U.S. patent application number 11/945489 was filed with the patent office on 2009-05-28 for collaborative virtual coaching.
Invention is credited to James Carlton Bedingfield, SR., Jeffrey Cassanova, David DeLorme.
Application Number | 20090137298 11/945489 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40670186 |
Filed Date | 2009-05-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090137298 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bedingfield, SR.; James Carlton ;
et al. |
May 28, 2009 |
Collaborative Virtual Coaching
Abstract
Methods, systems, and computer-readable media provide
opportunities for non-participants of an event to participate in
the event as virtual event participants. According to various
embodiments, virtual event participants are provided with available
actions for the actual event participants that may be chosen by the
virtual event participants. The results are analyzed and an action
is selected and presented to an actual event participant or
directly implemented. Success data corresponding to the selections
of the virtual event participants is tracked and may be used during
subsequent participation opportunities to select virtual event
participants and to weigh selections by the virtual event
participants.
Inventors: |
Bedingfield, SR.; James
Carlton; (Lilburn, GA) ; Cassanova; Jeffrey;
(Villa Rica, GA) ; DeLorme; David; (Stone
Mountain, GA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HOPE BALDAUFF HARTMAN, LLC
1720 PEACHTREE STREET, N.W, SUITE 1010
ATLANTA
GA
30309
US
|
Family ID: |
40670186 |
Appl. No.: |
11/945489 |
Filed: |
November 27, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
463/9 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 10/10 20130101;
G06Q 30/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
463/9 |
International
Class: |
A63F 9/24 20060101
A63F009/24 |
Claims
1. A method for providing real-time directive input to an actual
event participant during an event, comprising: receiving a first
plurality of action votes from a plurality of virtual event
participants, the first plurality of action votes each
corresponding to one of a plurality of available actions; selecting
a first action for the actual event participant from the first
plurality of action votes; inducing the actual event participant to
perform the first action; determining a success indicator
corresponding to the first action; determining a plurality of
ratings for the plurality of virtual event participants, the
plurality of ratings corresponding to the first plurality of action
votes, the first action, and the success indicator corresponding to
the first action; receiving a second plurality of action votes from
the plurality of virtual event participants; selecting a second
action for the actual event participant from the second plurality
of action votes according to the plurality of ratings; and inducing
the actual event participant to perform the second action.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: identifying a
plurality of virtual participant opportunities for the event;
identifying the plurality of virtual event participants; and
presenting the plurality of available actions to each virtual event
participant for each virtual participant opportunity, wherein the
first plurality of action votes corresponds to a first virtual
participant opportunity and the second plurality of action votes
corresponds to a second virtual participant opportunity.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying the plurality of
virtual participant opportunities comprises receiving the plurality
of virtual participant opportunities from a primary coach of the
actual event participant.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying the plurality of
virtual event participants comprises determining the virtual event
participants from an event rule or from a primary coach of the
actual event participant.
5. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying the plurality of
virtual event participants comprises determining the virtual event
participants according to subscription information.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the success indicator
corresponding to the first action comprises receiving the success
indicator from a primary coach of the event.
7. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable
instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer,
cause the computer to: receive a first plurality of action votes
from a plurality of virtual event participants, the first plurality
of action votes each corresponding to one of a plurality of
available actions; select a first action for an actual event
participant from the first plurality of action votes; induce the
actual event participant to perform the first action; determine a
success indicator corresponding to the first action; determine a
plurality of ratings for the plurality of virtual event
participants, the plurality of ratings corresponding to the first
plurality of action votes, the first action, and the success
indicator corresponding to the first action; receive a second
plurality of action votes from the plurality of virtual event
participants; select a second action for the actual event
participant from the second plurality of action votes according to
the plurality of ratings; and induce the actual event participant
to perform the second action.
8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, further comprising
computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when
executed by a computer, cause the computer to: identify a plurality
of virtual participant opportunities for an event; identify the
plurality of virtual event participants; and present the plurality
of available actions to each virtual event participant for each
virtual participant opportunity, wherein the first plurality of
action votes corresponds to a first virtual participant opportunity
and the second plurality of action votes corresponds to a second
virtual participant opportunity.
9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the plurality
of virtual participant opportunities varies for different virtual
event participants according to subscription information associated
with each virtual event participant.
10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein causing the
computer to identify the plurality of virtual participant
opportunities comprises causing the computer to determine the
plurality of virtual participant opportunities from an event
rule.
11. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein causing the
computer to select the first action for the actual event
participant from the first plurality of action votes comprises
causing the computer to determine a quantity of action votes
received for each available action and identifying one available
action receiving a largest quantity of action selections as the
first action.
12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein causing the
computer to select the second action for the actual event
participant from the second plurality of action votes according to
the plurality of ratings comprises causing the computer to
determine a quantity of action votes received from a subset of the
plurality of virtual event participants for each available action
and identifying one available action receiving a largest quantity
of action selections as the second action, wherein the subset of
the plurality of virtual event participants comprises a plurality
of virtual event participants possessing a rating superior to a
threshold rating.
13. A system for providing real-time directive input to an actual
event participant during an event, comprising: a memory for storing
a program containing code for providing real-time directive input
to the actual event participant; and a processor functionally
coupled to the memory, the processor being responsive to
computer-executable instructions contained in the program and
operative to: receive a first plurality of action votes from a
plurality of virtual event participants, the first plurality of
action votes each corresponding to one of a plurality of available
actions, select a first action for the actual event participant
from the first plurality of action votes, induce the actual event
participant to perform the first action, determine a success
indicator corresponding to the first action, determine a plurality
of ratings for the plurality of virtual event participants, the
plurality of ratings corresponding to the first plurality of action
votes, the first action, and the success indicator corresponding to
the first action, receive a second plurality of action votes from
the plurality of virtual event participants, select a second action
for the actual event participant from the second plurality of
action votes according to the plurality of ratings, and induce the
actual event participant to perform the second action.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further
operative to: identify a plurality of virtual participant
opportunities for the event; identify the plurality of virtual
event participants; and present the plurality of available actions
to each virtual event participant for each virtual participant
opportunity, wherein the first plurality of action votes
corresponds to a first virtual participant opportunity and the
second plurality of action votes corresponds to a second virtual
participant opportunity.
15. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor being operative
to present the plurality of available actions to each virtual event
participant comprises the processor being operative to provide a
user interface to each of the plurality of virtual event
participants, each user interface comprising the plurality of
available actions and configured to receive an action vote
corresponding to a selection of an available action via an input
device associated with each virtual event participant.
16. The system of claim 15, wherein the input device comprises one
of a video game controller, a remote control, and a mouse.
