System and Method for Conducting a Fantasy Sports Competition

• US 20080287198A1
• Filed: 05/14/2008
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Fantasy Weekly LLC
• Inventors: Lanik, Kevin M., Callery, Brian, Boyd, Charles D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,353,772 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament

Abstract

The present invention embodiments pertain to conducting fantasy sports or other competitions, where users select or draft an entirely new team of professional players each week (or at other suitable time interval). The competition types (including playoffs) include fee based and free. Each fee based competition has a pre-determined entry fee, and prizes are awarded to the winner of that competition each week. The free competitions similarly include weekly prizes and further provide for a grand prize. Within each of the free and fee based types of competitions, users may compete in a “private” competition or a randomly composed “open” competition. Users within the free and fee based competitions may accumulate points that qualify for redemption to obtain prizes. These points are accumulated based upon the statistical performance of the drafted players for each team. The present invention embodiments further provide mechanisms for information sharing and interaction between users.

Claims

1. A system for conducting a fantasy competition comprising:

a computer system to conduct a fantasy competition among users including;

a join module to create and enroll users within a fantasy competition conducted over a first predetermined time interval at least partially coinciding with one or more actual events;

a draft module to create a team for each user enrolled in said fantasy competition by enabling each user to select members for an associated team, wherein said draft module enables enrolled users in a predetermined order to select said members and conducts said selection of said members at least two different times during said fantasy competition to provide said enrolled users with different teams, and wherein said enrolled users selectively participate in said fantasy competition during said first predetermined time interval;

a points module to determine and accumulate points for each enrolled user based on performances of said selected team members in corresponding actual events, wherein point values are assigned to specific activities within said actual events and awarded to said enrolled users for occurrences of those activities by a corresponding selected team member; and

a prize module to determine one or more enrolled users to receive prizes based on said accumulated points and to enable users to selectively redeem said accumulated points for items based on point values assigned to those items.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said join module includes:

an enroll module to enroll users within a fee based competition associated with an entry fee or a free competition without an entry fee.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said prize module includes:

a grand prize module to determine one or more users enrolled within said free competition to receive a grand prize based on said points accumulated during said first predetermined time interval.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said join module includes:

an open join module to enroll users within an open fantasy competition available to each user of said system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said join module includes:

a private join module to enroll users within a private fantasy competition available to particular users of said system.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said private join module includes:

a member module to receive information pertaining to selected users for said private fantasy competition;

an invitation module to send an invitation to each of said selected users to join said private fantasy competition;

a response module to enable each of said selected users to accept or decline said invitation; and

an accept module to enroll each selected user accepting said invitation within said private fantasy competition.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said prize module includes:

a periodic prize module to determine one or more users enrolled within said fantasy competition to receive a prize after each of a recurring second predetermined time interval based on said points accumulated for users participating in said fantasy competition within that second predetermined time interval.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said prize module includes:

a redemption module to offer items, each associated with a point value, to users and to enable said users to redeem accumulated points for said items, wherein said redeemed points are removed from said accumulated points for future point redemptions.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said join module includes:

a playoff module to enroll users within a playoff fantasy competition conducted over a second predetermined time interval at least partially coinciding with one or more actual playoff events;

wherein said draft module further includes;

a playoff draft module to create a team for each user enrolled in said playoff fantasy competition by enabling said enrolled playoff users in a predetermined order to select members for associated playoff teams;

wherein said points module further includes;

a member module to remove said selected members from said playoff teams in response to actual corresponding teams of said selected playoff team members being eliminated within said actual playoff events; and

a playoff points module to determine and accumulate points for each user based on performances of remaining selected members on said playoff teams in said corresponding actual playoff events.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said playoff points module further includes:

a team module to remove at least one playoff team from said playoff fantasy competition based on said accumulated points after a recurring third predetermined time interval.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said fantasy competition accommodates a predetermined quantity of users, and said join module further includes:

a virtual module to create at least one virtual participant for said fantasy competition in response to a quantity of enrolled users being less than said predetermined quantity of users;

wherein said draft module further includes;

a virtual draft module to create a team for each virtual participant by selecting members for those teams;

wherein said points module further includes;

a virtual points module to determine and accumulate points for each virtual participant based on performances of said selected team members in corresponding actual events.

