system of claim 50, wherein the rights allocation component allows for proxy-style bidding.

64. The system of claim 50, wherein the rights allocation component allows for Dutch-auction style bidding.

65. The system of claim 50, wherein the rights allocation component allows for the player to set an amount of points in a corresponding game balance that the player desires to reserve in the balance and is not included in the processing of any bids.

66. The system of claim 50, wherein the rights allocation component facilitates exchanges in rights between players via exchanges of at least one of rights and points.

67. The system of claim 50, wherein the rights allocation component facilitates exchanges of rights between players via an interactive process that allows the players to make available or otherwise offer terms upon which the players are willing to exchange rights with other players, and allows the other players to accept or reject such offers.

68. The system of claim 67, wherein the interactive process made available through the rights allocation component facilitates exchanges of rights between players by allowing a mechanism for the players to submit counteroffers.

69. The system of claim 50, wherein during, upon completion of, and after the RLE, the event component provides game statistical information to players in the game.