17. The system of claim 13, further comprising: receiving a request
from a primary coach or an actual event participant for the first
plurality of action votes from the plurality of virtual event
participants; in response to the request, providing the plurality
of virtual event participants with the plurality of available
actions.
18. The system of claim 13, further the processor is further
operative to: receive a request from a primary coach for the first
plurality of action votes from a subset of the plurality of virtual
event participants, wherein each virtual event participant of the
subset shares a common characteristic; and identify the subset of
the plurality of virtual event participants, wherein causing the
computer to select the first action for the actual event
participant from the first plurality of action votes comprises
causing the computer to select the first action from the first
plurality of action votes corresponding to the subset of the
plurality of virtual event participants.
19. The system of claim 13, wherein causing the computer to induce
the actual event participant to perform the first action comprises
causing the computer to present the first action to a primary coach
of the actual event participant with instructions to implement the
first action.
20. The system of claim 13, wherein causing the computer to induce
the actual event participant to perform the first action comprises
causing the computer to provide control signals to the actual event
participant to execute the first action.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] This application relates generally to the field of
communications and control. More specifically, the disclosure
provided herein relates to providing event control opportunities to
non-participants of the event.
[0002] Many entertainment and other events are configured to
include participants and non-participants. The participants, either
individually or as teams, perform any number and types of actions
in furtherance of the event, while the non-participants are limited
to observation and commentary. For example, most sporting events
include players, one or more coaches, and observers. The players
play the sport with input from the coaches, while the observers sit
and watch or listen to the action in person or from a remote
location. The observers, with or without adequate skills or
knowledge of the game, often have strong opinions as to how the
game should proceed given the current circumstances. However,
unless the observer is a member of an organization participating in
the event, the observer is prevented from participating and
restricted to watching or listening to the event.
SUMMARY
[0003] It should be appreciated that this Summary is provided to
introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are
further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary
is not intended to identify key features or essential features of
the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit
the scope of the claimed subject matter.
[0004] Methods, systems, and computer-readable media are provided
herein for providing opportunities for non-participants of an event
to participate as virtual event participants. According to
embodiments described herein, a number of virtual event
participants submit action votes corresponding to the actions that
they would like for the actual event participants to perform. The
action votes are selected from a group of available actions
presented to them. From the group of action votes submitted by the
virtual event participants, an action is selected. One or more
actual event participants are then induced to perform the
action.
[0005] After the action has been executed, the success of the
action is determined and used to determine a rating for each of the
virtual event participants. A second group of action votes is
received from the virtual event participants and a second action
for the actual event participants is then selected. In selecting
the action, the action votes and the ratings associated with each
virtual event participant are analyzed. After selecting the action,
at least one actual event participant is induced to execute the
selected action.
[0006] Other apparatus, systems, methods, and/or computer program
products according to embodiments will be or become apparent to one
with skill in the art upon review of the following drawings and
Detailed Description. It is intended that all such additional
apparatus, systems, methods, and/or computer program products be
included within this description, be within the scope of the
present invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing elements of a virtual
coaching system according to various embodiments presented
herein;
[0008] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for providing
opportunities for non-participants of an event to participate in
the event as virtual coaches according to various embodiments
presented herein;
[0009] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for
identifying virtual coaching opportunities according to various
embodiments presented herein;
[0010] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for
identifying virtual coaches according to various embodiments
presented herein; and
[0011] FIG. 5 is a computer architecture diagram showing a computer
architecture suitable for implementing the various computer systems
described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] The following detailed description is directed to methods,
systems, and computer-readable media for providing opportunities
for non-participants of an event to participate in the event as
virtual coaches. While the subject matter described herein is
presented in the general context of program modules that execute in
conjunction with the execution of an operating system and
application programs on a computer system, those skilled in the art
will recognize that other implementations may be performed in
combination with other types of program modules.
[0013] Generally, program modules include routines, programs,
components, data structures, and other types of structures that
perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data
types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the
subject matter described herein may be practiced with other
computer system configurations, including hand-held devices,
multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable
consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the
like.
[0014] The subject matter described herein may be practiced in a
distributed computing environment where tasks are performed by
remote processing devices that are linked through a communications
network and wherein program modules may be located in both local
and remote memory storage devices. It should be appreciated,
however, that the implementations described herein may also be
utilized in conjunction with stand-alone computer systems and other
types of computing devices.
[0015] As discussed briefly above, most people associated with an
event may be classified as either a participant or a
non-participant, or observer. Examples include sporting events
where fans watch players and coaches participate in the game,
concerts and musical venues where audiences watch performances,
game shows where audiences watch contestants play the game, and
even business and government meetings where employees and citizens
watch leaders shape policy and procedure. In each of these
scenarios and others, the non-participants may be watching or
listening to the event at the venue in which the event is taking
place, or at home or other remote location via television or other
video or audio source.
[0016] Embodiments of the disclosure described herein allow for the
traditional non-participants to participate in the event in some
limited and collaborative manner. Throughout this disclosure,
embodiments will be described in the context of a football game or
other sporting event. However, it should be appreciated that the
embodiments described herein are equally applicable to any
situation in which it may be desirable for observers of an event to
be able to provide actionable input to induce the participants of
the event to take some type of action. Throughout this disclosure,
the persons traditionally limited to observing the event that, when
utilizing the embodiments described herein, are able to provide
actionable input to induce participants of the event to perform an
action are referred to as virtual coaches or virtual event
participants. These virtual event participants may be considered
secondary coaches, while a decision-making participant at the
event, such as a traditional coach of a sports team, may be
considered the primary coach. Also throughout this disclosure, an
"event" may be any gathering of participants in which the
participants are performing actions. As mentioned above, events
include but are not limited to, sporting events, concerts, game
shows, conferences, business meetings, government meetings, and any
other gatherings for the purpose of entertainment, transacting
business, or providing instructions or education.
[0017] In the following detailed description, references are made
to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and which are
shown by way of illustration specific embodiments or examples.
Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals represent
like elements through the several figures, aspects of a virtual
coaching system will be described. FIG. 1 shows various elements of
a virtual coaching system 100 according to embodiments described
herein. The virtual coaching system 100 includes virtual coaches
102, input devices 104, a virtual coach server 106, a virtual coach
database 110, an event terminal 120, a primary coach 122, an event
venue 124, and actual event participants 126.
[0018] The virtual coaches 102 may include any number of virtual
coaches 102A-102N. As will be described in detail below, the
virtual coaches 102 utilize the input devices 104 to transmit
suggested actions to an event terminal 120 utilized by the primary
coach 122 and/or the actual event participants 126 participating in
the event at the event venue 124. The input devices 104 may include
any device capable of receiving input from the virtual coach 102
and transmitting the input via wireless or wired means to the event
terminal 120 via a network 128. FIG. 1 illustrates various input
devices 104A-104N. The input devices 104A, 104B, 104C, and 104N are
shown to be a cellular telephone, a television, a push-button input
device at the event venue, and a computer, respectively.
