Live TV Skill Game Latency Equalization for Fair Play

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Solution Overview

Problem

Games of skill that rely on television signal reception for real-time entertainment face latency issues due to systemic propagation delays, arbitrarily imposed delays, and variances in broadcast times, leading to unfair competitive advantages and user dissatisfaction.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that equalize latency differences by grouping participants based on their television signal reception paths, determining and adjusting delays through various methodologies such as GPS, employee observations, and automated systems, ensuring all players receive synchronized 'lock out' signals and game data, thereby maintaining a level playing field.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If participants are allowed to play games of skill simultaneously across different locations and transmission systems, then user participation and entertainment are improved, but latency differences create unfair competitive advantages

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser participationVSAvoidfair competition

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides participants into separate cohorts based on their television signal reception paths (e.g., cable, satellite, over-the-air). Each cohort is assigned a specific delay compensation value to neutralize their individual latency advantages or disadvantages, ensuring fair competition across all participants while maintaining simultaneous play.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If delay compensation is applied to equalize latency, then fair competition is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefair competitionVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-determines delay compensation values for each cohort based on their transmission path characteristics before the game begins. These pre-calculated delay values are then applied consistently throughout the game, avoiding the need for real-time complex calculations and reducing operational complexity while maintaining fairness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If participants are grouped by signal reception path, then latency equalization is improved, but measurement and detection difficulty increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelatency equalizationVSAvoidsignal path identification

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where participants provide information about their signal reception path and experienced delays. This feedback is used to verify and refine the assigned delay compensation values, ensuring accurate latency equalization while simplifying the measurement process through user input rather than complex automated detection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS11825168B2Eception in connection with games of skill played in connection with live television programming

Publication Date: 2023.11.21 WINVIEW IP HOLDINGS LLC

AI summary

A method of and system for handling latency issues encountered in producing real-time entertainment such as games of skill synchronized with live or taped televised events is described herein. There are multiple situations that are dealt with regarding latencies in receiving a television signal with respect to real-time entertainment based on the unfolding games played along with the telecasts. Systemic delays, arbitrarily imposed delays of a broadcast signal and variances in the precise broadcast times of taped television programs have to be equalized so as to provide fair entertainment.