Patent Application
20060258421
The present invention generally relates to any type of fantasy league (e.g., sports fantasy leagues). The present invention specifically relates to operating various aspects of a fantasy league in view of facilitating sponsorship of each fantasy player on an individual basis and/or a team basis, and in view of facilitating a transmission of feed formatted content and subfeed formatted content between fantasy systems.
A fantasy league is primarily operated by a fantasy server system based on a particular format for facilitating player/team management by one or more fantasy client devices in view of a statistical scoring system for determining a winner among members of a fantasy league supported by the fantasy client devices. For example, a football fantasy server system will provide access by fantasy client devices to a fantasy website for facilitating, among other things, player drafts, player trading, waiver wires, free agent acquisitions and starting lineup selections in view of a statistical scoring system that is based on each football player's weekly performance as a function of the football player's position.
A fantasy league is secondarily operated by the fantasy server system based on a particular format for providing access to fantasy player information by the fantasy client devices that enhances player/team management by each member of the fantasy league supported by the fantasy client devices. For example, a football fantasy server system currently provides access by fantasy client devices to a fantasy website managing fantasy player information in the form of reports, articles, commentaries, statistics and the like that is related, directly and indirectly, to past, present and future performances of football players whereby the information is intended to serve as a guide for player/team management by each member of the fantasy football league supported by the fantasy client devices.
Over the years since the earliest creation of fantasy server systems, efforts by designers of the fantasy server systems to realize comprehensive sponsorship of fantasy players has been meet with limited success. The present invention significantly advances that state-of-art in sponsored fantasy server operation and fantasy client participation in fantasy leagues.
Furthermore, a transmission of fantasy player information of a fantasy player from a fantasy server system to a fantasy client device has historically involved limited types of information. The present invention also significantly advances the state-of art in fantasy player information of a fantasy player provided to a fantasy client device.
One form of the present invention is a fantasy server system for operating a fantasy league including at least one fantasy player. The fantasy server system comprises means for managing fantasy player information of a fantasy player, means for managing sponsorship information of the fantasy player on at least one of an individual basis and a team basis, and means for associating at least a portion of the sponsorship information of the fantasy player to at least a portion of the fantasy player information of the fantasy player
A second form of the present invention a fantasy client device for participating in a fantasy league including at least one fantasy player. The fantasy client device comprises means for transmitting a fantasy client request to a fantasy server system, and means for receiving an association by the fantasy server system of at least a portion of sponsorship information of a fantasy player to at least a portion of fantasy player information of the fantasy player on at least one of an individual basis and a team basis in response to a transmission of the fantasy client request.
A third form of the present invention is a fantasy server system for operating a fantasy league including at least one fantasy player. The fantasy server system comprises means for managing fantasy player information of a fantasy player, wherein the fantasy player information includes at least one of image data, video data, audio data, multimedia data, and hyperlink data. The fantasy server system further comprises means for transmitting at least a portion of the fantasy player information at least partially as at least one of feed formatted content and subfeed formatted content to a fantasy client device
A fourth form of the present invention is a fantasy client device for participating in a fantasy league including at least one fantasy player. The fantasy client device comprises means for transmitting to a fantasy client request to a fantasy server system, and means for receiving fantasy player information of the fantasy player at least partially as at least one of feed formatted content and subfeed formatted content from the fantasy server system in response to a transmission to the fantasy client request to the fantasy server system. The fantasy player information includes at least one of image data, video data, audio data, multimedia data, and hyperlink data.
The aforementioned forms and other forms as well as objects and advantages of the present invention will become further apparent from the following detailed description of various embodiments of the present invention read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The detailed description and drawings of the various embodiments of the present invention are merely illustrative of the present invention rather than limiting, the scope of the present invention being defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
In operation, network system 30 facilitates bi-directional communication between fantasy client devices 20 and fantasy server system 40 involving access by fantasy client devices 20 to the fantasy league operated by fantasy server system 40. One operational aspect of the fantasy league as provided by fantasy server system 40 is directed to facilitating access to fantasy content by fantasy client devices 20 and facilitating fantasy game play by fantasy client devices 20 as would be appreciated by those having ordinary skill in the art. Examples of this operational aspect include, but are not limited to, (1) off-season actions by fantasy client devices 20 (e.g., configuring the fantasy league, accessing pre-season rankings of fantasy players and conducting a draft of the fantasy players), (2) in-season, off-time actions by fantasy client devices 20 (e.g., managing a lineup prior to or subsequent to real-time performances by the fantasy players, and accessing reports of past performances by the fantasy players and commentaries on predicted future performances of the fantasy players), and (3) in-season, gameplay actions by fantasy client devices 20 (e.g., managing a lineup during real-time performances by the fantasy players, and accessing reports of real-time performances and real-time playing status of the fantasy players).