12. The system of claim 1, further including:

a social network module to enable users to associate and communicate with each other and share information.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said social network module includes:

an information module to enable users to create and post information viewable by other users within said system, wherein said information includes a user profile and/or a blog.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein said social network module includes:

an association module to enable association of users by creating links between users to user information.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said association module includes:

a request module to send a request to a first user to be associated with a second user;

a response module to enable said first user to accept or decline said request; and

a link module to link said first and second users together and provide links between information of said first and second users.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein said association module includes:

a search module to search for users to associate with based on one or more search criteria.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein said social network module includes:

a communications module to enable communications among users by transferring messages and/or creating and maintaining a message board including at least one topic.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein said actual events include one or more sporting events, and said selected team members include participants of said sporting events.

19. A method of conducting a fantasy competition comprising:

(a) creating and enrolling users within a fantasy competition conducted over a first predetermined time interval at least partially coinciding with one or more actual events;

(b) creating a team for each user enrolled in said fantasy competition by enabling each user to select members for an associated team, wherein enrolled users in a predetermined order select said members, wherein said selection of said members is conducted at least two different times during said fantasy competition to provide said enrolled users with different teams, and wherein said enrolled users selectively participate in said fantasy competition during said first predetermined time interval;

(c) determining and accumulating points for each enrolled user based on performances of said selected team members in corresponding actual events, wherein point values are assigned to specific activities within said actual events and awarded to said enrolled users for occurrences of those activities by a corresponding selected team member; and

(d) determining one or more enrolled users to receive prizes based on said accumulated points and to enable users to selectively redeem said accumulated points for items based on point values assigned to those items.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein step (a) further includes:

(a.1) enrolling users within a fee based competition associated with an entry fee or a free competition without an entry fee, wherein said fee based and free competitions each include open competitions available to each user and private competitions available to particular users.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein step (d) further includes:

(d.1) determining one or more users enrolled within said free competition to receive a grand prize based on said points accumulated during said first predetermined time interval.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein step (a.1) further includes:

(a.1.1) receiving information pertaining to selected users for said private fantasy competition;

(a.1.2) sending an invitation to each of said selected users to join said private fantasy competition;

(a.1.3) enabling each of said selected users to accept or decline said invitation; and

(a.1.4) enrolling each selected user accepting said invitation within said private fantasy competition.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein step (d) further includes:

(d.1) determining one or more users enrolled within said fantasy competition to receive a prize after each of a recurring second predetermined time interval based on said points accumulated for users participating in said fantasy competition within that second predetermined time interval.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein step (d) further includes:

(d.1) offering items, each associated with a point value, to users and enabling said users to redeem accumulated points for said items, wherein said redeemed points are removed from said accumulated points for future point redemptions.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein step (a) further includes:

(a.1) enrolling users within a playoff fantasy competition conducted over a second predetermined time interval at least partially coinciding with one or more actual playoff events;

wherein step (b) further includes;

(b.1) creating a team for each user enrolled in said playoff fantasy competition by enabling said enrolled playoff users in a predetermined order to select members for associated playoff teams;

wherein step (c) further includes;

(c.1) removing said selected members from said playoff teams in response to actual corresponding teams of said selected playoff team members being eliminated within said actual playoff events; and

(c.2) determining and accumulating points for each user based on performances of remaining selected members on said playoff teams in said corresponding actual playoff events.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein step (c) further includes:

(c.3) removing at least one playoff team from said playoff fantasy competition based on said accumulated points after a recurring third predetermined time interval.

27. The method of claim 19, wherein said fantasy competition accommodates a predetermined quantity of users, and step (a) further includes:

(a.1) creating at least one virtual participant for said fantasy competition in response to a quantity of enrolled users being less than said predetermined quantity of users;

wherein step (b) further includes;

(b.1) creating a team for each virtual participant by selecting members for those teams;

wherein step (c) further includes;

(c.1) determining and accumulating points for each virtual participant based on performances of said selected team members in corresponding actual events.

