Fantasy sports contest highlight segments systems and methods

• US 8,702,504 B1
• Filed: 08/30/2002
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Hughes, Patrick J, Barber, Dave
• Primary Examiner(s): PIERCE, DAMON JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US10/234,725
• Time in Patent Office: 4,253 Days
• Field of Search: 463/4, 463/42, 463/29, 463/30, 463/31, 463/40, 707/104, 380/20, 700/90, 700/91, 700/92, 725/9, 725/37, 725/38, 725/41, 725/43, 725/44, 725/45
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/828 Managing virtual sport teams
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• 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 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 Games
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing multimedia highlight segments featuring real-life action related to fantasy sports competition. Links to highlight segments are provided in conjunction with fantasy sports contest information. A Highlight Center is provided with links to compilations of highlight segments featuring the best action culled from a pool of highlight segments. The user may be alerted of newly available highlight segments affecting fantasy scoring while the user watches a fantasy sports related television broadcast.

Claims

1. A method for providing highlight segments to a user of a fantasy sports contest application, comprising:

determining an identity of a user in a fantasy sports contest;

accessing fantasy sports contest information associated with the user from a database, wherein the fantasy sports contest information comprises a fantasy roster containing names of real-life athletes selected by the user;

generating for display on a display screen the user'"'"'s fantasy roster, wherein at least one of the displayed names is configured to be selectable by the user on-screen;

receiving an on-screen user selection of one of the selectable names in the user'"'"'s fantasy roster; and

in response to the user selection, determining that a highlight segment depicts a play that contributed to the user'"'"'s fantasy sports score and includes the real-life athlete corresponding to the selected name;

ranking the highlight segment based on a relevance of the play associated with the highlight segment to the user'"'"'s fantasy sports score; and

generating the highlight segment for display to the user.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising compiling highlight segments associated with the user'"'"'s fantasy roster into highlight segment compilations according to one or more themes.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein compiling the highlight segments comprises parsing a source of highlight segments to form the highlight segment compilations.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the identified highlight segment comprises communicating the identified highlight segment to the user'"'"'s personal video recorder device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the highlight segment is a video highlight segment, and generating the identified highlight segment comprises generating for display on the display screen the video highlight segment.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating for the user identifying information for the identified highlight segment.

7. A system for providing highlight segments to a user of a fantasy sports contest application, the system comprising:

means for determining an identity of a user in a fantasy sports contest;

means for accessing fantasy sports contest information associated with the user from a database, wherein the fantasy sports contest information comprises a fantasy roster containing names of real-life athletes selected by the user;

means for generating for display on a display screen the user'"'"'s fantasy roster, wherein at least one of the displayed names is configured to be selectable by the user on-screen;

means for receiving an on-screen user selection of one of the selectable names in the user'"'"'s fantasy roster; and

means for, in response to the user selection, determining that a highlight segment depicts a play that contributed to the user'"'"'s fantasy sports score and includes the real-life athlete corresponding to the selected name;

means for ranking the highlight segment based on a relevance of the play associated with the highlight segment to the user'"'"'s fantasy sports score; and

means for generating the highlight segment for display to the user.

8. The system of claim 7 further comprising means for compiling highlight segments associated with the user'"'"'s fantasy roster into highlight segment compilations according to one or more themes.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein means for compiling the highlight segments comprises means for parsing a source of highlight segments to form the highlight segment compilations.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein means for generating the identified highlight segment comprises means for communicating the identified highlight segment to the user'"'"'s personal video recorder device.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein the highlight segment is a video highlight segment, and the means for generating the identified highlight segment comprises means for generating for display on the display screen the video highlight segment.

12. The system of claim 7 further comprising means for generating for the user identifying information for the identified highlight segment.

13. A computer readable medium encoded with machine-readable instructions for providing highlight segments to a user of a fantasy sports contest application, the machine-readable instructions comprising:

determining an identity of a user in a fantasy sports contest;

accessing fantasy sports contest information associated with the user from a database, wherein the fantasy sports contest information comprises a fantasy roster containing names of real-life athletes selected by the user;

generating for display on a display screen the user'"'"'s fantasy roster, wherein at least one of the displayed names is configured to be selectable by the user on-screen;

receiving an on-screen user selection of one of the selectable names in the user'"'"'s fantasy roster; and

in response to the user selection, determining that a highlight segment depicts a play that contributed to the user'"'"'s fantasy sports score and includes the real-life athlete corresponding to the selected name;

ranking the highlight segment based on a relevance of the play associated with the highlight segment to the user'"'"'s fantasy sports score; and

generating the highlight segment for display to the user.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13 further comprising machine-readable instructions for compiling highlight segments associated with the user'"'"'s fantasy roster into highlight segment compilations according to one or more themes.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein the machine-readable instructions for compiling the highlight segments comprises machine-readable instructions for parsing a source of highlight segments to form the highlight segment compilations.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 13 wherein the machine-readable instructions for generating the identified highlight segment comprises machine-readable instructions for communicating the identified highlight segment to the user'"'"'s personal video recorder device.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 13 wherein the highlight segment is a video highlight segment, and the machine-readable instructions for generating the identified highlight segment comprises machine-readable instructions for generating for display on the display screen the video highlight segment.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 13 further comprising machine-readable instructions for generating for the user identifying information for the identified highlight segment.

19. A system for providing highlight segments to a user of a fantasy sports contest application, the system comprising:

a user input device;

a user output device comprising a display device; and

processing circuitry configured to;

determine an identity of a user in a fantasy sports contest;

access fantasy sports contest information associated with the user from a database, wherein the fantasy sports contest information comprises a fantasy roster containing names of real-life athletes selected by the user;

generate for display on the display device the user'"'"'s fantasy roster, wherein at least one of the displayed names is configured to be selectable by the user on-screen;

receive an on-screen user selection of one of the selectable names in the user'"'"'s fantasy roster; and

in response to the user selection;

determine that a highlight segment that depicts a play that contributed to the user'"'"'s fantasy sports score and includes the real-life athlete corresponding to the selected name;

ranking the highlight segment based on a relevance of the play associated with the highlight segment to the user'"'"'s fantasy sports score; and

generate the highlight segment for display to the user.

20. The system of claim 19 further comprising processing circuitry configured to compile highlight segments associated with the user'"'"'s fantasy roster into highlight segment compilations according to one or more themes.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the processing circuitry configured to compile the highlight segments comprises processing circuitry configured to parse a source of highlight segments to form the highlight segment compilations.

22. The system of claim 19 wherein the processing circuitry configured to provide the identified highlight segment comprises processing circuitry configured to communicate the identified highlight segment to the user'"'"'s personal video recorder device.

23. The system of claim 19 wherein the highlight segment is a video highlight segment, and the processing circuitry configured to generate the identified highlight segment comprises processing circuitry configured to generate for display on the display device the video highlight segment.

24. The system of claim 19 further comprising processing circuitry configured to generate for the user identifying information for the identified highlight segment.