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Description  |
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to games, and more particularly to online electronic tournament games.
BACKGROUND
Competitive games are a popular form of recreation. From the Olympics to the Super Bowl to backyard volleyball games, competitive games consume a large portion of our free time. Whether watching or participating, the allure is undeniable. In
addition to the competitive sports, intellectual competitions such as chess or bridge tournaments are also popular.
These competitions remain popular because whether a participant or spectator, one is involved. They require people to meet at a central location and specific time, providing a sense of community and camaraderie, as well as a place to socialize.
A typical chess tournament, for example, might have fifty players meeting at a central playing site.
Such tournaments and competitions suffer from several drawbacks, however, as participants may have to travel considerable distance to get to the playing site and may require expensive overnight accommodations when the tournament lasts more than
one day. The start times for most tournaments must also be fixed in advance. The chess players, for example, might meet at 9:00 AM for the start of the first round. This forces all participants to adhere to the same schedule, an increasingly difficult
proposition in today's busy world. Furthermore, facilities used to host the tournament, such as hotel meeting rooms, banquet halls, and auditoriums, represent a significant expense to the tournament organizers.
To ensure that the rules of the tournament are upheld, most competitions require proctors, arbiters, referees, and the like. Retaining such people can add significant costs to competitions. There may also be a limited supply of individuals
qualified to oversee the tournament. For example, if there are only two sanctioned backgammon tournament directors in a city, the backgammon tournament might have to be canceled if both are sick on the day of the competition. Such cancellations can be
costly for those participants planning on traveling to the tournament, who would have to cancel flights and hotel registrations.
Tournaments geared to a narrower subset of tournament players (niche tournaments) are often economically unfeasible because of the high costs associated with obtaining playing facilities. While it may be possible to hold a martial arts
tournament in a city, it may be hard to hold a tournament for a specific subset of the martial arts such as Aikido. The few players that would participate would not justify the cost of the facilities.
Electronic tournaments allow participants to "meet" in cyberspace, competing at a virtual location accessible to any player at any time. Because no travel is required, many of the disadvantages of physical tournaments are eliminated, while
maintaining the sense of camaraderie.
Online games and contests have existed almost since online networks were created. The first online services available to a user with a personal computer and a modem were bulletin board systems or BBSs. They started appearing in the early 1980s
and exploded in popularity along with the growth of the personal computer. The most primitive of these systems allowed users to share files and exchange e-mail. The ability to conduct electronic games was quickly added as enthusiasts joined the
systems. BBSs were usually operated by computer enthusiasts more as a hobby than as a commercial enterprise. In the late 1980s, corporations began creating online services that could handle thousands of users simultaneously. Online services such as
Prodigy, CompuServe, and America Online brought a new level of professionalism and sophistication to the industry. Inelegant text-based user interfaces were replaced with graphical front ends that no longer required users to memorize arcane commands or
codes. Game play became more popular as the software became increasingly user-friendly.
One of the companies providing games in this new environment is NTN Communications. They offer a trivia game on America Online in which players compete by answering a series of questions. There are five possible answers, with 1000 points being
awarded for a correct answer. The player is given a limited amount of time to come up with an answer, and fewer points are awarded for a correct answer as time passes. At the end of the contest, the top scores are displayed to all competitors. The
game has a major drawback, however, in that there are no prizes awarded to players. The competitive drive is diminished when there is no prize for winning. It's like playing a game of poker without using money.
To increase player interest, several companies have begun to offer online contests with cash prizes. Yoyodyne Entertainment provides an email-based trivia game that is available through the Internet and several online services. Players receive
questions via email and must submit their answers before a deadline, which is usually a day or two later. Points are awarded for each correct answer and deducted for each incorrect answer. The winner is the person with the highest score at the end of
the contest.
Interactive Imaginations also developed online contests for prizes. They created the Riddler site on the World Wide Web. Users are offered a selection of games, including trivia and puzzle games. Like the Yoyodyne site, prize amounts are
necessarily limited because there are no entry fees.
