Methods, systems, and processes for the design and creation of rich-media applications via the internet

• US 20020004755A1
• Filed: 02/09/2001
• Published: 01/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rich Media Ventures, LLC
• Original Assignee: Balthaser Online Incorporated
• Inventors: Balthaser, Neil
• Granted Patent: US 7,000,180 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

Rich-media applications are designed and created via the Internet. A host computer system, containing processes for creating rich-media applications, is accessed from a remote user computer system via an Internet connection. User account information and rich-media component specifications are uploaded via the established Internet connection for a specific user account. Rich-media applications are created, deleted, or modified in a user account via the established Internet connection. Rich-media components are added to, modified in, or deleted from scenes of a rich-media application based on information contained in user requests. After creation, the rich-media application is viewed or saved on the host computer system, or downloaded to the user computer system via the established Internet connection. In addition, the host process monitors the available computer and network resources and determines the particular component, scene, and application versions, if multiple versions exist, that most closely match the available resources.

Claims

1. A method for users to design and create a rich-media application via the Internet comprising the steps of:

accessing a host website via the Internet;

examining available products on said host website; and

constructing said rich-media application on said host website.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

purchasing the ability to construct said rich-media application on said host website.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

modifying said rich-media application on said host website.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said purchasing the ability to construct said rich-media application on said host website comprises paying a fee for use of said rich-media application.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said purchasing the ability to construct said rich-media application on said host website comprises paying a fee for access to said host website.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said purchasing the ability to construct said rich-media application on said host website further comprises the step of:

paying a fee for use of said rich-media application.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of:

selecting a level of service from said host website associated with said paying a fee for access to said host website.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said selecting a level of service from said host website associated with said paying a fee for access to said host website comprises choosing one or more of the group consisting of:

components used to create a rich-media graphical user interface;

components used to create rich-media applets; and

components used to create a rich-media application capable of electronic commerce operations.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said constructing said rich-media application on said host website comprises:

selecting components from said host website; and

creating said rich-media application with said components.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said components comprise one or more selected from the group consisting of:

navigation elements;

backgrounds;

images;

headings;

sound files;

text;

windows;

animations;

e-mail clients;

calculators;

stock tickers;

clocks;

menus;

movie files; and

production types.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said production types comprise one or more customizable rich-media templates selected from the group consisting of:

presentations;

resumes;

catalogs;

reports;

user manuals;

magazines;

newspapers;

photo albums;

cartoons;

websites;

shows;

movies; and

invitations.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said production types comprise one or more components selected from the group consisting of:

navigation elements;

backgrounds;

images;

headings;

sound files;

text;

windows;

animations;

e-mail clients;

calculators;

stock tickers;

clocks;

menus;

movie files; and

production types.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein said selecting components from said host website is limited to a subset of all components based on a level of service.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of:

uploading components not residing on said host website to said host website via the Internet.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said uploading components not residing on said host website to said host website via the Internet comprises:

accessing said host website via the Internet;

inputting the location of said component on said host website; and

inputting the component type of said component on said host website.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said component type of said component comprises file types selected from the group consisting of:

GIF;

animated GIF;

JPEG;

SWF;

MPEG;

TIFF;

EPS;

PNG;

MP3; and

WAV.

17. A method for users to create and maintain a rich-media application on said host website via the Internet comprising:

creating a user account;

accessing a user account; and

viewing available options for creating rich-media applications.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said accessing a user account comprises one or more of the following:

accessing account information;

creating a new rich-media application;

modifying an existing rich-media application; and

accessing statistics from an existing rich-media application.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said modifying an existing rich-media application comprises one or more of the following:

accessing account information;

accessing rich-media application information;

accessing rich-media application specification information;

saving said rich-media application;

closing said rich-media application;

deleting said rich-media application;

publishing said rich-media application;

previewing said rich-media application;

accessing components used in the construction of said rich-media application;

accessing component-editing graphical user interfaces; and

accessing a scene of said rich-media application.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said publishing said rich-media application comprises:

downloading said rich-media application from said host computer to the user'"'"'s remote computer system.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein said accessing said scene of said rich-media application comprises one or more of the following:

modifying said scene of said rich-media application;

inserting a new scene into said rich-media application;

editing scene information for said scene of said rich-media application;

deleting said scene from said rich-media application;

reordering said scene in said rich-media application; and

selecting said scene from said rich-media application.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said modifying said scene of said rich-media application comprises one or more of the following:

editing a selected rich-media component;

deleting a selected rich-media component;

undoing the previous modification to a selected rich-media component; and

saving said scene of said rich-media application.