A new and unique operational aspect of the fantasy league in accordance with the present invention as provided by fantasy server system 40 is directed to a realization of a comprehensive sponsorship of fantasy players on an individual basis and/or a team basis with an improved exchange of fantasy content between fantasy client devices 20 and fantasy server system 40. To this end, as shown in
For purposes of the present invention, the term “fantasy player information” is broadly defined herein as any information of any type that is relevant, directly or indirectly, to a gameplay and performance history of a fantasy player as reviewed by a member of the fantasy league (e.g., physical dimensions, statistics, injury history/status, ranking, recommendations, etc.). In one embodiment, as shown in
For purposes of the present invention, the term “sponsorship information” is broadly defined herein as any information of any type that is relevant to an advertisement/promotion of good(s) and/or service(s) as designated to a fantasy player on an individual basis and/or a team basis, the term “individual basis” is broadly defined herein as a designation by a sponsor of an advertisement/promotion of good(s) and/or service(s) to a specific player (e.g., Indianapolis Star designates the promotion of its paper to Peyton Manning, quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts), and the term “team basis” is broadly defined herein as a designation by a sponsor of an advertisement/promotion of good(s) and/or service(s) to a specific team (e.g., Indianapolis Star designates the promotion of its paper to all of the team members of the Indianapolis Colts). Similarly, in one embodiment, as shown in
In operation, fantasy content manger 70 associates relevant portions of sponsorship information of a fantasy player to relevant portions of fantasy player information of the fantasy player as needed. In particular, fantasy content manger 70 associates relevant portions of sponsorship information of a fantasy player to relevant portions of fantasy player information of the fantasy player in response to fantasy client requests directed to primarily acquiring fantasy player information for purposes of (1) learning/reviewing fantasy player information to thereby make informed gameplay decisions concerning the fantasy player and (2) make recommendations of the fantasy player to another member of the fantasy league. Similarly, fantasy gameplay manger 80 associates relevant portions of sponsorship information of a fantasy player to relevant portions of fantasy player information of the fantasy player in response to fantasy client requests directed to primarily acquiring fantasy player information for purposes of (1) conducting transactions involving a fantasy player prior to and/or during a fantasy performance period of the fantasy player (e.g., drafting, acquiring, releasing, trading, and lineup substitutions) and (2) monitoring a scoring of the fantasy player during a fantasy performance period of the fantasy player.
The following description of
The present invention does not impose any limitations or any restrictions to the format of the sponsored fantasy player information.
In view of the applications referenced in paragraph [0001] herein, those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate feed formatted content is structured data, such as, for example Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), Extensible Markup Language (XML), or a subset of a general format such as RSS (Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication), a hybrid or extension of some such standard, or the like. Feed formatted content may be accessed through a feed, stored in a local file, or the like of fantasy client device 20. The aforementioned feed items are the data corresponding to the feed formatted content of webpage 110. Concurrently or alternatively, subfeed formatted content in the form of a browser window or frame spawned by feed items can also be provided for webpage 110.
In practice, the three sponsor items 115-117 can correspond to the same or difference sponsors. Furthermore, for a subsequent request for the same fantasy player information, new sponsorship information can be associated with the fantasy player information. In one embodiment, this is accomplished by implementing a technique for associating the sponsorship information of fantasy players to the fantasy player information of the fantasy players based on sponsorship selection criteria including, but not limited to, ad-targeting based criteria, profile based criteria, event based criteria and time based criteria as would be appreciated by those having ordinary skill in the art in view of the applications referenced in paragraph [0001] herein.
