# US 9,751,018 B2 · Computer-implemented methods and systems enabling fan participation in calling plays at sporting and other events > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,751,018 B2 - Document ID: US9751018B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/575,698 - Filed: 2014-12-18 - Published: 2015-06-25 - Granted: 2017-09-05 - Earliest claimed: 2013-12-19 - Assignees: Your Call, Inc. - Applicants: Your Call, Inc. - Inventors: George F. Colony; Julie H. Meringer; Susan D. Membrino; William Packard Colony - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9751018B2 ## CPC - A63F 13/812: Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball - A63F 13/2145: the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens - A63F 13/25: Output arrangements for video game devices - A63F 13/32: using local area network [LAN] connections - A63F 13/332: using wireless networks, e.g. cellular phone networks - A63F 13/335: using Internet - A63F 13/65: automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition - A63F 13/92: Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing - G06Q 50/34: Betting or bookmaking, e.g. Internet betting - G07F 17/3288: {Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking} - A63F 2011/0097: {Watching television being part of the game, e.g. using the television broadcasting of a sporting event} - A63F 2300/1075: using a touch screen - 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 - G07F: COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS (coin sorting G07D3/00; coin testing G07D5/00; {handling coins or paper currencies apart from payment activated apparatus G07D; payment architectures, schemes or protocols G06Q20/00}) ## Abstract A computerized method and system of facilitating state-based participation in calling plays in a football game thereby allowing fans to proactively participate in real-time in the game with players, referees and coaches. A computing device receives a user profile corresponding to a user registered to vote in a real-time football game. A sequence of states occurring in 100 seconds or less is initiated in response to a start of a play during the real-time football game. The sequence of states includes receiving a submission of a set of plays from a coach, sending the set of plays to a registered user, and receiving a vote from the registered user. A result of a real-time play based on the winning play is received and the coach is score updated by comparing the vote with the winning play and with the result of the real-time play. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computerized method of facilitating state-based participation in calling plays in a football game thereby allowing fans to proactively participate in real-time in the game with players, referees and coaches, the method comprising: receiving, by a computing device, a user profile, the user profile corresponding to a user registered to vote in a real-time football game, the user profile comprising a coach score; initiating, by the computing device, a sequence of states in response to a start of a play during the real-time football game, the sequence of states comprising: a poll creation state for a first time period, the poll creation state comprising receiving, by the computing device, a set of plays from a coach computing device at a time corresponding to a time prior to an execution of a play in the real-time football game, each of the set of plays being identical to a play selected by the coach; a notification state for a second time period, the notification state comprising sending, by the computing device, the set of plays to a registered user computing device in a format such that the sets of plays automatically displays on the registered user computing device; a fan voting state for a third time period, the fan voting state comprising receiving, by the computing device, a voted play from the registered user computing device, the voted play corresponding to one play from the set of plays; a notification state for a fourth time period, the notification state comprising sending, by the computing device, a winning play to the registered user computing device and the coach computing device, the winning play based on results of the fan voting state, such that a sum of the first time period, second time period, third time period, and fourth time period is equal to or less than 100 seconds; and a play in action state for a fifth time period, the play in action state comprising receiving, by the computing device, a result of a real-time play based on the winning play from at least one of a referee computing device and an administrator computing device; when the voted play is the winning play, assigning, by the computing device, points to the voted play based on: the voted play corresponding to the winning play, and a real-time score associated with the result of the real-time play; when the voted play is not the winning play, assigning, by the computing device, points to the voted play when the voted play is a more successful play than the winning play; updating, by the computing device, the coach score based on the points assigned to the voted play; and outputting, by the computing device, content to the registered user computing device related to the coach score. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The computerized method of claim 1, wherein each of the sequence of states terminates upon the start of a subsequent state. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the set of plays further comprises a coach override, the coach override comprising a winning play selected by the coach. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the poll creation state further comprises creating at least one of: a random set of plays, a set of plays based on prior game statistics, and a set of plays based on current game statistics, when the submitted set of plays comprises no plays. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the content comprises a winning play score, the winning play score corresponding to a number of times a play selected by the user, from the set of plays associated with the poll creation state, is the winning play. