Method and device for fantasy sports auction recommendations

Number: 10940395
Published: 2021-03-09
Filed: 2015-12-24
Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Inventors: Sloan; J. Nathaniel, Fishel; David Michael
CPC: A63F13/00; A63F13/65; A63F13/798; A63F13/44; A63F13/46; A63F13/85; A63F13/79; A63F13/828
Verdict: Set aside fantasy sports recommendation, business, unrelated
Source: Google Patents · FreePatentsOnline

Abstract

A device and method groups sport players into tiers for a fantasy sports auction and generates bid recommendations. The method includes receiving at least one parameter value for each of a plurality of sport players. The method includes determining a score value for each of the sport players as a function of the at least one parameter value. The method includes determining a corresponding tier value of a plurality of tier values for each of the sport players, each of the tier values being indicative of a respective range of score values. The method includes providing first player data for one of the plurality of sport players including at least identity data and the corresponding tier value. The method includes accepting the nomination of a second player, and generating recommended bid data using the at least one parameter value, and optionally modifying the recommendation thereupon.

Background

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE (1) The entire disclosures of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/331,894, filed Dec. 20, 2011, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/760,277, filed Apr. 14, 2010, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/760,422, filed Apr. 14, 2010, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/760,384, filed Apr. 14, 2010, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/760,269, filed Apr. 14, 2010, including the specification, claims, and abstract, all of which share at least one common inventor and are assigned to a common assignee with the present application, are hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein. FIELD OF THE INVENTION (2) This present invention pertains to the field of fantasy sports games. The exemplary embodiments relate to a method and system for providing recommended bid amounts for use during an auction-style draft, while also breaking players up into tiers to inform a user's player selection process. BACKGROUND INFORMATION (3) A fantasy sports game is a game where users act as managers or owners of simulated sport teams called “fantasy teams,” where each team comprises a number of “players.” Thus, the term “owner” is used to refer to a participant in the fantasy sports game. An owner may be a natural person or a computer-controlled opponent. A “user” is a fantasy owner who is also a natural person. Thus, the term “user” and “owner” are used interchangeably in their roles in the fantasy sports game. In contrast, the term “player” refers to one of the selectable