A fantasy player recommendation webpage can be similarly structured to fantasy player news web page 110 as shown in
In one embodiment, a stage S162 of a flowchart 60 encompasses fantasy gameplay manager 80 determining whether the fantasy player transaction request is in compliance with the fantasy league transaction policy. For example, such a policy may specify one or more transaction time periods and which types of transactions are legal and which types are illegal during each transaction time period (e.g., trading can only occur from Monday to Friday during each week of the fantasy season and a waiver addition can only occur after three days from a fantasy player's waiver release). The fantasy player transaction request is denied during a stage S164 of flowchart 160 if it is determined by fantasy gameplay manager 80 not to be in compliance with the fantasy league transaction policy. Otherwise, fantasy gameplay manager 80 associates relevant portions of sponsorship information of the subject fantasy player(s) to the relevant portions fantasy player information of the subject fantasy player(s) during a stage S166 of flowchart 160, and executes the sponsored transaction during a stage S168 of flowchart 160.
In one embodiment, an execution of the sponsored transaction invokes a generation by fantasy gameplay manager 80 of one or more webpages related to the sponsored transaction.
Referring again to
In one embodiment, a stage S202 of a flowchart 200 encompasses fantasy gameplay manager 80 calculating fantasy player points in accordance with a league scoring policy based on fantasy player performance in real-time in relation to a schedule fantasy performance period. A stage S204 of flowchart 200 encompasses fantasy gameplay manager 80 determining fantasy team scoring based on a fantasy team starting lineup and any substitution indicators. Stages S202 and S204 are continually updated until such time the scheduled fantasy performance period has ended.
For purposes of the present invention, the term “substitution indicator” is broadly defined herein as an indication of one fantasy player being substituted in fantasy team lineup by another fantasy player. In one embodiment, as shown in
A stage S214 of flowchart 210 encompasses fantasy gameplay manager 80 determining a substitute fantasy player's fantasy scoring and a replacement fantasy player's fantasy scoring based on the substitution time stamp and the player's performance periods. For example, if a fantasy client device 20 transacts a replacement of Peyton Manning for Tom Brady at the end of the first quarter of Manning's game as indicated by the substitution time stamp and Brady completed his game, then Manning's scoring will be based on his only quarter of game and Tom Brady's scoring will be based on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters of Brady's game. Also by example, if a fantasy client transacts a replacement of Roger Clemens for Randy Johnson at the end of the 1st and 2nd innings pitched by Clemens as indicated by the substitution time stamp and Johnson completed his game, then Clemens' scoring will be based on his pitched 1st and 2nd innings and Randy Johnson's scoring will be based on his pitched 3rd-9th innings. From these two examples, those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate the many benefits and various simple to complex implementations of the substitution time stamp in accordance with the present invention.
Referring again to
Referring to
Those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the array of servers 41-49 can physically exist as separate hardware platforms or logically exist on a minimum number of hardware platforms. Those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that some of the servers 41-49 can be eliminated and/or other types of servers can be added to this array. In one embodiment, web server 41 can individually execute the instructions of fantasy content manager 70 and fantasy gameplay manager 80 while fantasy player information and/or sponsorship information can be managed by file server 42, content management server 44, stream media server 46, and/or database server 47.
Referring to
Furthermore, in some cases, sponsorship information may be not designated to one or more of the fantasy players. During these cases, all requests are executed as taught herein and under the inventive principles of the present invention exclusive of any association of sponsorship information to fantasy player information.
Those having ordinary skill in the art will further appreciate various objects and advantages of the present invention, such as, for example, a realization of a comprehensive sponsorship of fantasy players on an individual basis and/or a team basis with an improved exchange of fantasy content between fantasy client devices 20 and fantasy server system 40.
While the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are presently considered to be preferred, various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of the invention is indicated in the appended claims, and all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalents are intended to be embraced therein.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US05/27659 | Aug 2005 | WO | international |
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/652,283 filed on Feb. 11, 2005. This application claims the benefit of PCT Serial No. PCT/US2005/027659 filed Aug. 4, 2005, and U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/710,030 filed Aug. 18, 2005. The entirety of each application is hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60652283 | Feb 2005 | US | |
| 60710030 | Aug 2005 | US |
