# US 7,610,220 B2 · Systems and methods for contingency-based options and futures for playoff tickets based upon individual athletes > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,610,220 B2 - Document ID: US7610220B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/875,473 - Filed: 2007-10-19 - Published: 2008-04-24 - Granted: 2009-10-27 - Earliest claimed: 1999-06-03 - Assignees: The Ticket RESERVE, Inc. - Inventors: Charles H. Cella; Edward J. Kelly; Matthew P. Vincent - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7610220B2 ## CPC - G06Q 10/02: Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events - G06Q 30/0601: Electronic shopping [e-shopping] - G06Q 30/0607: {Regulating the sale of restricted items, e.g. alcohol} - G06Q 30/0611: {Request for offers or quotes} - G06Q 30/0641: {utilising user interfaces specially adapted for shopping} - G06Q 40/04: Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract A system for allowing a remote user to purchase, over a distributed computer network (e.g., the Internet), an option for a ticket and/or accommodations for a “contingent event,”i.e., an event which is certain to occur but for which the participants, content and/or location(s) are not predetermined. For instance, the subject system can be used to sell options for the purchase of tickets to contingent events such as playoff games on the basis of what individuals qualify for the game. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of electronic commerce, comprising: identifying, from a database, a plurality of individual athletes who could qualify for a playoff game; providing, in a register, a plurality of tickets for said playoff game; establishing a network-based on-line system for sale of futures contracts to acquire said tickets for said playoff game, wherein each futures contract is exercisable upon occurrence of a designated one of said plurality of individual athletes qualifying for said playoff game, wherein each of said plurality of individual athletes could qualify for said playoff game yet which of said plurality of individual athletes is to appear at said playoff game is unknown at the sale of said futures contract; offering, via a buyer device, said futures contracts for sale for each of said tickets for each of said plurality of individual athletes that could, at the time of the offer for sale, qualify to appear at said playoff game; and triggering, in an order processing module of the network-based on-line system, the exercisability of said futures contracts associated with each of said individual athletes that qualify for said playoff game. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said playoff game is a participant-game. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein said participant-game is a team-round-game. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said futures contracts is tradable, via the network-based on-line system, prior to one of said plurality of individual athletes qualifying for said playoff game. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said futures contracts is tradable for a different futures contract. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said futures contracts is tradable for a payment. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said futures contracts further comprises an option for a travel accommodation associated with said playoff game. ### Claim 8 A computer program product embodied in a computer readable medium that, when executing on one or more computing devices, performs the steps of: identifying a plurality of individual athletes who could qualify for a playoff game; providing a plurality of tickets for said playoff game; establishing a network-based on-line system for sale of futures contracts to acquire said tickets for said playoff game, wherein each futures contract is exercisable upon occurrence of a designated one of said plurality of individual athletes qualifying for said playoff game, wherein each of said plurality of individual athletes could qualify for said playoff game yet which of said plurality of individual athletes is to appear at said playoff game is unknown at the sale of said futures contract; offering said futures contracts for sale for each of said tickets for each of said plurality of individual athletes that could, at the time of the offer for sale, qualify to appear at said playoff game; and triggering the exercisability of said futures contracts associated with each of said individual athletes that qualify for said playoff game. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The computer program product of claim 8, wherein said playoff game is a participant-game. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The computer program product of claim 9, wherein said participant-game is a team-round-game. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The computer program product of claim 8, wherein at least one of said futures contracts is tradable prior to one of said plurality of individual athletes qualifying for said playoff game. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The computer program product of claim 8, wherein at least one of said futures contracts is tradable for a different futures contract. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The computer program product of claim 8, wherein at least one of said futures contracts is tradable for a payment. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The computer program product of claim 8, wherein at least one of said futures contracts further comprises an option for a travel accommodation associated with said playoff game. ### Claim 15 A system for allowing a user to bid on an option to purchase a ticket to a playoff game for which a plurality of individual athletes could qualify to participate but have not qualified for said playoff game, comprising: a database having stored therein an option record having an individual athlete field representative of one of said plurality of individual athletes being a candidate for participation in said playoff game, an event field representative of said playoff game, and a value field representative of a value of a minimum winning bid to purchase an option, the option being an option to purchase a ticket for said playoff game on occurrence of a specified individual athlete qualifying to participate in said playoff game; a server, in connection with said database, processing a bid representative of a request to purchase the option, and processing said bid and said option record to allocate an option contract to a winning bid; and an order processing module to exercise the option associated with a selected individual athlete in response to said selected individual athlete qualifying for said playoff game. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein said playoff game is a participant-game. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein said participant-game is a team-round-game. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the option is tradable prior to one of said plurality of individual athletes qualifying for said playoff game. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the option is tradable for a different option. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the option further comprises an option to purchase a travel accommodation associated with said playoff game.