Method and system for automatic running of tournaments

A method and system for assuring the smooth, rapid execution and automatic control of a tournament. Participants' names are announced, and the participants notified to take their turn in the tournament by means of one or more electronic displays accessible to a number of potential participants. Personal identity data corresponding to the participants are entered, up to a given number of participants, based on the particular tournament variant via a data reading unit linked to each display. The groups of participants are arranged in order using a random access technique. Upon completion of each match, the winner is announced, and the groups of participants are organized for succeeding rounds. The tournament continues until completion, when the results are analyzed by the system and displayed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
A method of organizing players in an automatically run contest. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Such a system and a method are known from DE 4 222 896. In this system a 
data carrier which includes participant and control data is introduced 
into one or more reading devices, these data are accepted by a computing 
unit and the pairings for the first tournament round are determined 
therefrom. These pairings are then displayed on the display device and the 
current match is played. After conclusion of the match, the participant 
data carriers are introduced to the reading devices in a predetermined 
sequence, for example, winner first, and the tournament results are 
determined therefrom under control of the computing unit. The individual 
phases of running the tournament are strictly determined by the sequence 
of the data carriers introduced at the time into the reading devices, so 
that the persons otherwise necessary to run the tournament as tournament 
of game leaders are superfluous. Since the input of the necessary 
information is moreover effected with the aid of machine readable data 
carriers and no keyboard data input is therefore provided, input errors 
are avoided and any kind of manipulation is ruled out. 
In this method, before beginning a tournament and after switching on the 
apparatus, the desired system card is first inserted into the slot of the 
reader, so that the computer can accept the program corresponding to the 
desired tournament, for example, KO system, double KO system. Likewise, 
different variants of the course of the match or tournament can be entered 
with such a system card. Although this method has basically proved its 
worth, at the beginning of a tournament it is necessary to settle between 
the game participants, which tournament and match variant is to be 
selected by the system card. This needs the agreement of the game 
participants in order that the match or tournament variant desired by all 
game participants can be selected by means of the system card. This system 
card is, however, frequently not at hand, e.g., it is misplaced, so that 
the tournament cannot begin or can only begin after a delay. In addition, 
discussion about the presently desired match variant often leads to 
dispute, so that a game leader must once again decide which variant is to 
be selected. Moreover, in tournaments with a large number of game 
participants, all game participants are frequently not present when 
determining the match variant of the tournament, so that delays can occur 
from this. 
As a consequence, the invention is based on the object of developing a 
method and a system according to DE 4 222 896 so that the beginning of the 
tournament can largely be run automated, so that a friction-free, more 
rapid running of tournaments results. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention provides a method for automatic running of 
tournaments, including the steps of announcing a tournament variant and 
calling up the tournament participants on one or more display devices 
accessible to a plurality of potential game participants within a 
predetermined interval of time, and inputting personal identification data 
associated with the respective game participants on a data reading device 
coupled to the display device up to a particular number of game 
participants based on the tournament variant. The method further includes 
grouping the game participants randomly, running the game with a 
corresponding automatic determination of winners of each round, sorting 
the next groupings of participants for the next round, and terminating the 
game with an analysis of the tournament rounds. The method further 
comprises printng the determined tournament results. Further, in the 
method, the game participant who first enters his identification data is 
made the tournament leader, who can terminate the course of the tournament 
by renewed input of his identification data. 
In particular, by the announcement and the calling up of tournament 
participants on an electronic display device within a predetermined 
interval of time, the potential match participants can "put down their 
names" for the current tournament by entering personal identification 
data. Through this it is possible for the particular individual person to 
be told about the current match or tournament variant on the display 
device before "putting down his name" and then to decide whether they want 
to participate also in the current match or tournament variant. As soon as 
the number of game participants provided for the current tournament has 
been reached, the drawing of lots for the game participant groupings is 
automatically started. It is also possible through this for a plurality of 
players to reserve for a certain match variant and then only on attaining 
the provided number of game participants for the individual players to be 
called out. In particular with supra-local tournaments, an announcement of 
a match variant can thereby be made each time, so that players living at a 
distance can also participate in the tournament. This is especially 
advantageous for electronic darts games, for example, when, for example, 
playing groups each with four players at eight different places wish to 
participate in a large tournament with 32 players. The calling up or the 
announcement of a certain match variant (e.g., in an electronic darts 
game) is preferably effected in this by a central computer, which sends 
out the corresponding announcement over a network, especially the public 
telephone network, to the connected units. The participants can thereby 
have access to such a unit with an electronic display device, to register 
their interest in participation in the current announced game. Depending 
on the interest of the potential game participants, a tournament can thus 
be put together after a few seconds or minutes and thus begin without 
delay.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
The basic structure of the system for automatic running of tournaments is 
shown in FIG. 1. A system 1 comprises at least one (preferably more, 
however) display device 2 for announcing a current tournament variant. As 
well as calling up the tournament participants, there can also be shown on 
the display device 2 a guide on the running of the tournament for the 
information of interested participants, as well as, for example, a ranking 
list of the last played tournament. On the basis of this information, the 
game participant can decide whether he will take part in the currently 
announced tournament. In order to "put down his name" for this tournament, 
he can enter his personal identification data on a data reading device 3 
coupled to the display device 2, in particular by inserting a smart card. 
