Patent Application
20080009271
The present invention exists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of the device, and steps of the method, whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth, specifically pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:
Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating the exemplary embodiments only and not for purposes of limiting the claimed subject matter,
The system 10 includes a portion of a mobile telecommunications network capable of providing the statistics to the handset 12 in the manner described below. The system 10 includes a Mobile Switching Center 14 and a Base Station 16 communicating with the mobile handset in a manner suitable for providing the sports statistics as described. Though only a single mobile handset 12, MSC 14 and Base Station 16 are shown for the purposes of simplicity, it should be appreciated that the system and method described herein can provide sports statistics to a plurality of mobile handsets for a plurality of different sporting events. The mobile telecommunications network (handset 12, Base Station 16 and MSC 14) can be a CDMA, GSM, or other known wireless, mobile telecommunications network.
The MSC communicates with one or more Subscriber databases, one of which is shown at 18, for obtaining Subscriber information as described below. The Subscriber Database 18 can be disposed in a Home Location Register (HLR) or other node in, or communicating with, the mobile telecommunications network.
The system 10 also includes an Application Server 20 suitable for performing the programmed logic capable of performing the tasks for providing the sports statistics as described herein. The Application Server 20 can be a standalone server communicating with the system 10 as shown, or it may be incorporated into one or more network nodes in the telecommunications system. A Sports Services Database 22 can be used for storing the subscriber-specific criteria described below for providing the specific sports statistics for the desired participant-highlighting events for the corresponding sporting events chosen by the subscriber. The subscriber-specific criteria can be associated with the corresponding subscriber in the database for ready access by the Application Server 20 for each individual subscriber.
A Statistics Server 30 is connected to the Application Server 20 for providing sports statistics for sporting event participants as described below. The Statistics Server 30 can be connected to the Application Server 20 by a network connection 40, such as the Internet, using suitable communications protocols for enabling rapid dissemination of information therebetween. A plurality of Application Servers 20 and Statistics Servers 30 may be used if so desired.
One or more Sports Statistics databases, one of which is shown at 50, are connected to the Statistics Server 30 for storing sports statistics for participants of the sporting event. It is contemplated that all of the sports statistics that may possibly be used can be stored here and associated with their corresponding participants in a known manner, such as for example, using a table lookup database.
Referring now to
Each individual Subscriber can select subscriber-specific criteria to personalize the sports service to their own tastes. The Subscriber can choose these criteria via a User Interface using a computer 60 connected to the Application Server 20 via a network connection, such as an IP network connection 40, or using a mobile handset 12 or in other suitable manners.
One example of the Subscriber-specific criteria includes the Subscriber selecting the sporting event, or events, for which he would like to receive the statistics at 104. For example, Subscriber A is a baseball fan and can select to receive the sports statistics for baseball games involving his favorite baseball team or teams, Subscriber B is a football fan and can select to receive statistics for his favorite football team, and Subscriber C is a soccer fan and he can select the games for which he wants to receive the statistics. Each Subscriber can choose specific events held on particular days and times, or she can choose every corresponding sporting event in a season, or some combination thereof, such as only the home games for a particular team, or only the games the Subscriber will be attending, etc.
Another example of the Subscriber-specific criteria capable of being provided by each Subscriber includes the Subscriber selecting, at 106, the particular participant-highlighting event, or events, typically occurring during the sporting event(s) for which they want to receive statistics. Participant-highlighting events are events occurring during the sporting event which emphasizes one or more of the participants, separate and apart from the other participants. These participants are referred to herein as highlighted participants, or highlighted players. The one or more highlighted participants are highlighted, or emphasized, as a result of, and thus during, the participant-highlighting event.
Examples of participant-highlighting events which can be selected for a baseball game can include, but are not limited to: a baseball player coming up to bat, a player entering or leaving the ball game, such as for example a pitcher, a player making an offensive play such as getting a hit, a walk, a run, etc., a player making a defensive play such as making a catch, making an out, striking out the batter, etc.
Examples of participant-highlighting events which can occur during football games can include, but are not limited to, a football player entering the game or leaving the game, a player getting hurt, a player running the ball or making a catch, a player making a tackle or a block, a player scoring, such as making a touchdown, a field goal or extra point, etc.
Examples of participant-highlighting events which can occur during a soccer game can include, but are not limited to, a player entering the game-or leaving the game, a player scoring a goal, a goalie making a save, a coach receiving a yellow-card, etc.
