U.S. patent application number 11/966072 was filed with the patent office on 2009-07-02 for sports community commentary.
This patent application is currently assigned to YAHOO! INC.. Invention is credited to Mansi Aneja, Arjun Chittoor.
Application Number | 20090170603 11/966072 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40799165 |
Filed Date | 2009-07-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090170603 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chittoor; Arjun ; et
al. |
July 2, 2009 |
Sports community commentary
Abstract
Live sports community commentary technology operable to provide
viewers with live sports commentary, and provide commentators with
a means to provide commentary to viewers is disclosed. The live
sports community commentary technology presents commentary from
commentators on a sports event to viewers of the sports event, and
provides feedback, motivation, and incentives to the
commentators.
Inventors: |
Chittoor; Arjun; (Hyderabad,
IN) ; Aneja; Mansi; (Delhi, IN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MORRISON & FOERSTER LLP
425 MARKET STREET
SAN FRANCISCO
CA
94105-2482
US
|
Assignee: |
YAHOO! INC.
Sunnyvale
CA
|
Family ID: |
40799165 |
Appl. No.: |
11/966072 |
Filed: |
December 28, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
463/40 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 50/34 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
463/40 |
International
Class: |
A63F 9/24 20060101
A63F009/24 |
Claims
1. A live sports community commentary system, comprising logic for:
providing a commentary viewing webpage suitable for presentation on
a display, wherein the commentary viewing webpage is operable to
present commentary from a commentator; providing a commentary
channel selection webpage suitable for presentation on the display,
wherein the commentary channel selection webpage is operable to
present a set of sports commentary channels; receiving a choice of
at least one sports commentary channel from the set of sports
commentary channels; and providing at least one sports commentary
channel to the commentary viewing webpage based on the choice of at
least one sports commentary channel from the set of sports
commentary channels.
2. The live sports community commentary system of claim 1, further
comprising: a user monitor module operable to monitor a quantity of
consumers of the commentary; and a feedback module operable to
provide feedback to the commentator based on the quantity of
consumers determined by the user monitor module.
3. The live sports community commentary system of claim 2, wherein
the feedback comprises at least one of the group consisting of: a
rating of the commentary, a star rating of the commentary, a letter
rating of the commentary, and a number representing the quantity of
consumers of the commentary.
4. The live sports community commentary system of claim 1, further
comprising an abuse report module operable to receive complaints of
abuse from a consumer of the commentary.
5. The live sports community commentary system of claim 1, wherein
the commentary viewing webpage further comprises an abuse report
button operable to allow a consumer of the commentary to report
improper commentary.
6. The live sports community commentary system of claim 1, wherein
the commentary viewing webpage further comprises an overview area
operable to present an overview of an event, and a commentary
viewing area operable to present the commentary.
7. The live sports community commentary system of claim 1, further
comprising a commentary submission webpage, wherein the commentary
submission webpage comprises: a commentary composing area for the
commentator to enter the commentary; and a submit button for the
commentator to send the commentary to the commentary viewing
area.
8. A method for live sports community commentary, the method
comprising: receiving a sports commentary from a commentator;
providing the sports commentary for presentation on a webpage;
determining a number of viewers of the sports commentary; and
providing feedback to the commentator based on the number of
viewers.
9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: receiving an abuse
report, wherein the abuse report comprises a complaint about the
sports commentary; and modifying the feedback based on the abuse
report.
10. A computer-readable medium comprising program code for
providing live sports community commentary, the program code for:
receiving a sports commentary from a commentator; and providing the
sports commentary for presentation on a webpage.
11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, further comprising
program code for: determining a number of viewers of the sports
commentary; and providing feedback to the commentator based on the
number of viewers.
12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising
program code for: receiving an abuse report, wherein the abuse
report comprises a complaint about the sports commentary; and
modifying the feedback based on the abuse report.
13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the feedback
comprises at least one of the group consisting of: a rating of the
commentary, a star rating of the commentary, a letter rating of the
commentary, and a number representing the quantity of consumers of
the commentary.
14. A computer-readable medium comprising program code for
providing live sports community commentary, the program code for:
providing a listing of a set of sports commentary channels for
browsing on a first webpage; enabling selection of at least one
sports commentary channel from the set of sports commentary
channels; and providing sports commentary from the at least one
sports commentary channel for display on a second webpage.
15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising
program code for reporting a complaint about a sports commentary
channel from the set of sports commentary channels.
16. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising
program code for evaluating a sports commentary to produce a rating
for a sports commentary channel from the set of sports commentary
channels, and providing the rating for display on the first
webpage.
17. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising
program code for enabling: browsing for additional sports
commentary channels on the first webpage to obtain additional
sports commentary channels; and providing the additional sports
commentary channels for display on the second webpage.
18. An interface for presentation on a webpage, the interface
comprising: a listing of commentary channels operable for choosing
at least one commentary channel by a user; and at least one
popularity indicator for each of the commentary channels in the
listing of commentary channels.
19. The interface of claim 18, further comprising a sorting option
icon operable for activation by the user, wherein activation of the
sorting option creates a presentation order of the listing of
commentary channels.
20. The interface of claim 18, further comprising a favorites icon
operable for activation by the user, wherein activation of the
favorites icon causes the listing of commentary channels to be
obtained from a database of favorite commentary channels.
