WO2017039705A1

WO2017039705A1 - Fantasy spots contests systems and methods

Info

Publication number: WO2017039705A1
Application number: PCT/US2015/048732
Authority: WO
Inventors: Brett COOKE
Original assignee: Cooke Brett
Priority date: 2015-09-04
Filing date: 2015-09-04
Publication date: 2017-03-09

Abstract

Systems and methods for creating and processing fantasy sports contests are provided. The system may be a fantasy sports contest processor configured to communicate with a plurality of external servers and a plurality of external user devices, and configured to store and compute results based on respective pluralities of fantasy sports contest parameters, statistical information related to the results of sports matches, and generated fantasy sports contest. The system can generate fantasy sports contest based on selected parameters or on fantasy sports contest selection received from a user device. The present invention solves problems with the currently available fantasy sports contests by providing contests and contest types that are simpler and quicker to create, and offers possibilities for contest types that do not previously exist, including but not limited to fantasy sports contest contests that process asynchronously.

Description

FANTASY SPORTS CONTESTS SYSTEMS AND METHODS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001 ] The presently disclosed subject matter relates to fantasy sports contests, and more specifically, to systems and methods for creating fantasy sports contests with or without user input, and for processing fantasy sports contests synchronously or asynchronously with respect to the underlying sporting matches.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The term "fantasy sports" refers to a type of contest of skill in which participants draft or otherwise assemble a virtual (or fantasy) team of real world athletes. The athletes then score points, according to various algorithms that establish the scoring rules, based on the results of their sporting matches, commonly referred to as their game statistics, or simply as statistics. In many traditional fantasy sports contests, participants draft a team of athletes from a specific league, typically before the start of the season for a sports league. But there are disadvantages to such season-long fantasy sports contests, such as the in-depth knowledge of all the athletes in a league, season-long tendencies of athletes and teams, that fantasy league's particular scoring algorithm, that favor devoted fans of a sport or league over more casual fans. The result is lessened interest in fantasy sports by casual fans, especially if and when they tend to find their teams performing less well over the course of a given fantasy season.

[0003] Daily fantasy sports are known in the art, to resolve some of these disadvantages of season-long traditional fantasy sports ("TFS") leagues. Rather than having a set fantasy team through a whole sports season, daily fantasy sports ("DFS") contests last only a day (or for some sports, a somewhat longer period). DFS contests aim to attract contestants who are not as invested in a league or a sports season as those contestants who favor TFS leagues. But, drawbacks exist with DFS contests.

[0004] In the prior art, good performance in DFS contests requires much of the same knowledge required for TFS leagues: knowledge of the statistics and tendencies of the athletes making up the athlete pool for the contest, knowledge of the scoring algorithm to be used in that DFS contest, understanding of how the scoring algorithm affects the athletes (and their likely performance) available in the athlete pool for the contest, and knowledge of what makes for good draft values for athletes to be drafted (whether the athletes are chosen by the contestants taking turns, the contestants bidding for athletes with virtual currency, or by other means). The problem with these approaches to DFS contests is that they require significant investments of time, money, or both by contestants.

[0005] To succeed at DFS contests, contestants must have the knowledge described above. Without that, DFS contestants will likely not enjoy their DFS contest, and are unlikely to return (which is also a problem for TFS leagues). Contestants can also pay for services that supply information on which athletes are better values or more likely to have better performance results in a given timeframe. But, again, that requires significant expenditures by a casual fan of sports matches, and can easily dissuade potential DFS contestants. [0006] A further problem with the current art arises from the fact that DFS contests require an investment of time by each contestant to participate in that DFS contest's draft. The amount of time required for a DFS contest's draft can prevent the participation of many potential contestants in DFS.

[0007] Another problem with the current art is that typical DFS contests and TFS leagues allow each player to be drafted only once in each contest or league, giving an advantage to those who draft first and reducing the interest of less- devoted fans of the particular sport, if and when a particular player or the players of a particular team are selected before the fan in question is able to draft them. Additionally, brackets in current DFS contests and TFS leagues are limited to a player pool equal to the number of first-round slots in a bracket. This creates a problem of unnecessarily limiting the number and type of brackets that can be created. Further, in current DFS contests and TFS leagues, a player is typically only one athlete or one team, leading to a relatively limited set of possible combinations of matchups.

[0008] An additional problem with current DFS contests and TFS leagues is that they are limited to a particular league or set of sporting matches. This reduces the variety and number of contests possible, and reduces the interest of fans of multiple sports, or casual observers, in dedicating their time and effort to a fantasy sports contest that is limited to one sport. Also, current DFS contests and TFS leagues require that the same scoring algorithm be used throughout a fantasy sport contest, and not vary between rounds of the fantasy sport contest. A further problem with current DFS contests and TFS leagues is that they are limited to processing synchronously, meaning that they process a matchup between fantasy teams at the time the underlying sports matches (meaning those sports matches in which the athletes generate the statistics or results that are used as inputs for the scoring algorithm of the fantasy sports league) occur and are completed. Current DFS contests and TFS leagues process all matches and then move on to the next matchup. The shortcoming here is that they preclude potential categories of fantasy sport contests in which the results of the underlying sports matches are processed in the scoring or results algorithm of the fantasy sport contest asynchronously, meaning the results of sporting matches occur when they occur, and the outcome of a fantasy sport contest that proceeds in multiple rounds may have one or more early round results waiting for the outcome of a sporting match that occurs after other sporting matches relevant to the fantasy sport contest have concluded. Put another way, the current art in DFS contests and TFS leagues require the ordering of matchups in a fantasy sport contest to coincide with the order of sporting matches whose results will be used to determine the outcomes of the fantasy sport contest. This requirement that the order of head-to-head matchups in a fantasy sport contest or bracket coincide with the order of real-world sporting matches precludes many varieties of fantasy sport contests, and many possible combinations of head-to- head matchups among players or teams in a fantasy sport contest.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0010] The present invention meets all these needs, by disclosing systems and methods for creating and processing fantasy sports contests whose results may be based on results from sports matches across a plurality of sports leagues. The fantasy sports contests of the present invention may have scoring algorithms that permit different scoring rules for different rounds of a particular fantasy sport contest. The inventive systems and methods present fantasy sports contests that allow a plurality of athletes to be entered into a particular contestant's entry a plurality of times, and which allow a plurality of contestants to do so with each such plurality of athletes. In this way, the inventive methods and systems permit greater and more widespread participation in fantasy sport contests by effectively broadening the pool of athletes, making the inventive fantasy sport contests more appealing to a larger number of potential contestants.

[001 1 ] Additionally, because the inventive methods and systems allow for contestants to complete their fantasy sport contest entries rapidly in a plurality of modes, without a draft required, the present invention offers considerable improvements over the prior art in the amount of time, money, or both required by potential contestants to adequately complete a fantasy sport contest entry, and to be competitive with a fantasy sport contest entry. The reduced time required applies to both the time required to acquire knowledge of the underlying sporting matches, sports leagues, and athletes (or to pay for recommendations), and in the time required to participate in a draft to create one's fantasy sport contest entries. This increases the appeal of the inventive fantasy sport contests to all potential contestants, whether they are devoted fans, casual observers of sporting matches, or people with no knowledge of the sports leagues or sporting matches underlying the fantasy sport contests.

[0012] Another problem solved by the present invention is the manner in which the inventive systems and methods create and process fantasy sport contests. By providing fantasy sport contests which have the order of matchups or scoring rounds independent of the order of sporting matches, the present invention offers a far greater range of possible fantasy sport contests, in which even the same athletes from the same athlete pool, when placed into a range of possible fantasy sport contest entries, can lead to radically different outcomes in the fantasy sport contests. This can help create and sustain interest among even casual fans and non-fans. Further, by separating the order of the matchups in a fantasy sport contest from the order of the underlying sporting matches, the present invention provides for a larger and more varied range of fantasy sport contests than the prior art.

[0013] Another problem solved by the present invention is that of the player pool generated for a given fantasy sport contest or bracket. In typical DFS contests, the player pool is the same for every bracket in a given contest, or the player pool is the same for each TFS league. In the present invention, the player pool may be the same for each bracket in a contest, or may vary. Alternatively, the player pool for a contest with a number N of initial slots for head-to-head matchups may be N, or may be N+x (making a part of the contest for each contestant deciding which players to "bench", that is, leave out of the bracket), or may be N-x (making a part of the contest for each contestant deciding which players should have a first-round "bye", that is, face no opponent and automatically advance in the bracket), where x is a number between 1 and N - 1 . Furthermore, the term "player", as it is used in the present disclosure, can mean a plurality of athletes and/or teams and/or other entities generating statistical measures which could be used to calculate the results of head-to-head matchups between any such player and any other such player. By way of example, without limiting the foregoing, a "player" could be a single athlete, or two or three athletes, or a team or two teams, or any two players and any team, or other possible combinations of entities generating statistical measures. This creates many more possible fantasy sport contests than exist in the current art.