[0019] It should be appreciated that any number and type of input
devices may be utilized. Other examples of input devices 104 not
shown in FIG. 1 include, but are not limited to, wired and wireless
telephones, remote control input devices, game controllers and
consoles, and any other devices capable of receiving mechanical,
electrical, and/or audio input from a virtual coach 102 and
transmitting associated input over the network 128. According to
various embodiments, the virtual coaches 102 may be watching or
listening to the event from a remote location or from the event
venue 124. For example, the virtual coaches 102A, 102B, and 102N
may be monitoring the event from home or other remote location
while the virtual coach 102C may be watching the event live from
the event venue 124.
[0020] According to the virtual coaching system 100 shown in FIG.
1, the virtual coaches 102 are able to provide suggested actions
for the actual event participants 126 via the virtual coach server
106 connected to the network 128. A virtual coach engine 108
resides on the virtual coach server 106 and includes software
and/or hardware that is operative to process and communicate
virtual coach identities, opportunities, and suggested participant
actions between the virtual coaches 102 and the primary coach 122
and/or actual event participants 126 in the various manners
described below. While the virtual coach engine 108 is shown to be
executing on the virtual coach server 106, the virtual coach engine
108 may alternatively execute on the event terminal 120 and/or in
combination with corresponding virtual coach applications executing
on the input devices 104.
[0021] The virtual coach server 106 is communicatively linked to
the virtual coach database 110 via a direct or remote connection.
The virtual coach database 110 is used to store event rules 112,
event data 114, virtual coach profiles 116, and virtual coach
ratings 118. Alternatively, the event rules 112, event data 114,
virtual coach profiles 116, and virtual coach ratings 118 may be
stored within memory or other mass storage device located within or
locally or remotely connected to the virtual coach server 106.
According to various embodiments, the event rules 112 provide the
virtual coach engine 108 with instructions corresponding to the
selection of virtual coaches 102 for participation in an event, for
the selection and publication of virtual coaching opportunities,
and for the selection of suggested actions for presentation to the
primary coach 122 and/or actual event participants 126. Details as
to the use of the event rules 112 by the virtual coach engine 108
will be provided below with respect to FIGS. 2-4.
[0022] According to various embodiments described herein, the event
data 114 may include any type and quantity of information about a
targeted event taking place at the event venue 124 that can used by
the virtual coach engine 108 to select the appropriate event rules
112 or otherwise operate in the various manners disclosed herein.
As an example, the event data 114 may define the event as a
football game between team X and team Y, with team X having the
corresponding primary coach 122. By utilizing this event data 114
that identifies the parameters of the event, the virtual coach
engine 108 is able to select the appropriate event rules 112 used
to identify the appropriate virtual coaches 102, to identify the
corresponding virtual coaching opportunities, and to create and
update virtual coach ratings 118 corresponding to the virtual
coaches 102, as described in greater detail below. The suggested
actions, or action votes, submitted by the virtual coaches 102 may
also be stored by the virtual coach engine 108 as event data 114 to
be utilized in selecting an action for the actual event
participants 126 and updating virtual coach ratings 118.
[0023] The virtual coach profiles 116 contain information
corresponding to the virtual coaches 102. According to one
embodiment, in order to participate in an event as a virtual coach
102, each virtual coach must subscribe to the virtual coaching
system 100. Various subscription levels may be utilized to allow
for varying types and quantities of authorized participation
according to corresponding price points or other tangible or
intangible benefits. The subscription information corresponding to
each virtual coach 102 may be stored within the virtual coach
profiles 116 in the virtual coach database 110. As an example of
the various subscription levels, a basic subscription may allow a
virtual coach 102 to provide a "vote" or similar input to the
primary coach 122 corresponding to an overall strategy that should
be utilized such as "aggressive" or "conservative" play calling.
The primary coach 122 may optionally utilize the input from one or
more virtual coaches 102 participating under the basic
subscription.
[0024] In contrast, a premium subscription may allow a virtual
coach 102 to provide input corresponding to a specific play
selection to be implemented in real time at that moment in the
game. When the primary coach 122 receives input from one or more
virtual coaches 102 participating under the premium subscription,
the primary coach 122 may be required to implement the suggested
action selected by the majority of the virtual coaches 102
participating under the premium subscription. Various embodiments
may require a virtual coach 102 to log in to the virtual coaching
system 100. It should be appreciated that a subscription or access
to the virtual coaching system 100 may be associated with a
particular user or a particular input device 104. For example, a
subscriber may wish to be the exclusive user under a single
subscription to ensure accurate tracking of statistics for that
user during the event or season of events. Alternatively, a
particular input device 104 or group of input devices 104 may share
a subscription so that data and statistics are kept for the device
or group of devices rather than a single user. For example, a
family may share a subscription that tracks data and statistics for
all input from a television so that members of the family may
individually or collectively participate as virtual coaches using a
single device. Similarly, a sports bar may have one or more
subscriptions so that virtual coach data and statistics are kept
for the location rather than the specific users. As will become
apparent from the embodiments described below, the virtual coaching
system 100 may allow for suggested actions from the virtual coaches
102 to be implemented by the primary coach 122 and/or the actual
event participants 126 in any number of ways according to the event
rules 112, virtual coaching subscriptions, and virtual coach
ratings 118.
[0025] The virtual coach ratings 118 are indicators corresponding
to the historical success of the virtual coaches 102. Virtual coach
ratings 118 are created by the virtual coach engine 108 once the
virtual coach 102 has submitted his or her first suggested action
for the actual event participants 126. As will be described below,
after the actual event participants 126 perform an action that was
influenced by one or more virtual coaches 102, then the virtual
coach ratings 118 corresponding to the participating virtual
coaches 102 are updated and utilized by the virtual coach engine
108 and/or the primary coach 122 in selecting a subsequent action
for the actual event participants 126.
[0026] According to one embodiment of the disclosure presented
herein, each virtual coach 102 will have an assigned virtual coach
rating 118. The virtual coach rating 118 may be a number that
corresponds to a numerical rating scale that is similar to grading
scales used by many teachers. For example, a virtual coach rating
118 equal to a "95" on a 100 point scale may indicate a higher
rating than a virtual coach rating 118 equal to a "67." Therefore,
the virtual coach 102A with a "95" virtual coach rating 118 has
been more successful than the virtual coach 102B having a "67"
virtual coach rating 118.