21. The interface of claim 18, further comprising at least one
description for each of the commentary channels in the listing of
commentary channels.
22. The interface of claim 18, wherein the at least one popularity
indicator comprises a star rating.
23. The interface of claim 18, wherein choosing the at least one
commentary channel by the user causes the at least one commentary
channel to be presented on a commentary viewing webpage, wherein
the commentary viewing webpage comprises: an overview area operable
to present an overview of a sports event; a commentary viewing area
operable to present commentary for the sports event; and an abuse
report button operable to allow the user to report improper
commentary.
24. The interface of claim 20, further comprising: a first button
for adding a commentary channel to the database of favorite
commentary channels; and a second button for removing a commentary
channel from the database of favorite commentary channels.
25. The interface of claim 18, wherein the commentary channels are
operable to receive commentary from a commentary submission
webpage, and wherein the commentary submission webpage comprises:
at least one commentary composing area operable to receive input
from a commentator; and at least one submit button operable to
allow the commentator to send the commentary to at least one of the
commentary channels.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to internet
communication and more particularly to internet community
communication.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] There are many spectator sports, which are characterized by
the presence of spectators, viewers, or watchers, at their matches.
For instance, cricket, international football, American football,
horse racing, auto racing, boxing, basketball and baseball are
widely watched spectator sports. They may be professional or
amateur sports. Such sports are often watched or listened to on
television, radio, internet, wireless devices, and other modes of
communication.
[0003] The enjoyment of a game is often enhanced, for many people,
by listening to or reading comments and observations by
commentators. These comments generally include scores, highlights,
and analysis. They also often include background material on the
teams, players, and history of the sport. The comments may be in
the form of periodic bulletins, or continuous broadcasting. They
also usually include play-by-play (ball-by-ball in cricket)
observations on the current activity on the playing field. In
television and radio broadcasting, play-by-play means the reporting
of a sporting event with a voiceover describing the details of the
action of the game in progress. There is a long history of
professional live broadcast commentators for sporting events, and
many professional and collegiate sports teams have their own
commentator who is a recognized voice of the team on radio
broadcasts and are often identified with the team as much as the
players or coaches. In addition, television networks and cable
channels will have their own commentators who are identified with
the network. Many commentators work in more than one sport.
[0004] As well as being informative, the commentary gives the
viewer a feeling of community. The connection to a team or player
is often a personal matter, i.e. "my" team, and the relationship of
the viewer with the commentator is very subjective. One commentator
may be loved by some people and hated by others, and sometimes
there is a love-hate relationship such as that with American
football and boxing commentators whom people love to hate.
Commentators can provide emotional expression or an emotional
cushion such as expressing the thrill of victory, or cushioning the
agony of defeat.
[0005] The enjoyment of the game and the feeling of community often
depend on the commentator. The more choices of commentators, the
higher the probability that the viewer will find a commentator he
or she likes and feels connected to. Currently, there is limited
choice for the consumer of live text commentary. Therefore, there
is a need for systems and methods that provide viewer choice for
sports event commentary.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] Live sports community commentary technology operable to
provide viewers with live sports commentary, and commentators with
a means to provide commentary to viewers is disclosed. The live
sports community commentary technology presents commentary from
commentators on a sports event to viewers of the sports event, and
provides feedback, motivation, and incentives to the
commentators.
[0007] A first embodiment comprises a live sports community
commentary system. The system comprises logic for providing a
commentary viewing webpage suitable for presentation on a display.
The commentary viewing webpage is operable to present commentary
from a commentator. The commentary viewing webpage may include an
overview area and a commentary viewing area.
[0008] The system also comprises logic for providing a commentary
channel selection webpage suitable for presentation on the display.
The commentary channel selection webpage is operable to present a
set of sports commentary channels. The system also comprises logic
for receiving a choice of at least one sports commentary channel
from the set of sports commentary channels, and logic for providing
at least one sports commentary channel to the commentary viewing
webpage based on the choice of at least one sports commentary
channel from the set of sports commentary channels.
[0009] The system may also include a user monitor module operable
to monitor consumers of the commentary, and a feedback module
operable to provide feedback to the commentator based on a
quantitative measure of the consumers determined by the user
monitor module. The system may also include an abuse report module
configured to receive complaints from consumers of abusive or
offensive language from commentators.
[0010] A second embodiment comprises a method for live sports
community commentary. The method comprises receiving a sports
commentary from a commentator, and providing the sports commentary
for presentation on a webpage. The method further comprises
determining a number of viewers of the sports commentary, and
providing feedback to the commentator based on the number of
viewers. The method may also comprise receiving an abuse report,
wherein the abuse report comprises a complaint about the
commentary, and modify the feedback based on the abuse report.
[0011] A third embodiment comprises a computer-readable medium
comprising program code for executing a live sports community
commentary. The program code comprises receiving a sports
commentary from a commentator, and providing the sports commentary
for presentation on a webpage. The program code further comprises
determining a number of viewers, and providing feedback to the
commentator based on how many viewers are viewing the commentary.
The program code may also comprise receiving an abuse report, such
as a complaint about the commentary, and modifying the feedback
based on the abuse report.
[0012] A fourth embodiment comprises a computer-readable medium
comprising program code for executing a live sports community
commentary. The program code includes code for providing a listing
of a set of sports commentary channels for browsing on a first
webpage, enabling selection of at least one sports commentary
channel, and providing sports commentary from the at least one
sports commentary for display on a second webpage. The program code
may also include code for reporting an abuse, such as a complaint
about the commentary, rating a sports commentary channel, browsing
for additional sports commentary channels on the first webpage, and
adding the additional sports commentary channels to the second
webpage.