The present invention also allows for creating and processing variable- time-period fantasy sports contests, meaning that the fantasy sport contests may be completed in a day or a weekend, or may be created to take place over a week, a month, a sports league season, a particular tournament, or other relevant time period. In the present invention, the inventive system may pre- generate possible fantasy sport contests which are then filtered by a plurality of users using user devices, or users using user devices may select a plurality of desired parameters and use that input to have the inventive system generate possible fantasy sport contests. Additionally, the present invention discloses methods of processing fantasy sport contests asynchronously.

] These aspects of the present invention, and others disclosed in the Detailed Description of the Drawings, represent improvements on the current art. This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description of the Drawings. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of various embodiments, is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purposes of illustration, there is shown in the drawings exemplary embodiments; but the presently disclosed subject matter is not limited to the specific methods and instrumentalities disclosed. In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the same components or steps of the device throughout the different figures. In the following detailed description, various embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the following drawings, in which:

[0017] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary method of creating and processing fantasy sports contests, from the perspective of the inventive system, in which the inventive system generates fantasy sport contests which are then filtered by a user.

[0018] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary method of creating and processing fantasy sports contests, from the perspective of a user, in which the inventive system generates fantasy sport contests which are then filtered by a user. [0019] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary method of creating and processing fantasy sports contests, from the perspective of a third party, in which the inventive system generates fantasy sport contests which are then filtered by a user.

[0020] FIG. 4 shows an exemplary method of creating and processing fantasy sports contests, from the perspective of the inventive system, in which a user may select a plurality of desired parameters and use that input to have the inventive system generate fantasy sport contests.

[0021 ] FIG. 5 shows an exemplary method of creating and processing fantasy sports contests, from the perspective of a user, in which a user may select a plurality of desired parameters and use that input to have the inventive system generate fantasy sport contests.

[0022] FIG. 6 shows an exemplary method of creating and processing fantasy sports contests, from the perspective of a third party, in which a user may select a plurality of desired parameters and use that input to have the inventive system generate fantasy sport contests.

[0023] FIG. 7 shows an exemplary method of processing a fantasy sport contest asynchronously.

[0024] FIG. 8 shows an exemplary system configured to carry out the present invention, comprising a plurality of processors, a plurality of memories, a plurality of databases for storage of information related to fantasy sport contests, a plurality of computer-readable media for storing computer-readable instructions, and a plurality of input/out modules for communication with external servers and/or devices. [0025] FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary fantasy sports contest and the elements comprising it as a bracket in process of having players placed.

[0026] FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary fantasy sports contest and the elements comprising it as a completed bracket in play with players advancing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The presently disclosed invention is described with specificity to meet statutory requirements. But, the description itself is not intended to limit the scope of this patent. Rather, the claimed invention might also be embodied in other ways, to include different steps or elements similar to the ones described in this document, in conjunction with other present or future technologies. Moreover, although the term "step" may be used herein to connote different aspects of methods employed, the term should not be interpreted as implying any particular order among or between various steps herein disclosed unless and except when the order of individual steps is explicitly described.

[0028] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. But, the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. Structures and techniques that would be known to one of ordinary skill in the art have not been shown in detail, in order not to obscure the invention. Referring to the figures, it is possible to see the various major elements constituting the methods and systems of the present invention.

[0029] The present subject matter discloses systems and methods for creating and processing fantasy sports contests whose results are based on results from sports matches. The fantasy sports contests disclosed herein are referred to throughout this disclosure as "brackets" because it has been found advantageous to structure fantasy sport contests as brackets (single-elimination or multiple-elimination contests), though it will be obvious to one of skill in the art that fantasy sport contests as disclosed in the present invention need not be in the form of brackets. Accordingly, the word "bracket" in this disclosure is to be understood as being any type or structure of fantasy sports contest. Such a bracket comprises a plurality of rounds. In each such round, there is a plurality of head-to-head matchups, which may be one athlete vs. one athlete, one athlete vs. a plurality of athletes, or a first plurality of athletes vs. a second plurality of athletes. Where one or more athletes are placed in a bracket, that placement is referred to as a slot. Each head-to-head matchup comprises at least one slot for a player competing against at least one other player in at least one other slot. In a given round, when the winning athlete(s) of each such head-to-head matchup is determined, the winning athlete(s) advance to the next round (or, in the final round of each such bracket, win the bracket).

The plurality of rounds in a bracket need not be based on a single sport or league, but rather can be based on a plurality of sports or leagues, selected in manners as described below in greater detail. The determination of the winning athlete(s) for any round may be based on any of a number of statistical measures of performance by one or more athletes, head-to-head against the athlete or athletes they are matched up against in that round. For each round in a bracket, the inventive system processes the relevant statistical measures and determines the winner of each matchup. For contestants participating in a given bracket, scoring of each round depends on correctly selecting which athlete or athletes will prevail in a given head-to-head matchup of a round. The points awarded per head-to-head matchup may vary from round to round of a given bracket.

[0031 ] In the present invention, a bracket comprises a number of parameters.

Such parameters may comprise, but are not limited to, the number of contestants; the size of the bracket, encompassing the number of rounds of the contest and the number of slots, defined herein as the spaces in a bracket where players are placed; the sports, leagues, or divisions used; a plurality of sporting matches; a plurality of sports teams; a plurality of players or athletes available or to be used in a given bracket or contests; a plurality of positions played by athletes in a particular sport or sports; projections of performance, statistics, or results generated by players or teams or groupings thereof; a plurality of performance metrics, including but not limited to home runs, on-base percentage, rebounds, catches, touchdowns, assists, goals, yards thrown, touches, and other measures; points awarded to a contestant per match round; what is to serve as a matchup tiebreaker; whether players, who are also referred to as athletes, are allowed to repeat in a given bracket entry; and whether some or all of the slots may be filled with only one player or with a plurality of players.

[0032] In the following descriptions of the inventive methods of the present disclosure, reference is made to structures and components of the system 800; for further description of such structures and components, refer to the discussion of FIG. 8, below. Additionally, reference is made to an exemplary bracket of a type that may be embodied in the present invention, with reference to components of such a bracket and the parameters, players, rounds, statistical measures, matchups, and slots that comprise a bracket or representative fantasy sports contest; for further description of such, refer to the discussion of FIG. 9, below. It is to be understood that the bracket illustrated is for illustrative and representative purposes only and in no way limits the present disclosure.

With reference to FIG. 1 , a method 100 is presented of the inventive system 800 generating and processing fantasy sport contests, including but not limited to brackets, which are then filtered by a plurality of users using external user devices 890. The method 100 is stored in computer-readable media 854. In this embodiment of the present invention, a system 800 generates 1 10 a first plurality of brackets with a first set of parameters selected from a bracket parameter storage database 820, utilizing computer-readable instructions 856 stored in computer-readable media 854. In some embodiments of the present invention, the system 800 then sends 120 the first set of parameters to a plurality of external user devices 890, utilizing a second input/output module 870. Thereafter, the system 800 receives 130 selections of a plurality of parameters 910, which may be none of the parameters, all of them, or any number in between, from the first set of parameters, from the plurality of external user devices 890, utilizing the second input/output module 870. The system 800 then generates 140 a second plurality of brackets 900 using the selections of parameters 910. In other embodiments, the system 800 generates 140 a second plurality of brackets 900 using parameters 910 selected by the system 800 according to computer-readable instructions 856 stored in computer-readable media 854.

[0034] It has been found advantageous to have the system 800 place 150 players from a plurality of players 920 into the second plurality of brackets 900. In other embodiments of the present invention, the system 800 may send 160 the second plurality of brackets 900 and the plurality of players 920 to one or more of the plurality of external user devices 890, utilizing the second input/output module 870. After so sending 160 the second plurality of brackets 900, the system receives 170 a plurality of placements 960 of players in the second plurality of brackets 900 ("placement" meaning that one or more players is associated with a slot 950) from the plurality of external user devices 890, utilizing the second input/output module 870. The system stores the second plurality of brackets 900 in the bracket storage database 830.

[0035] In some embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of players 920 for a contest with a number N of first round 930 slots 950 for head-to-head matchups 990 may comprise N players. In other embodiments, the plurality of players 920 may comprise N+x players (making a part of the contest for each contestant deciding which players to "bench", that is, leave out of the bracket), or the plurality of players 920 may comprise N-x players (making a part of the contest for each contestant deciding which players should have a first-round "bye", that is, face no opponent and automatically advance in the bracket), where x is a number between 1 and N - 1 . It has been found advantageous to have the plurality of players 920 be the same for each contestant in a given fantasy sport contest, though it will be obvious to one of skill in the art that other embodiments of the present invention are possible, such that different contestants could have some overlap in the players comprising the plurality of players 920, or no overlap at all.