Claims

1. A method for a fantasy sports application, comprising: at a host processor configured to host multiple fantasy sports drafts for multiple different fantasy sports leagues: establishing a connection to multiple user devices, wherein each of the multiple user devices corresponds to a fantasy sports team of a fantasy sports league; hosting a fantasy sports auction draft for the fantasy sports league, wherein the fantasy sports auction draft includes multiple selectable characters each corresponding to an athlete in a professional sports league; receiving analyzed data from data storage, wherein the analyzed data is associated with the multiple selectable characters and used for each of the multiple different fantasy sports leagues; determining a score value for each of the selectable characters as a function of scoring rules specific to the fantasy sports league; grouping each of the selectable characters into one of a plurality of tiers, each of the tiers having a tier value determined based on an upper score value threshold and a lower score value threshold, the upper score value threshold and the lower score value threshold for each of the tiers being determined as a function of the score values for each of the selectable characters, wherein a set of the selectable characters are grouped into each of the tiers, each of the set of selectable characters that is grouped into one of the tiers having a score value that is greater than the lower score value threshold of the one of the tiers and less than the upper score value threshold of the one of the tiers; receiving, from one of the multiple user devices, a request to nominate a first selectable character, when the first selectable character is nominated the host server is configured to receive one or more bids from the multiple user devices; transmitting, to a first user device, after the first selectable character has been nominated and prior to the first selectable character being drafted by one of the multiple fantasy sports teams, data for the first selectable character including at least identity data and a first tier value corresponding to the one of the plurality of tiers into which the first selectable character is grouped; determining, after the first selectable character has been nominated and prior to the first selectable character being drafted by one of the multiple fantasy sports teams, recommendation data specific to the fantasy sports team associated with the first user device wherein the recommendation data comprises at least a recommended bid value for the first selectable character based on a budget remaining for the fantasy sports team associated with the first user device, selectable characters previously drafted by the fantasy, sports team associated with the first user device during the fantasy sports auction draft, a total number of fantasy sports teams in the fantasy sports league, selectable characters previously drafted by other fantasy sports teams in the fantasy sports league during the fantasy sports auction draft and the scoring rules for the fantasy sports league; and transmitting the recommendation data to the first user device. || 9. A device, comprising: a communication arrangement configured to communicate with multiple user devices via a communication network, wherein each of the multiple user devices corresponds to a fantasy sports team of a fantasy sports league; and a processor for a fantasy sports application, the processor configured to host multiple fantasy sports drafts for multiple different fantasy sports leagues, wherein the processor hosts a fantasy sports auction draft for the fantasy sports league, wherein the fantasy sports auction draft includes multiple selectable characters each corresponding to an athlete in a professional sports league, wherein the processor receives analyzed data from data storage, the analyzed data is associated with the multiple selectable characters and used for each of the multiple different fantasy sports leagues, wherein the processor determines a score value for each of the selectable characters as a function of scoring rules specific to the fantasy sports league, wherein the processor groups each of the selectable characters into one of a plurality of tiers, each of the tiers having a tier value determined based on an upper score value threshold and a lower score value threshold, the upper score value threshold and the lower score value threshold for each of the tiers being determined as a function of the score values for each of the selectable characters, wherein a set of the selectable characters are grouped into each of the tiers, each set of selectable characters that is grouped into one of the tiers having a score value that is greater than the lower score value threshold of the one of the tiers and less than the upper score value threshold of the one of the tiers; wherein the communication arrangement receives a request from a one of the multiple user devices to nominate a first selectable character and communicates the request to the processor, when the first selectable character is nominated the processor is configured to receive one or more bids from the multiple user devices, wherein the processor determines, after the first selectable character has been nominated and prior to the first selectable character being drafted by one of the multiple fantasy sports teams, recommendation data specific to the fantasy sports team associated with the first user device, wherein the recommendation data includes a recommended hid value for the first selectable character based on a budget remaining for the fantasy sports team associated with the first user device, selectable characters previously drafted by the fantasy sports team associated with the first user device during the fantasy sports auction draft, a total number of fantasy sports teams in the fantasy sports league, selectable characters previously drafted by other fantasy sports teams in the fantasy sports league during the fantasy sports auction draft and the scoring rules for the fantasy sports league; and wherein the communication arrangement transmits the recommendation data to the first user device during the execution of the fantasy sports auction draft. || 16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium with an executable program stored thereon, wherein the program instructs a processor to perform operations comprising: establish a connection with multiple user devices, wherein each of the multiple user devices corresponds to a fantasy sports team of a fantasy sports league; hosting a fantasy sports auction draft for the fantasy sports league, wherein the fantasy sports auction draft includes multiple selectable characters each corresponding to an athlete in a professional sports league and wherein the processor is configured to host multiple fantasy sports drafts for multiple different fantasy sports leagues; receiving analyzed data from data storage, wherein the analyzed data is associated with the multiple selectable characters and used for each of the multiple different fantasy sports leagues; determining a score value for each of the selectable characters as a function of scoring rules specific to the fantasy sports league; grouping each of the selectable characters into one of a plurality of tiers, each of the tiers having a tier value determined based on an upper score value threshold and a lower score value threshold, the upper score value threshold and the lower score value threshold for each of the tiers being determined as a function of the score values for each of the selectable characters, wherein a plurality of the sport players are grouped into each of the tiers, each of the selectable characters that is grouped into one of the tiers having a score value that is greater than the lower score value threshold of the one of the tiers and less than the upper score value threshold of the one of the tiers; receive, from one of the multiple user devices, a request to nominate a first selectable character, when the first selectable character is nominated the processor is configured to receive one or more bids from the multiple user devices; providing data for the first selectable character including at least identity data and the corresponding tier value; determining, after the first selectable character has been nominated and prior to the selectable character being drafted by one of the multiple fantasy sports teams, recommendation data specific to the fantasy sports team associated with the first user device, wherein the recommendation data comprises at least a recommended bid value for the first selectable character based on a budget remaining for the fantasy sports team associated with the first user device, selectable characters previously drafted by the fantasy sports team associated with the first user device during the fantasy sports auction draft, a total number of fantasy sports teams in the fantasy sports league, selectable characters previously drafted by other fantasy sports teams in the fantasy sports league during the fantasy sports auction draft and the scoring rules for the fantasy sports league; and transmitting the recommendation data to the first user device.