System and method for presenting fantasy sports content with broadcast content

• US 7,458,093 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2004
• Issued: 11/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rowlen, Matthew, Vakili, Valla, Behhnam-Dehkordy, Hamid-Reza, Dukes, Derek
• Primary Examiner(s): Lonsberry; Hunter B.
• Application Number:
  US10/752,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20050076362A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,785 Days
• Field of Search: 725/37, 725/39, 725/41, 725 45- 47, 725 51- 53, 725/58, 725 86- 87, 725109-110, 725/112, 725/131, 725/133, 725/139, 725/141, 725/151, 725/153, 463 40- 42, 709/217, 709/228, 705/1, 705/26, 705/37, 707/3
• US Class Current: 725/141
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 Games

Abstract

A system and method for presenting fantasy sports content with broadcast content is disclosed. One aspect of the invention is to provide a way for a user to customize and configure how fantasy-sports-related content is presented along with broadcast content. In one embodiment, an online user interface is used to set a plurality of user preferences and settings which tailors and formats the fantasy-sports-related content and services available via a client-side device. Another aspect of the invention is to present the customized fantasy-related content along with broadcasted content, such as a sporting event. In one embodiment, a user is able to view a broadcasted sporting event simultaneously with information relating to the user'"'"'s fantasy team and players.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a user computer, coupled to a data network, to display a user interface usable to access a user account to enter a plurality of fantasy sports preferences, the fantasy sports preferences comprising data identifying one or more players; and

a client-side device, coupled to the data network, to receive said plurality of fantasy sports preferences from the data network and broadcast programming content from a broadcast source, said broadcast programming comprising a plurality of sporting events, said client-side device being programmed to,

access said plurality of fantasy sports preferences from the user account via the data network,

display fantasy sports data on a display of said client-side device, where said fantasy sports data is based on said plurality of fantasy sports preferences from the user account,

automatically map said data identifying one or more players against a schedule of said sporting events,

display, based on said map, an indication of one or more sporting events featuring said one or more players or an indication of one or more of said players featured in one or more of said sporting events;

display said one or more players in a list, wherein selection of said one or more players in the list brings up at least one score for the one or more sporting events said one or more players participate in;

receive at least one of the plurality of sporting events streamed as non-broadcast data and storing the data thereon, the at least one received sporting event selected based on said map; and

allow a user accessing said client-side device to communicate directly with one or more other users through the data network during said one or more sporting events, said one or more other users having one or more user accounts with fantasy sports preferences comprising data identifying one or more players and wherein said one or more sporting events are live and feature one or more players identified by the fantasy sport preferences of both the user and the one or more other users.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said data network is the Internet, said broadcast source is a sports programming source, and said client-side device includes a set top box that is coupled to the Internet and to said broadcast source.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said plurality of fantasy sports preferences includes performance data for a plurality of players;

and one or more of said plurality of players is participating in said sporting event.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of fantasy sports preferences are stored in the user account and are accessible by providing at least one of a user ID and a password to said user interface.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said client-side device accesses said plurality of fantasy sports preferences by performing a logon operation to said user account.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of fantasy sports preferences includes at least one of league information, team information, player information, sporting event, recording options, and statistical information tracking options.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said user computer is further to be used to,

access said user account,

enter information concerning the one or more players, and

place, in a recording queue, upcoming sporting events in which one or more of the one or more players is participating.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said client-side

device is further programmed to record a sporting event to a local memory in response to said sporting event being placed in said recording queue, when said sporting event is broadcast by said broadcast source.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said fantasy sports data includes at least one of statistics, scoring data, team standings and game scores.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the client-side device is further programmed to display said fantasy sports data on the display as an overlay to said broadcast programming content.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the client-side device is further programmed to display said fantasy sports data on the display by resizing a display window for said broadcast programming content.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said client-side device is further programmed to display a menu of fantasy sports options on said display based on said plurality of fantasy sports preferences.