In the above embodiments of the present invention, alternatives for gameplay and for the initial creation of a bracket are presently disclosed. The placements 960 of players in the slots 950 of the first round 930 of a bracket 900 may be set by the system 800, referred to herein as "seeding" or "to seed", such that contestants in a given fantasy sport contest all begin with the same bracket 900, and the contest involves picking the players who advance to subsequent rounds 940 of the bracket 900. In other embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of players 920 is presented to each contestant with an empty bracket 900, and each contestant must fill the slots 950 of the first round 930 of the bracket 900 with the plurality of players 920 (or a subset of them, in the contests where the plurality of players 920 is greater than the number of slots 950) and then choose the winners of the head-to-head matchups 990 based on the statistical results 980 of each of the plurality of players 920, as relevant for each of the matchups 990. In the embodiments of the present invention where the system 800 seeds the first round 930 of the bracket, the system 800 may follow multiple algorithmic approaches to seeding, including but not limited to i) a standard seeding, in which players expected (based on projections for their statistical measures in the upcoming sporting matches underlying the first round 930 of the bracket) to do best are matched against those players expected to do worst, such that, by way of example, a 1 seed faces a 16 seed, a 2 seed faces a 15 seed, and so on; ii) a randomized seeding; or iii) a "high difficulty" seeding, in which players expected to have similar statistical measures resulting from their performance in the sporting matches underlying the first round 930 of the bracket are placed in head-to-head matchups 990, such that the 1 and 2 seeds face off, the 3 and 4 seeds face off, the 5 and 6 seeds face off, and so on. In such a "high difficulty" seeding (so-called, because it is more challenging for a contestant to choose the winner of each head-to-head matchup, the system 800 may attempt to place the pairs of head-to-head matchups 990 in the bracket such that the possible or expected winners of each may create additional "high difficulty" matchups 990 for the second or more subsequent rounds 940 of the bracket, based on the expected performance of players in the statistical measures underlying the subsequent round or subsequent rounds 940 of the bracket.

After the system 800 either places 150 players from the plurality of players 920 into some of the second plurality of brackets 900, or receives 170 some or all of the second plurality of brackets 900 with players from the plurality of players 920 placed into the second plurality of brackets 900, the system processes 180, utilizing the processor 810 and the memory module 850, a plurality of statistics stored in a statistics storage database 840 (or communicated between the processor 810 and an external server 880 and/or external database 884, utilizing the first input/output module 860, and optionally subsequently stored in the statistics storage database 840), to generate bracket results for the second plurality of brackets 900. It has been found advantageous to have the system 800 process asynchronously 190 the plurality of statistics to generate bracket results for the second plurality of brackets 900. The method 700 of processing or asynchronous processing is discussed in greater detail below, and depicted in FIG. 7. The generation of brackets, in all embodiments of the present invention, is discussed in greater detail with reference to FIG. 8, below.

[0038] FIG. 2 depicts, from the perspective of an external user device 890, a method 200 of the inventive system 800 generating and processing fantasy sport contests, including but not limited to brackets. The method 200 is stored in computer-readable media 854. In this inventive method 200, an external user device 890 accesses 210 the system 800, utilizing the second input/output module 870. The user device 890 receives 220, utilizing the second input/output module 870, a first set of parameters from the system 800, selected from a bracket parameter storage database 820, utilizing computer-readable instructions 856 stored in computer-readable media 854. The user device 890 obtains 230, from a user, selections of a plurality of the first set of parameters 910, relating to a desired fantasy sports contest. After obtaining 230 the user selections of parameters 910, which may be none of the parameters, all of them, or any number in between, the user device sends 240 the selections of parameters 910 to the system 800, utilizing the second input/output module 870.

[0039] It has been found advantageous to have the plurality of user devices 890, after sending 240 the selections of parameters 910 to the system 800, receive 250 from the system 800 a plurality of brackets 900 with players placed in the plurality of brackets 900 by the system 800, utilizing the second input/output module 870. In other embodiments of the present invention, the user device 890 receives 260 a plurality of brackets 900 and a plurality of players 920 from the system 800, utilizing the second input/output module 870. Thereafter, the user device 890 obtains 266 from a user placements 960 of players in the plurality of brackets 900, after which the user device 890 sends 270 to the system 800 the plurality of brackets 900 with players placed, utilizing the second input/output module 870. The system stores the second plurality of brackets 900 in the bracket storage database 830.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of players 920 for a contest with a number N of first round 930 slots 950 for head-to-head matchups 990 may comprise N players. In other embodiments, the plurality of players 920 may comprise N+x players (making a part of the contest for each contestant deciding which players to "bench", that is, leave out of the bracket), or the plurality of players 920 may comprise N-x players (making a part of the contest for each contestant deciding which players should have a first-round "bye", that is, face no opponent and automatically advance in the bracket), where x is a number between 1 and N - 1 . It has been found advantageous to have the plurality of players 920 be the same for each contestant in a given fantasy sport contest, though it will be obvious to one of skill in the art that other embodiments of the present invention are possible, such that different contestants could have some overlap in the players comprising the plurality of players 920, or no overlap at all. In the above embodiments of the present invention, alternatives for gameplay and for the initial creation of a bracket are presently disclosed. The placements 960 of players in the slots 950 of the first round 930 of a bracket 900 may be set by the system 800, referred to herein as "seeding" or "to seed", such that contestants in a given fantasy sport contest all begin with the same bracket 900, and the contest involves picking the players who advance to subsequent rounds 940 of the bracket 900. In other embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of players 920 is presented to each contestant with an empty bracket 900, and each contestant must fill the slots 950 of the first round 930 of the bracket 900 with the plurality of players 920 (or a subset of them, in the contests where the plurality of players 920 is greater than the number of slots 950) and then choose the winners of the head-to-head matchups 990 based on the statistical results 980 of each of the plurality of players 920, as relevant for each of the matchups 990. In the embodiments of the present invention where the system 800 seeds the first round 930 of the bracket, the system 800 may follow multiple algorithmic approaches to seeding, including but not limited to i) a standard seeding, in which players expected (based on projections for their statistical measures in the upcoming sporting matches underlying the first round 930 of the bracket) to do best are matched against those players expected to do worst, such that, by way of example, a 1 seed faces a 16 seed, a 2 seed faces a 15 seed, and so on; ii) a randomized seeding; or iii) a "high difficulty" seeding, in which players expected to have similar statistical measures resulting from their performance in the sporting matches underlying the first round 930 of the bracket are placed in head-to-head matchups 990, such that the 1 and 2 seeds face off, the 3 and 4 seeds face off, the 5 and 6 seeds face off, and so on. In such a "high difficulty" seeding (so-called, because it is more challenging for a contestant to choose the winner of each head-to-head matchup, the system 800 may attempt to place the pairs of head-to-head matchups 990 in the bracket such that the possible or expected winners of each may create additional "high difficulty" matchups 990 for the second or more subsequent rounds 940 of the bracket, based on the expected performance of players in the statistical measures underlying the subsequent round or subsequent rounds 940 of the bracket.

After the plurality of players 920 have been placed in the second plurality of brackets 900, either by the system 800 or by a user using a user device 890, the user device 890 receives 280, utilizing the second input/output module 870, bracket results from the system 800 after a plurality of statistics stored in a statistics storage database 840 (or communicated between the processor 810 and an external server 880 and/or external database 884, utilizing the first input/output module 860, and optionally subsequently stored in the statistics storage database 840), are processed, utilizing the processor 810 and the memory module 850. It has been found advantageous to have the user device 890 receive 290 bracket results from the system 800 with unknown outcomes of some of the plurality of matchups 990 in the bracket, after the statistics are processed asynchronously by the system 800. The method 700 of processing or asynchronous processing is discussed in greater detail below, under the discussion of FIG. 7. The generation of brackets, in all embodiments of the present invention, is discussed in greater detail with reference to FIG. 8, below.

[0043] FIG. 3 illustrates, from the perspective of a third party external to the system 800 and a user device 890, a method 300 of the inventive system 800 generating and processing fantasy sport contests, including but not limited to brackets. The method 300 is stored in computer-readable media 854. In this inventive method 300, the system 800 generates 310 a first plurality of brackets 900 with a first set of parameters selected from a bracket parameter storage database 820, utilizing computer-readable instructions 856 stored in computer- readable media 854. The system presents 314 the first set of parameters to a user device 890, utilizing the second input/output module 870. The user device 890 receives 320 the first set of parameters from the system 800, whereupon the user device 890 displays the first set of parameters to a user, and obtains 324 from the user selections of a plurality of the first set of parameters 910, which may be none of the parameters, all of them, or any number in between. After obtaining 324 the above selections of parameters, the user device 890 sends 326 those parameter selections to the system 800, utilizing the second input/output module 870. The system 800 receives 330 the parameter selections from the user device 890, after which the system 800 generates 340 a second plurality of brackets 900 using the parameter selections from the user device 890.

[0044] It has been found advantageous to have the system 800 place 350 players from a plurality of players 920 into the second plurality of brackets 900. In some embodiments of the present invention, the system 800 sends 360 the second plurality of brackets 900 and the plurality of players 920 to the user device 890, utilizing the second input/output module 870. Upon receiving the second plurality of brackets 900 and the plurality of players 920, the user device 890 displays to a user the second plurality of brackets 900 and the plurality of players 920, and thereafter obtains 366 from the user placements 960 of players in the second plurality of brackets 900. After so obtaining 366 the placements 960 of players, the user device 890 sends 370 to the system 800 the second plurality of brackets 900 with the players placed, utilizing the second input/output module 870. The system stores the second plurality of brackets 900 in the bracket storage database 830.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of players 920 for a contest with a number N of first round 930 slots 950 for head-to-head matchups 990 may comprise N players. In other embodiments, the plurality of players 920 may comprise N+x players (making a part of the contest for each contestant deciding which players to "bench", that is, leave out of the bracket), or the plurality of players 920 may comprise N-x players (making a part of the contest for each contestant deciding which players should have a first-round "bye", that is, face no opponent and automatically advance in the bracket), where x is a number between 1 and N - 1 . It has been found advantageous to have the plurality of players 920 be the same for each contestant in a given fantasy sport contest, though it will be obvious to one of skill in the art that other embodiments of the present invention are possible, such that different contestants could have some overlap in the players comprising the plurality of players 920, or no overlap at all.