[0027] It should be appreciated that any type of rating system may
be utilized within the scope of the present disclosure to rate the
virtual coaches 102. For example, the virtual coach ratings 118 may
be as simple as a "thumbs up" indicator representing success with
recent suggested actions or a "thumbs down" indicator representing
a lack of recent success. The virtual coach ratings 118 may
alternatively be based on a star system that assigns five stars to
the most successful virtual coaches 102 and zero stars to the least
successful virtual coaches 102.
[0028] The virtual coach ratings 118 may indicate the success of
each virtual coach 102 without regard to other virtual coaches 102.
Alternatively, the virtual coach ratings 118 may indicate the
success of each virtual coach 102 as compared to the other
participating virtual coaches 102, such as a ranking system. In
this embodiment in which the virtual coaches 102 are ranked with
respect to one another, the virtual coach engine 108 may utilize an
algorithm and any amount of corresponding criteria to create the
virtual coach ratings 118, or rankings. For example, assume that
each action suggested by a virtual coach 102 is similar to a vote.
The virtual coach engine 108 may give the vote from virtual coach
102A more weight than the vote from the virtual coach 102B if the
virtual coach 102A has a greater number of past successful votes, a
greater percentage of past successful votes, a higher participation
frequency, a targeted geographic location, and/or any combination
thereof as compared to the same criteria with respect to the
virtual coach 102B. It should be recognized that any criteria may
be used for determining how to select an action or series of
actions for the actual event participants 126 from the suggested
actions submitted by the virtual coaches 102. Further examples will
be discussed below.
[0029] It should be understood that the various elements of the
virtual coaching system 100 may communicate with one another via a
network 128. The network 128 may include a wireless network such
as, but not limited to, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) such
as a WI-FI network, a Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN), a Wireless
Personal Area Network (WPAN) such as BLUETOOTH, a Wireless
Metropolitan Area Network (WMAN) such a WiMAX network, a cellular
network, or a satellite network. The network 128 may also be a
wired network such as, but not limited to, a wired Wide Area
Network (WAN), a wired Local Area Network (LAN) such as the
Ethernet, a wired Personal Area Network (PAN), or a wired
Metropolitan Area Network (MAN). The network 128 may also include
the Internet such that the network communications occur via
wireless or wired connections to the Internet.
[0030] Turning now to FIG. 2, an illustrative routine 200 will be
described for providing opportunities for non-participants of an
event to participate in the event as virtual coaches 102 according
to various embodiments presented herein. The routine 200 will be
described with respect to the virtual coaching system 100 shown in
FIG. 1. It should be appreciated that the logical operations
described herein are implemented (1) as a sequence of computer
implemented acts or program modules running on the virtual coach
server 106 and/or (2) as interconnected machine logic circuits or
circuit modules within the virtual coach server 106. The
implementation is a matter of choice dependent on the performance
requirements of the computing system. Accordingly, the logical
operations described herein are referred to variously as
operations, structural devices, acts, or modules. These operations,
structural devices, acts and modules may be implemented in
software, in firmware, in special purpose digital logic, and any
combination.
[0031] The routine 200 begins at operation 202, where the virtual
coach engine 108 identifies the event. As discussed above, events
may include but are not limited to, sporting events, concerts, game
shows, conferences, business meetings, government meetings, and any
other gatherings for the purpose of entertainment, transacting
business, or providing instructions or education. The type of event
may drive the various virtual coaching opportunities that will be
allowed during the event. For example, a set of event rules 112 may
correspond to a sporting event, while a different set of event
rules 112 may correspond to a concert. Even within a particular
category of event, the identification of a specific event within
that category may introduce specific virtual coaching
opportunities. For example, a football game having Coach Smith as
the coach of the home team may trigger the virtual coach engine 108
to retrieve a particular set of event rules 112 that are designed
specifically to allow certain virtual coaching opportunities
according to Coach Smith's desires.
[0032] The identity of the event may be input by the primary coach
122 or by a virtual coach service provider. The virtual coach
service provider may be any business entity providing one or more
elements of the virtual coaching system 100. The event identity may
be selected from a list of events stored in the virtual coach
database 110 or may be created by the primary coach 122 or virtual
coach service provider via a user interface provided by the virtual
coach engine 108.
[0033] From operation 202, the routine 200 continues to operation
204, where the virtual coach engine 108 receives any applicable
event rules 112. These event rules 112 may be stored in the virtual
coach database 110 or input by the primary coach 122 or virtual
coach service provider via a user interface provided by the virtual
coach engine 108. As described above, the event rules 112 that are
received by the virtual coach engine 108 may depend upon the event
identified at operation 202. Upon receipt of the identity of the
event, the virtual coach engine 108 may search the virtual coach
database 110 for the corresponding event rules 112, prompt the
primary coach 122 or virtual coach service provider to input
customized event rules 112, or retrieve a set of default event
rules 112.
[0034] From operation 204, the routine 200 continues to operation
206, where the virtual coach engine 108 identifies virtual coaching
opportunities. Virtual coaching opportunities are instances within
the event in which participating virtual coaches 102 may submit
suggested actions to the primary coach 122 and/or the actual event
participants 126. Virtual coaching opportunities also include the
available selection options corresponding to the actions that may
be suggested by the virtual coaches 102. As an example using a
football game as the event, the virtual coaching opportunities may
include a number of play selections available at a particular time
in the game. For example, the virtual coaches 102 may be able to
select a play from the entire playbook associated with a team or
from a subset of plays chosen by the primary coach 122 of the team
or by the virtual coach engine 108 according to the applicable
event rules 112. It should be appreciated that the virtual coaching
opportunities may be provided to the virtual coaches 102 without
presenting the virtual coaches 102 with available selection
options. In this embodiment, the virtual coaches 102 may input any
desired action without choosing from a group of available options.
The input may correspond to actions that may be recognized by the
virtual coach engine 108, or may be actions that must be
interpreted by the virtual coach engine 108 according to stored
logic that parses and evaluates the input from the virtual coaches
102 to arrive at a suggested action.
[0035] The play selections may be available to the virtual coaches
102 before each play of the game or only prior to one or more
selected times during the game. For example, the virtual coaches
102 may be presented with available plays prior to every play of
the game. After each virtual coach 102 has selected a play, the
virtual coach engine 108 selects the play to execute according to
the number of "votes" by the virtual coaches 102 for each available
play selection, taking into account the virtual coach ratings 118
associated with the virtual coaches 102, the subscription levels
associated with the virtual coaches 102, any requirements or
restrictions in the applicable event rules 112, or any combination
thereof. According to various embodiments, the virtual coaches 102
have a limited time in which to submit suggested actions, or action
votes. At the end of the predetermined time limit, the virtual
coach engine 108 may cut off all subsequent input and analyze the
received input. If the quantity of action votes received does not
exceed a threshold number, the virtual coach engine 108 may provide
no input to the primary coach 122 or may notify the primary coach
122 of the limited number of votes. The primary coach 122 may then
have an option whether or not to view the results or use the
results of the received action votes for the given virtual coaching
opportunity.