[0013] A fifth embodiment comprises an interface for presentation
on a webpage. The interface comprises a listing of commentary
channels operable for choosing at least one sports commentary
channel by a user, and at least one popularity indicator such as
star rating for each of the sports commentary channels. The sports
commentary channels are operable to receive commentary from a
commentary submission webpage. The commentary submission webpage
may include at least one commentary submission area operable to
allow input from a commentator, and at least one submit button
operable to allow the commentator to submit the commentary.
Selection of a commentary channel causes a submitted commentary to
display on a commentary viewing webpage.
[0014] The interface may also include a favorites icon for
activation by a user. The favorites icon when activated by the user
obtains a listing of commentary channels from a favorites database.
The commentary channels may be added to or removed from the
favorite channels via buttons.
[0015] The interface may also include at least one description for
each of the commentary channels, and a sorting option icon
configured for activation by a user. The sorting option icon when
activated may cause an order of the listing of the commentary
channels to change. The interface may also include a commentary
viewing webpage operable to present commentary and an abuse report
button operable to allow a commentary consumer to report improper
commentary.
[0016] Further features and advantages of the invention, as well as
the structure and operation of various embodiments of the
invention, are described in detail below with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] The present disclosure, in accordance with one or more
various embodiments, is described in detail with reference to the
following figures. The drawings are provided for purposes of
illustration only and merely depict exemplary embodiments of the
disclosure. These drawings are provided to facilitate the reader's
understanding of the disclosure and should not be considered
limiting of the breadth, scope, or applicability of the disclosure.
It should be noted that for clarity and ease of illustration these
drawings are not necessarily made to scale.
[0018] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary live
sports community commentary system in accordance with an embodiment
of the invention.
[0019] FIG. 2 is an illustration of an exemplary sports commentary
viewing webpage for a cricket match according to an embodiment of
the invention.
[0020] FIG. 3 is an illustration of an exemplary sports commentary
viewing webpage for an international football game according to an
embodiment of the invention.
[0021] FIG. 4 is an illustration of an exemplary commentary
submission webpage according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0022] FIG. 5 is an illustration of an exemplary commentary channel
selection webpage for selecting a commentary channel according to
an embodiment of the invention.
[0023] FIG. 6 is an illustration of an exemplary sports commentary
viewing webpage showing a report abuse button according to an
embodiment of the invention.
[0024] FIG. 7 is block diagram illustrating an exemplary computer
system that may be used in accordance with some embodiments of the
invention.
[0025] FIG. 8 shows an exemplary flow diagram illustrating a
producer side of a live sports community commentary process in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0026] FIG. 9 shows an exemplary flow diagram illustrating a
consumer side of a live sports community commentary process in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0027] In the following description of exemplary embodiments,
reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part
hereof, and in which it is shown by way of illustration specific
embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. It is to be
understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural
changes may be made without departing from the scope of the
exemplary embodiments of the invention.
[0028] In order to improve the availability of live sport
commentary, embodiments of the disclosure provide online access for
the general public to produce commentary for sporting events.
Embodiments of the invention will unlock the production of live
text commentary to the community at large with each individual
bringing his/her own flavor to covering a game.
[0029] The present disclosure is directed toward systems and
methods for providing live sports community commentary. Embodiments
of the invention are described herein in the context of one
practical application, namely, live sports community commentary for
a cricket match. Embodiments of the invention, however, are not
limited to such cricket match applications, and the methods
described herein may also be utilized in other applications such as
most sports that can have live coverage in the form of text
commentary on the Internet. As would be apparent to one of ordinary
skill in the art after reading this description, these are merely
examples and the invention is not limited to operating in
accordance with these examples.
[0030] Cricket is an extremely popular game followed by more than a
billion people across the United Kingdom, India, Australia, South
Africa, Caribbean islands, and more. A cricket match comprises a
series of "overs", and each over of a match consists of 6 ball
throws to a "batsman". A match has 50 overs per team. Its two most
popular forms are one-day cricket, which is played across the whole
day, and test cricket that is played across 5 days!
[0031] Following the live text commentary of a game in progress is
extremely popular in many countries including India and the United
Kingdom. Live Commentary is popular for cricket as the game's
length (i.e., one whole day in the shorter version and five days in
the longer version) lends itself well to internet consumption of
information. In countries like the United Kingdom, only those who
have subscribed to expensive cable subscriptions have access to the
live commentary while others follow the commentary on the internet.
Currently, online commentary is primarily a push product with
consumers viewing what is available from a small number of major
websites. The consumers may not get the type of coverage they are
looking for.
[0032] For example, user A is looking for over-by-over coverage,
but instead finds most sites produce only ball-by-ball commentary
which is too detailed for his/her liking. The British Broadcasting
Corporation (BBC) website and a few other websites in the United
Kingdom do over-by-over commentary but they restrict themselves to
matches in which the United Kingdom is involved. For another
example, user B is looking for coverage which covers the emotional
part of the game and not just the technical aspects ("Flintoff
smashes the ball outside the stadium--McGrath walks straight up to
Flintoff and throws a few expletives at him"), but she/he cannot
find a website feed that matches her/his needs.
