Registration and scoring system for sports competition

• US 20070118239A1
• Filed: 10/27/2005
• Published: 05/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mary Ashley Zimmerman
• Original Assignee: Mary Ashley Zimmerman
• Inventors: Saraceno, David, Zimmermann, Mary
• Application Number:
  US11/260,954
• Publication Number:
  US 20070118239A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/92
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A computerized system and associated process has a centralized data storage and processor, for receiving and transmitting data over a global communications network. The data storage comprises a plurality of distinct data content including names of competitors and associated personal information, names of horses and associated biographical or medical information, the results of completed equestrian competitions including names and scores for each such competition, the names of at least one future competition, and a standard data entry form by which competitors for a particular future competition can register. A program is also provided for communicating directly or indirectly over the global communications network, with judging computers at a competition. A program is associated with the judging computers for receiving and processing scores from the judges and associating such scores with the identified competitor immediately upon completion of such competitor'"'"'s event at the competition. Machine-readable media identifying an individual competitor, are attachable to the competitor immediately before the competitor begins a particular event at a competition. The event gatekeeper and judges computers read the competitor'"'"'s unique identification as attached to the competitor, immediately before the competitor begins the event. Thus, a competitor can register for a competition remotely, the gatekeeper'"'"'s and judges can identify which competitors participate in particular events immediately before the competitor begins such events, and the results of each event and the entire competition are automatically uploaded to the central data storage means for access by all authorized persons.

Claims

1. A computerized system for managing judged competitions among a multiplicity of competitors, comprising:

a central data storage and associated processor, having a communications program for receiving and transmitting data over a global communications network;

the central data storage containing a plurality of stored data including personal information of competitors and a standard data entry form by which competitors can register to participate in particular events in selected competitions;

a central administration program associated with said communications program for communicating with a multiplicity of competitors over the global communications network, enabling a particular competitor to enter that competitor'"'"'s personal information and register to participate in at least one selected competition;

a computer processing device associated with each of said at least one competition, for receiving from the central administration program, the names of the competitors who have registered in the central data storage means, for participation in said competition;

a media encoding device associated with the central administration program for generating and distributing a membership card for each competitor, containing machine-readable coded information corresponding to at least a subset of the stored personal information;

a device at each of said at least one competitions, responsive to the membership card, for generating coded media containing personal information about said particular competitor, for attachment to an individual competitor immediately before the competitor performs a particular event;

a computer for use by the event judge, including a reader coupled to the judges computer for reading the competitor'"'"'s coded media attached to the competitor, immediately before the competitor perform the event;

whereby

a competitor can pre register for a competition by filling out a form remotely over the global communications network, and confirm registration at the competition by presenting a coded membership card;

from coded media generated from the coding on the membership card and carried by the competitor into the arena of an event at the competition, a judge for the event can automatically identify the competitors who are registered to participate in a particular event by machine reading the competitor'"'"'s unique identification immediately before the competitor performs in such event.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein;

the competitions are horse shows;

the central data storage contains the results of completed equestrian competitions including names of participants and scores for each such competition, and a ranking of competitors commensurate with the results of past competitions; and

the central administration program for communicating with competitors permits each competitor to remotely view the scores and the rankings.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein

the competitions are horse shows conducted under the authority of a governing body;

the governing body has a computer system that is in interactive communication with said centralized data storage and associated processor, whereby at least some of the data stored in the data storage are communicated to and stored in the computer system of the governing body.

4. A computerized system for managing judged competitions among a multiplicity of competitors, comprising:

a central data storage and associated processor, having a communications program for receiving and transmitting data over a global communications network;

the central data storage containing a plurality of stored data including personal information of competitors, the names of at least one future competition, and a standard data entry form by which competitors can register to participate in particular events in selected competitions;

a central administration program associated with said communications program for communicating with a multiplicity of competitors over the global communications network, enabling a competitor to enter the competitor'"'"'s personal information and register to participate in at least one selected competition;

a media encoding device at each of said at least one selected competitions where the competitor has registered, for generating coded media containing personal information about said particular competitor for attachment to an individual competitor immediately before the competitor performs a particular event;

a computer for use by the event judge, including a reader coupled to the judges computer for reading the competitor'"'"'s coded media attached to the competitor, immediately before the competitor begins the event;

a program associated with the judge'"'"'s computer for receiving and processing scores from the judges and associating such scores with the identified competitor immediately upon completion of such competitor'"'"'s event at the competition, and communicating over the global communications network, whereby the results of the competition are uploaded to the central data storage;

whereby

a competitor can register for a selected competition by filling out a form remotely over the global communications network;

the judges can identify which competitors participate in particular events of the competition by means of reading the competitor'"'"'s unique identification immediately before the competitor begins such events; and

the results of each event and the entire competition are uploaded to the central data storage.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the coded media is a machine readable bar code for attachment to an individual competitor immediately before the competitor performs a particular event.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein

the competitions are horse shows;

and

the central data storage contains the results of completed equestrian competitions including names of participants and scores for each such competition, and a ranking of competitors commensurate with the results of completed competitions.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein

the competitions are horse shows conducted under the authority of a governing body;

and

the governing body has a computer system that is in interactive communication with said central data storage and associated processor, whereby at least some of the data stored in the data storage are communicated to and stored in the computer system of the governing body.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein the competitions are horse shows, at least one of which has an office including a computer containing the names of all the competitors who have registered for participation in said competition, a program for communicating over the global communications network and a program for data communications with the judging computers at said competition, whereby the processed scores from the program associated with the judges computers are automatically uploaded from the judges computers to said office computer which communicates said scores to the central data storage.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein the competitions are horse shows and the judges computer includes a program for communicating over the global communications network, whereby the results of the competition are uploaded to the central data storage facility.

10. A computerized system for managing judged equestrian competitions among a multiplicity of competitors who pay a fee for each event they participate in at each competition, comprising:

a central data storage and associated processor, having a communications program for receiving and transmitting data over a global communications network;

the central data storage containing a plurality of stored data including personal information of competitors, the results of completed equestrian competitions including name and scores for each such competition, the names of at least one future competition, and a standard data entry form by which competitors for a particular future competition can register;

a central administration program associated with said communications program, for communicating with a multiplicity of competitors over the global communications network, enabling a competitor to access the competitor'"'"'s biographic information, the competitor'"'"'s equestrian data, the competitor'"'"'s competitive results, and said standard registration form, whereby the accessed data can be entered, displayed, or revised;

at least one of said competitions having an office computer processing device containing the names of all the competitors who have registered for participation in said competition, a program for communicating over the global communications network, and a program for invoicing or debiting competitors said fee for each event in which each competitor participates;

digitally coded media identifying an individual competitor, such as an adhesive bar code or the like, for attachment to an individual competitor immediately before the competitor begins a particular event at a competition;

a gatekeeper device at each event, for machine reading the identifying media for each competitor immediately before the competitor enters the arena to perform the event, and communicating to the office that the competitor has entered the event and should be invoiced or debited the corresponding fee;

a computer for use by the event judge, including a program for communicating with the gatekeeper device to identify the competitor, a program for the judge to enter scores during the performance of the event by the competitor, and a program means for communicating the processed scores to the office computer;

whereby a competitor can register for a competition by filling out a form remotely over the global communications network, the judges can identify which competitors participate in particular events of the competition by reading the competitor'"'"'s unique identification immediately before the competitor begins such events, the competition office can invoice or debit competitors who participated in particular events of the competition, and the results of each event and the entire competition are uploaded to the central data storage.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the standard data entry form for registering for a particular future competition is the same form for registering for all competitions through the global communications network or for registering for said future competitions by postal mail.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein each event at a particular competition has a particular judge'"'"'s form of scorecard, and this form of scorecard is standard for all of the same events at other competitions.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein a plurality of judges score each event on respective judge'"'"'s computers and the competitor'"'"'s identification is communicated by the gatekeeper simultaneously to each judge'"'"'s computer.

14. The system of claim 10, including

a media encoding device associated with the central data storage for generating and distributing a membership card for each competitor, containing machine-readable coded information corresponding to at least a subset of the stored personal information;

and

a device at each of said at least one competitions, responsive to the membership card, for generating said coded media containing personal information about said particular competitor, for attachment to an individual competitor immediately before the competitor perform a particular event.

15. The system of claim 10, including a program in communication with the judges computers, for displaying the judges scores to the competitor and audience before the next competitor participates in said event.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the central data storage includes a current point standings ranking of the competitors who have participated in horse show events during the current season.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the gatekeeper device is a hand-held wireless device and the judges'"'"' computers are hand held wireless devices.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein

the horse shows are conducted under the authority of a central governing body;

the governing body has a computer system at one location that is in interactive communication with said centralized data storage and associated processor operated by an administrator at another location;

whereby at least some of the data stored in the central data storage are communicated to and stored in the computer system of the governing body.

19. The system of claim 10, wherein

the office computer for each competition has competitor registration information received from the centralized central data storage;

and

said office computer is connected in the office to a printer responsive to said received registration information, for generating said coded media before the competitor checks into the office.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein

the office computer for each competition has stored competitor registration information received from the central data storage,

a check-in device is provided for reading the competitor'"'"'s membership card and comparing information on the membership card against at least some of the stored information when the member checks into the office;

and

a printer responsive to at least one of the check-in device or said membership card, is provided for generating said coded media.

21. The system of claim 10, including means associated with the central data storage for generating and distributing to each registered competitor a plurality of machine readable coded information tags corresponding to at least a subset of the stored personal information, for attachment by the competitor to a competition number card to create said digitally coded media identifying an individual competitor, before the competitor performs a particular event.