[0036] As mentioned briefly above, the virtual coaching
opportunities are not limited to providing the virtual coaches 102
with a selection of plays to choose from. The virtual coaching
opportunities may be broader and more strategic in nature. For
example, one embodiment provides the virtual coaches 102 with one
or more opportunities during the game to instruct the primary coach
122 to be aggressive or conservative in his or her play calling. An
example would be during a fourth down play in the football game.
The virtual coach engine 108 provides the virtual coaches 102 with
a choice between "go for it" or "punt." The primary coach 122 may
take the voting results from the virtual coaches 102 into
consideration in deciding which tactic to take, or may be
contractually obligated to choose a tactic corresponding to the
voting results. Similarly, the virtual coach engine 108 may provide
the virtual coaches 102 with a choice between "aggressive" and
"conservative" at some instance before or during the game. From
that point forward, the primary coach 122 utilizes the results of
the aggressive/conservative decision from the virtual coaches 102
to determine a course of action whenever key decisions must be
made.
[0037] It should be appreciated that virtual coaching opportunities
may be established before the event commences, during the event, or
a combination thereof. As will be described with respect to FIG. 3,
the virtual coaching opportunities may be defined in the event
rules 112, by the virtual coach service provider, and/or by the
primary coach 122. Turning now to FIG. 3, operation 206 will be
described as a routine 300 for identifying virtual coaching
opportunities according to various embodiments. The routine 300
begins at operation 302, where the virtual coach engine 108
determines whether virtual coaching opportunities are identified in
the event rules 112. As described above, the event rules 112 may be
pre-established by the virtual coach service provider or the
primary coach 122 prior to the event.
[0038] If the virtual coach engine 108 determines that the virtual
coaching opportunities are not identified in the event rules 112,
then the routine 300 proceeds to operation 306 and continues as
described below. However, if the virtual coach engine 108
determines that the virtual coaching opportunities are identified
in the event rules 112, then the routine 300 continues to operation
304, where the virtual coach engine 108 identifies the virtual
coaching opportunities according to the event rules 112. From
operation 304, the routine 300 continues to operation 306, where
the virtual coach engine 108 determines whether a real-time
identification of a virtual coaching opportunity has been received
from the virtual coach service provider or the primary coach
122.
[0039] According to embodiments presented herein, the primary coach
122 may initiate an opportunity for the virtual coaches 102 to
provide input at any instance during the game or event. For
example, if the primary coach 122 faces a situation requiring a
difficult decision to be made as to the selection of the next play,
the primary coach 122 may request input from one or more virtual
coaches 102 via the event terminal 120. Similarly, the virtual
coach service provider may initiate a request for input from one or
more virtual coaches 102. Returning to operation 306, if the
virtual coach engine 108 determines that a real-time identification
of a virtual coaching opportunity has not been received, then the
routine 300 proceeds to operation 310 and continues as described
below. However, if the virtual coach engine 108 determines at
operation 306 that a real-time identification of a virtual coaching
opportunity has been received, then the routine 300 continues to
operation 308, where the virtual coach engine 108 identifies the
received virtual coaching opportunity.
[0040] The routine 300 continues from operation 308 to operation
310, where the virtual coach engine 108 determines whether any
virtual coaching opportunities have been identified in the event
rules 112 or real-time by the virtual coach service provider or
primary coach 122. If the virtual coach engine 108 determines that
no virtual coaching opportunities have yet been identified, then
according to one embodiment, the routine 300 proceeds to operation
312, where the virtual coach engine 108 retrieves a set of default
virtual coaching opportunities stored in the virtual coach database
110 or other memory. The default virtual coaching opportunities may
be based on the type of event. As an example, default virtual
coaching opportunities corresponding to a football game may include
options for "run," "pass," "go for it," and "kick" that are
continuously presented to the virtual coaches 102. In this
embodiment, the virtual coach engine 108 may accept suggested
actions from the virtual coaches 102 at any point in the game and
aggregate the input for use by the primary coach 122. From
operation 312, the routine 300 ends.
[0041] If at operation 310, the virtual coach engine 108 determines
that virtual coaching opportunities have been identified from one
or more sources, then the routine 300 continues to operation 314,
where the virtual coach engine 108 reconciles the virtual coaching
opportunities for presentation to the virtual coaches 102. There
may be event rules 112 that identify specific virtual coaching
opportunities. There may also be virtual coaching opportunities
identified by the virtual coach service provider and/or the primary
coach 122. The virtual coach engine 108 determines if all of these
virtual coaching opportunities are consistent with one another, or
if there are conflicts that must be addressed. For example, the
event rules 112 may state that only a particular subset of virtual
coaches 102 may provide input in certain circumstances. However,
the primary coach 122 may choose to override the event rules 112
and request input from another subset of virtual coaches 102 or
from all of the virtual coaches 102. In these instances having
conflicting virtual coaching opportunities identified, the virtual
coach engine 108 selects the virtual coaching opportunities from
preprogrammed logic that includes prioritization rules. From
operation 314, the routine 300 ends and returns to the routine
200.
[0042] Returning to FIG. 2, the routine 200 continues from
operation 206 to operation 208, where the virtual coach engine 108
identifies the virtual coaches 102 to participate in the event by
submitting suggested actions for the actual event participants 126.
As discussed above, the virtual coaches 102 allowed to participate
during any given virtual coaching opportunity may include all
persons who watching the event live or at a remote location, or a
subset of those persons according to any number of criteria. As an
example, the virtual coaches may include specific subscribers
depending on their subscription levels and the particular virtual
coaching opportunity, may include persons from a particular
geographic location, may include persons according to the quantity
of past participation in the virtual coaching system 100, may
include persons according to selected demographic criteria, or any
combination thereof.
[0043] According to another embodiment, a predetermined number of
virtual coaches 102 may be selected at random from the entire
available pool of virtual coaches 102. Yet another embodiment
includes selecting a single virtual coach 102 based on any type of
selection criteria to provide the suggested action for each
particular virtual coaching opportunity. According to further
embodiments, each virtual coach 102 selected to participate in a
virtual coaching opportunity must possess a minimum threshold
virtual coach rating 118 corresponding to the virtual coach's
historical success.