[0033] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a live
sports community commentary system 100 in accordance with some
embodiments of the invention. System 100 comprises a client 102,
and a server 103. Generally, the client 102 (or a plurality of
clients) may access the server 103. The server 103 and the client
102 according to the embodiments of the invention may include any
one of various types of computer devices, having, e.g., a
processing unit, a memory (including a permanent storage device),
and a communication interface, as well as other conventional
computer components (e.g., input device, such as a keyboard and
mouse, output device, such as display). For example, the client 102
may include a desktop computer, laptop computer, mobile device such
as a mobile phone, web-enabled phone, smart phone, and the
like.
[0034] The client 102 may communicate with the server 103 using
suitable communication interfaces via a network 132, such as the
Internet. The clients 102 and the server 103 may communicate, in
part or in whole, via wireless or hardwired communications, such as
Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b wireless, or the like. Additionally,
communication between the client 102 and the server 103 may include
various servers such as a mail server, mobile server, and the
like.
[0035] The client 102 may comprise an interface 104 which includes
a commentary viewing webpage 106, a commentary channel selection
webpage 112, and a commentary submission webpage 114. The interface
104 is operable to change specific behaviors within a specific
webpage 106/112/114, in response to mouse, keyboard, stylus in case
of a mobile device, or at specified timing events. The user can
access and manipulate sports community commentary webpages
106/112/114 as explained in more details in the context of FIGS.
2-9 below. The client 102 may also include a display (not shown)
operable to show the live sports community commentary webpages
106/112/114. The display may be on a computer webpage, overhead
monitor, kiosk, sporting event seat terminal, or other forms of
display. The display may be presented by a server such as, for
example, a website server. The display may be used by producers and
consumers of the commentary to use and operate the live sports
community commentary system 100.
[0036] The server 103 may be programmed to format data, accessed
from local or remote databases or other sources of data, for
presentation to users 101 of the client 102, for example, in the
formats discussed in detail below. The server 103 may utilize
various Web data interface techniques such as the Common Gateway
Interface (CGI) protocol and associated applications (or
"scripts"), Java.TM. "servlets", i.e., Java.TM. applications
running on the Web server module 126, or the like to present
information and receive input from the client 102. The server 103
may be implemented as, for example, a computer program, and may
include a web server module 126, e.g., Apache.TM. or the like. The
server 103, although described herein in the singular, may actually
comprise plural computers, programs, devices, backends, and the
like, communicating (wired or wireless) and cooperating to perform
the functions described herein.
[0037] The server 103 can be a centralized facility, or any or all
of its various functions can be distributed across a plurality of
facilities or locations in a geographically diverse manner.
Further, the various functions described herein as attributable to
live sports community commentary can be distributed to and among
the various facilities the server 103 services.
[0038] Server 103 may include: a user monitor module 118 operable
to monitor consumers of the commentary, and a feedback module 122
operable to provide feedback to the commentators based on a
quantity of the consumers determined by the user monitor module.
The server 103 may also comprise an abuse report module 120
operable to receive complaints of abuse from consumers, and a web
server module 126. Various elements of the server 103 may
communicate in part or in whole via wireless or hardwired
communications link 130, such as Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b wireless,
or the like.
[0039] User monitor module 118 is operable to monitor consumers of
the commentary viewing webpage 106. The user monitor module 118
records the activity of the consumers such as how many consumers
are viewing each commentary channel. User monitor module 106
preferably operates on one or more computers, servers,
workstations, or other data gathering, processing, computing and
reporting systems. User monitor module 106 may also include data
storage, record keeping and retrieval capabilities. User monitor
module 118 can include one or more databases to store the various
data and other information used in the live sports community
commentary system 100. Data storage can be across any physical or
logical data storage architecture, and any of a number of database
models can be implemented. In one embodiment, a relational database
structure is used to facilitate creation of responses from various
separate sources of data.
[0040] Feedback module 122 is operable to provide feedback to the
commentators based on a quantity of the consumers determined by the
user monitor module 118. The feedback may be seeing the number of
consumers of the commentary channel, feedback comments from
consumers, reward points, rating, money, and other forms of
remuneration.
[0041] The system 100 may also comprise an abuse report module 120
operable to receive complaints of abuse from consumers. This may
protect the service provider from charges and law suits for libel,
slander, and privacy violations by the commentator. The user may
activate a report abuse button as explained in more detail in the
context of FIG. 6 below to report an abuse.
[0042] The user can access and manipulate sports community
commentary webpages 106/112/114 as described in more detail
below.
[0043] FIG. 2 is an illustration of an exemplary commentary viewing
webpage 200 showing how a sports commentary for a cricket match
might appear on a display according to an embodiment of the
invention. The commentary viewing webpage 200 may include an
overview area 202 of the cricket match, and a commentary viewing
area 216.
[0044] The overview area 202 may include, but not limited to, the
day of the test match 204, a row with names of two teams 206, a row
with top player statistics 208, run rate and current partnership
210, information on the last wicket 212, and previous overs 214. In
this example embodiment, the commentary viewing area 216 (see 110
in FIG. 1) is presented below the overview area 202 (see 108 in
FIG. 1). The commentary viewing area 216 is operable to show
commentary from a commentator to consumers of the commentary
viewing area 216. For example, in FIG. 2, the commentary viewing
area 216 shows a ball-by-ball description of the match illustrating
how cricket commentary might appear on a display that may be
coupled to the interface 104.
