Automated reward management for network-based contests

• US 8,224,696 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2006
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Speiser, Leonard, Speiser, Michael L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dagnew, Saba
• Application Number:
  US11/405,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20070244749A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,283 Days
• Field of Search: 705/10, 705/14, 705/26, 705/27, 463/25
• US Class Current: 705/14.16
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0214 Referral reward systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/361 Recording/reproducing of accompaniment for use with an external source, e.g. karaoke systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/091 for performance evaluation, i.e. judging, grading or scoring the musical qualities or faithfulness of a performance, e.g. with respect to pitch, tempo or other timings of a reference performance
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/181 Billing, i.e. purchasing of data contents for use with electrophonic musical instruments; Protocols therefor; Management of transmission or connection time therefor

Abstract

A system for automated reward management for network-based contests includes one or more processors and memory coupled to the processors, where the memory stores program instructions executable by the processors to implement a contest manager. The contest manager is configured to collect an entry fee corresponding to each entry of a plurality of entries submitted for a contest over a network, and provide a prize to a winning entry of the contest based at least in part on a total amount of entry fees collected for the contest.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the processors, wherein the memory stores program instructions executable by the one or more processors to implement a contest manager configured to;

collect an entry fee corresponding to each entry of a plurality of entries submitted by a plurality of entrants for a contest over a network each entry including content related to the contest;

provide a prize to a winning entry of the contest based at least in part on a total amount of entry fees collected for the contest;

license the content of the winning entry to provide royalties to the entrant of the winning entry; and

provide consolation prizes to the plurality of entrants of non-winning entries.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the network comprises at least a portion of the Internet.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the contest manager is configured to establish the contest in accordance with a request received over the network, wherein the request specifies the entry fee.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the prize comprises a non-monetary component.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the contest manager is further configured to collect a sponsorship amount for the contest from a sponsor, and wherein the prize is based at least in part on the sponsorship amount.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the contest manager is further configured to reduce the contest entry fee for a plurality of contest entries based at least in part on a sponsorship amount received for the contest from a sponsor.

7. A system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the processors, wherein the memory stores program instructions executable by the one or more processors to implement a contest manager configured to;

provide one or more interfaces allowing a plurality of voters to bet on a plurality of contest results;

determine a respective winner of each contest of a plurality of contests based at least in part on votes received over a network from the plurality of voters;

identify a particular voter of the plurality of voters who voted for the winners of two or more contests of the plurality of contests;

adjust a weight associated with a vote of the particular voter based on the success of the particular voter in predicting the outcome of previous contests or rounds within a contest such that the vote of the particular voter has greater or lesser value compared to votes belonging to other voters of the plurality of voters; and

provide a reward to the particular voter.

8. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein the reward comprises a display of information associated with the particular voter on a web site.

9. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein the reward comprises a change in a vote strength for a vote submitted by the particular voter for another contest.

10. A tangible, computer readable storage medium comprising program instructions, wherein the instructions are computer-executable to implement a contest manager configured to:

collect an entry fee corresponding to each entry of a plurality of entries submitted by a plurality of entrants for a contest over a network, each entry including content related to the contest;

provide a prize to the entrant of a winning entry of the contest based at least in part on a total amount of entry fees collected for the contest;

license the content of the winning entry to provide royalties to the entrant of the winning entry; and

provide consolation prizes to the plurality of entrants of non-winning entries.

11. The storage medium as recited in claim 10, wherein the network comprises at least a portion of the Internet.

12. The storage medium as recited in claim 10, wherein the contest manager is configured to establish the contest in accordance with a request received over the network, wherein the request specifies the entry fee.

13. The storage medium as recited in claim 10, wherein the prize comprises a non-monetary component.

14. The storage medium as recited in claim 10, wherein the contest manager is further configured to collect a sponsorship amount for the contest from a sponsor, and wherein the prize is based at least in part on the sponsorship amount.

15. The storage medium as recited in claim 10, wherein the contest manager is further configured to reduce the contest entry fee for a plurality of contest entries based at least in part on a sponsorship amount received for the contest from a sponsor.

16. A tangible, computer readable storage medium comprising program instructions, wherein the instructions are computer-executable to implement a contest manager configured to:

provide one or more interfaces allowing a plurality of voters to bet on a plurality of contest results.,

determine a respective winner of each contest of a plurality of contests based at least in part on votes received over a network from the plurality of voters;

identify a particular voter of the plurality of voters who voted for the winners of two or more contests of the plurality of contests;

adjust a weight associated with a vote of the particular voter based on the success of the particular voter in predicting the outcome of previous contests or rounds within a contest such that the vote of the particular voter has greater or lesser value compared to votes belonging to other voters of the plurality of voters; and

provide a reward to the particular voter.

17. The storage medium as recited in claim 16, wherein the reward comprises a display of information associated with the particular voter on a web site.

18. The storage medium as recited in claim 16, wherein the reward comprises a change in a vote strength for a vote submitted by the particular voter for another contest.

19. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

collecting an entry fee corresponding to each entry of a plurality of entries submitted by a plurality of entrants for a contest over a network, each entry including content related to the contest;

providing a prize to the entrant of a winning entry of the contest based at least in part on a total amount of entry fees collected for the contest;

licensing the content of the winning entry to provide royalties to the entrant of the winning entry; and

providing consolation prizes to the plurality of entrants of non-winning entries.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, further comprising:

establishing the contest in accordance with a request received over the network, wherein the request specifies the entry fee.

21. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein the prize comprises a non-monetary component.

22. The method as recited in claim 19, further comprising:

collecting a sponsorship amount for the contest over the network from a sponsor;

wherein the prize is based at least in part on the sponsorship amount.

23. The method as recited in claim 19, further comprising:

reducing the contest entry fee for a plurality of contest entries based at least in part on a sponsorship amount received for the contest from a sponsor.

24. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

providing one or more interfaces allowing a plurality of voters to bet on a plurality of contest results;

determining a respective winner of each contest of a plurality of contests based at least in part on votes received over a network from the plurality of voters;

identifying a particular voter of the plurality of voters who voted for the winners of two or more contests of the plurality of contests;

adjusting a weight associated with a vote of the particular voter based on the success of the particular voter in predicting the outcome of previous contests or rounds within a contest such that the vote of the particular voter has greater or lesser value compared to votes belonging to other voters of the plurality of voters; and

providing a reward to the particular voter.

25. The method as recited in claim 24, wherein the reward comprises a change in a vote strength for a vote submitted by the particular voter for another contest.