One company has combined both entry fees and prizes to generate new potential customers. Bert & Associates created an options trading game in which contestants pay an entry fee in order to become eligible for the prizes. The game was merely a
peripheral element of their business, however, meant only to attract customers to their brokerage business.
Another limitation of the games run by Yoyodyne and Interactive Imaginations is that there is no continuity among the games. The results of one game have no impact on the results of another game. Each game is an independent event; they are not
linked together into a more continuous game experience. After registering for one game, the process must be repeated for future games. A player who has become an expert in a trivia game is able to enter the same trivia games again and again,
monopolizing the top prizes. Game organizers are unable to prevent this since there are no effective controls on who can register for a game. Games geared exclusively to experts are impossible as there is no effective way to screen the qualifications
of participants.
Rating systems, popular in chess and backgammon games, are impossible to implement without a way to track a player's progress over a number of games. Handicap systems popular in golf games are similarly restricted in that player results must be
tracked over a series of games, not just one game.
Online games also lack effective reservation systems; players simply log on at the appropriate time and begin play. If game organizers want to restrict the number of players, they are forced to establish an arbitrary limit on the number of
entrants. If such a limit is enforced, however, players will have no way to know in advance whether or not they will be able to register at the time the tournament starts.
Existing electronic games also lack the implementation of levels, a progression of increasing difficulty throughout the competition. What is missing is the excitement of elimination found in virtually every other competitive environment. To
date, all online contests have involved a single game session. In a trivia game, players answer a series of questions and receive a score based on the number of correct responses. The winner is the player with the highest score. In a puzzle contest,
the first correct solution wins.
The world of professional sports demonstrates the desirability of levels. Professional basketball, for example, consists of a regular season followed by postseason play. A certain number of teams qualify for post-season play based on their
regular season records. These teams then play each other in an elimination format until two teams remain to play in the final series that determines the winner. Advancement to the next round of post-season play depends on a team's performance in the
previous round. There is no doubt that the tournament structure adds a great deal of excitement not only to each of the post-season games, but also to the games at the end of the regular season as well.
Imagine a basketball season in which the champion was determined by the regular season record alone. The last games of the season would be irrelevant if the current leader were many games ahead of the nearest team. Spectator and player interest
would drop dramatically. Teams whose scores would place them in the middle of the pack could be out of contention with dozens of games remaining. There would be little incentive to press for a win in the remaining games. Key competitive matchups might
also be missed. Two teams with top records that were never scheduled to play each other would vie for the title without ever having played. Player curiosity as to which team was really the best would not be satisfied without a head to head competition.
All professional sports use an elimination process to make the game more exciting for participants as well as spectators. Professional football, baseball, basketball, and hockey all have regular seasons followed by post-season play in which
teams are eliminated from contention. Instead of having a regular season, professional tennis offers a series of games in which the field narrows through a process of elimination until ultimately one competitor remains and is declared the winner.
Professional golf tournaments have a cut in which the field is dramatically cut back before the final round of competition begins.
It should be apparent from the foregoing that there is a need for an electronic gaming system in which players from different locations can participate in and win awards. The system should not just support stand-alone games, but should also
support the coordination of multiple games in which information from one game impacts future games.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide methods and devices for effectively operating multiple database-driven distributed electronic game tournaments for remotely located players. It provides numerous advantages over existing
tournament systems; such as simplifying the collection of entry fees and the payment of prizes, as well as allowing for rating and handicap systems.
In the invented system, players pay entry fees for the right to compete for substantial prizes in electronic tournaments. Unlike existing tournament systems, the present invention allows for the coordination of multiple tournaments, making each
tournament part of a whole rather than a stand-alone individual event.
In one preferred embodiment, a central controller manages the tournament system, coordinating both the players and game software with which the players compete. The system uniquely identifies each player as they log on, authenticating the
associated input/output device that is connected to the central controller. This unique identifier allows other players to know whom they are competing against. Each player typically pays the system an entry fee before participating in a particular
tournament, with payment delivered through the associated input/output device. The tournament begins and ends within a fixed time window, typically measured in hours or minutes.
After each tournament is over, the system evaluates player performance, awarding prizes to those players achieving pre-established performance levels.