[0045] A similar webpage can be used to show sports commentary on
an international football game. FIG. 3 is an illustration of
another exemplary commentary viewing webpage 300 (see 106 in FIG.
1) showing how a sports commentary for an international football
game might appear on a display that may be coupled to the interface
104 according to an embodiment of the invention. The webpage 300
may includes an overview area 301 (see 108 in FIG. 1) and a
coverage area 318 (see 110 in FIG. 1).
[0046] The overview area 301 includes a timeline 302, a timeline
button 314, a Facts button 312, a game venue 316. The time line 302
provides a graphical presentation of the game's lapsed time. The
timeline 302 is selected by activating the timeline button 314, and
the display could be changed to show game statistics (not shown) by
activating the Facts button 212. The overview area 301 also shows
the venue 316 (e.g., Old Trafford stadium).
[0047] The coverage area 318, includes various selection tabs which
can be selected by a user to change the information displayed on
the coverage area 318. For example, the user/consumer can choose
play-by-play 304 (shown), team statistics 306 (not shown), player
statistics 308 (not shown), or a live table 310 (not shown) of
ongoing statistics. A commentator sends his/her commentary to the
coverage area 318 by using a submission webpage as explained
below.
[0048] FIG. 4 is an illustration of an exemplary commentary
submission webpage 400 according to an embodiment of the invention.
The commentary submission webpage 400 is used by the commentator to
compose and submit commentary to any of the commentary channels to
which he or she is a commentator. In this example, there are three
commentary composing areas 402/404/406 for three commentary
channels. While in FIG. 4 three commentary composing areas
402/404/406 are illustrated for submitting the live sport
commentary, there may be any number of channels suitable for
submitting the live sport commentary according to embodiments of
the invention.
[0049] The commentator may have the option to have a unique display
name and choose the type of commentary. For example, the
commentator may choose a type of commentary such as play-by-play,
ball-by-ball, over-by-over, or bulletin. The type of commentary may
affect the frequency of updates. For example, ball-by-ball will be
updated every minute, over-by-over will be updated every four
minutes, and bulletin will updated every one hour. Once the
commentator has chosen the type of commentary, a commentary
submission webpage 400 may be provided to her/him by system 100
that will make it easy for her/him to submit his/her commentary.
For example, if she/he chooses to produce over-by-over commentary,
system 100 will provide a webpage such as the commentary submission
webpage 400 with a commentary composing area (i.e., a text box)
such as 402/404/406 for composing the comments, and submit button
such as 408/410/412 to submit her/his commentary. After composing
his or her thoughts and typing them into one of the submission
areas 402/404/406, she or he clicks the submit button 408/410/412
for the respective commentary submission areas 402/404/406.
[0050] A single commentator may use each of the channels
408/410/412 for giving commentary of different types for a single
sporting event, or may use each of the channels 402/404/406 for
different sporting events. The commentator will also have an option
to quit a commentary channel 402/404/406 at any point in time.
[0051] A benefit to commentator is the ability for publishing
his/her thoughts on the game and the gratification that a number of
viewers are currently following her/his coverage of the game. At
any point in time he/she can see how his/her channel is rated by
the community and how many people are currently viewing his
commentary. A benefit to the commentary consumer is a potentially
huge choice of commentary producers to choose from and gets a
better quality of coverage. The service provider benefits by
becoming the "go to" portal for the cricket fan, both those who
want to produce content and those who consume it, thereby becoming
the portal where the fans meet while following the match
online.
[0052] Embodiments of this disclosure, may take content production
directly to the service provider community. The consumer looking to
follow the match will have multiple live text commentary feeds to
choose from. This can be a powerful engine to create on online
meeting place when the match goes live. The consumer of the
commentary may choose from various sports commentary channels as
explained below.
[0053] FIG. 5 is an illustration of an exemplary commentary channel
selection webpage 500 to allow a consumer of a live sports
commentary to select a commentary channel according to an
embodiment of the invention. The commentary channel selection
webpage 500 provides a variety of functions. For example, a
commentary consumer may click on my favorite channels 502 to view
the favorites list. The commentary consumer may choose to sort by
status 504, activity 506, rating 508, or type 510. The commentary
channel selection webpage 500 may also display information for each
channel such as: channel name 512, channel status 514, commentary
type 516, channel rating 518, number of viewers of the channel 520,
last activity 522, commentator name 524, and short description of
the channel 526.
[0054] My favorite channels 502 option button modifies the display
to show the channels selected by the user as favorites. This
simplifies the consumer's selection process if the user only wants
to consider choices from the favorites list, which are generally
previously viewed and liked channels.
[0055] Whether viewing all available channels or the favorites
list, the channels on the commentary channel selection webpage 500
can be sorted by channel status 504, activity 506, rating 508, or
type 510. The status 514 of the channel lets the user know if the
channel is currently live, inactive, or offline, where live is a
channel with regular content being streamed, inactive means a
channel that has been live but is has exceeded an inactivity
measure like a time limit, and offline means commentary is not
being provided for the channel. The activity 522 may be any of
various measures of a level of activity such as how many minutes
have elapsed since the last comment.
