IP Verse

Methodology For Equalizing Systemic Latencies In Television Reception In Connection With Games Of Skill Played In Connection With Live Television Programming

Patent No. US11678020 (titled "Methodology For Equalizing Systemic Latencies In Television Reception In Connection With Games Of Skill Played In Connection With Live Television Programming") was filed by Winview Ip Holdings Llc on Nov 19, 2021.

What is this patent about?

’020 is related to the field of distributed gaming, specifically addressing latency issues that arise when synchronizing games of skill with live or taped televised events. The background involves the increasing popularity of mobile devices for participating in such games, where fairness requires equalizing delays in television signal reception across different delivery systems (cable, satellite, over-the-air) and locations.

The underlying idea behind ’020 is to compensate for varying latencies in television signal reception to ensure a level playing field for all participants in a game of skill synchronized with a televised event. This is achieved by identifying and grouping participants based on their signal reception path and then adjusting the timing of game control data, such as lockout signals, to account for the measured delays.

The claims of ’020 focus on a method, device, and server for providing a game of skill or chance related to an event, comprising determining the location of a mobile device, providing the game based on that location, receiving input during the event, and triggering a lockout signal to prevent late responses. A key aspect is using a person physically at the event to determine when to trigger the lockout signal.

In practice, the invention involves several steps. First, the system determines how each participant receives their television signal (e.g., cable, satellite). Participants are then grouped into cohorts based on their reception method. The system then determines the amount of delay for each cohort, using methods like user questionnaires, GPS location, or automated audio/video sampling of the broadcast signal. Finally, the system equalizes the cohorts by adjusting the timing of the lockout signal or the entire game data stream.

’020 differentiates itself from prior approaches by actively measuring and compensating for latency differences, rather than simply ignoring them. The use of a person at the live event to trigger the lockout signal is a key differentiator, addressing the specific problem of delays introduced by broadcast networks. By grouping participants into cohorts and applying time-stamped adjustments to game control data, the invention ensures that all players have a fair and enjoyable experience, regardless of their location or television signal reception method.

How does this patent fit in bigger picture?

Technical landscape at the time

In the mid-2000s when ’020 was filed, television broadcasts were at a time when signals were typically delivered via over-the-air broadcasts, cable systems, or satellite systems. At this time, digital video recorders were increasingly common, but hardware or software constraints made real-time synchronization across different delivery methods non-trivial. Systems commonly relied on distinct physical infrastructure for each delivery method, rather than unified content distribution networks.

Novelty and Inventive Step

The claims were rejected in a non-final office action. Specifically, claims 39-81 were rejected for nonstatutory double patenting over several US patents. The rejection stated that the claims were not patentably distinct because they claimed a similar invention of sending a lockout signal. The prosecution record does not describe the technical reasoning or specific claim changes that led to allowance.

Claims

This patent contains 43 claims, with independent claims 1, 18, and 31. The independent claims are directed to a method, a device, and a server device, respectively, for providing a game of skill or chance or other entertainment related to an event, including determining a mobile device's location, providing the game based on location, receiving input, and triggering a lockout signal. The dependent claims generally elaborate on and refine the elements and features described in the independent claims.

Key Claim Terms New

Definitions of key terms used in the patent claims.

Term (Source)Support for SpecificationInterpretation
Game of skill or chance
(Claim 1, Claim 18, Claim 31)		“The present invention addresses three separate classes of latency issues for the length of time it takes a television signal to reach a viewer in producing real-time entertainment such as games of skill synchronized with television programming. There are specific challenges facing a service comprised of games or other entertainment played by remote participants utilizing cellular phones or the Internet, in connection with a live or taped telecast. Examples are live baseball, basketball and football games, taped game shows such as Wheel of Fortune™ and Jeopardy™ or other television programming such as predicting the winners of the Oscars.”A game played during an event, where input is received and a lockout signal is triggered.
Lockout signal
(Claim 1, Claim 18, Claim 31)		“One example is a game is based upon a football telecast, wherein competitors predict the play that the coaches and/or quarterback call prior to the snap of the ball. The competitor's prediction is based among other things on their observation of the down, distance and the offensive and defensive formations on the field and tendencies of the teams in these situations. Such a game utilizes a “lock out” signal, as described in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,592,546 to Fascenda, entitled “Game of Skill Playable by Remote Participants in Conjunction with a Live Event,” which is incorporated by reference herein, to prohibit the entry of predictions after the competitor sees the play begin to unfold, at the snap of the ball.”A signal that prevents users from submitting a response to the game.
Mobile device
(Claim 1, Claim 18, Claim 31)		“There are specific challenges facing a service comprised of games or other entertainment played by remote participants utilizing cellular phones or the Internet, in connection with a live or taped telecast. Utilizing software resident in the game control server, game control data for each set of viewers/competitors of the game in progress who are receiving their television picture through the same source are batched together by the game control server, and the appropriate delay is either time stamped on the game “lock out” signals, or is imposed on the entire data stream so that competitors receiving their television information slightly behind or ahead of others gain no material competitive advantage. Alternatively, this time equalization from cohort to cohort could, for example, involve artificially delaying the transmission of the game control data stream sent to all competitors cell phones or other mobile devices by the appropriate amount of seconds, to sufficiently minimize the advantage a player with a few more seconds of television based information would have.”A device whose location is determined and on which the game is played.
Physical attendance at the event
(Claim 1, Claim 18, Claim 31)		“In another methodology, employees of the game producer who are members of the subgroups which constitute the competitors/viewers, e.g. a subscriber to Comcast Cable in San Francisco, are utilized by the game service provider. These individuals would provide the current propagation delay information sent to the game server utilizing their identification of a recognizable event they observe on their television set, such as the initial snap of the ball.”A person present at the event who determines when to trigger the lockout signal.

Litigation Cases New

US Latest litigation cases involving this patent.

Case NumberFiling DateTitle
3:25-cv-01146Feb 10, 2025Winview Ip Holdings, Llc V. Fanduel, Inc.
3:25-cv-01143Feb 10, 2025Winview Ip Holdings, Llc V. Draftkings Inc.

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US11678020

WINVIEW IP HOLDINGS LLC
Application Number
US17531596
Filing Date
Nov 19, 2021
Status
Granted
Expiry Date
Apr 12, 2027
External Links
Slate, USPTO, Google Patents