Due to the complexity of coordinating multiple tournaments, one preferred embodiment includes the use of a database. In this embodiment the central controller accesses the database to store player information that is generated as the player
participates in the tournament. Such information is available for use in a subsequent tournament, which is administered by the controller and in which the player participates.
In another preferred embodiment with the central controller, each tournament game is broken down into a series of game sessions in which players must qualify in one game session in order to be eligible to play in the next. This elimination
format significantly increases tension and enhances excitement in the games, since only the best players are left fighting for the top prizes in the final game session. In such an embodiment, each subsequent game session has at least one fewer player
than a previous game session.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, which, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrates by way of example the principles of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a distributed electronic tournament system in the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows one preferred embodiment implementing the present invention.
FIG. 3 shows one preferred set of steps to uniquely identify a player in the present invention.
FIG. 4 shows one preferred set of steps to respond to payment of an entry fee in the present invention.
FIG. 5 shows one preferred set of steps to access player information collected from prior tournaments.
FIG. 6 shows one preferred set of steps to award a player a prize in the present invention.
FIG. 7 shows one preferred set of steps for a player to play in a specific game session with a fixed start time in the present invention.
FIG. 8 shows one preferred set of payment steps in the present invention.
FIG. 9 shows a screen with a plurality of windows in the present invention.
The numerals in FIGS. 1-9 are assigned to similar elements in all the figures. Embodiments of the invention are discussed below with reference to FIGS. 1-9. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description given
herein with respect to these figures is for explanatory purposes, as the invention extends beyond these limited embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 shows a distributed electronic tournament system 100 with a central controller 102 connected to a number of input/output (I/O) devices, 104 and 106, in the present invention. The input/output device may be a video gaming console, a
personal computer, handheld electronic device, and the like. The central controller may be a workstation, a minicomputer, or other type of computation device, typically in the form of a server computer connected to a public or private network. The I/O
devices are remotely located from the central controller to allow participation in a tournament to be distributed. The I/O devices preferably are connected to the central controller, at least when the I/O devices are involved in games. Such connection
may be through a wireless telecommunication network or through a ground-based network 108, such as the Internet. While online, the I/O device typically communicates with the network via a public or private switched network such as the circuit switched
public telephone network. The central controller has software which it uses to manage the tournament. In one preferred embodiment, the I/O devices are personal computers connected to an online service such as America Online. The central controller is
a workstation computer on America Online that coordinates the tournament activities.
The tournament databases are preferably relational, in which fields from one database are linked to fields of at least one other database. These databases are controlled by a database management system (DBMS) which organizes, stores, and
retrieves the tournament's data/information. The DBMS communicates with the operating system to read data from the storage device. The database is associated with or resides at the central controller.
The operating system software runs the central controller hardware and controls and coordinates all of the tournament software applications. These software applications include programs for running the tournament games, registering players,
accepting entry fees, and coordinating prize payment. Tournament games might be commercially available software programs such as Microsoft Golf, or proprietary game software designed exclusively for online tournament play.
The above hardware and software are configured to implement the tournaments in the present invention. Each tournament has a game format, one or more game sessions, and challenges as will be described in more detail later. The game format is the
broad category that describes the type of game being played.
Typically, the database system is managed by the central controller and communicates with the game software used to conduct the actual tournament. The game software handles operational issues such as displaying the game format on the I/O device
screen, calculating scores, controlling player access to tournaments, etc.
FIG. 2 shows one preferred embodiment 200 implementing the present invention. Although the control of the operations of the I/O devices and the central controller are typically incorporated into software code, such operations can also be
embodied in hardware circuits to implement the invention. The preferred embodiment 200 includes: (1) process steps 202 for uniquely identifying a player, who communicates with the central controller via an associated input/output device; (2) process
steps 204 responsive to payment of an entry fee by a player for allowing the player to participate in a particular tournament via an associated input/output device; (3) process steps 206 for accessing a tournament database to store player information
that is generated as the player participates in the tournament, such information being available for use in a subsequent tournament, which is administered by said controller and in which the player participates; and (4) process steps 208 for awarding a
player a prize for achieving a pre-established performance level.