[0056] The rating 518 may be a valuation based on valuations
submitted by commentary consumers, website provided valuations, or
other valuation method. There may be a reputation engine to help
the online consumer make a choice among the many who are producing
live text commentary. For example, the rating 518 could be based on
ratings/reviews of other viewers or could be based on the number of
current "eye balls" covering a commentary producer's content. This
can be a powerful engine to create an online meeting place when the
match goes live.
[0057] The commentary type 516 may be any such commentary method
such as over-by-over, ball-by-ball, play-by-play, or bulletin.
Sorting the commentary type 516 may be a sort by a qualitative
measure that groups the types of commentary such as an alphabetical
sort. The commentary consumer will have the option of choosing the
mode in which he wants to follow the match, for example, every
ball, every over, or a periodic bulletin.
[0058] The number of viewers of the channel 520 is also an
indication of the popularity of the commentator. The consumer can
list all the available commentators by user ratings or the "highest
number viewed", so a commentator whose content is viewed by the
maximum number of people will be listed first.
[0059] In addition to the sortable columns, additional useful
information is provided. The channel name 512 identifies the sports
commentary channel, and may be used by the commentator to
characterize and advertise the channel with names such as "India
Rocks" or "Yay aussie" showing the intended bias and view point of
the commentator. The short description of the channel 526 is also a
way for the commentator to characterize and advertise the channel
by describing the channel. The commentator name 524 is also a way
for the commentary consumer to identify names of friendly
commentators or names of commentators they prefer to avoid.
[0060] FIG. 6 is an illustration of an exemplary sports commentary
viewing webpage with an abuse report option according to an
embodiment of the invention. The commentary channel name 602 is
displayed along with a commentary area 610 showing the commentary.
A slide bar 612 allows the user to scroll to look at comments not
shown on the commentary area 610. An abuse report button 604 gives
the option to "report abuse" if any one is producing inappropriate
content. He will also have the option to rate and review a
particular commentator. An add-as-favorite 606 button allows the
commentary consumer to mark the channel as a favorite 606 and add
the commentary consumer to a buddy list. A remove 608 button
removes the channel from the favorites list and removes the
commentary consumer from the buddy list. The buddy list may be used
by the system to notify commentary consumers when their favorite
channels become active.
[0061] FIG. 7 illustrates a typical computing system 700 that may
be employed to implement processing functionality in embodiments of
the invention. For example, computing systems 700 of this type may
be used in clients and servers. Those skilled in the relevant art
will also recognize how to implement the invention using other
computer systems or architectures. Computing system 700 may
represent, for example, a desktop, laptop or notebook computer,
hand-held computing device (PDA, cell phone, palmtop, etc.),
mainframe, server, client, or any other type of special or general
purpose computing device as may be desirable or appropriate for a
given application or environment. Computing system 700 can include
one or more processors, such as a processor 704. Processor 704 can
be implemented using a general or special purpose processing engine
such as, for example, a microprocessor, microcontroller or other
control logic. In this example, processor 704 is connected to a bus
702 or other communication medium.
[0062] Computing system 700 can also include a main memory 708,
such as random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic memory, for
storing information and instructions to be executed by processor
704. Main memory 708 also may be used for storing temporary
variables or other intermediate information during execution of
instructions to be executed by processor 704. Computing system 700
may likewise include a read only memory ("ROM") or other static
storage device coupled to bus 702 for storing static information
and instructions for processor 704.
[0063] The computing system 700 may also include information
storage system 710, which may include, for example, a media drive
712 and a removable storage interface 720. The media drive 712 may
include a drive or other mechanism to support fixed or removable
storage media, such as a hard disk drive, a floppy disk drive, a
magnetic tape drive, an optical disk drive, a CD or DVD drive (R or
RW), or other removable or fixed media drive. Storage media 718,
may include, for example, a hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic tape,
optical disk, CD or DVD, or other fixed or removable medium that is
read by and written to by media drive 712. As these examples
illustrate, the storage media 718 may include a computer-readable
storage medium having stored therein particular computer software
or data.
[0064] In alternative embodiments, information storage devices 710
may include other similar components for allowing computer programs
or other instructions or data to be loaded into computing system
700. Such components may include, for example, a removable storage
unit 722 and a storage unit interface 720, such as a program
cartridge and cartridge interface, a removable memory (for example,
a flash memory or other removable memory module) and memory slot,
and other removable storage units 722 and interfaces 720 that allow
software and data to be transferred from the removable storage unit
718 to computing system 700.
[0065] Computing system 700 can also include a communications
interface 724. Communications interface 724 can be used to allow
software and data to be transferred between computing system 700
and external devices. Examples of communications interface 724 can
include a modem, a network interface (such as an Ethernet or other
NIC card), a communications port (such as for example, a USB port),
a PCMCIA slot and card, etc. Software and data transferred via
communications interface 724 are in the form of signals which can
be electronic, electromagnetic, optical, or other signals capable
of being received by communications interface 724. These signals
are provided to communications interface 724 via a channel 728.
This channel 728 may carry signals and may be implemented using a
wireless medium, wire or cable, fiber optics, or other
communications medium. Some examples of a channel include a phone
line, a cellular phone link, an RF link, a network interface, a
local or wide area network, and other communications channels 728
to perform features or functions of embodiments of the invention.
Note that the code may directly cause the processor to perform
specified operations, be compiled to do so, and/or be combined with
other software, hardware, and/or firmware elements (e.g., libraries
for performing standard functions) to do so.
