# US 9,039,535 B2 · Tool employing dynamic competition levels for improved performance

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 9,039,535 B2
- Document ID: US9039535B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/275,303
- Filed: 2011-10-17
- Published: 2013-04-18
- Granted: 2015-05-26
- Earliest claimed: 2011-10-17
- Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation
- Applicants: Gregory Jensen Boss; Michele Palladino Brignull; Rick Allen Hamilton, II; Brian Marshall O'Connell; Anne R. Sand
- Inventors: Gregory Jensen Boss; Michele Palladino Brignull; Rick Allen Hamilton, II; Brian Marshall O'Connell; Anne R. Sand
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9039535B2

## CPC

- A63F 9/24: Games using electronic circuits not otherwise provided for
- G06Q 10/06398: {Performance of employee with respect to a job function}
- A63F: CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- 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 dynamic competition tool varies the competition level that one or more competing users experience while working to reach a goal or objective. The dynamic competition tool receives performance information from each of a number of activity stations with which respective users may interact to achieve a goal. The dynamic competition tool commands a user interactive device within an activity station to vary the level of difficulty experienced by the user of the interactive device as that user progresses toward the goal.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method, comprising:
providing a plurality of activity stations to a plurality of users, wherein each user interacts with a respective activity station in pursuit of an end goal, wherein each activity station includes a client information handling system (IHS) and a display coupled thereto, thus providing a plurality of client IHSs;
receiving, by a dynamic competition management tool in a server IHS, end goal information that defines the end goal, the server IHS being coupled to the plurality of client IHSs via a communication network therebetween;
sensing, by each activity station, performance information of the respective user of the activity station in pursuit of the end goal, thus providing sensed performance information;
receiving, by the dynamic competition management tool, sensed performance information from each of the activity stations;
sending, by the dynamic competition management tool, a command to a user interactive device in a particular activity station to vary a level of difficulty that the user of the particular activity station experiences as the user of the particular activity station progresses toward the end goal;
receiving, by the dynamic competition management tool, intermediate goal information that defines an intermediate goal between a start point and the end goal, a path being defined between the start point and the intermediate goal;
receiving, by the dynamic competition management tool, sub-path information that defines a first sub-path between the intermediate goal and the end goal, the sub-path information further defining a second sub-path between the intermediate goal and the end goal;
determining, by the dynamic competition management tool, from the sensed performance information a particular user to first reach the intermediate goal on the path;
determining, by the dynamic competition management tool, from the sensed information relative positions of the other users on the path relative to the particular user;
sending, by the dynamic competition management tool, a command to display a position of the particular user reaching the intermediate goal relative to the other users.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, by the dynamic competition management tool, a selection of the particular user of one of the first sub-path and the second sub-path, thus designated a selected sub-path and an unselected sub-path.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, further comprising:
instructing, by the dynamic competition management tool, the user interactive device to exhibit a different level of difficulty to the particular user over the selected sub-path than the unselected sub-path.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, further comprising:
instructing, by the dynamic competition management tool, the activity stations to display a gate closed indicator at the intermediate goal to indicate for the selected sub-path, thus preventing other users from taking the selected sub-path such that the other users take the unselected sub-path.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, further comprising:
displaying, by the activity station, a course map indicating the relative positions of the users of the activity station as they progress from the start point over the path and sub-paths to the end goal.