Patent Application
20160314653
The present disclosure relates to games, and in particular, games between users in which the results of the game are based on user-defined propositions.
A fantasy sport (also known as rotisserie, roto, or owner simulation) is a game where participants act as owners to build a team that competes against other fantasy owners based on the statistics generated by the real individual players or teams of a professional sport. These fantasy leagues are, by their very nature, rigidly structured. Specifically, these leagues have specific rules and ways of calculating winners to which each and every participant in a particular league is strictly bound. In fantasy sports leagues, each user attempts to maximize specific goals that are common to all of the participants, e.g., yards, points, completions, interceptions, etc. In season-long and day-long fantasy leagues, users are limited to selecting individual players and/or teams that they think will be successful within these limited categories. Furthermore, these leagues are generally limited to a single sport.
A plurality of users are registered for a competition, wherein registering the plurality of users comprises assigning each of the plurality of users a set number of points. At least one proposition pick is received from each of the plurality of users, wherein receiving the at least one proposition pick from each of the plurality of users comprises receiving terms of the proposition pick and a subset of each user's assigned points. An offer is generated for the at least one proposition pick from each of the plurality of users. The offer is presented to each of the plurality of users. An acceptance of the offer is received from each of the plurality of users. Results are determined for each of the plurality of proposition picks. The plurality of users are ranked based upon the results of each of the proposition picks, the offer for each of the proposition picks, and the subset of each user's assigned points.
According to example embodiments of the present disclosure, systems and methods are presented for hosting and managing a competition between a plurality of users. Specifically, the systems and methods described herein execute a new form of game, particularly, a league based system in which competitors compete against each other based upon user defined propositions or “prop picks.” As used herein, a “prop pick” is a prediction regarding an occurrence or non-occurrence during an event. For example, during a sporting event, a “prop pick” may include the prediction of the occurrence or non-occurrence of an event that does not affect the sporting event's final outcome. In the context of an awards show, a “prop pick” may include a prediction of the occurrence or non-occurrence of an event other than the ultimate winner of a particular category. Furthermore, “prop picks” can span multiple related or unrelated events. For example, a “prop pick” may include predicting a number of points scored by a player over a series of games, regardless of the actual outcome of any one of the games.
Unlike other uses of prop picks, in which an individual user selects from different prop picks, in which multiple users define odds through their wagers placed on single prop picks, the game disclosed herein allows different users to be compared and ranked even though each user may select completely different prop picks. Accordingly, through the use of the techniques described herein, a non-routine, non-conventional, novel form of competition is presented.
With reference to
Specifically,
In 110, the user submits a proposition pick. This “prop pick” may be determined by the user, or alternatively, the user may select the prop pick from a set of predetermined prop picks provided to the user as part of the contest. For example, if the contest has a sports theme, the user may submit a statistic based prop pick, such as “LeBron James will score 25 or more points against Chicago.” Other types of prop picks include head-to-head prop picks, such as “Tom Brady will have more touchdown passes than Payton Manning in week 12.” Users can also submit combination prop picks, such as “Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant combined will score 6 or more three-pointers on Jan. 1, 2015.”
In other words, the contest is more flexible and is differently structured than other multi-user competitions, such as fantasy sport leagues. In fantasy sports leagues, each user attempts to maximize specific goals that are common to all of the participants, e.g., yards, points, completions, interceptions, etc. In season-long and day-long fantasy leagues, users are limited to selecting individual players and/or teams that they think will be successful within these limited categories. Furthermore, these leagues are generally limited to a single sport. According to the competition of the present example embodiment, the user is provided with more freedom to select the goals, players, sports, etc., for the proposition picks placed in 110.
The submission of the prop pick in 110 may include a number of the user's points that the user would like to use to scale the importance or confidence in a particular prop pick. For example, if a user is confident in the outcome of a particular prop pick, the user may indicate that confidence by assigning a high percentage of his or her budget to the prop pick. On the other hand, if the user is less confident in his or her predicted outcome, fewer points may be assigned to a particular prop pick.