[0066] FIG. 8 shows an exemplary flow diagram illustrating a
producer side of a live sports community commentary process 800
according to an embodiment of the invention. The various tasks
performed in connection with process 800 may be performed by
software, hardware, firmware, a computer-readable medium having
computer executable instructions for performing the process method,
or any combination thereof. It should be appreciated that process
800 may include any number of additional or alternative tasks, the
tasks shown in FIG. 8 need not be performed in the illustrated
order, and process 800 may be incorporated into a more
comprehensive procedure or process having additional functionality
not described in detail herein. For illustrative purposes, the
following description of process 800 may refer to elements
mentioned above in connection with FIGS. 1-7. In various
embodiments, portions of process 800 may be performed by different
elements of systems 100-700, e.g., interface, user monitor module,
feedback module, web server module, and abuse report module.
[0067] The live sports community commentary process 800 may begin
by a commentator logging into the live sports community commentary
system (task 802). If the commentator does not have an existing
login account, the commentator may create one. A custom designed
login system or an existing account set up method, such as those
used for login to sports news sites, may be used.
[0068] The live sports community commentary process 800 may then
continue with the commentator deciding whether to use an existing
channel or create a new commentary channel (inquiry task 804). If
he/she creates a new commentary channel (task 806), the channel is
initialized and he/she proceeds to choose the type of commentary
(task 810), otherwise he/she selects an existing commentary channel
(task 808), and then proceeds to choose the type of commentary
(task 810) without channel initialization. Here he/she can choose a
unique online display name such as over by over. He/she can choose
between different forms of coverage: ball-by-ball commentary,
over-by-over commentary, periodic bulletin and so on depending on
the type of sport.
[0069] The commentator then decides whether to write a commentary
(inquiry task 812), for example, when a sporting event is
occurring, or the commentator may decide not to write a commentary
in which case the channel is placed offline (task 814) but still
exists for future use. The commentator may wish to create the
channel to prepare for an event later in the day. For example, if
the commentator decides to write a commentary live, then the
channel is given a "live" status (i.e. it is now usable by a user)
(task 816), and the commentary is published on the channel (task
818). The commentator then inputs his or her comments live on the
commentary area provided on the channel.
[0070] Process 800 may also keep track of "buddies" who are
consumers who frequently view the commentary channel. The buddies
can be notified that the channel is active, and given the option of
viewing the channel (task 820).
[0071] The live sports community commentary process 800 may then
continually check for a level of inactivity (inquiry task 822).
Inactivity may be measured by time with no commentary submission,
time with no key stroke, end of the sporting event, and so on. The
time may vary depending on the type of commentary (e.g., a
bulletin/commentary area is less active), type of sport, load on
the system, and other factors. When a predefined measure of
inactivity is detected, the commentary channel is set to inactive
(task 824). The inactivity may be due to a commentator being
interrupted, his/her boss wanting him/her to work instead of use
the Internet, losing interest in the event, having another
engagement, losing a network (e.g., Internet) connection, a power
failure, and the like. Otherwise, the commentary channel stays live
(task 826).
[0072] FIG. 9 is an exemplary flow diagram illustrating an example
for a consumer side of a live sports community commentary process
in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. The various
tasks performed in connection with process 900 may be performed by
software, hardware, firmware, a computer-readable medium having
computer executable instructions for performing the process method,
or any combination thereof. It should be appreciated that process
900 may include any number of additional or alternative tasks, the
tasks shown in FIG. 9 need not be performed in the illustrated
order, and process 900 may be incorporated into a more
comprehensive procedure or process having additional functionality
not described in detail herein. For illustrative purposes, the
following description of process 900 may refer to elements
mentioned above in connection with FIGS. 1-7. In various
embodiments, portions of process 900 may be performed by different
elements of systems 100-700, e.g., interface, user monitor module,
feedback module, web server module, and abuse report module.
[0073] Process 900 may begin with a user looking for commentary on
a sporting event (task 902). He or she may browse through the
different choices available for viewing and the different quality
valuations on the commentary channels (task 904). He/she can then
choose to view the commentary of his/her choice, for example, ball
by ball; over by over, and bulletin. In one embodiment, he/she can
choose among the list of commentary producers based on the rating
of the community or the number of online consumers' currently
viewing different match coverage.
[0074] The user may then select a commentary channel (task 906).
The method of selection may be by the type of channel. Selecting a
ball-by-ball will give a relatively steady stream of commentary,
while a bulletin would have more intermittent timing with longer
pauses between transmissions. The commentary channels will then be
displayed (task 908) on a user interface display such as a webpage,
and may be in various forms, sizes, resolutions, and may have other
localized display characteristics.
[0075] The status of the commentary channel is then checked
(inquiry task 910). If the commentary channel is not an active live
channel, then the channel view is closed (task 916). If the
commentary channel is an active live channel as explained above,
then the channel view remains open, and the channel may be viewed
by the user as long as desired, or as long as the commentary
channel producer or service provider wish to provide it. The user's
commentary channel session will usually last for all or part of the
duration of the sporting event.
[0076] The user may at any time rate the commentary channel (task
912). The rating may be any rating system, such as giving a number
of stars (e.g. *, **, ***, etc.) based on the user's valuation of
the channel, a letter grade (e.g., A, B, C, etc.), and so on. The
user may also report abuse on the channel such as profanity, libel,
slander, and so on.