[0044] Turning now to FIG. 4, operation 208 will be described as a
routine 400 for identifying virtual coaches 102 according to
various embodiments. The routine 400 begins at operation 402, where
the virtual coach engine 108 determines whether the virtual coaches
102 are identified in the event rules 112. It should be appreciated
that the event rules 112 corresponding to a particular event may
define who is allowed to participate as a virtual coach 102. If the
applicable event rules 112 are silent as to the identities of the
virtual coaches 102, then the routine 400 proceeds to operation 406
and continues as described below. However, if the virtual coach
engine 108 is capable of identifying the virtual coaches 102
utilizing the applicable event rules 112, then the routine 400
continues to operation 404, where the virtual coaches 102 are
identified.
[0045] From operation 404, the routine 400 continues to operation
406, where the virtual coach engine 108 determines whether the
virtual coaches 102 are identified by the virtual coach service
provider and/or the primary coach 122. According to various
embodiments, either of these entities may identify the virtual
coaches 102 prior to the start of the event or anytime during the
event. As discussed above, the primary coach 122 may determine at a
key instance during the game that he or she would like the
collaborative opinion of all of the virtual coaches 102 that have
participated in at least 90% of the available virtual coaching
opportunities with a virtual coach rating corresponding to a 90% or
better success rate.
[0046] If the virtual coach engine 108 determines that the virtual
coaches 102 have not been identified by the virtual coach service
provider and/or the primary coach 122, then the routine 400
proceeds from operation 406 to operation 410 and continues as
described below. However, if the virtual coach engine 108
determines that the virtual coaches 102 have been identified by the
virtual coach service provider and/or the primary coach 122, then
the routine 400 proceeds from operation 406 to operation 408, where
the virtual coach engine 108 identifies the virtual coaches 102
corresponding to the directions from the virtual coach service
provider and/or the primary coach 122.
[0047] From operation 408, the routine 400 continues to operation
410, where the virtual coach engine 108 determines whether the
virtual coaches are to be identified according to subscriptions. As
discussed above, embodiments of the disclosure provided herein
allow for aspiring virtual coaches 102 to pay for subscriptions to
the virtual coaching system 100 according to the level of
participation that he/she desires. The event rules 112 for any
given event may define the allowed participation with respect to
various subscription levels. For example, the event rules 112 for a
particular event may allow participation of virtual coaches 102
only for those virtual coaches 102 subscribing to the premium
virtual coach service. If the virtual coach engine 108 determines
that virtual coaches 102 are not identified according to
subscriptions, the routine 400 proceeds to operation 414 and
continues as described below. However, if at operation 410, the
virtual coach engine 108 determines that virtual coaches 102 are
identified according to subscriptions, the routine 400 proceeds to
operation 412, where the virtual coaches 102 are selected according
to the applicable subscription requirements.
[0048] From operation 412, the routine 400 continues to operation
414, where the virtual coach engine 108 determines whether virtual
coaches 414 are to be selected according to corresponding virtual
coach ratings 118. This determination may be made via reference to
the event rules 112 or input from the virtual coach service
provider or the primary coach 122. As previously described,
embodiments provide for the selection of virtual coaches 102 to
participate based on the historical success of each virtual coach
102. The first time that a virtual coach 102 participates, he or
she may not have a virtual coach rating 118. Each time that the
virtual coach 102 provides input to the virtual coaching system 100
in the form of a suggested action for the actual event participants
126, the success of that input will be evaluated and the
corresponding virtual coach rating 118 updated. The success
determination will be described in further detail below.
[0049] If the virtual coach engine 108 determines that virtual
coaches 102 are not to be selected according to the virtual coach
ratings 118, then the routine 400 proceeds to operation 418 and
continues as described below. However, if at operation 414, the
virtual coach engine 108 determines that virtual coaches 102 are to
be selected according to the virtual coach ratings 118, then the
routine 400 proceeds to operation 416, where the virtual coach
engine 108 utilizes the virtual coach ratings 118 stored in the
virtual coach database 110 to identify the virtual coaches 102.
From operation 416, the routine 400 continues to operation 418,
where the virtual coach engine 108 reconciles the virtual coach
identities according to the various identifications described above
using preprogrammed logic and/or input from the virtual coach
service provider or the primary coach 122. From operation 418, the
routine 400 ends and returns to the routine 200.
[0050] Returning to FIG. 2, the routine 200 continues from
operation 208 to operation 210, where the virtual coach engine 108
establishes the virtual coach ratings 118. According to various
embodiments, once the virtual coaches 102 have been identified,
each virtual coach 102 should have a corresponding virtual coach
rating 118. If this is the first time that the virtual coach 102
has participated, then the virtual coach 102 will not likely have a
virtual coach rating 118. In this situation, the virtual coach
engine 108 may establish a virtual coach rating 118 for the virtual
coach 102. The corresponding virtual coach rating 118 may be
indicative of the associated virtual coach's lack of experience.
Alternatively, virtual coach ratings 118 are established for new
virtual coaches 102 at the time that each virtual coach 102
registers with the virtual coach service provider or subscribes to
a virtual coaching service.
[0051] From operation 210, the routine 200 continues to operation
212, where the virtual coach engine 108 presents the virtual
coaches 102 with one or more virtual coaching opportunities.
According to one embodiment, the virtual coaches 102 are presented
with a user interface on a display. For example, the virtual
coaches 102B and 102N shown in FIG. 1 who are watching the event on
television and computer monitor, input devices 104B and 104N,
respectively, may be presented with the virtual coaching
opportunity, such as a number of football plays, along a border of
the television display surrounding the event. The virtual coaching
opportunity may be presented in the form of text, diagram, picture,
video, audio, or any combination of these or other media
formats.
[0052] According to another embodiment, the virtual coach 102A may
be presented with the virtual coaching opportunity on the screen of
a cellular telephone, input device 104A. According to yet another
embodiment, the virtual coach 102C is watching the event live at
the event venue 124 and is presented with the virtual coaching
opportunity via a mechanical push-button device, input device 104C,
which may be used to provide input when notified at the appropriate
times. It should be appreciated that these and any other methods or
combination of methods for publishing the virtual coaching
opportunities may be used for both remote and local virtual coaches
102.
[0053] From operation 212, the routine 200 continues to operation
214, where the virtual coach engine 108 receives and stores action
votes from the virtual coaches 102. Action votes or other input may
be provided by the virtual coaches 102 via any number and type of
input devices 104. As mentioned above, one embodiment provides a
user interface that displays the available plays or other options
for selection by the virtual coach 102. The virtual coach 102 may
utilize a keyboard, mouse, remote control, video game controller,
voice recognition hardware and software, and/or any other type of
input device 104 to make a selection and thereby suggest an action
for the actual event participants 126. For example, according to
one embodiment, the virtual coach 102B utilizes a motion-sensing
controller, such as a NINTENDO WII video game controller, to
provide input to the virtual coach engine 108 for use by the
primary coach 122 and/or the actual event participants 126. The
virtual coach 102B may use a throwing motion while holding the
motion-sensing controller to select a pass play, a hand-off motion
to select a running play, or a kicking motion to select a punt or
field-goal attempt.