After the plurality of players 920 have been placed in the second plurality of brackets 900, either by the system 800 or by a user using a user device 890, the system 800 processes 380, utilizing the processor 810 and the memory module 850, a plurality of statistics stored in a statistics storage database 840 (or communicated between the processor 810 and an external server 880 and/or external database 884, utilizing the first input/output module 860, and optionally subsequently stored in the statistics storage database 840), to generate bracket results for the second plurality of brackets 900. It has been found advantageous to have the system 800 process statistics asynchronously 390, to generate bracket results for the second plurality of brackets 900. The method 700 of processing or asynchronous processing is discussed in greater detail below, under the discussion of FIG. 7. The generation of brackets, in all embodiments of the present invention, is discussed in greater detail with reference to FIG. 8, below.

[0048] FIG. 4 depicts a method 400 of the present invention in which the inventive system 800 generates fantasy sport contests, including but not limited to brackets, in response to input from a plurality of users using external user devices 890, and processes the fantasy sport contests. The method 400 is stored in computer-readable media 854. FIG. 4 illustrates this method 400 from the perspective of the inventive system 800. In this embodiment of the present invention, the system 800 receives 410 input from an external user device 890, utilizing the second input/output module 870, on a first desired parameter from the plurality of available parameters. After receiving input 410, the system 800 generates 420 a first set of parameters, selected from a bracket parameter storage database 820, utilizing computer-readable instructions 856 stored in computer-readable media 854, for selection by the external user device 890. Thereafter, the system 800 sends 430 the first set of parameters for selection to the external user device 890, utilizing the second input/output module 870. At a later time, the system 800 receives 440 the selection of a first plurality of the first set of parameters 910 from the external user device 890, utilizing the second input/output module 870.

[0049] It has been found advantageous to have the system 800 thereafter generate 450 a plurality of players 920, comprising a plurality of players available meeting the selected plurality of parameters 910, and a plurality of brackets 900 using the selected plurality of parameters 910. In other embodiments of the present invention, the system 800 may effectively iterate the method steps of receiving input from an external user device 890 to create brackets. In such embodiments, the system 800, after receiving 440 the selection of a first plurality of the first set of parameters 910 from the external user device 890, the system 800 generates 442 a second set of parameters, selected from the bracket parameter storage database 820, utilizing computer-readable instructions 856 stored in computer-readable media 854. Thereafter, the system 800 sends 444 the second set of parameters to the external user device 890, utilizing the second input/output module 870. At a point after so sending 444 the second set of parameters, the system receives 446 a selection from the external user device 890, utilizing the second input/output module 870, of a second plurality of chosen parameters 910 from the second set of parameters. Thereafter, the system 800 generates 450 the plurality of players 920, comprising the plurality of players available meeting the selected second plurality of parameters 910, and a plurality of brackets using the selected second plurality of parameters 910.

After the system 800 generates 450 the plurality of players 920 and the plurality of brackets, the system 800 sends the plurality of players 920 and the plurality of brackets to the external user device 890, utilizing the second input/output module 870. Thereafter, it has been found advantageous to have the system 800 receive 470 from the external user device 890, utilizing the second input/output module 870, the plurality of brackets with players placed in the plurality of brackets, creating a second plurality of brackets 900. In alternative embodiments, the system 800 receives 480 from the external user device 890, utilizing the second input/output module 870, input instructing the system 800 to place players in the plurality of brackets, creating a second plurality of brackets 900. The system stores the second plurality of brackets 900 in the bracket storage database 830.

[0051 ] In some embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of players 920 for a contest with a number N of first round 930 slots 950 for head-to-head matchups 990 may comprise N players. In other embodiments, the plurality of players 920 may comprise N+x players (making a part of the contest for each contestant deciding which players to "bench", that is, leave out of the bracket), or the plurality of players 920 may comprise N-x players (making a part of the contest for each contestant deciding which players should have a first-round "bye", that is, face no opponent and automatically advance in the bracket), where x is a number between 1 and N - 1 . It has been found advantageous to have the plurality of players 920 be the same for each contestant in a given fantasy sport contest, though it will be obvious to one of skill in the art that other embodiments of the present invention are possible, such that different contestants could have some overlap in the players comprising the plurality of players 920, or no overlap at all.

[0052] In the above embodiments of the present invention, alternatives for gameplay and for the initial creation of a bracket are presently disclosed. The placements 960 of players in the slots 950 of the first round 930 of a bracket 900 may be set by the system 800, referred to herein as "seeding" or "to seed", such that contestants in a given fantasy sport contest all begin with the same bracket 900, and the contest involves picking the players who advance to subsequent rounds 940 of the bracket 900. In other embodiments of the present invention, a first contestant may set the seeding of the plurality of players 920 in a bracket, and invite other contestants to join her or him in contesting that bracket, meaning choosing the winners of each head-to-head matchup in the bracket. In other embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of players 920 is presented to each contestant with an empty bracket 900, and each contestant must fill the slots 950 of the first round 930 of the bracket 900 with the plurality of players 920 (or a subset of them, in the contests where the plurality of players 920 is greater than the number of slots 950) and then choose the winners of the head-to-head matchups 990 based on the statistical results 980 of each of the plurality of players 920, as relevant for each of the matchups 990. In the embodiments of the present invention where the system 800 seeds the first round 930 of the bracket, the system 800 may follow multiple algorithmic approaches to seeding, including but not limited to i) a standard seeding, in which players expected (based on projections for their statistical measures in the upcoming sporting matches underlying the first round 930 of the bracket) to do best are matched against those players expected to do worst, such that, by way of example, a 1 seed faces a 16 seed, a 2 seed faces a 15 seed, and so on; ii) a randomized seeding; or iii) a "high difficulty" seeding, in which players expected to have similar statistical measures resulting from their performance in the sporting matches underlying the first round 930 of the bracket are placed in head-to-head matchups 990, such that the 1 and 2 seeds face off, the 3 and 4 seeds face off, the 5 and 6 seeds face off, and so on. In such a "high difficulty" seeding (so- called, because it is more challenging for a contestant to choose the winner of each head-to-head matchup, the system 800 may attempt to place the pairs of head-to-head matchups 990 in the bracket such that the possible or expected winners of each may create additional "high difficulty" matchups 990 for the second or more subsequent rounds 940 of the bracket, based on the expected performance of players in the statistical measures underlying the subsequent round or subsequent rounds 940 of the bracket.

[0053] After the players have been placed in the plurality of brackets 900, either placed 480 by the system 800 or received 470 from the user device 890, the system 800 processes 490, utilizing the processor 810 and the memory module 850, a plurality of statistics stored in a statistics storage database 840 (or communicated between the processor 810 and an external server 880 and/or external database 884, utilizing the first input/output module 860, and optionally subsequently stored in the statistics storage database 840), to generate bracket results for the plurality of brackets 900. It has been found advantageous to have the system 800 process statistics asynchronously 494, to generate bracket results for the plurality of brackets 900. The method 700 of processing or asynchronous processing is discussed in greater detail below, under the discussion of FIG. 7. The generation of brackets, in all embodiments of the present invention, is discussed in greater detail with reference to FIG. 8, below.

[0054] FIG. 5 depicts a method 500 of the present invention, from the perspective of an external user device 890, in which the inventive system 800 generates fantasy sport contests, including but not limited to brackets, in response to input from a plurality of users using external user devices 890, and processes the fantasy sport contests. The method 500 is stored in computer-readable media 854. In this embodiment of the present invention, an external user device 890 sends 510 to the system 800, utilizing the second input/output module 870, input on a first desired parameter from a plurality of available parameters. Thereafter, the user device 890 receives 520 from the system 800, utilizing the second input/output module 870, a first set of parameters, selected from a bracket parameter storage database 820, utilizing computer-readable instructions 856 stored in computer-readable media 854, for selection by the external user device 890. After receiving 520 the first set of parameters, the user device 890 sends 530 to the system 800, utilizing the second input/output module 870, a selected plurality of chosen parameters 910.

It has been found advantageous to have the user device 890 thereafter receive 560 from the system 800, utilizing the second input/output module 870, a plurality of players 920, comprising the plurality of players available meeting the selected plurality of parameters 910, and a plurality of brackets 900 using the selected plurality of parameters 910. In other embodiments of the present invention, the user device 890 may effectively iterate the method steps of receiving a set of parameters from the system 800 to create brackets. In such embodiments, the user device 890, after sending 530 the selected plurality of chosen parameters 910 to the system 800, receives 544 from the system 800, utilizing the second input/output module 870, a second set of parameters for selection, chosen from the bracket parameter storage database 820, utilizing computer-readable instructions 856 stored in computer-readable media 854. Thereafter, the user device 890 sends 546 a second plurality of chosen parameters 910, chosen from the second set of parameters, to the system 800, utilizing the second input/output module 870. At a later time, the user device 890 receives 560 from the system 800, utilizing the second input/output module 870, a plurality of players 920, comprising the plurality of players available meeting the selected second plurality of chosen parameters 910, and a plurality of brackets using the selected second plurality of chosen parameters 910.