[0077] The user may at any time add or select another existing
commentary channel (inquiry task 914), in which case the process
returns to task 904. The added commentary channel may be for the
same sporting event, or a different sporting event. The user also
may at any time close the commentary channel (task 916).
[0078] Although embodiments of the invention are described herein
in terms of sports commentary, it should be understood that the
present disclosure is not limited to sports commentary, but is
generally applicable to community communication. Furthermore,
although the present disclosure has been fully described in
connection with embodiments thereof with reference to the
accompanying drawings, it is to be noted that various changes and
modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art.
Such changes and modifications are to be understood as being
included within the scope of the present disclosure as defined by
the appended claims.
[0079] While various embodiments of the invention have been
described above, it should be understood that they have been
presented by way of example only, and not of limitation. Likewise,
the various diagrams may depict an example architectural or other
configuration for the disclosure, which is done to aid in
understanding the features and functionality that can be included
in the disclosure. The disclosure is not restricted to the
illustrated example architectures or configurations, but can be
implemented using a variety of alternative architectures and
configurations. Additionally, although the disclosure is described
above in terms of various exemplary embodiments and
implementations, it should be understood that the various features
and functionality described in one or more of the individual
embodiments are not limited in their applicability to the
particular embodiment with which they are described, but instead
can be applied, alone or in some combination, to one or more of the
other embodiments of the disclosure, whether or not such
embodiments are described and whether or not such features are
presented as being a part of a described embodiment. Thus the
breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited
by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments.
[0080] In this document, the term "module" as used herein, refers
to software, firmware, hardware, and any combination of these
elements for performing the associated functions described herein.
Additionally, for purpose of discussion, the various modules are
described as discrete modules; however, as would be apparent to one
of ordinary skilled in the art, two or more modules may be combined
to form a single module that performs the associated functions
according embodiments of the invention.
[0081] In this document, the terms "computer program product",
"computer-readable medium", and the like may be used generally to
refer to media such as, for example, memory 708, storage devices
710, or storage unit 722 and database. These and other forms of
computer-readable media may be involved in storing one or more
instructions for use by processor 704 to cause the processor 704 to
perform specified operations. Such instructions, generally referred
to as "computer program code" (which may be grouped in the form of
computer programs or other groupings), when executed, enable the
computing system.
[0082] It will be appreciated that, for clarity purposes, the above
description has described embodiments of the invention with
reference to different functional units and processors. However, it
will be apparent that any suitable distribution of functionality
between different functional units, processors or domains may be
used without detracting from the invention. For example,
functionality illustrated to be performed by separate processors or
controllers may be performed by the same processor or controller.
Hence, references to specific functional units are only to be seen
as references to suitable means for providing the described
functionality, rather than indicative of a strict logical or
physical structure or organization.
[0083] Terms and phrases used in this document, and variations
thereof, unless otherwise expressly stated, should be construed as
open ended as opposed to limiting. As examples of the foregoing:
the term "including" should be read as mean "including, without
limitation" or the like; the term "example" is used to provide
exemplary instances of the item in discussion, not an exhaustive or
limiting list thereof; and adjectives such as "conventional,"
"traditional," "normal," "standard," "known" and terms of similar
meaning should not be construed as limiting the item described to a
given time period or to an item available as of a given time, but
instead should be read to encompass conventional, traditional,
normal, or standard technologies that may be available or known now
or at any time in the future. Likewise, a group of items linked
with the conjunction "and" should not be read as requiring that
each and every one of those items be present in the grouping, but
rather should be read as "and/or" unless expressly stated
otherwise. Similarly, a group of items linked with the conjunction
"or" should not be read as requiring mutual exclusivity among that
group, but rather should also be read as "and/or" unless expressly
stated otherwise. Furthermore, although items, elements or
components of the disclosure may be described or claimed in the
singular, the plural is contemplated to be within the scope thereof
unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated. The
presence of broadening words and phrases such as "one or more," "at
least," "but not limited to" or other like phrases in some
instances shall not be read to mean that the narrower case is
intended or required in instances where such broadening phrases may
be absent. The use of the term "module" does not imply that the
components or functionality described or claimed as part of the
module are all operable in a common package. Indeed, any or all of
the various components of a module, whether control logic or other
components, can be combined in a single package or separately
maintained and can further be distributed across multiple
locations.
[0084] Additionally, memory or other storage, as well as
communication components, may be employed in embodiments of the
invention. It will be appreciated that, for clarity purposes, the
above description has described embodiments of the invention with
reference to different functional units and processors. However, it
will be apparent that any suitable distribution of functionality
between different functional units, processing logic elements or
domains may be used without detracting from the invention. For
example, functionality illustrated to be performed by separate
processing logic elements or controllers may be performed by the
same processing logic element or controller. Hence, references to
specific functional units are only to be seen as references to
suitable means for providing the described functionality, rather
than indicative of a strict logical or physical structure or
organization.
[0085] Furthermore, although individually listed, a plurality of
means, elements or method steps may be implemented by, for example,
a single unit or processing logic element. Additionally, although
individual features may be included in different claims, these may
possibly be advantageously combined, and the inclusion in different
claims does not imply that a combination of features is not
feasible and/or advantageous. Also, the inclusion of a feature in
one category of claims does not imply a limitation to this
category, but rather the feature may be equally applicable to other
claim categories, as appropriate.
* * * * *