These process steps are typically implemented by the central computer controller in order to make tournament operations faster and more cost efficient. A number of different preferred embodiments of the above steps will be described to provide a
general view of methods to implement each set of process steps. The different ways serve only as examples. After the general overview, more detailed descriptions and examples follow.
The process steps 202, as shown in FIG. 3, for uniquely identifying a player preferably include the steps of a player establishing 300 an online connection between the I/O device and the central controller. The player enters 302 a unique
identifier through the associated I/O device. The identifier is assigned by the central controller or chosen by the player. The identifier can be his name, social security number, account number, password of his choosing, etc. It is important to note
that although the player may be uniquely identified to the central controller, he may at the same time remain anonymous with respect to the other competitors in the tournament. The unique identifier is then communicated 304 to the central controller via
the communication network. The central controller accesses 306 a database and searches 308 the records to determine whether or not the identifier already exists. If the record already exists, the player is identified 310; when the record does not
already exist the registration process 312 begins in which the player enters 314 information such as name, age, address, payment preferences, etc. The central controller generates 316 a unique identifier for the player and stores 318 it in the database.
In one preferred embodiment, a player must pay an entry fee to the central controller through the associated I/O device before he is allowed to participate in a tournament. The process steps 204, as shown in FIG. 4, responsive to the payment of
an entry fee to a tournament typically include the steps of the central controller requesting the player to enter 350 payment information into the I/O device. Details of payment methodologies are described below in more detail. The payment information
is communicated 352 to the central controller via the communication network. The central controller receives and updates 354 the player's record in the database to reflect that payment has been made and also updates 356 the player's database record to
reflect that the player is eligible to participate in the tournament. In another preferred embodiment, the controller does not have to request information, and no payment information is communicated to the controller. This may be because the player has
played before, and the controller is aware of the player's preferences as described below.
After determining that the player is eligible to play, the controller sends an acknowledgment message to the associated I/O device. When the tournament starts, the player is able to begin play.
FIG. 5 describes the process steps 206 for accessing a tournament database to store player information. The central controller accesses 400 the tournament database and then stores into the database 402 the player's information generated by the
player as the tournament progresses.
Player information stored in the database includes entry fee data, handicap and rating information, player performance data and player preferences. Storing entry fee data, such as a credit card number or bank account number, streamlines the
payment process for subsequent tournaments. When paying for a tournament, the player simply provides his unique identifier to the central controller, which pulls his credit card number from the database and credits his card for the appropriate entry fee
amount. Because many online environments have yet to implement effective transaction security protocols, reducing the number of times a credit card number is transmitted enhances security.
Player performance data can also be carried forward from one tournament to the next. In addition to wins and losses, performance data can include accuracy rates, time required to answer, etc. If a player competes in five trivia tournaments, for
example, his average accuracy rate is stored in a database. Such information is crucial in establishing handicap systems, which level the playing field by penalizing the better players and aiding the weaker players. A golf handicap, for example, allows
a skilled player to compete with a relatively inexperienced player. Performance data can also be used to generate player ratings, similar to the Elo rating system used by the United States Chess Federation. Ratings are numeric values that represent the
skill of the player. The central controller retrieves performance data from a database and applies an algorithm to determine the rating. A player's rating rises and falls depending on the results of his play. Ratings allow tournaments to be easily
segmented by skill level.
Storing performance data allows the central controller to restrict eligibility to future tournaments. Certain tournaments, for example, may be available only to players having obtained a given level of performance in a number of qualification
tournaments.
A database of performance data also allows inter-tournament prize pools in which a player is eligible for a prize based not on the results in a single tournament, but on a combination of tournaments. For example, in addition to a normal weekly
prize, there may be a grand prize awarded to the player winning the greatest number of weekly prizes over a year period.
Continuity between tournaments is improved by storing player preferences. Once a player's preference for method of prize payment is established, for example, the central controller no longer needs to ask how the player wants to be paid. By
storing player preferences for tournament formats, the central controller can send tournament details to a player when any tournaments of this type are scheduled in the future. Tournaments are also more fun for players when data are stored as to
favorite opponents, allowing the central controller to better allocate players among tournament sections.