In 115, the user is presented with odds or an offer for the prop pick submitted in 110. As used herein, “offer” refers to a numeric value related to the probable outcome of a particular prop pick. For example, if it is determined that a prop pick submitted by a user in 110 is likely to occur, the offer generated for that prop pick will be a numeric value that indicates a likelihood or probability that the predicted outcome of the prop pick will come to pass. A prop pick with a highly likely outcome may receive a lower numeric value than a prop pick with a less likely outcome. According to other example embodiments, the prop pick with the more likely outcome may receive an offer with a higher numeric value, depending on the manner in which the numeric value is used to rank competitors, as will be described in greater detail with reference to reference numeral 140.
If the user included his or her assigned number of points or virtual currency when submitting the prop pick in 110, the amount of the offer presented to the user in 115 may have taken into account the magnitude of the user's assigned points or virtual currency. According to other example embodiments, the user may wait to assign his or her points or virtual currency to the prop pick until after he or she is presented with the offer.
In 120, the user may select whether or not to accept the offer. If the user did not present his or her proposed number of points or virtual currency when the prop pick was submitted in 110, the user may determine and submit his or her desired number of points or virtual currency to associate with the prop pick as a scaling factor when he or she accepts the prop pick at 120.
If the user declines the offer, and therefore the prop pick, the process of flow chart 100 will jump ahead to 135, which will be described in greater detail below. On the other hand, if the user accepts the offer associated with the prop pick, the processing of flow chart 100 moves to 125. In 125, a determination is made as to whether or not the user's prop pick resulted as the user predicted. If the user incorrectly predicts the outcome of the prop pick, the processing of flowchart 100 jumps to 135. On the other hand, if the user correctly predicted the outcome of the prop pick, the user receives credit in 130 based on a combination of the offer the user received for the prop pick and the number of points or virtual currency that the user assigned to the prop pick. For example, if the host assigns offers with high numeric values to prop picks with low likelihoods of coming to pass, the number of points the user assigned to the prop pick may be multiplied by the numeric value of the offer the user received on the prop pick. In other embodiments in which the host assigns low numeric values to offers with low likelihoods of coming to pass (e.g., a percentage indicating the likelihood of the predicted outcome), the number of points the user assigned to the prop pick may be divided by the numeric value of the offer the user received on the prop pick. The value calculated from the offer and the assigned number of points may then be credited to the user's account of points.
At 135, a determination is made as to whether or not the contest that the user has entered is still open. If the contest is still open, the processing of flowchart 100 returns to 110, where the user is allowed to make additional prop picks. Furthermore, if the user successfully predicted the outcome of a prop pick previously entered in 110, the additional points added to the user's account in 130 will be available for the user to access when submitting and accepting additional prop picks. Accordingly, the contest that the user is participating in flowchart 100 may be described as an “active” contest as the user can “reinvest” his or her “winnings” by using the awarded points when accepting offers on additional prop picks.
It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the reference numerals 115-135 may take place in parallel with each other, or may take place in an order different than what is illustrated in
The processing of reference numerals 110-135 will continue until the user reaches 135 at a time after the contest has closed. Upon the closing of the contest, the participants will be ranked, and the user will be provided with his or her rank in 140. The ranking may take place according to different metrics, depending on the contest. Similarly, multiple rankings may be provided for a single contest. For example, the users within a contest may be ranked based on the total number of points accumulated, the total number of prop picks predicted correctly, and/or the average number of points received per prop pick, among others. Furthermore, the contestants may be provided with an award based on their ranking. For example, a monetary award may be provided to participants with certain rankings within each contest. Specifically, monetary awards may be provided for the first, second and third place ranked contestants in each contest. Once the contest closes and the user receives his or her rank, the processing ends in 145.
The processing described above may be carried out by a user accessing a server computer through the use of a user network connected device. The user network connected device may be embodied in a personal computer, a tablet computer, a smartphone, and others known to those skilled in the art.
The process of
With reference now made to
The beginning of flowchart 200 is analogous to that of flowchart 100 of
Once the user either runs out of points or no longer wants to make additional prop picks, the processing of flowchart 200 moves to 228, where the contest opens and closes. Specifically, the contest opens once the events upon which the prop picks are based begin, and once all of the events have completed (i.e., once all of the results of the prop picks are known), the contest closes. While the example of
At 230 the user's point total is modified based on the outcome of his or her prop picks. For example, the number of points the user assigned to a pick may be multiplied by the offer the user received on the prop pick. In 235 the user receives his or her rank relative to the other players in the contest. As with the example of
As with the example of
The process of
With reference now made to
In 310 a first prop pick is received from a first contestant and/or user. In 315 an offer for the prop pick is generated and presented to the user. For example, the offer may be generated by a system such as that described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/771,725 (U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2013/0304633), the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. In 320, the system receives an indication as to whether or not the user has accepted the offer generated and presented in 315. If the user accepts the offer, the acceptance received in 320 may include a number of points that the first user would like to assign to the prop pick received in 310. The system that generates the offer in 315 may be hosted on a server computer that is accessed by a user network connected device.
At the same time that the system is receiving prop picks from the first user in reference numerals 310-320, the system may also be receiving prop picks from a second user through reference numerals 325-335. While flowchart 300 illustrates only two users, real world embodiments may have many tens, hundreds, or even thousands of users.
At 340, results of the different prop picks are received. For example, the events upon which one or more of the first user's and the second user's prop picks are based may have completed, allowing the outcome of the prop picks to be determined. In 345, the users' point totals will be updated based on the outcome of their respective prop picks. For example, the number of points each user assigned to his or her prop picks in steps 310-320/325-335 may be multiplied by the offer each user received on his or her prop pick in 315/330, respectively. This value may then be credited to each user's account of points.
In 350, if the contest is still open, the process will allow the first user and the second user to continue to present prop picks until the contest closes. Once the contest closes, a winner for the contest is determined in 355. For example, the winner may be determined between the first user and the second user based on which of the two users has the higher total point value. Determining the winner may also include awarding the users based on their respective ranking among the total number of users. Finally, in 360 the processing of flow chart 300 completes.
With reference now made to
In 410 a first prop pick is received from a first contestant and/or user. In 415 an offer for the prop pick is generated and presented to the user. As with flowchart 300 of
In 420, the system receives an indication as to whether or not the user has accepted the offer generated and presented in 415. If the user accepts the offer, the acceptance received in 420 may include a number of points that the first user would like to assign to the prop pick received in 420. At 425, a determination is made as to whether or not the contest has started, i.e., whether the date after which no more prop picks may be made has been reached. If the date has not yet been reached, the processing of steps 410-425 may be repeated until the start date is reached and/or the first user uses all of the points that they have been allocated for the contest of
At the same time that the system is receiving prop picks from the first user in reference numerals 410-425, the system may also be receiving prop picks from a second user through reference numerals 430-445. While flowchart 400 illustrates only two users, real world embodiments may have many tens, hundreds, or even thousands of users.
In 448, the contest begins, meaning the events upon which the users' prop picks are based begin taking place, and subsequently ends with all of the events having been completed. Once the contest starts and ends, results of the different prop picks are received at 450. For example, the event upon which one or more of the first user's and the second user's prop picks are based will have completed, allowing the outcome of the prop picks to be determined. In 455, the users' point totals will be updated based on the outcome of their respective prop picks. For example, the number of points each user assigned to his or her prop picks in steps 410-425/430-445 may be multiplied by the offer each user received on his or her prop pick in 420/440, respectively. This value may then be credited to each user's account of points.
Once the users' totals are updated, a winner for the contest is determined in 460. For example, the winner may be determined between the first user and the second user based on which if the two users has the higher total point value. Determining the winner may also include awarding the user a monetary award based on their respective ranking among the total number of users. Finally, in 465 the processing of flow chart 300 completes.
While the processing illustrated in
The techniques described herein may also be applied to “points chaser” contests. In “points chaser” contests, a target point balance is set. Players attempt to reach the target point balance within a particular timeframe. Any player that reaches the target balance within the time frame may be rewarded. Additional awards may be granted to players who reach the point total first, or before a certain percentage of the other contestants.
Turning to
In 505, a plurality of users are registered for a competition. The registration of the users comprises assigning each of the plurality of users a set number of points. In 510, at least one proposition pick is received from each of the users of the plurality of users. In 515, offers are generated for each proposition pick received from each of the users of the plurality of users. These offers are then presented to the users in 520. If the users accept the offers, an acceptance is received from each user at 525. According to the techniques described herein, receiving an acceptance of the offer may also include receiving a number of the points that were assigned to the user in 505. These points may serve as a scaling factor. For example, if a user is very confident in his or her proposition pick, he or she may assign a high number of points to the pick, thereby scaling or increasing the benefit they will receive if they correctly predicted the outcome of the proposition pick.