13. A method comprising:

entering a plurality of fantasy sports preferences comprising data identifying one or more players using a user interface of a user computer that is coupled to a data network, wherein said user interface is usable to access a user account with which said plurality of fantasy sports preferences are associated;

receiving, by a client-side device coupled to the data network, said plurality of fantasy sports preferences from the data network and broadcast programming content from a broadcast source, said broadcast programming comprising a plurality of sporting events;

accessing, by the client-side device, said plurality of fantasy sports preferences from the user account via the data network;

displaying, on a display of the client-side device, fantasy sports data that is based on said plurality of fantasy sports preferences from the user account;

automatically mapping said data identifying one or more players against a schedule of said sporting events;

displaying, based on said mapping, an indication of one or more sporting events featuring said one or more players or an indication of one or more of said players featured in one or more of said sporting events;

displaying said one or more players in a list, wherein selection of said one or more players in the list brings up at least one score for the one or more sporting events said one or more players participate in;

receiving at least one of the plurality of sporting events streamed as non-broadcast data and storing the data thereon, the at least one received sporting event selected based on said mapping; and

allowing a user accessing said client-side device to communicate directly with one or more other users through the data network during said one or more sporting events, said one or more other users having one or more user accounts with fantasy sports preferences comprising data identifying one or more players and wherein said one or more sporting events are live and feature one or more players identified by the fantasy sport preferences of both the user and the one or more other users.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said receiving comprises receiving, by the client-side device coupled to the data network, said plurality of fantasy sports preferences from the data network and broadcast programming content from the broadcast source, wherein said data network is the Internet, said broadcast source is a sports programming source, and said client-side device includes a set top box that is coupled to the Internet and to said broadcast source.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said receiving comprises receiving, by the client-side device coupled to the data network, said plurality of fantasy sports preferences from the data network and broadcast programming content from the broadcast source, wherein said plurality of fantasy sports preferences includes performance data for a plurality of players, and one or more of said plurality of players is participating in said sporting event.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

storing plurality of fantasy sports preferences in the user account; and

accessing said user account by providing at least one of a user ID and a password to said user interface.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising accessing, by said client-side device, said plurality of fantasy sports preferences by performing a logon operation to said user account.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein said accessing comprises accessing, by the client-side device, said plurality of fantasy sports preferences from the user account via the data network, said plurality of fantasy sports preferences to include at least one of league information, team information, player information, sporting event recording options, and statistical information tracking options.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

accessing said user account using said user computer;

entering information concerning the one or more players; and

placing, in a recording queue, upcoming sporting events in which one or more of the one or more players is participating.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising recording, by said client-side device, a sporting event to a local memory when said sporting event is broadcast by said broadcast source in response to said sporting event being placed in said recording queue.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein said displaying, on the display of the client-side device, fantasy sports data comprises displaying, on a display of the client-side device, fantasy sports data that is based on said plurality of fantasy sports preferences from the user account, said fantasy sports data to include at least one of player statistics, player scoring data, team standings and game scores.

22. The method of claim 13, further comprising displaying, on said display, said fantasy sports data on the display as an overlay to said broadcast programming content.

23. The method of claim 13, further comprising displaying, on said display, said fantasy sports data on the display by resizing a display window for said broadcast programming content.

24. The method of claim 13, further comprising displaying, on said display, a menu of fantasy sports options based on said plurality of fantasy sports preferences.

37. The method of claim 13, wherein displaying the indication comprises displaying a list of a plurality of sporting events featuring said one or more players.

38. The method of claim 37, comprising allowing the user to select one or more sporting events from the list for viewing or recording.

39. The method of claim 13, wherein displaying the indication comprises displaying a list of a plurality of players featured in scheduled sporting events and a symbol adjacent to the one or more players in the list which are within the user entered fantasy sports preferences.

25. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer program code embodied therein to display information, the computer program product having;

computer readable program code to enter a plurality of fantasy sports preferences comprising data identifying one or more players using a user interface of a user computer that is coupled to a data network, wherein said user interface is usable to access a user account with which said plurality of fantasy sports preferences are associated;

computer readable program code to receive, by a client-side device coupled to the data network, said plurality of fantasy sports preferences from the data network and broadcast programming content from a broadcast source, said broadcast programming comprising a plurality of sporting events;

computer readable program code to access, by the client-side device, said plurality of fantasy sports preferences from the user account via the data network;

computer readable program code to display, on a display of the client-side device, fantasy sports data that is based on said plurality of fantasy sports preferences from the user account;

computer readable program code to automatically map said data identifying one or more players against a schedule of said sporting events;

computer readable program code to display, based on said map, an indication of one or more sporting events featuring said one or more players or an indication of one or more of said players featured in one or more of said sporting events;

computer readable program code to display, said one or more players in a list, wherein selection of said one or more players in the list brings up at least one score for the one or more sporting events said one or more players participate in;

computer readable program code to receive at least one of the plurality of sporting events streamed as non-broadcast data and storing the data thereon, the at least one received sporting event selected based on said map; and

computer readable program code to allow a user accessing said client-side device to communicate directly with one or more other users through the data network during said one or more sporting events, said one or more other users having one or more user accounts with fantasy sports preferences comprising data identifying one or more players and wherein said one or more sporting events are live and feature one or more players identified by the fantasy sport preferences of both the user and the one or more other users.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein said computer readable program code comprises computer readable program code to receive, by the client-side device coupled to the data network, said plurality of fantasy sports preferences from the data network and broadcast programming content from the broadcast source, wherein said data network is the Internet, said broadcast source is a sports programming source, and said client-side device includes a set top box that is coupled to the Internet and to said broadcast source.

27. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein said computer readable program code comprises computer readable program code to receive, by the client-side device coupled to the data network, said plurality of fantasy sports preferences from the data network and broadcast programming content from the broadcast source, wherein said plurality of fantasy sports preferences includes performance data for a plurality of players, and one or more of said plurality of players is participating in said sporting event.

28. The computer program product of claim 25, further including:

computer readable program code to store plurality of fantasy sports preferences in the user account; and

computer readable program code to access said user account by providing at least one of a user ID and a password to said user interface.

29. The computer program product of claim 28, further including computer readable program code to access, by said client-side device, said plurality of fantasy sports preferences by performing a logon operation to said user account.

30. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein said computer readable program code comprises computer readable program code to access, by the client-side device, said plurality of fantasy sports preferences from the user account via the data network, said plurality of fantasy sports preferences to include at least one of fantasy league information, team information, player information, sporting event recording options, and statistical information tracking options.

31. The computer program product of claim 25, further including:

computer readable program code to access said user account using said user computer;

computer readable program code to enter information concerning the one or more players; and

computer readable program code to place, in a recording queue, upcoming sporting events in which one or more of the one or more players is participating.

32. The computer program product of claim 31, further including:

computer readable program code to record, by said client-side device, a sporting event to a local memory when said sporting event is broadcast by said broadcast source in response to said sporting event being placed in said recording queue.

33. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein said computer readable program fantasy sports data comprises computer readable program code to display, on a display of the client-side device, fantasy sports data that is based on said plurality of fantasy sports preferences from the user account, said fantasy sports data to include at least one of player statistics, player scoring data, team standings and game scores.

34. The computer program product of claim 25, further including computer readable program code to display, on said display, said fantasy sports data on the display as an overlay to said broadcast programming content.

35. The computer program product of claim 25, further including computer readable program code to display, on said display, said fantasy spore data on the display by resizing a display window for said broadcast programming content.

36. The computer program product of claim 25, further including computer readable program code to display, on said display, a menu of fantasy sports options based on said plurality of fantasy sports preferences.