28. The method of claim 19, further including:

(e) enabling users to associate and communicate with each other and share information by;

creating and posting information viewable by other users, wherein said information includes a user profile and/or a blog;

creating links between users to user information;

transferring messages; and

/or

creating and maintaining a message board including at least one topic.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein said creating links between users includes:

sending a request to a first user to be associated with a second user;

enabling said first user to accept or decline said request; and

linking said first and second users together and providing links between information of said first and second users.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein said creating links between users includes:

searching for users to associate with based on one or more search criteria.

31. The method of claim 19, wherein said actual events include one or more sporting events, and said selected team members include participants of said sporting events.

32. A program product apparatus including a computer useable medium with computer program logic recorded thereon for conducting a fantasy competition, said program product apparatus comprising:

a join module to create and enroll users within a fantasy competition conducted over a first predetermined time interval at least partially coinciding with one or more actual events;

a draft module to create a team for each user enrolled in said fantasy competition by enabling each user to select members for an associated team, wherein said draft module enables enrolled users in a predetermined order to select said members and conducts said selection of said members at least two different times during said fantasy competition to provide said enrolled users with different teams, and wherein said enrolled users selectively participate in said fantasy competition during said first predetermined time interval;

a points module to determine and accumulate points for each enrolled user based on performances of said selected team members in corresponding actual events, wherein point values are assigned to specific activities within said actual events and awarded to said enrolled users for occurrences of those activities by a corresponding selected team member; and

a prize module to determine one or more enrolled users to receive prizes based on said accumulated points and to enable users to selectively redeem said accumulated points for items based on point values assigned to those items.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein said join module includes:

an enroll module to enroll users within a fee based competition associated with an entry fee or a free competition without an entry fee, wherein said free and fee based competitions each include open competitions available to each user and private competitions available to particular users.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said prize module includes:

a grand prize module to determine one or more users enrolled within said free competition to receive a grand prize based on said points accumulated during said first predetermined time interval.

35. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said join module includes:

a member module to receive information pertaining to selected users for said private fantasy competition;

an invitation module to send an invitation to each of said selected users to join said private fantasy competition;

a response module to enable each of said selected users to accept or decline said invitation; and

an accept module to enroll each selected user accepting said invitation within said private fantasy competition.

36. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein said prize module includes:

a periodic prize module to determine one or more users enrolled within said fantasy competition to receive a prize after each of a recurring second predetermined time interval based on said points accumulated for users participating in said fantasy competition within that second predetermined time interval.

37. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein said join module includes:

a playoff module to enroll users within a playoff fantasy competition conducted over a second predetermined time interval at least partially coinciding with one or more actual playoff events;

wherein said draft module further includes;

a playoff draft module to create a team for each user enrolled in said playoff fantasy competition by enabling said enrolled playoff users in a predetermined order to select members for associated playoff teams;

wherein said points module further includes;

a member module to remove said selected members from said playoff teams in response to actual corresponding teams of said selected playoff team members being eliminated within said actual playoff events; and

a playoff points module to determine and accumulate points for each user based on performances of remaining selected members on said playoff teams in said corresponding actual playoff events, and to remove at least one playoff team from said playoff fantasy competition based on said accumulated points after a recurring third predetermined time interval.

38. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein said fantasy competition accommodates a predetermined quantity of users, and said join module further includes:

a virtual module to create at least one virtual participant for said fantasy competition in response to a quantity of enrolled users being less than said predetermined quantity of users; and

wherein said draft module further includes;

a virtual draft module to create a team for each virtual participant by selecting members for those teams;

wherein said points module further includes;

a virtual points module to determine and accumulate points for each virtual participant based on performances of said selected team members in corresponding actual events.

39. The apparatus of claim 32, further including:

a social network module to enable users to associate and communicate with each other and share information.

40. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein said actual events include one or more sporting events, and said selected team members include participants of said sporting events.