His personal identification data is thereby read into a data processing 
device 4, which is also coupled to the display device 2 and updates the 
current "entrant data" and the number of interested potential game 
participants. This data for beginning the tournament can be transmitted 
over a data transmission network to all connected display devices 2, for 
example, by means respective modem interfaces 5 feeding into the telephone 
network 6, so that further game participants are also connected "on-line" 
and can ascertain the current entry status to the tournament, as well as 
likewise being able to enter the tournament by inserting a smart card. 
The display device 2, the data reading device 3 and the data processing 
device 4 are in the preferred manner in the form of a PC computer, while 
the display can be a conventional VDU and the data reading device 3 is 
formed, for example, by a smart card reader, which is fitted in place of a 
diskette or hard disk drive. The units 7 thus formed can also be connected 
over the network 6 to a central computer 8, which coordinates the 
plurality of units 7 coupled thereto and controls their display devices 2. 
The basic flow chart for the automatic running of the tournament is shown 
in FIG. 2. As indicated above, in method step a) an announcement of a 
tournament to be arranged is displayed on an electronic display device 2 
within a predetermined interval of time, this display device 2 being 
accessible by a plurality of potential game participants. After completed 
"putting down of names" in the shape of method step b)="data entry", the 
entry to the tournament is completed in a short time, in particular when a 
predetermined number of participants is reached. The individual groupings 
or the pairings of the game participants playing against one another are 
then allocated, especially by the random principle. After running the 
current match, the winner in electronic games, for example, the known 
video games, is announced directly on a respective unit 7. Then in step e) 
the allocation of the groupings for the next round is made, for example, 
on the KO system, through eighth finals, quarter finals, semi-finals 
through to the final game. In the concluding step f) the tournament is 
analyzed and if desired a new ranking list is determined. After conclusion 
of the tournament the next tournament game is announced again in method 
step a). Depending on the loading of the network 6 however, a next 
tournament can already be announced concurrently to the nonparticipating 
units 7, while one tournament game is still running. If the announcement 
does not encounter sufficient interest within a predetermined interval of 
time, the next match variant, for example, stored in the central computer 
8, is announced, so that a change in the course of the tournament is 
provided each time. 
As indicated above, this method and the corresponding system are especially 
suited to electronic games, for example, for so-called joystick-controlled 
video games, which are connected through an interface 9 to the data 
processing device 4 of each unit 7 (cf. FIG. 1). However, a schematically 
indicated electronic darts game can also be provided as the games 
apparatus 10, on which the visitors to a games arcade at site A can, for 
example, play on one unit 7 each against the visitors to a restaurant at 
site B, as is indicated in the lower part of FIG. 1. Thus, a plurality of 
potential game participants can thus be addressed through the networking 
over the telephone network 6 and can participate in the game variant X 
currently offered and announced on the display device 2, depending on kind 
of game or playing strength. If, for example, a game variant X is 
announced for which the players at site A are competitive with the players 
at site B, the two parties to the tournament can "pre-book" tournament 
participation by inserting corresponding smart cards. The machine readable 
data carrier which is inserted in the data reading device 3 is preferably 
in the form of a smart card or magnetic strip card. This data carrier 
comprises personal identification data, so that the respective opponents 
can be recognized and a person-related ranking list can be established. 
This applies especially to so-called club cards, which a potential games 
player can purchase, in order to be able to participate in the game system 
with a number of potential game participants.