Method of developing the activity of an on-line forecasting site
First Claim
1. A method of developing the activity of an on-line game site, the site comprising a question engine coupled to a plurality of terminals controlled by respective players;
- the activity of the site being measured by a traffic index representative of the number of players that have played the game over a given time interval;
in which method;
the question engine sends questions to players relating to a success parameter concerning at least one future event;
the players respond by providing forecasts on said success parameter; and
after said event(s) has/have occurred, the site evaluates the forecast and allocates prizes to respective players, where appropriate;
a) displaying, together with the questions sent to players, advertising insertions paid for on the basis of a given rate;
b) evaluating receipts associated with said paid-for advertising insertions;
c) setting up an endowment for sharing amongst a plurality of prizes for allocation over a given period of time, the endowment being a function of the level of said receipts;
d) on detecting an increase in the traffic index above a given threshold, correspondingly increasing said tariff for the advertising insertions;
e) on detecting an increase in said receipts above another given threshold, correspondingly increasing said endowment; and
f) continuing and developing the activity by reiterating above steps d) and e).
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The on-line forecasting site comprises a question engine coupled with a plurality of terminals controlled by respective players. In response to a question relating to a success parameter for a future event, the players make forecasts about the success parameter. After the event has occurred, the site evaluates the forecasts and awards prizes to respective players, where appropriate. The activity of the site is measured by a traffic index representative of the number of players who have participated in the game during a given time interval. The method comprises: a) displaying, together with the questions sent to players, advertising insertions paid for on the basis of a given rate; b) evaluating receipts associated with said paid-for advertising insertions; c) setting up an endowment for sharing amongst a plurality of prizes for allocation over a given period of time, the endowment being a function of the level of said receipts; d) on detecting an increase in the traffic index above a given threshold, correspondingly increasing said tariff for the advertising insertions; e) on detecting an increase in said receipts above another given threshold, correspondingly increasing said endowment; and f) continuing and developing the activity by reiterating above steps d) and e). The future event may in particular be a TV broadcast, the success parameter being a function of the audience rating for said broadcast, or it may be a sports event, with the success parameter then being the final score of the match.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. A method of developing the activity of an on-line game site, the site comprising a question engine coupled to a plurality of terminals controlled by respective players;
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the activity of the site being measured by a traffic index representative of the number of players that have played the game over a given time interval; in which method; the question engine sends questions to players relating to a success parameter concerning at least one future event; the players respond by providing forecasts on said success parameter; and after said event(s) has/have occurred, the site evaluates the forecast and allocates prizes to respective players, where appropriate; a) displaying, together with the questions sent to players, advertising insertions paid for on the basis of a given rate; b) evaluating receipts associated with said paid-for advertising insertions; c) setting up an endowment for sharing amongst a plurality of prizes for allocation over a given period of time, the endowment being a function of the level of said receipts; d) on detecting an increase in the traffic index above a given threshold, correspondingly increasing said tariff for the advertising insertions; e) on detecting an increase in said receipts above another given threshold, correspondingly increasing said endowment; and f) continuing and developing the activity by reiterating above steps d) and e). - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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Specification