[0054] According to another embodiment, the virtual coaches 102 may
utilize touch tones on a telephone to provide input to the virtual
coaching system 100. For example, each virtual coach 102 may dial a
number associated with the virtual coaching opportunity and press
"1" for a pass play, "2" for a run play, "3" to attempt a field
goal, "4" to punt, "5" to suggest aggressive play calling, "6" to
suggest conservative play calling, or a combination thereof, such
as "15" to suggest an aggressive pass play like a deep pass.
Similarly, virtual coaches 102 may additionally or alternatively
provide input via text messaging or instant messaging.
[0055] The input from the various virtual coaches 102 is received
by the virtual coach engine 108 and may be stored in the virtual
coach database 110 as event data 114. This event data 114 will be
used as described below to establish or update virtual coach
ratings 118 after the corresponding action has been performed by
the actual event participants 126 and the success of the input from
the virtual coaches 102 has been determined. According to one
embodiment, the virtual coach engine 108 transmits acknowledgements
to the virtual coaches to inform them that their input was
received. From operation 214, the routine 200 continues to
operation 216, where the virtual coach engine 108 analyzes the
input from the virtual coaches 102 to determine an action or
hierarchy of actions to present to the primary coach 122 or to
implement. The analysis is performed according to the event rules
112 and/or according to input from the virtual coach service
provider or primary coach 122.
[0056] For example, according to one embodiment, the event rules
112 and the primary coach 122 may instruct the virtual coach engine
108 to select a single suggested action for the actual event
participants 126 from the collective input from the virtual coaches
102. To select the suggested action, the virtual coach engine 108
may rank the available actions according to the number of votes for
each, taking into account the respective weight given to each vote
corresponding to the virtual coach rating 118 assigned to the
applicable virtual coach 102. As a simplistic example, assume there
are two available play selections provided to 100 virtual coaches
102 by the virtual coach engine 108. If 50 virtual coaches 102
selected play A and 50 virtual coaches 102 selected play B, but the
average virtual coach rating 118 of the virtual coaches 102
selecting play A was 42 out of 100 and the average virtual coach
rating 118 of the virtual coaches 102 selecting play B was 78 out
of 100, then the virtual coach engine 108 would select play B for
presenting to the primary coach 122 or for implementing directly
with the actual event participants 126. It should be understood
that the virtual coach engine 108 may utilize any algorithm, simple
or complex, with any number and type of virtual coach criteria to
select the suggested action.
[0057] The routine 200 continues from operation 216 to operation
218, where the virtual coach engine 108 acts on the selected input.
The action may take several forms. First, the virtual coach engine
108 may simply present the suggested action selected above to the
primary coach 122 or actual event participants 126 for
consideration or action. According to one embodiment, the primary
coach 122 or actual event participants 126 may choose to implement
the suggested action from the virtual coaches 102 or to ignore the
suggested action. According to another embodiment, the primary
coach 122 or actual event participants 126 may be contractually
obligated to perform the suggested action. By requiring the primary
coach 122 or actual event participants 126 to perform the suggested
action, the virtual coaches 102 have an incentive to participate
since collective input must be followed.
[0058] Rather than presenting the suggested action to the primary
coach 122 and/or the actual event participants 126, the virtual
coach engine 108 may implement the suggested action. According to
one embodiment, the actual event participants 126 may be remote
controlled vehicles, robots, or other entities. In this embodiment,
the virtual coach engine 108 may control the actions of the actual
event participants 126 during the event, and may therefore execute
the suggested action automatically after analyzing the input and
selecting the action. From operation 218, the routine 200 continues
to operation 220, where the virtual coach engine 108 determines the
success of the action, and consequently the success of the input
from each of the virtual coaches 102 for subsequent use in updating
the virtual coach ratings 118 accordingly.
[0059] In order to update the virtual coach ratings 118 after an
action selected by the virtual coaches 102 is performed, the
success of the action must be evaluated. The action may be
determined to be a success, a failure, or somewhere in between. For
example, the success of an action may be represented on a sliding
scale, with "1" being a total success, and "10" being a total
failure. Any number and type of factors may be used in determining
whether the action was successful or not. According to one
embodiment, the event rules 112 include criteria utilized by the
virtual coach engine 108 for determining whether the action was
successful. For example, the event rules 112 may state that for
each down in a football game, a threshold number of yards must be
gained by the offense in order for the play to be deemed a success.
For first down plays, a gain of four or more yards may be defined
as a success, while for third down plays, any gain less than that
required for a first down is deemed a failure.
[0060] According to alternative embodiments, the success of the
particular play or action may be determined by the primary coach
122, the actual event participants 126, the virtual coach service
provider, the virtual coaches 102, or any combination thereof. The
virtual coach engine 108 may request collaborative input from any
number of entities of the virtual coaching system 100 as to the
successfulness of the previous action in much the same way as the
virtual coach engine 108 requested collaborative input from the
virtual coaches 102 as to which action to execute. The entities
determining the successfulness of the previous action may input
their action evaluations via a user interface and their
corresponding input devices 104.
[0061] After determining the success of the action, the virtual
coach engine 108 must determine the success of each virtual coach's
input corresponding to the action. Each virtual coach 102 either
suggested the action that was selected and executed by the virtual
coach engine 108, or suggested an action that was not selected and
executed by the virtual coach engine 108. For those virtual coaches
102 that suggested the action that was selected and executed, the
virtual coach engine 108 determines that their suggestions were
either successful or not according to the determined success of the
action. For those virtual coaches 102 that suggested a different
action that was not chosen, the virtual coach engine 108 may
disregard their suggestions when determining the success of the
input and updating the virtual coach ratings 118. Alternatively,
the virtual coach engine 108 may give some amount of credit for not
suggesting an action that subsequently fails.
[0062] Returning to FIG. 2, the routine 200 continues from
operation 220 to operation 222, where the virtual coach engine 108
updates the virtual coach ratings 118 for each virtual coach 102
according to the determined success or failure of the corresponding
suggested action. As previously discussed, the virtual coach
ratings 118 provide some quantitative measure of success for each
virtual coach 102. For every action, the virtual coaches 102 that
suggested the action that was chosen will enjoy an increase in
their virtual coach rating 118 if the action is determined to be a
success. Conversely, the virtual coach ratings 118 corresponding to
the virtual coaches 102 that suggested the action that was chosen
will decrease if the action is determined to be a failure. It
should be appreciated that the virtual coach ratings 118 may be
created upon the initiation of an event or may be cumulative,
including results from any number of past events.
