US7682251B2
Active / In Force
US
⏱️ 1.4 years remaining
Multilevel online tournament
Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC
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Filing: 2008-04-04
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Granted: 2010-03-23
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Expires: 2028-04-04
Abstract
Abstract A multilevel online tournament is provided. The first tournament round has a single bracket and each subsequent tournament round has a winners bracket and a losers bracket corresponding to a bracket in the previous tournament round. The tournament format allows players to match-up against any other player located within the same bracket. The online tournament format also allows participants to start playing match in a round of the tournament prior to the official start of that round. Thus, players are able to more quickly advance through the tournament and spend less time waiting for a suitable opponent. The tournament format also allows for players to request available tournament byes and to automatically progress when they are unable to connect with other players due to quality of service issues.
Inventors
- 👤 Michal Bortnik
- 👤 Steven D. Lamb
- 👤 Max Hoberman
- 👤 Johan P. Hansen
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 12:25
CPC Classifications
A; A63; A63F; A63F13/00; A63F13/70; A63F13/79; A63F13/795; A63F13/12; A63F13/30; A63F13/33; A63F13/335; A63F2300/00; A63F2300/40; A63F2300/407; A63F2300/50; A63F2300/55; A63F2300/5546; A63F2300/5566
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
79 words
One or more computer readable storage media storing computer readable instructions that, when executed, perform a method for progressing a plurality of participants through an online tournament when the plurality of participants cannot complete a match in a current tournament round, said method comprising: determining a number of slots N available in a next round winners bracket; assigning N participants to the winners bracket according to a trust rating; and assigning remaining participants to a next round losers bracket.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
79 words
One or more computer readable storage media storing computer readable instructions that, when executed, perform a method for progressing a plurality of participants through an online tournament when the plurality of participants cannot complete a match in a current tournament round, said method comprising: determining a number of slots N available in a next round winners bracket; assigning N participants to the winners bracket according to a trust rating; and assigning remaining participants to a next round losers bracket.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
179 words
One or more computer readable storage media storing computer readable instructions that, when executed, perform a method for administering a game tournament over a computer network, said method comprising: (a) initially placing a group of participants in a single bracket of a first tournament round, wherein a size of the group of participants requires at least three complete tournament rounds to determine a winner; (b) grouping the participants in each bracket of a current tournament round for game match-ups, each of which result in one or more winners and one or more losers, wherein any two or more participants in a same bracket of the tournament round are allowed to match-up; (c) for each match-up, placing the winner into a next tournament round winners bracket corresponding to the bracket for the current round in which the match-up occurred, and placing the loser into a next tournament round losers bracket corresponding to the bracket for the current round in which the match-up occurred; and (d) repeating steps (b) and (c) until each current tournament round bracket has only one participant.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
179 words
One or more computer readable storage media storing computer readable instructions that, when executed, perform a method for administering a game tournament over a computer network, said method comprising: (a) initially placing a group of participants in a single bracket of a first tournament round, wherein a size of the group of participants requires at least three complete tournament rounds to determine a winner; (b) grouping the participants in each bracket of a current tournament round for game match-ups, each of which result in one or more winners and one or more losers, wherein any two or more participants in a same bracket of the tournament round are allowed to match-up; (c) for each match-up, placing the winner into a next tournament round winners bracket corresponding to the bracket for the current round in which the match-up occurred, and placing the loser into a next tournament round losers bracket corresponding to the bracket for the current round in which the match-up occurred; and (d) repeating steps (b) and (c) until each current tournament round bracket has only one participant.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
The computer readable storage media of claim 2 , wherein pairing off can occur as soon as two participants are advanced into the same bracket.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
37 words
The computer readable storage media of claim 2 , wherein the method further comprises, when there are a non-standard number of participants in the tournament, granting a bye to the next tournament round to any unmatched-up participant.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
50 words
The computer readable storage media of claim 2 , wherein the method further comprises, when a specific participant's opponent leaves the tournament, progressing the specific participant to the next tournament round winners bracket corresponding to the bracket for the current round in which the match-up was to have taken place.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
70 words
The computer readable storage media of claim 2 , wherein the method further comprises, when a participant cannot be matched up to another participant due to quality of service or network address translation errors, progressing the unmatched participants to either the next tournament round winners bracket or the next tournament round losers bracket corresponding to the bracket for the current round in which the match-up was to have taken place.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
37 words
The computer readable storage media of claim 6 , wherein the progression into the next tournament round winners bracket or the next tournament round losers bracket is determined based on a trust level of each progressed participant.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
62 words
The computer readable storage media of claim 6 , wherein progression into the next tournament round winners bracket or the next tournament round losers bracket comprises: determining a number of slots N available in a next round winners bracket; assigning N participants to the winners bracket based on each participants' trust rating; and assigning remaining participants to a next round losers bracket.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
30 words
The computer readable storage media of claim 2 , the method further comprises establishing a round recurrence interval (RRI) which specifies a maximum amount of time for each tournament round.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
25 words
The computer readable storage media of claim 9 , wherein the RRI is an approximate amount of time it takes to complete a tournament match.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
44 words
The computer readable storage media of claim 2 , the method further comprises establishing an auto-progression deadline (APD) which specifies a time within each round by which each participant must either begin a match, request a bye, or request progression to the next round.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
26 words
The computer readable storage media of claim 11 , wherein if the APD is not met by a participant, that participant is eliminated from the tournament.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
167 words
One or more computer readable storage media storing computer readable instructions that, when executed, perform a method for administering an online game tournament, comprising steps of: (a) initially placing a group of participants in a single bracket of a first tournament round, wherein a size of the group of participants requires at least three complete tournament rounds to determine a winner; (b) allowing the group of participants each to play a game against a score or a deadline, the result of the game being measured by a score or time value; (c) upon completion of the games advancing participants based on the score or time value into a next tournament round winners bracket corresponding to the bracket for the current round in which the match-up occurred, and advancing the losers into a next tournament round losers bracket corresponding to the bracket for the current round in which the match-up occurred, and (d) repeating steps (b) and (c) until each current tournament round bracket has only one participant.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
167 words
One or more computer readable storage media storing computer readable instructions that, when executed, perform a method for administering an online game tournament, comprising steps of: (a) initially placing a group of participants in a single bracket of a first tournament round, wherein a size of the group of participants requires at least three complete tournament rounds to determine a winner; (b) allowing the group of participants each to play a game against a score or a deadline, the result of the game being measured by a score or time value; (c) upon completion of the games advancing participants based on the score or time value into a next tournament round winners bracket corresponding to the bracket for the current round in which the match-up occurred, and advancing the losers into a next tournament round losers bracket corresponding to the bracket for the current round in which the match-up occurred, and (d) repeating steps (b) and (c) until each current tournament round bracket has only one participant.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2013-03-22 | 2013-09-21 | 2014-03-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2017-03-22 | 2017-09-21 | 2018-03-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2021-03-22 | 2021-09-21 | 2022-03-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |