Method of conducting an interactive competition

• US 7,462,104 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2004
• Issued: 12/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Di Cesare, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Pezzuto; Robert E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Leiva; Frank M
• Application Number:
  US10/917,498
• Publication Number:
  US 20050020336A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,579 Days
• Field of Search: 463/9, 463 40- 42, 273429-432
• US Class Current: 463/40
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/332 using wireless networks, e.g. cellular phone networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/338 using television networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/46 Computing the game score
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/409 Data transfer via television network
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/61 Score computation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8064 Quiz
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/183 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/22 Interactive procedures; Man-machine interfaces

Abstract

An interaction competition provides an entertaining enjoyable environment for a player to compete against a celebrity in a head-to-head trivia game. The questions may be associated with the celebrity rather than random general information or general trivia. The celebrity can participate via stored audio media, stored audio-visual media, or in a live real-time format. A goal of the competition is for a player to gain more points than the celebrity. Another goal of the competition is for the player to answer more questions correctly than the celebrity. At least one or more game episodes can be provided on computer-readable media. A game episode may be implemented with a product featuring a celebrity. The competition can be provided in many different gaming environments. The competition can be provided online via a web-based format; a television game show format; telephone call-in radio talk show format; or a cellular phone game format.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of conducting an asymmetric interactive electronic game competition between a celebrity playing against a player, comprising the steps of:

downloading from a computer network to a device having a computer readable memory, a multiplicity of quiz questions and a plurality of electronic stored answers previously selected by the celebrity in response to the quiz questions, respectively;

electronically presenting at least one of the quiz questions to the player playing against the celebrity via the device in real-time and the quiz question having at least a correct answer and at least an incorrect answer;

receiving an answer input from the player in real-time via an electronic user interface;

retrieving from the computer readable memory, an electronic stored answer previously selected by the celebrity in response to the quiz question,

interactively presenting the electronic stored answer previously selected by the celebrity to the player;

electronically updating a score for the player and a score for the celebrity by comparing a correct answer with the received answer input from the player and the stored answer previously selected by the celebrity; and

repeating the quiz question presenting step, the receiving step, the retrieving step, the preselected answer presenting step, and the updating step for each of a multiplicity of quiz questions.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of electronically presenting a quiz question, further includes providing audio data to audibly present the quiz question;

and wherein the step of interactively presenting an electronic stored answer by the celebrity, further includes a step of providing stored audio data of the celebrity for audibly providing the answer to the player.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the step of presenting a quiz question further includes a step of visually presenting the quiz question;

and wherein the step of interactively presenting an electronic stored answer by the celebrity, further includes a step of providing stored video data of the celebrity for displaying the answer to the player.

4. The method according to claim 1, further including a step of providing data so as to display the answer input from the player differently than the stored answer previously selected by the celebrity.

5. The method according to claim 1, further including a steps of:

providing a bantering message to the player, responsive to a determination that the answer input received from the player matches an incorrect answer and the stored answer previously selected by the celebrity matches the correct answer;

providing a congratulatory message to the player, responsive to a determination that the answer input received from the player matches the correct answer and the stored answer previously selected by the celebrity matches an incorrect answer; and

providing a consoling message to the player, responsive to a determination that the answer input received from the player matches an incorrect answer and the stored answer previously selected by the celebrity matches an incorrect answer.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the quiz questions are associated with the celebrity.

7. The method according to claim 1, further including a step of streaming a multimedia celebrity introduction having audio and video to the player via the device.

8. The method according to claim 1, further including a step of randomly selecting the multiplicity of quiz questions.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising executing the presenting step, the receiving step, the providing step, the updating step, and the repeating step for a plurality of players.

10. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable components, comprising:

a game host component configured for interactively presenting prerecorded audio data including a plurality of trivia questions;

a celebrity component configured for storing preselected celebrity answers and for presenting the stored celebrity answers responsive to the trivia questions;

a multimedia component being in connection with a celebrity playing against a player via the celebrity component, the multimedia component configured to provide at least a movie of the celebrity;

a user interface component configured for selecting the celebrity component so as to receive a player'"'"'s real-time answers to the trivia questions; and

a scoring component configured for tracking a score of a player based on the player answers and tracking a score of the celebrity based on the stored celebrity answers.

11. The computer-readable medium according to claim 10, wherein the celebrity component further includes stored audio data including the stored celebrity answers to the trivia questions.

12. The computer-readable medium according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of trivia questions are associated with the celebrity playing via the celebrity component.

13. The computer-readable medium according to claim 12, wherein the game host component and the celebrity component are configured to provide an electronic visual representation of the trivia questions and of the stored celebrity answers, respectively.

14. The computer-readable medium according to claim 10, wherein the celebrity component is configured to present at least one stored celebrity message responsive to the player answers.

15. The computer-readable medium according to claim 14, wherein the at least one stored celebrity message includes a bantering message.

16. The computer-readable medium according to claim 10, wherein the user interface component is configured to receive DTMF tones representing the player answers to the trivia questions.

17. A computer implemented method of conducting a real-time gaming competition between a celebrity and a non-celebrity, comprising the steps of:

downloading from a computer network to a device having a computer readable memory, a multiplicity of questions and a plurality of answer options previously selected by the celebrity in response to the questions, respectively;

presenting a linking discussion for at least one of the questions;

presenting said at least one question from the computer readable memory, the question having a plurality of answer options including at least one correct answer option and at least one incorrect answer option, the question having trivia information being associated with the celebrity;

receiving a first answer option from the non-celebrity playing against the celebrity;

retrieving from the computer readable memory, the answer option that was previously selected by the celebrity in response to the question;

adjusting a non-celebrity score, if the first answer option received from the non-celebrity matches the correct answer option;

adjusting a celebrity score, if the answer option of the celebrity matches the correct answer option; and

updating the non-celebrity score and the celebrity score for sequential questions; and

repeating the presenting steps, the receiving steps and the adjusting step for at least three sequential questions.

18. The method according to claim 17, further including a step of providing the non-celebrity score to a rating system that includes other scores of different non-celebrities.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the step of retrieving the answer option of the celebrity, further includes providing data to visually display the answer option on a display device.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the sequential questions includes at least four sequential questions being indirectly associated with the celebrity.

21. The method according to claim 17, wherein the sequential questions are limited to questions being indirectly associated with the celebrity.

22. The method according to claim 17, wherein the step of presenting a question includes a step of displaying the question and the answer options.

23. The method according to claim 17, further comprising streaming a multimedia celebrity introduction having audio and video to the non-celebrity via the device.

24. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable components for an interactive competition with a celebrity player and a real-time player, comprising:

a question component including a plurality of trivia questions, and the trivia questions being computer readable data for audio presentation and visual presentation on a computer device, and said trivia questions having a plurality of answer options configured for user selection;

a celebrity component including a plurality of stored celebrity player answers to the trivia questions;

a media component being in connection with the celebrity player and different from the interactive competition, the media component configured to provide at least a plurality of sound recordings of the celebrity,

a user interface component being operatively connected to the question component and celebrity component;

the interface component being configured for receiving a player'"'"'s answers to the trivia questions and electronically selecting the celebrity player, wherein the player is playing against the celebrity; and

a scoring component configured for tracking a score of the player based on the player answers and tracking a score of the celebrity based on the stored celebrity answers.

25. The computer-readable medium according to claim 24, in which the trivia questions are associated with the selected celebrity player.

26. The computer-readable medium according to claim 24, further including a stored celebrity bantering component having data for presentation to a non-celebrity player.