[0056] After the user device 890 receives 560 the plurality of players 920 and the plurality of brackets, it has been found advantageous to have the user device 890 send 570 the plurality of players 920 and the plurality of brackets to the system 800, utilizing the second input/output module 870, with players placed in the plurality of brackets, creating a second plurality of brackets 900. In alternative embodiments, the user device 890, utilizing the second input/output module 870, sends 580 input instructing the system 800 to place players in the plurality of brackets, creating a second plurality of brackets 900. The system stores the second plurality of brackets 900 in the bracket storage database 830.

[0057] In some embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of players 920 for a contest with a number N of first round 930 slots 950 for head-to-head matchups 990 may comprise N players. In other embodiments, the plurality of players 920 may comprise N+x players (making a part of the contest for each contestant deciding which players to "bench", that is, leave out of the bracket), or the plurality of players 920 may comprise N-x players (making a part of the contest for each contestant deciding which players should have a first-round "bye", that is, face no opponent and automatically advance in the bracket), where x is a number between 1 and N - 1 . It has been found advantageous to have the plurality of players 920 be the same for each contestant in a given fantasy sport contest, though it will be obvious to one of skill in the art that other embodiments of the present invention are possible, such that different contestants could have some overlap in the players comprising the plurality of players 920, or no overlap at all.

In the above embodiments of the present invention, alternatives for gameplay and for the initial creation of a bracket are presently disclosed. The placements 960 of players in the slots 950 of the first round 930 of a bracket 900 may be set by the system 800, referred to herein as "seeding" or "to seed", such that contestants in a given fantasy sport contest all begin with the same bracket 900, and the contest involves picking the players who advance to subsequent rounds 940 of the bracket 900. In other embodiments of the present invention, a first contestant may set the seeding of the plurality of players 920 in a bracket, and invite other contestants to join her or him in contesting that bracket, meaning choosing the winners of each head-to-head matchup in the bracket. In other embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of players 920 is presented to each contestant with an empty bracket 900, and each contestant must fill the slots 950 of the first round 930 of the bracket 900 with the plurality of players 920 (or a subset of them, in the contests where the plurality of players 920 is greater than the number of slots 950) and then choose the winners of the head-to-head matchups 990 based on the statistical results 980 of each of the plurality of players 920, as relevant for each of the matchups 990. In the embodiments of the present invention where the system 800 seeds the first round 930 of the bracket, the system 800 may follow multiple algorithmic approaches to seeding, including but not limited to i) a standard seeding, in which players expected (based on projections for their statistical measures in the upcoming sporting matches underlying the first round 930 of the bracket) to do best are matched against those players expected to do worst, such that, by way of example, a 1 seed faces a 16 seed, a 2 seed faces a 15 seed, and so on; ii) a randomized seeding; or iii) a "high difficulty" seeding, in which players expected to have similar statistical measures resulting from their performance in the sporting matches underlying the first round 930 of the bracket are placed in head-to-head matchups 990, such that the 1 and 2 seeds face off, the 3 and 4 seeds face off, the 5 and 6 seeds face off, and so on. In such a "high difficulty" seeding (so- called, because it is more challenging for a contestant to choose the winner of each head-to-head matchup, the system 800 may attempt to place the pairs of head-to-head matchups 990 in the bracket such that the possible or expected winners of each may create additional "high difficulty" matchups 990 for the second or more subsequent rounds 940 of the bracket, based on the expected performance of players in the statistical measures underlying the subsequent round or subsequent rounds 940 of the bracket. [0059] After the players have been placed in the plurality of brackets 900 and sent 570 by the user device 890, or after the user device 890 has sent 580 instructions for the system 800 to place players, the system 800 processes 590, utilizing the processor 810 and the memory module 850, a plurality of statistics stored in a statistics storage database 840 (or communicated between the processor 810 and an external server 880 and/or external database 884, utilizing the first input/output module 860, and optionally subsequently stored in the statistics storage database 840), to generate bracket results for the plurality of brackets 900. It has been found advantageous to have the system 800 process statistics asynchronously 594, to generate bracket results for the plurality of brackets 900. The method 700 of processing or asynchronous processing is discussed in greater detail below, under the discussion of FIG. 7. The generation of brackets, in all embodiments of the present invention, is discussed in greater detail with reference to FIG. 8, below.

[0060] FIG. 6 illustrates, from the perspective of a third party external to the system 800 and a user device 890, a method 600 of the inventive system 800 creating fantasy sport contests, including but not limited to brackets, in response to input from a plurality of users using user devices 890, and processing the fantasy sport contests. The method 600 is stored in computer-readable media 854. In this embodiment of the present invention, the user device 890 sends 610 to the system 800, utilizing the second input/output module 870, input on a first desired parameter from a plurality of available parameters. Thereafter, the system 800 generates 620 a first set of parameters, selected from a bracket parameter storage database 820, utilizing computer-readable instructions 856 stored in computer-readable media 854. After that, the system 800 sends 630 to the user device 890, utilizing the second input/output module 870, the first set of parameters for selection by the user device 890. After the system 800 sends 630 the first set of parameters, the user device 890 sends 640 to the system 800, utilizing the second input/output module 870, a first plurality of chosen parameters 910, chosen from the first set of parameters.

It has been found advantageous to have the system 800 thereafter generate 650 a plurality of players 920, comprising the plurality of players available meeting the first plurality of chosen parameters 910, and a plurality of brackets using the first plurality of chosen parameters 910. In other embodiments of the present invention, the system 800 may effectively iterate the method steps of generating a set of parameters and receiving selections therefrom from the user device 890 to create brackets. In such embodiments, after the user device 890 sends 640 a first plurality of chosen parameters 910 to the system 800, utilizing the second input/output module 870, the system 800 generates 642 a second set of parameters, selected from the bracket parameter storage database 820, utilizing computer-readable instructions 856 stored in computer-readable media 854, for selection using a user device 890. Thereafter, the system 800 sends 644 the second set of parameters to the user device 890, utilizing the second input/output module 870. Following that, the user device 890 sends 646 to the system 800, utilizing the second input/output module 870, a second plurality of chosen parameters 910, chosen from the second set of parameters. The system 800 then generates 650 a plurality of players 920, comprising the plurality of players available meeting the second plurality of chosen parameters 910, and a plurality of brackets using the second plurality of chosen parameters 910.

[0062] Thereafter, the system 800, utilizing the second input/output module 870, sends 660 to the user device 890 the plurality of players 920, comprising the plurality of players available meeting the selected first plurality of chosen parameters 910 and/or the selected second plurality of chosen parameters 910, and the plurality of brackets using the selected first plurality of chosen parameters 910 and/or the selected second plurality of chosen parameters 910.

[0063] After the system 800 sends 660 to the user device 890 the plurality of players 920 and the plurality of brackets, it has been found advantageous to have the user device 890 send 670 the plurality of players 920 and the plurality of brackets to the system 800, utilizing the second input/output module 870, with players placed in the plurality of brackets, creating a second plurality of brackets 900. In alternative embodiments, the user device 890, utilizing the second input/output module 870, sends 680 input instructing the system 800 to place players in the plurality of brackets, creating a second plurality of brackets 900. The system stores the second plurality of brackets 900 in the bracket storage database 830.

[0064] In some embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of players 920 for a contest with a number N of first round 930 slots 950 for head-to-head matchups 990 may comprise N players. In other embodiments, the plurality of players 920 may comprise N+x players (making a part of the contest for each contestant deciding which players to "bench", that is, leave out of the bracket), or the plurality of players 920 may comprise N-x players (making a part of the contest for each contestant deciding which players should have a first-round "bye", that is, face no opponent and automatically advance in the bracket), where x is a number between 1 and N - 1 . It has been found advantageous to have the plurality of players 920 be the same for each contestant in a given fantasy sport contest, though it will be obvious to one of skill in the art that other embodiments of the present invention are possible, such that different contestants could have some overlap in the players comprising the plurality of players 920, or no overlap at all.

