Computer-implemented methods and systems enabling fan participation in calling plays at sporting and other events

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. A computing device receives a user profile corresponding to a user registered to vote in a real-time football game. A sequence of states is initiated in response to start of a play during the real-time football game. The sequence of states includes receiving a set of plays from a coach, sending the set of plays to a user, and receiving a vote from the user. A result of a real-time play based on the winning play is received and the coach is score updated. The computerized method and system is not limited to football, and may also be applied to other live events such as soccer, baseball, golf, hockey, basketball, movie screenings, game shows, award shows, sales meetings, political events, and business conferences.

1 . A computerized method of facilitating state-based participation in a live event thereby allowing fans to proactively participate in real-time in the event, the method comprising:
 initiating, by a computing device, a sequence of states in response to a start of an activity during a real-time event, 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 options associated with the activity from a coordinator computing device at a time corresponding to a time prior to an execution of the activity in the real-time event; 
 a notification state for a second time period, the notification state comprising sending, by the computing device, the set of options to a registered user computing device in a format such that the sets of options 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 option from the registered user computing device, the voted option corresponding to one option from the set of options; 
 a notification state for a fourth time period, the notification state comprising sending, by the computing device, a winning option to the registered user computing device and the coordinator computing device, the winning option based on a result of the fan voting state; and 
 an activity in action state for a fifth time period, the activity in action state comprising receiving, by the computing device, a result of a real-time activity based on the winning option from an administrator computing device; 
   when the voted option is the winning option, assigning, by the computing device, points to the voted option based on:
 the voted option corresponding to the winning option, and 
 a real-time score associated with the result of the real-time activity; 
   when the voted option is not the winning option, assigning, by the computing device, points to the voted option when the voted option is a more successful option than the winning option.   
     
     
         2 . The computerized method of  claim 1 , wherein each of the sequence of states terminates upon the start of a subsequent state. 
     
     
         3 . The computerized method of  claim 1 , wherein the set of options further comprises an option override, the option override comprising a winning option received from the coordinator computing device. 
     
     
         4 . The computerized method of  claim 1 , wherein the poll creation state further comprises creating at least one of:
 a random set of options,   a set of options based on prior activity statistics, and   a set of options based on current activity statistics,   when the set of options comprises no options.   
     
     
         5 . The computerized method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the computing device, a user profile, the user profile corresponding to a user registered to vote in the real-time event, the user profile comprising a user vote performance score;   updating, by the computing device, the user vote performance score by comparing the vote with the winning option and with the result of the real-time activity; and   outputting, by the computing device, content to the registered user computing device related to the user vote performance score.   
     
     
         6 . The computerized method of  claim 5 , wherein the content comprises a winning option score, the winning option score corresponding to a number of times an option selected by the user, from the set of options associated with the poll creation state, is the winning option. 
     
     
         7 . The computerized method of  claim 5 , 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 user vote performance score, the challenges comprising comparing the coach user vote performance score with user vote performance scores corresponding to other user profiles, the education information comprising at least one of information and an activity to improve the user vote performance score. 
     
     
         8 . 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 administrator computing device. 
     
     
         9 . The computerized method of  claim 1 , wherein the sum of the time periods ranges from 30 seconds to 60 seconds. 
     
     
         10 . The computerized method of  claim 1 , wherein the real-time event comprises at least one of a sporting event, a movie screening, a game show, an award show, a sales meeting, a political event, and a business conference. 
     
     
         11 . A computing device for facilitating state-based participation in a live event thereby allowing fans to proactively participate in real-time in the event, the computing device comprising memory containing instructions for execution by a processor, the processor configured to:
 initiate a sequence of states in response to a start of an activity during a real-time event, 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 options associated with the activity from a coordinator computing device at a time corresponding to a time prior to an execution of the activity in the real-time event; 
 a notification state for a second time period, the notification state comprising sending, by the computing device, the set of options to a registered user computing device in a format such that the sets of options 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 option from the registered user computing device, the voted option corresponding to one option from the set of options; 
 a notification state for a fourth time period, the notification state comprising sending, by the computing device, a winning option to the registered user computing device and the coordinator computing device, the winning option based on a result of the fan voting state; and 
 an activity in action state for a fifth time period, the activity in action state comprising receiving, by the computing device, a result of a real-time activity based on the winning option from an administrator computing device; 
   when the voted option is the winning option, assigning, by the computing device, points to the voted option based on:
 the voted option corresponding to the winning option, and 
 a real-time score associated with the result of the real-time activity; 
   when the voted option is not the winning option, assigning, by the computing device, points to the voted option when the voted option is a more successful option than the winning option.   
     
     
         12 . The computing device of  claim 11 , wherein each of the sequence of states terminates upon the start of a subsequent state. 
     
     
         13 . The computing device of  claim 11 , wherein the set of options further comprises an option override, the option override comprising a winning option received from the coordinator computing device. 
     
     
         14 . The computing device of  claim 11 , wherein the poll creation state further comprises creating at least one of:
 a random set of options,   a set of options based on prior activity statistics, and   a set of options based on current activity statistics,   when the set of options comprises no options.   
     
     
         15 . The computing device of  claim 11 , wherein the processor is further caused to:
 receive a user profile, the user profile corresponding to a user registered to vote in the real-time event, the user profile comprising a user vote performance score;   update the user vote performance score by comparing the vote with the winning option and with the result of the real-time activity; and   output content to the registered user computing device related to the user vote performance score.   
     
     
         16 . The computing device of  claim 15 , wherein the content comprises a winning option score, the winning option score corresponding to a number of times an option selected by the user, from the set of options associated with the poll creation state, is the winning option. 
     
     
         17 . The computing device of  claim 15 , 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 user vote performance score, the challenges comprising comparing the coach user vote performance score with user vote performance scores corresponding to other user profiles, the education information comprising at least one of information and an activity to improve the user vote performance score. 
     
     
         18 . The computing device of  claim 11 , 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 administrator computing device. 
     
     
         19 . The computing device of  claim 11 , wherein the sum of the time periods ranges from 30 seconds to 60 seconds. 
     
     
         20 . The computing device of  claim 11 , wherein the real-time event comprises at least one of a sporting event, a movie screening, a game show, an award show, a sales meeting, a political event, and a business conference.