CONTENT SCHEDULING FOR FANTASY GAMING

• US 20090083322A1
• Filed: 09/21/2007
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Data Services Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Relyea, Don, Roberts, Brian, Stallings, Heath
• Granted Patent: US 7,827,202 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/951 Calendar or scheduling

Abstract

A user database includes information concerning at least one entity of interest. A program database includes multimedia content information associated with items of multimedia content and including a temporal interval during which the items of multimedia content are available. A presentation scheduling facility is communicatively coupled to the user database and the program database. The presentation scheduling facility is configured to determine a number of items of multimedia content that are associated with the at least one entity of interest based on the information concerning the at least one entity of interest and the multimedia content information, and configured to provide a scheduling screen containing identifications of the determined number of items of multimedia content.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a user database including information concerning at least one entity of interest;

a program database including multimedia content information, said multimedia content information being associated with items of multimedia content and including a temporal interval during which the items of multimedia content are available; and

a presentation scheduling facility coupled to the user database and the program database, the presentation scheduling facility configured to determine a number of items of multimedia content that are associated with the at least one entity of interest based on the information concerning the at least one entity of interest and the multimedia content information, and configured to provide a scheduling screen containing identifications of the determined number of items of multimedia content.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the presentation scheduling facility is further configured to receive a request to use the presentation scheduling facility, and wherein the temporal interval is contemporaneous with said request to use the presentation scheduling facility.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said presentation scheduling facility is further configured to receive a selection of one of the number of items of multimedia content, the selection indicating at least one of presenting the item of multimedia content on a display and recording the item of multimedia content.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one entity of interest includes at least one of a sports player and a sports team.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said scheduling screen provides indications of items of multimedia content that are unavailable to a user.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a real-time statistics facility configured to determine statistics associated with the at least one entity of interest and present a real-time statistics display including said statistics associated with the at least one entity of interest.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said real-time statistics display includes at least one of a user'"'"'s fantasy roster, and an opponent'"'"'s fantasy roster.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a player database including information concerning the at least one entity of interest, the information including a team with which each of the at least one entity of interest is associated;

wherein the presentation schedule facility is further configured to correlate the information concerning the at least one entity of interest in the user database with the information concerning the at least one entity of interest in the player database to determine the team with which each of the at least one entity of interest is associated, and to correlate the team with which each of the at least one entity of interest is associated with the multimedia content information to determine the multimedia content with which each of the at least one entity of interest is associated.

6. The system of claim 6, wherein said items of multimedia content that are unavailable to the user are unavailable because of a subscription level of the user, and wherein the presentation schedule facility is further configured to receive an indication from the user requesting a change to the user'"'"'s subscription level in order to access said unavailable multimedia content.

10. A method, comprising:

determining a number of items of multimedia content that are associated with at least one entity of interest based on information concerning the at least one entity of interest and multimedia content information associated with said multimedia content;

providing a scheduling screen containing identifications of the determined number of items of multimedia content.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said at least one entity of interest includes a plurality of sports players and said items of multimedia content constitute sporting competitions in which at least some of said plurality of sports players are participating.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a request to initiate presentation scheduling facility;

wherein each of said number of items of multimedia content are further associated with a temporal interval during which they are available, and wherein the temporal interval is contemporaneous with said request to use the presentation scheduling facility.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a selection of one of the number of items of multimedia content, the selection indicating at least one of presenting the item of multimedia content on a display and recording the item of multimedia content.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining statistics associated with the at least one entity of interest; and

presenting a real-time statistics display including said statistics associated with the at least one entity of interest.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

providing indications of items of multimedia content that are unavailable to a user; and

receiving an indication from the user requesting a change to the user'"'"'s subscription level in order to access said unavailable multimedia content.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the number of items of multimedia content that are associated with the at least one entity of interest includes:

correlating the information concerning the at least one entity of interest with information concerning the at least one entity of interest in a player database to determine a real team with which each of the at least one entity of interest is associated, and correlating the real team with which each of the at least one entity of interest is associated with the multimedia content information.

17. A method comprising:

determining a number of players associated with a fantasy team, each of said number of players associated with a real team within a real-life sports league;

determining a number of media content items associated with the number of players, including using the real team associated with each of said number of players to query multimedia content information;

presenting identifiers of said number of media content items associated with the number of players; and

receiving a user input to select one of said number of media content items, wherein said selection indicates at least one of a request to view said selected one of said number of media content items or a request to record said selected one of said number of media content items.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

displaying a media content item at the same time as presenting identifiers of said number of media content items associated with the number of players.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

filtering said identifiers of said number of media content items associated with the number of players based on user criteria.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

displaying real-time statistical information associated with the number of players at the same time as presenting identifiers of said number of media content items associated with the number of players.