In the above embodiments of the present invention, alternatives for gameplay and for the initial creation of a bracket are presently disclosed. The placements 960 of players in the slots 950 of the first round 930 of a bracket 900 may be set by the system 800, referred to herein as "seeding" or "to seed", such that contestants in a given fantasy sport contest all begin with the same bracket 900, and the contest involves picking the players who advance to subsequent rounds 940 of the bracket 900. In other embodiments of the present invention, a first contestant may set the seeding of the plurality of players 920 in a bracket, and invite other contestants to join her or him in contesting that bracket, meaning choosing the winners of each head-to-head matchup in the bracket. In other embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of players 920 is presented to each contestant with an empty bracket 900, and each contestant must fill the slots 950 of the first round 930 of the bracket 900 with the plurality of players 920 (or a subset of them, in the contests where the plurality of players 920 is greater than the number of slots 950) and then choose the winners of the head-to-head matchups 990 based on the statistical results 980 of each of the plurality of players 920, as relevant for each of the matchups 990. In the embodiments of the present invention where the system 800 seeds the first round 930 of the bracket, the system 800 may follow multiple algorithmic approaches to seeding, including but not limited to i) a standard seeding, in which players expected (based on projections for their statistical measures in the upcoming sporting matches underlying the first round 930 of the bracket) to do best are matched against those players expected to do worst, such that, by way of example, a 1 seed faces a 16 seed, a 2 seed faces a 15 seed, and so on; ii) a randomized seeding; or iii) a "high difficulty" seeding, in which players expected to have similar statistical measures resulting from their performance in the sporting matches underlying the first round 930 of the bracket are placed in head-to-head matchups 990, such that the 1 and 2 seeds face off, the 3 and 4 seeds face off, the 5 and 6 seeds face off, and so on. In such a "high difficulty" seeding (so- called, because it is more challenging for a contestant to choose the winner of each head-to-head matchup, the system 800 may attempt to place the pairs of head-to-head matchups 990 in the bracket such that the possible or expected winners of each may create additional "high difficulty" matchups 990 for the second or more subsequent rounds 940 of the bracket, based on the expected performance of players in the statistical measures underlying the subsequent round or subsequent rounds 940 of the bracket.

[0066] After the players have been placed in the plurality of brackets 900 and sent 670 by the user device 890, or after the user device 890 has sent 680 instructions for the system 800 to place players, the system 800 processes 690, utilizing the processor 810 and the memory module 850, a plurality of statistics stored in a statistics storage database 840 (or communicated between the processor 810 and an external server 880 and/or external database 884, utilizing the first input/output module 860, and optionally subsequently stored in the statistics storage database 840), to generate bracket results for the plurality of brackets 900. It has been found advantageous to have the system 800 process statistics asynchronously 694, to generate bracket results for the plurality of brackets 900. The method 700 of processing or asynchronous processing is discussed in greater detail below, under the discussion of FIG. 7. The generation of brackets, in all embodiments of the present invention, is discussed in greater detail with reference to FIG. 8, below.

[0067] FIG. 7 illustrates an inventive method 700 of synchronously or asynchronously processing a bracket, or any fantasy sport contest (referred to for simplicity throughout this disclosure as a bracket), as referred to in the above descriptions of FIG. 1 to FIG. 6. The method 700 is stored in computer-readable media 854. The system 800 loads 710 a plurality of brackets from the bracket storage database 830 to the processor 810 with use of the memory module 850. It has been found advantageous to have the processor 810 thereafter get 720 a first plurality of statistical measures, corresponding to performance of players, teams, or other relevant parameters derived from results of sporting matches, pertinent to a round of the plurality of brackets, from the statistics storage database 840 or by the processor 810 communicating via the first input/output module 860 with an external server 880 and/or an external database 884 to get a plurality of statistical measures, which the processor 810 may store in the statistics storage database 840. In another embodiment, the processor 810 may first get 720 from the statistics storage database 840 a first plurality of statistical measures, and thereafter load 710 a plurality of brackets from the bracket storage database 830.

[0068] After the system 800 loads 710 a plurality of brackets to the processor 810 and gets 720 a first plurality of statistical measures pertinent to a round of the plurality of brackets, the system 800 applies 730 the first plurality of statistical measures to a round of the plurality of brackets, by utilizing the processor 810 and the memory module 850 to associate statistical measures of player, team, or other performance with the plurality of players 920, teams, or other relevant measurable performers who were placed in slots 950 in the round of the plurality of brackets, or who advanced or potentially advanced to the round of the plurality of brackets from the first round 930 or other prior round of the plurality of brackets.

[0069] Thereafter, the system 800 utilizes the processor 810 and the memory module 850 to process 740 the winner of a plurality of head-to-head matchups in the round of the plurality of brackets, by comparing the plurality of statistical measures relevant to each of the players, teams, or other performers in a first slot of a head-to-head matchup with the plurality of statistical measures relevant to each of the players, teams, or other performers in a second slot of a head-to- head matchup, if both such pluralities of statistical measures are available, in which the winner of that head-to-head matchup is the players, teams, or other performers in a slot with the better statistical measures, as set forth by the rules of that bracket or fantasy sports contest, if both such pluralities of statistical measures are available.

In the event that the first plurality of statistical measures pertinent to a round of the plurality of brackets relate to a later round of the plurality of brackets (later than an earlier round of the plurality of brackets), and a second plurality of statistical measures pertinent to the earlier round of the plurality of brackets are not yet available due to the non-completion of the sporting matches underlying all of the second plurality of statistical measures, or because the statistical measures have not been computed or made available by an external server 880 or external database 884, or for another reason that either or both such pluralities of statistical measures are not available, the system 800 defers 750 processing the winners of the head-to-head matchups 990 of the later round of the plurality of brackets. In such an instance, the system may store with the plurality of brackets in the bracket storage database 830 the first plurality of statistical measures pertinent to the later round of the plurality of brackets, such that the possible outcomes of the possible head-to-head matchups 990 of the later round can be communicated to a plurality of user devices 890, utilizing the second input/output module 870, pending the availability of the second plurality of statistical measures pertinent to the earlier round of the plurality of brackets. Alternatively, in such an instance, the system 800 may conditionally advance 760, as the winner of a head-to-head matchup, one or more of the plurality of players 920 (athlete or athletes, team or teams, or other combination of players) for whom statistical measures have become available, and referred to herein as the conditionally-advancing-players 970, such that the conditionally-advancing- players 970 appear in one or more subsequent rounds 940 of the plurality of brackets as the winner. Under the option of conditionally advancing 760 the conditionally-advancing-players 970 as statistical measures become available, the system 800 will re-process 740 those head-to-head matchups 990 and later rounds as statistical measures for other players become available. Additionally, it is possible that the players in a head-to-head matchup 990 will tie, that is, will have the same statistical results 980 from their respective underlying sporting match or matches for the statistical measure or parameter 910 relevant for the round (whether it is the first round 930 or a subsequent round 940 of the plurality of brackets 900). In such a tie, the system 800 will conditionally advance 760 the tied players 995 to the next head-to-head matchup 990 in the next round of the plurality of brackets 900, such that both of the tied players 995 will compete in that next round, and be considered for advancement to the following round of the plurality of brackets 900.

In an instance where the system 800 defers 750 processing the winners of the plurality of head-to-head matchups 990 of a round of the plurality of brackets, whether or not the system 800 also conditionally advances 760 the conditionally- advancing-players 970 or any tied players 995, the system 800 proceeds with asynchronously processing the plurality of brackets by iterating to get 720 a next plurality of available statistical measures pertinent to another round of the plurality of brackets. In this manner, the system 800 may asynchronously process a plurality of brackets or other fantasy sport contests, by applying any plurality of statistical measures to any pertinent round of the plurality of brackets, as the pluralities of statistical measures become available. This inventive method 700 of asynchronously processing any fantasy sport contests allows a broader range of fantasy sport contests than the prior art, by allowing creation and processing of fantasy sport contests that do not need to be constrained by the scheduled order of any underlying relevant sporting matches. It will be apparent to one of skill in the art that the presently disclosed methods encompass processing a plurality of brackets or other fantasy sport contests synchronously, that is, processing a round of a bracket or other fantasy sport contest only when the statistical measures for the round become available, and waiting to process a round until all earlier rounds have been processed. But, the present invention allows for a broader range of fantasy sport contests to be created and processed, as the fantasy sport contests are no longer constrained by the timing of the real-world sporting matches.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary system 800 configured to carry out the methods 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600 of the present invention to generate fantasy sport contests with or without selections received from a user device 890, and the methods 700 of the present invention to synchronously process or asynchronously process any fantasy sport contests. The system 800 comprises a plurality of processors 810, a plurality of bracket parameter storage databases 820, a plurality of bracket storage databases 830, a plurality of statistics storage databases 840, a plurality of memory modules 850, a plurality of computer- readable media 854 for storing a plurality of computer-readable instructions 856 which may include but are not limited to instructions for carrying out any of the presently-disclosed methods 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700 for generating or processing fantasy sport contests, a first input/output module 860, and a second input/output module 870; all of which are collectively the components of the system 800. In the various inventive methods 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700 described above, the components of the system 800 are communicably connected with each other to communicate with each other and transmit information to carry out the above-described inventive methods 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700.

The system 800 also communicates with a plurality of user devices 890 in carrying out various of the inventive methodsl OO, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, as previously described, specifically with the processor 810 utilizing the second input/output module 870. The plurality of processors 810 are communicably connected with a plurality of user devices 890 to transmit or receive information about parameters 910 making up a plurality of brackets 900; about selecting parameters 910 by a plurality of user devices 890 or by the system 800, utilizing the plurality of processors 810 and the memory module 850, and computer- readable instructions 856 stored in computer-readable media 854; about a plurality of players 920; about placing players in a plurality of brackets 900, either by a plurality of user devices 890 or by the system 800, utilizing the plurality of processors 810 and the memory module 850, and computer-readable instructions 856 stored in computer-readable media 854; about a plurality of statistics; and/or about the results of a plurality of brackets 900.