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The computerized method of claim 5, wherein the content further comprises at least one of a participation score and a scoring play score, the participation score corresponding to a number of plays where the user submits a vote, the scoring play score corresponding to a number of times a play selected by the user results in a team associated with the voting scoring a goal or preventing the scoring of a goal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the content comprises at least one of voting information, challenges, and education information, the voting information comprising a record corresponding to how a user earned the coach score, the challenges comprising comparing the coach score with coach scores corresponding to other user profiles, the education information comprising at least one of information and an activity to improve the coach score. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The computerized method of claim 1, further comprising sending, by the computing device, state information to the referee computing device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The computerized method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the computing device, a duration of at least one of the first time period, second time period, third time period and fourth time period from the referee computing device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The computerized method of claim 1, further comprising outputting, by the computing device, live game information to at least one of the registered user computing device, the coach computing device, and the referee computing device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the sum of the time periods ranges from 30 seconds to 60 seconds. ### Claim 12 A system for facilitating state-based participation in calling plays in a football game thereby allowing fans to proactively participate in real-time in the game with players, referees and coaches, the system comprising memory containing instructions for execution by a processor, the processor configured to: receive a user profile, the user profile corresponding to a user registered to vote in a real-time football game, the user profile comprising a coach score; initiate, a sequence of states in response to a start of a play during the real-time football game, the sequence of states comprising: a poll creation state for a first time period, the poll creation state comprising receiving, by the computing device, a set of plays from a coach computing device at a time corresponding to a time prior to an execution of a play in the real-time football game, each of the set of plays being identical to a play selected by the coach; a notification state for a second time period, the notification state comprising sending, by the computing device, the set of plays to a registered user computing device in a format such that the sets of plays automatically displays on the registered user computing device; a fan voting state for a third time period, the fan voting state comprising receiving, by the computing device, a voted play from the registered user computing device, the voted play corresponding to one play from the set of plays; a notification state for a fourth time period, wherein the processor is further configured to send a winning play to the registered user computing device and the coach computing device, the winning play based on results of the fan voting state, such that a sum of the first time period, second time period, third time period, and fourth time period is equal to or less than 100 seconds; and a play in action state for a fifth time period, wherein the processor is further configured to receive a result of a real-time play based on the winning play from at least one of a referee computing device and an administrator computing device; when the voted play is the winning play, assign points to the voted play based on: the voted play corresponding to the winning play, and a real-time score associated with the result of the real-time play; when the voted play is not the winning play, assign points to the voted play when the voted play is a more successful play than the winning play; update the coach score based on the points assigned to the voted play; and output content to the registered user computing device related to the coach score. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein each of the sequence of states terminates upon the start of a subsequent state. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the set of plays further comprises a coach override, the coach override comprising a winning play selected by the coach. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein for the poll creation state the processor is further configured to create at least one of: a random set of plays, a set of plays based on prior game statistics, and a set of plays based on current game statistics, when the submitted set of plays comprises no plays. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the content comprises a winning play score, the winning play score corresponding to a number of times a play selected by the user, from the set of plays associated with the poll creation state, is the winning play. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein the content further comprises at least one of a participation score and a scoring play score, the participation score corresponding to a number of plays where the user submits a vote, the scoring play score corresponding to a number of times a play selected by the user results in a team associated with the voting scoring a goal or preventing the scoring of a goal. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the content comprises at least one of voting information, challenges, and education information, the voting information comprising a record corresponding to how a user earned the coach score, the challenges comprising comparing the coach score with coach scores corresponding to other user profiles, the education information comprising at least one of information and an activity to improve the coach score. ### Claim 19 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to send state information to the referee device. ### Claim 20 (depends on 12) The computerized method of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to receive a duration of at least one of the first time period, second time period, third time period and fourth time period from the referee computing device.