In 530, results are determined for each of the plurality of proposition picks. Finally, in 535, the plurality of users are ranked based upon the results of each of the proposition picks, the offer for each of the proposition picks, and the subset of the users' assigned points. The ranking in 535 may be based on a cumulative number of proposition picks over a predetermined period of time.
With reference now made to
In 635, a first scaling factor is received from the first competitor. According to the examples described above with reference to
Finally, in 645, the first and second competitors are ranked based on an outcome of the first proposition weighted by the first scaling factor and the first offer compared to an outcome of the second proposition weighted by the second scaling factor and the second offer.
In order to facilitate the competitions and contests described herein, interactive game boards and/or interactive gaming displays will be described with reference to
Turning first to
Games section 720 provides a list of available games of the type indicated by game-type navigation section 705 for the day or date indicated by date selection section 710. Games section 720 includes informational columns 720a-g, and functional column 720h. The information columns 720a-g provide information about each game listed in games section 720. Column 720a provides a name for each game. Column 720b indicates the number of current participants in the game, while column 720c indicates the maximum number of allowed participants. Column 720d indicates the entry fee to join the game, while column 720e indicates the total amount of available prize money in the game. Columns 720f and 720g indicate the start and end dates for the game, respectively. Functional column 720h, on the other hand, provides a button that allows users to join each displayed game.
Filtering portions 725a-c allow users to filter the games that appear in games section 720 based on different criteria. For example, filtering portion 725a allows users to limit the games that appear in games section 720 by the particular sport to which the games apply. Filtering area 725b allows users to select an entry fee range, and once selected, only games with an entry fee within that range will appear in games section 720. Finally, filtering section 725c allows users to set a prize range, and once selected, only games with prizes within that range will appear in games section 720.
With reference now made to
Because the selected game is a basketball themed game, the rest of prop pick builder 800 is populated with the elements that are necessary to construct custom prop picks based on basketball games. These contents may be communicated to a user network connected device through traffic sent over a network from a server device. Date section 810 lists the dates during which basketball games are being played that are part of the user's current contest. Games section 815 list the basketball games that are being played on the dates listed in date section 810, and player section 820 lists the basketball players competing in the basketball games listed in games section 815. By selecting games and players from sections 815 and 820, respectively, users can select the subjects for their custom prop picks. The players selected from players section 820 appear in selected player section 825. Statistics section 830 allows users to select statistic for the prop pick being built, while condition section 835 allows the user to select a condition to apply to the statistic selection selected in section 830.
Offer portions 835 displays the offers generated by the game hosting system in real-time as the prop pick is being built. This allows a user to see how the offers change as the different values are being selected. In order to display the correct value in offer portions 835, prop pick builder 800 may be in communication with a server device, transferring the user's current selections to the server. The server will return the offer for the user's current selections. According to some examples, this communication between the user network connected device and the server takes place automatically as the user changes his or her selections. According to other examples, the user will take some action to indicate that they have completed building a prop bet and he or she is ready to view the corresponding offer. For example, the user may be required to click a button to indicate that he or she has finished building a prop bet and would like to see the system generate odds.
Stake or points section 840 allows a user to set the number of points they would like to assign to the prop pick. In other words, stake or points section allows the user to set the scaling factor for the prop pick. Finally, the user can accept the prop pick by selecting the “Create Pick” button 845.
According to the specific example of
With reference now made to
Memory 940 may include read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media devices, optical storage media devices, flash memory devices, electrical, optical or other physical/tangible (e.g. non-transitory) memory storage devices. Thus, in general, the memory 940 may be or include one or more tangible (non-transitory) computer readable storage media (e.g., a memory device) encoded with software comprising computer executable instructions. When the instructions of the control software 942 is executed (by the processor 920), the processor is operable to perform the operations described herein in connection with
Device 900 may also include display 950 used to, for example, display game boards like game board 700 and game board 800 of
The above description is intended by way of example only.