[0074] Additionally, the system 800 communicates with a plurality of external servers 880 and/or external databases 884 in carrying out various of the inventive methods 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, as previously described, specifically with the plurality of processors 810 utilizing the first input/output module 860. The plurality of processors 810 are communicably connected with a plurality of external servers 880 and/or external databases 884 to obtain statistical measures relating to the results of a plurality of sporting matches, and to the performances of the plurality of players 920, teams, or other performers who may be placed in slots 950 of brackets or otherwise comprise the entities whose performances make up the fantasy sport contests. After receiving such statistical measures, the processor 810 may store the statistical measures as needed in a memory module 850, and/or may store the statistical measures in a statistics storage database 840.

[0075] When the system 800 generates a bracket, it utilizes the processor 810, which refers to a plurality of parameters stored in a bracket parameter storage database 820, and refers to computer-readable instructions 856 stored in computer-readable media 854, to create a plurality of brackets meeting guidelines or suggestions set forth in the computer-readable instructions 856. The processor 810 utilizes the memory module 850 to process the computer- readable instructions 856 and the plurality of parameters to create a plurality of brackets 900.

[0076] After the system 800 has created any plurality of brackets 900, the system 800 may store any of the plurality of brackets 900 in the bracket storage database 830. The system 800 may communicate any of the plurality of brackets 900 to a plurality of user devices 890, or may receive communication from a plurality of user devices 890 regarding any of the plurality of brackets 900.

[0077] When the system 800 processes or asynchronously process a plurality of brackets 900, the processor 810 communicates with the bracket storage database 830 to obtain the plurality of brackets 900, and may load the plurality of brackets 900 into the memory module 850 for processing. The processor 810 also communicates with the statistics storage database 840 to obtain the pertinent statistical measures, if such statistical measures are already stored in the statistics storage database 840, and if not, the processor 810 communicates with a plurality of external servers 880 and/or external databases 884 to obtain the statistical measures, if the statistical measures are available. After obtaining the statistical measures, the processor 810 may load the statistical measures into the memory module 850 for processing or asynchronous processing following the inventive method 700.

[0078] FIG. 9 illustrates exemplary fantasy sports contests and the elements comprising them. It will be understood by one of skill in the art that these depictions of exemplary fantasy sports contests as brackets are for illustrative purposes only, and that the present invention may be implemented in forms other than brackets, and in a range of different sizes, and by drawing on different parameters, among other possible variations. Furthermore, one of skill in the art will understand that references throughout the present disclosure to a bracket 900 are not limited to the particular bracket 900 shown, but to any possible fantasy sports contest as described in this disclosure. FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary bracket 900 in process of having the plurality of players 920 placed by a contestant in the open slots 950, and FIG. 10 shows an exemplary bracket 900 completed by placements 960 of one or more of the plurality of players 920 in all the open slots 950, after a plurality of the underlying sporting matches have begun but not all have been completed, such that some of the plurality of players 920 have advanced or conditionally advanced 760 from the first round 930 to subsequent rounds 940. Although the two exemplary brackets depicted in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 illustrate different stages of fantasy sports contest in progress, reference is made to them as a single exemplary bracket 900 for simplicity and for ease in illustrating the elements comprising a bracket or other fantasy sports contest.

With reference to both FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, an exemplary bracket 900 comprises a first round 930 and subsequent rounds 940, with slots 950 where a plurality of players 920 may be placed, such that each player is in one head-to- head matchup 990 in the first round 930, and one player advances from each matchup 990 to a matchup in each subsequent rounds 940. Other embodiments of the present invention are possible, including but not limited to embodiments where one or more than one player may be placed in a slot 950 in some or all of the matchups 990 in a bracket, as described above. In FIG. 9, placements 960 of a subset of the plurality of players 920 are shown. In FIG. 10, placements 960 of all of the plurality of players 920 are shown.

In the brackets 900 shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, a subset of the parameters 910 used in creating the bracket 900 are illustrated. It is to be understood that the exemplary display of parameters 910 here is limited to the statistical measures used in processing this exemplary bracket 900, but that other parameters 910 relevant to the creation of the bracket 900 may be displayed, or that no such parameters 910 may be displayed. Here, the parameters 910 displayed correspond to each of the first round 930 and subsequent rounds 940. In FIG. 10, statistical results 980 are shown alongside the slots 950 for the subset of the plurality of players 920 whose underlying sporting matches are in progress or completed. These relevant statistical results 980 are processed for each of the parameters 910 relevant to each of the rounds of the bracket 900, whether it is the first round 930 or one of the subsequent rounds 940. When a head-to-head matchup 990 in the bracket 900 is processed 740 by the system 800 as statistical results 980 become available, one or more of the plurality of players 920 may be conditionally advanced 760, as described above, and shown as conditionally-advancing-players 970. In instances where the players in the opposed slots 950 of a matchup 990 have the same statistical results 980 for the parameter 910 relevant to the round of the bracket 900, that is, they have "tied" for that matchup 990, both players may be processed 740 by the system 800 as if each were the winner of that matchup 990, and both advanced to the next matchup 990 and shown as tied players 995.

[0081 ] The various modules and/or functions described above may be implemented by computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, executed by a conventional computer. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may be practiced with various computer system configurations, including hand-held wireless devices such as mobile phones or PDAs, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. The invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote computer-storage media including memory storage devices.

[0082] The central computing device, also referred to as a processor 810, may comprise or consist of a general-purpose computing device in the form of a computer including a processing unit, a system memory, and a system bus that couples various system components including the system memory to the processing unit. Computers typically include a variety of computer-readable media that can form part of the system memory and be read by the processing unit. By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media. The system memory may include computer storage media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM). A basic input/output system (BIOS), containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements, such as during startup, is typically stored in ROM. RAM typically contains data and/or program modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presently being operated on by the processing unit. The data or program modules may include an operating system, application programs, other program modules, and program data. The operating system may be or include a variety of operating systems such as Microsoft WINDOWS operating system, the Unix operating system, the Linux operating system, the Xenix operating system, the IBM AIX operating system, the Hewlett Packard UX operating system, the Novell NETWARE operating system, the Sun Microsystems SOLARIS operating system, the OS/2 operating system, the BeOS operating system, the MACINTOSH operating system, the APACHE operating system, the iOS operating system, the Android operating system, the Chrome operating system, an OPENSTEP operating system or another operating system or platform.

Any suitable programming language may be used to implement without undue experimentation the data-gathering and analytical functions described above. Illustratively, the programming language used may include assembly language, Ada, APL, Basic, C, C++, C^*, COBOL, dBase, Forth, FORTRAN, Java, Modula-2, Pascal, Prolog, Python, Qt, REXX, and/or JavaScript for example. Further, it is not necessary that a single type of instruction or programming language be utilized in conjunction with the operation of the system and method of the invention. Rather, any number of different programming languages may be utilized as is necessary or desirable.

[0084] The computing environment may also include other removable/nonremovable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media. For example, a hard disk drive may read or write to nonremovable, nonvolatile magnetic media. A magnetic disk drive may read from or write to a removable, nonvolatile magnetic disk, and an optical disk drive may read from or write to a removable, nonvolatile optical disk such as a CD-ROM or other optical media. Other removable/nonremovable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media that can be used in the exemplary operating environment include, but are not limited to, magnetic tape cassettes, flash memory cards, digital versatile disks, digital video tape, solid state RAM, solid state ROM, and the like. The storage media are typically connected to the system bus through a removable or non-removable memory interface.

[0085] The processing unit that executes commands and instructions may be a general purpose computer, but may utilize any of a wide variety of other technologies including a special purpose computer, a microcomputer, minicomputer, mainframe computer, programmed micro-processor, micro-controller, peripheral integrated circuit element, a CSIC (Customer Specific Integrated Circuit), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a logic circuit, a digital signal processor, a programmable logic device such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), PLD (Programmable Logic Device), PLA (Programmable Logic Array), RFID processor, smart chip, or any other device or arrangement of devices that is capable of implementing the steps of the processes of the invention.

[0086] The network over which communication takes place may include a wired or wireless local area network (LAN) and a wide area network (WAN), wireless personal area network (PAN) and/or other types of networks. When used in a LAN networking environment, computers may be connected to the LAN through a network interface or adapter. When used in a WAN networking environment, computers typically include a modem or other communication mechanism. Modems may be internal or external, and may be connected to the system bus via the user-input interface, or other appropriate mechanism. Computers may be connected over the Internet, an Intranet, Extranet, Ethernet, or any other system that provides communications. Some suitable communications protocols may include TCP/IP, UDP, or OSI for example. For wireless communications, communications protocols may include Bluetooth, Zigbee, IrDa or other suitable protocol. Furthermore, components of the system may communicate through a combination of wired or wireless paths.

[0087] Certain embodiments of the present invention were described above.

