INTERACTIVE FANTASY SPORTS GAMING SYSTEM

• US 20140121013A1
• Filed: 10/25/2013
• Published: 05/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Efram Slen, John I.W. Clark, Marissa Fry, Thomas Carson, Tim Carson
• Original Assignee: Efram Slen, John I.W. Clark, Marissa Fry, Thomas Carson, Tim Carson
• Inventors: Carson, Tim, Fry, Marissa, Carson, Thomas, Clark, John, Slen, Efram
• Application Number:
  US14/063,599
• Publication Number:
  US 20140121013A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/828 Managing virtual sport teams

Abstract

A computer-based interactive fantasy sports gaming system that enables players to create a fantasy sports team for virtual participation. The fantasy gaming system implements and manages gaming sessions that correspond to and last for a single real-world sporting event. A user-interface is provided to facilitate athlete selection under constraints that limit the overall pool of athlete candidates to just those participating in the corresponding real-world event, and that limit teams to a smaller subset of the athletes participating in the real-world event. The gaming system is fully integrated with social media channels such as, without limitation, Twitter®, Google+®, and Facebook®, through which players can challenge, communicate and play with their friends.

Claims

1. A system for allowing users to create a fantasy sports team of athletes for virtual participation corresponding to a single real-world sporting event, comprising:

a host computer in communication with a plurality of remote client computers via at least one communications network, said host computer including a processor and non-transitory storage media;

a database resident on the non-transitory storage media, said database comprising a plurality of athlete records each including an athlete'"'"'s team affiliation and performance statistics;

a user interface for allowing a user to select a plurality of athlete records from said database comprising a virtual team;

a software module resident in the non-transitory storage media of said host computer for execution by said processor thereof, said module comprising computer instructions stored on non-transitory computer media for performing the steps of,

allowing a plurality of users to each select a single real-world sporting event;

allowing a plurality of users to each make selections to compose a virtual team consisting of a subset of athletes participating in said single real-world sporting event;

accumulating performance statistics of said athletes participating in said single real-world sporting event and updating said plurality of athlete records in said database;

accumulating points to said users based on their selected athlete'"'"'s real-time performance during said single real-world sporting event; and

displaying results from said software module to said user in real-time during said single real-world sporting event.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said software module limits selections made via said user interface to a smaller number of athletes than the number of athletes on a team participating in the real-world event.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said software module allows selection of a staff of real world athletes from a real world team to play a single virtual position.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein said software module analyzes points accumulated to said users based on their selected athlete'"'"'s real-time performance during said single real-world sporting event and identifies a user having a highest total team score based on the real-world performance at that singular sporting event.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein said software module limits said selections to a pool of real world athletes participating in said single real-world sporting event.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said software module requires selection of a plurality of primary athlete records and a plurality of alternate athlete records for athletes that do not play in said real world sporting event.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said software module requires each user to answer a plurality of tie-breaker questions, and when said software module analyzes that two teams are tied with highest total team score said software module analyzes said tie-breaker answers to determine a winner.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said database of athlete performance statistics is limited to performance statistics for a preceding predetermined amount of time.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein said database of athlete records is limited to records based on performance statistics for a preceding predetermined number of games.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein said software module comprises computer instructions stored on non-transitory computer media for performing the additional step of assigning each real-world athlete competing in the selected real world game a point-value prior to allowing a plurality of users to each select a virtual team.

11. A method for virtual participation in a single real-world sporting event, comprising:

storing a plurality of athlete records in a database resident in a non-transitory storage media, each said athlete record comprising a performance statistics and team affiliation of a real world athlete;

allowing a plurality of users to make selections of a plurality of athlete records from said database to compose a virtual team consisting of a subset of athletes participating in said single real-world sporting event;

accumulating performance statistics of said athletes participating in said single real-world sporting event and updating said plurality of athlete records in said database;

accumulating points to said users based on their selected athlete'"'"'s real-time performance during said single real-world sporting event; and

displaying results from said accumulating step to said user in real-time during said single real-world sporting event.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein said step of allowing a plurality of users to make selections limits selections made via said user interface to a smaller number of athletes than the number of athletes on a team participating in the real-world event.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein said step of allowing a plurality of users to make selections comprises allowing a plurality of users to select a staff of real world athletes from a real world team to play a single virtual position.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising a step of analyzing points accumulated to said users based on their selected athlete'"'"'s real-time performance during said single real-world sporting event, and wherein said step of displaying results comprises identifying a player having a highest total team score based on the real-world performance at that singular sporting event.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein said step of allowing a plurality of users to make selections limits said selections to a pool of real world athletes participating in said single real-world sporting event.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein said step of allowing a plurality of users to make selections of a plurality of athlete records from said database comprises selecting plurality of primary athlete records and a plurality of alternate athlete records for athletes that do not play in said real world sporting event.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising a step of requiring each user to answer a plurality of tie-breaker questions, wherein said step of accumulating points to said users based on their selected athletes'"'"' real-time performance during said single real-world sporting event comprises analyzing said tie-breaker answers to determine a winner when two teams are tied for the highest total team score.

18. The method according to claim 11, wherein said step of storing a plurality of athlete records consists of athlete performance statistics for a preceding predetermined amount of time.

19. The method according to claim 11, wherein said step of storing a plurality of athlete records consists of storing athlete performance statistics for a preceding predetermined number of games.

20. The method according to claim 11, further comprising a step of assigning each real-world athlete competing in the selected real world game a point-value prior to the step of allowing a plurality of users to each make selections of a plurality of athlete records.