After player information is stored in the database, it is available for use in a subsequent tournament (administered by the central controller) in which the player participates.
The process steps 208, as shown in FIG. 6, for awarding a player a prize include the steps of the central controller accessing 450 the tournament database to retrieve the pre-established performance levels for the awarding of prizes. The central
controller reviews 452 the performance of each player relative to the established performance requirements for the awarding of prizes. Preferably, the central controller updates 454 the winning player's database records to reflect that awards have been
allocated to them. The central controller would then arrange for distribution 456 of the prize or prizes. This distribution process can be conducted through online or off-line methods.
Typically, the pre-established performance level is a relative ranking among players, such as the top five scores of the tournament. Performance criteria can also be fixed, however, with prizes paid to any player exceeding a certain score. A
trivia tournament, for example, can award a prize to any player correctly answering at least twenty questions. Fastest time to completion is another way to establish performance levels.
Prizes awarded might be $100 for the player getting the top score, $50 for the player with the second highest score, and $25 for the third highest score. Alternatively, top scores could receive free entry fees to future tournaments, or points
which may be accumulated and converted later into prizes. Although prizes are typically monetary in nature, prizes such as recognition may be equally appropriate. The recognition of being able to advance from one game session to the next game session
can also be considered a prize.
Another preferred embodiment includes the step of determining whether a player has qualified for advancement to the next game session. This includes the step of the central controller reviewing the player's score after the just-concluded game
session. This score is compared to the scores obtained by all of the other players in the same session. Based on these scores, the central controller produces a list of those participants qualifying for the subsequent session. There are a number of
preferred embodiments for the qualifying criteria, including, for example, a minimum required score, a minimum average score over the last several game sessions, or the maximum score within a sub-group of players in the game session. Only those on the
qualified list would be allowed to continue to play in the subsequent game session.
The central controller generates a list of players qualified for the subsequent game session. In one preferred embodiment, the number of players on the qualification list is at least one fewer than the number playing in the previous game
session. Note that in the present invention, a game session includes one or more games with a group of players playing the games within an established time frame. In a trivia tournament of four game sessions, the first session may be composed of ten
groups of fifty players each for a total of five hundred players. The second game session may comprise five groups of sixty players each for a total of three hundred players. Although the size of the playing group has increased from fifty to sixty, the
overall number of players in the game session has dropped from five hundred to three hundred. In this embodiment, it is at the point of elimination that the boundary of game sessions is defined.
In one preferred embodiment, the central controller also prevents those players not qualified to play from participating in a tournament. The central controller generates a game session password which is distributed only to qualified players.
Without the correct password, non-qualified players are unable to compete. In one preferred embodiment, players must enter an electronic "chat room" (of the type commonly found on most commercial online systems) in order to obtain the game questions.
Access to this room is password protected so that only authorized players are allowed access to the questions. The central controller might also enforce qualification rules by terminating a player's online connection, or by merely preventing a
non-qualified player from winning any prize.
The following illustrates a number of more detailed examples of the tournament system. Some of these examples also show different preferred embodiments of the system.
In terms of game formats, examples include strategy games (chess, checkers, bridge, etc.) and puzzles (crossword, jigsaw, etc.). Each tournament has one or more game sessions which are sub-units of the tournament. After completion of the, first
game session, one or more players may be eliminated from the tournament. Each game session is further broken down into one or more challenges, which are the puzzles, trivia questions, or games in which the players compete. A trivia tournament, for
example, may have three game sessions scheduled for start times of 1:00 PM, 2:00 PM, and 3:00 PM. Each game session may have twenty challenges--in this case multiple-choice questions. After a player completed the twenty questions of the first game
session, the central controller would determine whether or not the player had qualified to advance to the next round at 2:00 PM. After the twenty questions of the 3:00 PM game session a winner would be determined and prizes would be awarded. In another
example, a golf tournament may be held in which there is one game session and nine challenges--in this case nine holes of electronic golf. The player's score for the tournament is sim | | |