From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all the ends and objects set forth above, together with other advantages, which are obvious and inherent to the system and method. It will be understood that certain features and sub-combinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and sub-combinations. It is expressly noted that the present invention is not limited to those embodiments described above, but rather the intention is that additions and modifications to what was expressly described herein are also included within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it is to be understood that the features of the various embodiments described herein are not mutually exclusive and can exist in various combinations and permutations, even if such combinations or permutations were not made express herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In fact, variations, modifications, and other implementations of what was described herein will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. As such, the invention is not to be defined only by the preceding illustrative description.

Claims

Accordingly, I claim:

1 . A method, stored in computer-readable media, for generating and processing

fantasy sport contests, the method comprising:

a system generating a first plurality of brackets with a first set of parameters; the system generating a second plurality of brackets using selections of parameters;

having players from a plurality of players placed into the second plurality of brackets; and

the system processing statistics to generate bracket results for the second plurality of brackets.

2. The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising, between generating the first plurality of brackets and generating the second plurality of brackets:

the system sending a plurality of parameters to a plurality of external user devices; and

the system receiving selections of a plurality of parameters from the plurality of external user devices.

3. The method of claim 1 , in which having players from the plurality of players placed into the second plurality of brackets further comprises the system placing players from the plurality of players in the second plurality of brackets.

4. The method of claim 1 , in which having players from the plurality of players placed into the second plurality of brackets further comprises:

the system sending the second plurality of brackets and the plurality of players to a plurality of external user devices; and the system receiving a plurality of placements of players in the second plurality of brackets from the plurality of external user devices.

5. The method of claim 1 , in which processing statistics to generate bracket results for the second plurality of brackets further comprises the system processing statistics asynchronously.

6. A method, stored in computer-readable media, for generating and processing

fantasy sport contests, the method comprising:

a user device accesses a system;

the user device receives a first set of parameters from the system;

the user device obtains selections of a plurality of the first set of parameters; the user device sends the selections of parameters to the system;

having players from a plurality of players placed into a plurality of brackets; and the user device receives bracket results from the system after a plurality of statistics are processed.

7. The method of claim 6, in which having players from the plurality of players placed into the plurality of brackets further comprises the user device receiving from the system the plurality of brackets with players placed in the plurality of brackets by the system.

8. The method of claim 6, in which having players from the plurality of players placed into the plurality of brackets further comprises:

the user device receiving the plurality of brackets and the plurality of players from the system; the user device obtaining from a user placements of players in the plurality of brackets; and

the user device sending to the system the plurality of brackets with players placed.

9. The method of claim 6, in which the user device receives bracket results from the system with unknown outcomes after the statistics are processed asynchronously.

10. A method, stored in computer-readable media, for generating and processing

fantasy sport contests, the method comprising:

a system generates a first plurality of brackets with a first set of parameters; the system generates a second plurality of brackets using selections of parameters;

the system processes statistics to generate bracket results for the second plurality of brackets.

1 1 .The method of claim 10, the method further comprising between generating the first plurality of brackets and generating the second plurality of brackets:

the system presents the first set of parameters to a user device;

the user device receives the first set of parameters from the system;

the user device obtains selections of a plurality of the first set of parameters; the user device sends the parameter selections to the system; and

the system receives the parameter selections from the user device.

12. The method of claim 10, in which having players from the plurality of players placed into the second plurality of brackets further comprises the system placing players from the plurality of players in the second plurality of brackets.

13. The method of claim 10, in which having players from the plurality of players placed into the second plurality of brackets further comprises:

the system sends the second plurality of brackets and the plurality of players to a user device;

the user device obtains placements of players; and

the user device sends to the system the second plurality of brackets with the players placed.

14. The method of claim 10, in which processing statistics to generate bracket results for the second plurality of brackets further comprises the system processing statistics asynchronously.

15. A method, stored in computer-readable media, for generating and processing

fantasy sport contests, the method comprising:

a system receives input from an external user device on a first desired

parameter;

the system generates a first set of parameters for selection by the external user device;

the system sends the first set of parameters to the external user device;

the system receives a selection of a first plurality of parameters from the external user device;

the system generates a plurality of players and a plurality of brackets; the system sends the plurality of players and the plurality of brackets to the external user device;

having players from the plurality of players placed into the plurality of brackets; and

the system processes statistics to generate bracket results for the plurality of brackets.

16. The method of claim 15, the method further comprising, after receiving the selection of a first plurality of parameters from the external user device, and before generating the plurality of players and the plurality of brackets:

the system generates a second set of parameters;

the system sends the second set of parameters to the external user device; and the system receives a selection from the external user device of a second plurality of chosen parameters.

17. The method of claim 15, in which having players from the plurality of players placed into the plurality of brackets further comprises the system receiving from the external user device the plurality of brackets with players placed in the plurality of brackets.

18. The method of claim 15, in which having players from the plurality of players placed into the plurality of brackets further comprises the system receiving from the external user device input instructing the system to place players in the plurality of brackets.

19. The method of claim 15, in which processing statistics to generate bracket results for the plurality of brackets further comprises the system processing statistics asynchronously.

20. A method, stored in computer-readable media, for generating and processing fantasy sport contests, the method comprising:

an external user device sends to a system input on a first desired parameter; the user device receives from the system a first set of parameters for selection; the user device sends to the system a selected plurality of chosen parameters; the user device receives from the system a plurality of players and a plurality of brackets;

21 . The method of claim 20, the method further comprising, after sending the selected plurality of chosen parameters to the system, and before receiving from the system the plurality of players and the plurality of brackets:

the user device receives from the system a second set of parameters for selection; and

the user device sends a second plurality of chosen parameters to the system.

22. The method of claim 20, in which having players from the plurality of players placed into the plurality of brackets further comprises the user device sending the plurality of players and the plurality of brackets to the system with players placed in the plurality of brackets.

23. The method of claim 20, in which having players from the plurality of players placed into the plurality of brackets further comprises the user device sending input instructing the system to place players in the plurality of brackets.

24. The method of claim 20, in which the system processing statistics to generate

bracket results for the plurality of brackets further comprises the system processing statistics asynchronously.

25. A method, stored in computer-readable media, for generating and processing

fantasy sport contests, the method comprising:

a user device sends to a system input on a first desired parameter;

the system generates a first set of parameters;

the system sends to the user device the first set of parameters;

the user device sends to the system a first plurality of chosen parameters;

the system generates a plurality of players and a plurality of brackets using the chosen parameters;

the system sends to the user device the plurality of players and the plurality of brackets;

the system processes a plurality of statistics to generate bracket results for the plurality of brackets.

26. The method of claim 25, the method further comprising, after the user device sends to the system the first plurality of chosen parameters, and before the system generates a plurality of players and a plurality of brackets using the chosen parameters:

the system generates a second set of parameters;

the system sends the second set of parameters to the user device; and the user device sends to the system a second plurality of chosen parameters, chosen from the second set of parameters.

27. The method of claim 25, in which having players from the plurality of players placed into the plurality of brackets further comprises the user device sending the plurality of players and the plurality of brackets to the system with players placed in the plurality of brackets.

28. The method of claim 25, in which having players from the plurality of players placed into the plurality of brackets further comprises the user device sending input instructing the system to place players in the plurality of brackets.

29. The method of claim 25, in which the system processing the plurality of statistics to generate bracket results for the plurality of brackets further comprises the system processing statistics asynchronously.

30. A method , stored in computer-readable media, of asynchronously processing a fantasy sport contest, the method comprising:

a system loads a plurality of brackets;

the system gets a first plurality of statistical measures;

the system applies the first plurality of statistical measures to a round of the plurality of brackets; and the system processes the winner of a plurality of head -to-head matchups in the round of the plurality of brackets.

31 .The method of claim 30, the method further comprising:

the system first loads the plurality of brackets, and thereafter gets the first plurality of statistical measures.

32. The method of claim 30, the method further comprising:

the system first gets the first plurality of statistical measures, and thereafter loads the plurality of brackets.

33. The method of claim 30, the method further comprising, after the step of the system processing the winner of the plurality of head-to-head matchups in the round of the plurality of brackets,

the system defers processing the winner of the head-to-head matchups of a later round of the plurality of brackets.

34. The method of claim 30, the method further comprising, after the step of the system processing the winner of the plurality of head-to-head matchups in the round of the plurality of brackets,

the system conditionally advances one or more of the plurality of players.

35. The method of claim 33, the method further comprising:

the system gets a next plurality of available statistical measures pertinent to another round of the plurality of brackets.

36. The method of claim 34, the method further comprising:

37. A system of communicably connected components for generating and processing fantasy sport contests, the system comprising:

a plurality of processors;

a plurality of bracket parameter storage databases;

a plurality of bracket storage databases;

a plurality of statistics storage databases;

a plurality of memory modules;

a plurality of computer-readable media;

a first input/output module; and

a second input/output module.

38. The system of claim 37, in which the plurality of computer-readable media store a plurality of computer-readable instructions.

39. The system of claim 38, in which the plurality of computer-readable instructions comprise instructions for carrying out methods to generate or process fantasy sport contests.

40. The system of claim 37, in which the plurality of processors are communicably

connected with a plurality of user devices utilizing the second input/output module.

41 .The system of claim 37, in which the plurality of processors are communicably

connected with a plurality of external servers utilizing the first input/output module.

42. The system of claim 37, in which the plurality of processors are communicably

connected with a plurality of external databases utilizing the first input/output module.