Another example of the Subscriber-specific criteria capable of being provided by each Subscriber includes the Subscriber selecting, at 108, the particular statistics she wishes to receive for the participant-highlighting event(s) selected in step 106. These statistics will be relevant to the highlighted player, or players, and to the participant-highlighting event. One example, which should not be considered limiting, includes the Subscriber choosing to have particular statistics for each baseball player coming up to bat delivered to the handset when the player is coming up to bat. The Subscriber chooses, for example, the batter's current batting average, lifetime batting average against the pitcher in place, length of time in the league, length of time with the current club, personal stats such as height, weight, age, etc. It is contemplated that the Subscriber can personalize the statistics delivered to them for each of the one or more different participant-highlighting events chosen above.
Another example of the Subscriber-specific criteria capable of being provided by each Subscriber includes the Subscriber indicating, at 110, the particular format in which the statistics are to be delivered to the subscriber's mobile handset. Examples of these delivery formats can include, but are not limited to, text messaging, SMS messages, voice messages, or other known formats for delivering information to a user of a mobile handset.
The Application Server 20 then monitors the date and time for the selected sporting event(s) at 112. The Application Server 20 can include a pre-defined, or dynamic, schedule of sporting events for this purpose.
When the selected sporting event starts as determined at 114, the Application Server 20 can send a message to the Subscriber's mobile handset informing of the start of the competition at 116. This notification can be provided in the subscriber-chosen delivery format, described in step 110, or in a format determined by the Service Provider.
The sporting event is then monitored for participant-highlighting events at 120. It is contemplated that this can be accomplished manually by a person monitoring/observing the sporting event shown as the Monitor 28 in
Upon the occurrence of a participant-highlighting event at 122, the person monitoring selects the one or more highlighted participants at 124 for processing. The Monitor 28 can use a graphics user interface such as that provided by a suitable computer program to select the relevant highlighted participant(s) from a list of possible participants typically associated with the particular sporting event. The monitor can also select the proper participant-highlighting event using the program as well. An identification of the highlighted participants and the participant-highlighting event can be sent to the Application Server 20 at 126 via a dedicated network connection, an IP Network connection, or other suitable means for providing such information.
The Application Server 20 receiving this information can then make a request to a Sports Statistics Server 30 for the statistics associated with the one or more highlighted participants at 128. The Application Server 20 can determine the relevant statistics needed based on the type of participant-highlighting event and request these statistics only. Alternatively, the Application Server 20 can request all statistics related to the highlighted participant(s) and then select the relevant statistics from this group upon their receipt as described below.
The Statistics Server 30 retrieves the statistics for the highlighted participant(s) from a database at 130 and sends them to the Application Server 20 which receives them at 132.
The Application Server 20 determines what portion of the statistics should be sent to the subscriber(s) at 140. The Application Server 20 can use the subscriber-specific criteria provided by the Subscriber as described above to determine the statistics each individual Subscriber wants for the associated participant-highlighting event. Alternatively, the Application Server 20 can choose a pre-defined set of statistics for the participant-highlighting event. If the Application Server 20 receives all current statistics for the participant at 132, the Application Server 20 selects only the relevant statistics for the participant-highlighting event. This group can then be narrowed for each individual Subscriber according to the subscriber-specific criteria described above.
The Application Server 20 can also determine the format for sending the statistics to the subscribers' mobile handset(s) at 142. The Application Server 20 can determine the format for each Subscriber individually using the subscriber-specific criteria described above, if so desired.
The Application Server 20 communicates with the subscriber's MSC, sending a request for sending the statistics to the Subscriber at 144. The MSC receives the request and determines whether the Subscriber subscribes to the statistics service at 146. The MSC can determine this by checking with the Subscriber Database 18 described above. If the Subscriber does not subscribes to the service an error notice can be sent to the user at 148.
If the Subscriber subscribes to the service, the MSC sends the statistics to the subscriber's handset in the Subscriber requested format at 150. The entire sporting event is monitored in this manner and if it has not ended at 152, the monitoring step 120 continues and the steps described thereafter are repeated until the event ends at 154 or the service is deactivated.
As described above, this system and method of providing sports statistics to mobile handsets 12 occurs during the participant-highlighting event(s), or proximate in time thereto, such as within several seconds, so as to provide the Subscribers with an effective information gathering experience. The Subscribers can be attending the games and have the statistics provided to them during the participant-highlighting events as they watch them occur at the sporting venues. Or, the Subscribers can be watching the sporting events on television or listening to them on their radios while having the statistics delivered to them at those locations via their mobile handsets.
The above description merely provides a disclosure of particular embodiments of the invention and is not intended for the purposes of limiting the same thereto. As such, the invention is not limited to only the above-described embodiments. Rather, it is recognized that one skilled in the art could conceive alternative embodiments that fall within the scope of the invention.