[0063] After the virtual coach engine 108 updates the virtual coach
ratings 118 at operation 222, the routine 200 continues to
operation 224, where the virtual coach engine 108 processes the
results. This operation may include any amount and type of
activities that might be performed by the virtual coach engine 108
with the results of the actions induced by the virtual coaches 102.
For example, the virtual coach engine 108 may announce the results
of the previous virtual coaching opportunity. If a single virtual
coach 102 was selected to make a play selection or other coaching
decision, then the identity of the virtual coach 102 and/or the
results corresponding to the virtual coach 102 and associated
decision may be publicly announced. Summary results may be provided
to any or all of the virtual coaches 102 at any instance during or
after the event. The summary may include a listing of all of the
suggested actions submitted by each virtual coach 102 and the
corresponding success.
[0064] It should be appreciated that any announcements may be in
the form of electronic mail, messaging, public displays on a video
screen at the event and/or on television at remote locations, and
audio announcements, among others. Processing the results at
operation 224 may also include storing the results as event data
114 in the virtual coach database 110. The virtual coach engine 108
may record every action vote or other input from every virtual
coach 102 along with the corresponding results, or may record only
summary information or data from selected participants. This event
data 114 may be used for data mining purposes to allow the primary
coach 122 to determine which virtual coaches 102 to utilize in
requesting suggested actions. According to one embodiment, the
virtual coach engine 108 continuously calculates and updates
statistics on the success of each of the virtual coaches 102, which
may be used to rank virtual coaches 102 and provide awards and
other incentives during a sports season and/or at the end of the
year.
[0065] From operation 224, the routine 200 continues to operation
226, where the virtual coach engine 108 determines if there are any
additional virtual coaching opportunities. The additional virtual
coaching opportunities may be defined by the event rules or may be
received real-time from the virtual coach service provider or the
primary coach 122 as described above. If the virtual coach engine
108 determines that there are additional virtual coaching
opportunities, then the routine 200 returns to operation 208, where
the virtual coach engine 108 identifies the virtual coaches 102 and
continues as described above. It should be noted that the
identities of the virtual coaches may change for each virtual
coaching opportunity in an event. If the virtual coach engine 108
determines that there are no additional virtual coaching
opportunities, then the routine 200 ends.
[0066] Referring now to FIG. 5, an illustrative computer
architecture for the virtual coach server 106 utilized in the
various embodiments presented herein will be discussed. The
computer architecture shown in FIG. 5 illustrates a conventional
desktop, laptop computer, or server computer. The computer
architecture shown in FIG. 5 includes a central processing unit 502
(CPU), a system memory 508, including a random access memory (RAM)
514 and a read-only memory (ROM) 516, and a system bus 504 that
couples the memory to the CPU 502. A basic input/output system
(BIOS) containing the basic routines that help to transfer
information between elements within the virtual coach server 106,
such as during startup, is stored in the ROM 516. The virtual coach
server 106 further includes a mass storage device 510 for storing
an operating system 518, application programs, and other program
modules, which will be described in greater detail below.
[0067] The mass storage device 510 is connected to the CPU 502
through a mass storage controller (not shown) connected to the bus
504. The mass storage device 510 and its associated
computer-readable media provide non-volatile storage for the
virtual coach server 106. Although the description of
computer-readable media contained herein refers to a mass storage
device, such as a hard disk or CD-ROM drive, it should be
appreciated by those skilled in the art that computer-readable
media can be any available media that can be accessed by the
virtual coach server 106.
[0068] By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable
media may include volatile and non-volatile, removable and
non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for
storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data
structures, program modules or other data. For example,
computer-readable media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM,
EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other solid state memory technology,
CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD), HD-DVD, BLU-RAY, or other
optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk
storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium
which can be used to store the desired information and which can be
accessed by the virtual coach server 106.
[0069] According to various embodiments, the virtual coach server
106 may operate in a networked environment using logical
connections to remote computers through the network 128. As
described above with respect to FIG. 1, the network 128 may include
a wireless network such as, but not limited to, a WLAN such as a
WI-FI network, a WWAN, a WPAN such as BLUETOOTH, a WMAN such a
WiMAX network, a cellular network, or a satellite network. The
network 128 may also be a wired network such as, but not limited
to, a wired WAN, a wired LAN such as the Ethernet, a wired PAN, or
a wired MAN. The network 128 may include the Internet such that the
elements of the virtual coaching system 100 communicate with one
another via wireless or wired connections to the Internet.
[0070] The virtual coach server 106 may connect to the network 128
through a network interface unit 506 connected to the bus 504. It
should be appreciated that the network interface unit 506 may also
be utilized to connect to other types of networks and remote
computer systems. The virtual coach server 106 may also include an
input/output controller 512 for receiving and processing input from
a number of other devices, including a keyboard, mouse, or
electronic stylus (not shown in FIG. 5). Similarly, an input/output
controller may provide output to a display screen, a printer, or
other type of output device (also not shown in FIG. 5).
[0071] As mentioned briefly above, a number of program modules and
data files may be stored in the mass storage device 510 and RAM 514
of the virtual coach server 106, including the operating system 518
suitable for controlling the operation of a networked desktop or
server computer, such as the WINDOWS XP or WINDOWS VISTA operating
systems from MICROSOFT CORPORATION of Redmond, Wash. Other
operating systems, such as the LINUX operating system or the OSX
operating system from APPLE COMPUTER, INC. may be utilized. It
should be appreciated that the implementations presented herein may
be embodied using a desktop or laptop computer or any other
computing devices or systems or combinations thereof.
[0072] The mass storage device 510 and RAM 514 may also store one
or more program modules. In particular, the mass storage device 510
and the RAM 514 may store the virtual coach engine 108, the event
rules 112, the event data 114, the virtual coach profiles 116, and
the virtual coach ratings 118, as well as any other program modules
described above with respect to FIG. 1. Based on the foregoing, it
should be appreciated that apparatus, systems, methods, and
computer-readable media for allowing non-participants of an event
to participate in the event as virtual coaches are provided herein.
Although the subject matter presented herein has been described in
language specific to computer structural features, methodological
acts, and computer readable media, it is to be understood that the
invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited
to the specific features, acts, or media described herein. Rather,
the specific features, acts and mediums are disclosed as example
forms of implementing the claims.
[0073] The subject matter described above is provided by way of
illustration only and should not be construed as limiting. Various
modifications and changes may be made to the subject matter
described herein without following the example embodiments and
applications illustrated and described, and without departing from
the true spirit and scope of the present invention, which is set
forth in the following claims.
* * * * *