23. The computer process of claim 22, wherein said editing a selected rich-media component comprises:

selecting said selected rich-media component from a hierarchical list of folders and rich-media components;

closing graphical user interfaces used to edit non-selected rich-media components;

opening a graphical user interface used to edit said selected rich-media component; and

editing said selected rich-media component by means of said graphical user interface.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein said editing a selected rich-media component comprises editing one or more of the following:

the display of said rich-media component;

the volume of said selected rich-media component;

the link between said selected rich-media component and an associated menu entry;

the text field of said selected rich-media component;

the layout of said selected rich-media component;

the size of said selected rich-media component;

the transparency of said selected rich-media component;

the timing of said selected rich-media component;

the rotation of said selected rich-media component;

the color of said selected rich-media component;

the level of said selected rich-media component; and

the position of said selected rich-media component.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said editing said display of said selected rich-media component comprises one or more of the following:

selecting an introduction animation;

selecting a loop animation; and

selecting an exit animation.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said selecting a loop animation comprises one or more of the following:

playing said loop animation a selected number of times;

playing said loop animation no times; and

playing said loop animation continuously.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein said editing said volume of said selected rich-media component comprises modifying the volume of said selected rich-media component by means of one or more of the group consisting of:

a slider bar;

a textual input field;

an up-volume button; and

a down-volume button.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein said editing said link between said selected rich-media component and said associated menu entry comprises one or more of the following:

selecting the style of said associated menu entry;

creating said link between said selected rich-media component and said associated menu entry; and

selecting the uniform resource locator of said associated menu entry.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein said editing said layout of said selected rich-media component comprises:

selecting a component type; and

selecting from all preset and uploaded components matching said selected rich-media component'"'"'s component type.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein said editing said text field of said selected rich-media component comprises one or more from the group consisting of:

selecting a layout for said text field;

selecting a font for the selected text;

selecting a font size for the selected text;

selecting a font color for the selected text; and

selecting an alignment for said text field.

31. The method of claim 24, wherein said editing said size of said selected rich-media component comprises:

modifying the size of said selected rich-media component by means of a slider bar;

modifying the size of said selected rich-media component by means of a textual input field;

modifying the size of said selected rich-media component by means of comer handles;

modifying the size of said selected rich-media component by means of side handles; and

viewing a display of the current size of said selected rich-media component.

32. The method of claim 24, wherein said editing said transparency of said selected rich-media component comprises:

modifying the transparency of said selected rich-media component by means of a slider bar;

modifying the transparency of said selected rich-media component by means of a textual input field; and

viewing a display of the current transparency of said selected rich-media component.

33. The method of claim 24, wherein said editing said timing of said selected rich-media component comprises:

modifying the timing of said selected rich-media component by means of a textual input field;

modifying the timing of said selected rich-media component by means of a component start marker;

modifying the timing of said selected rich-media component by means of a component end marker;

modifying the timing of said selected rich-media component by means of a life bar; and

viewing a display of the current duration of said selected rich-media component.

34. The method of claim 24, wherein said editing said rotation of said selected rich-media component comprises:

modifying the rotation of said selected rich-media component by means of a slider bar;

modifying the rotation of said selected rich-media component by means of a textual input field; and

viewing a display of the current rotation of said selected rich-media component.

35. The method of claim 24, wherein said editing said color of said selected rich-media component comprises:

modifying the color of said selected rich-media component by means of a slider bar;

modifying the color of said selected rich-media component by means of a textual input field; and

viewing a display of the current color of said selected rich-media component.

36. The method of claim 24, wherein said editing said level of said selected rich-media component comprises:

modifying the level of said selected rich-media component by means of a slider bar;

modifying the level of said selected rich-media component by means of an ordered list representing the relative level of all components in the current scene;

modifying the level of said selected rich-media component by means of a textual input field; and

viewing a display of the current level of said selected rich-media component.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein said ordered list representing the relative level of all components in the current scene comprises one or more of the following:

a list of all components in said current scene ordered by the depth of the components;

a means of toggling the visibility of each component; and

a means of toggling the ability to modify the depth of each component.

38. The method of claim 24, wherein said editing said position of said selected rich-media component comprises:

modifying the vertical position of said selected rich-media component by means of a textual input field;

modifying the horizontal position of said selected rich-media component by means of a textual input field;

modifying the position of said selected rich-media component by means of a hit area associated with said selected rich-media component; and

modifying the position of said selected rich-media component by means of a graphical input field.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein said modifying the position of said selected rich-media component by means of a hit area associated with said selected rich-media component comprises:

moving said selected rich-media component by means of said hit area associated with said selected rich-media component;

placing said selected rich-media component by releasing said hit area associated with said selected rich-media component; and

centering said selected rich-media component on the nearest grid point.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein said modifying the position of said selected rich-media component by means of a hit area associated with said selected rich-media component comprises:

moving said selected rich-media component by means of said hit area associated with said selected rich-media component;

placing said selected rich-media component by releasing said hit area associated with said selected rich-media component; and

aligning said selected rich-media component to the nearest guide line.

41. The method of claim 18, wherein said creating a new rich-media application comprises one or more of the following:

accessing account information;

accessing rich-media application information;

accessing rich-media application specification information;

saving said rich-media application;

closing said rich-media application;

deleting said rich-media application;

publishing said rich-media application;

previewing said rich-media application;

accessing components used in the construction of said rich-media application;

accessing component-editing graphical user interfaces; and

accessing a scene of said rich-media application.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein said publishing said rich-media application comprises:

downloading said rich-media application to the user'"'"'s remote computer system from said host computer.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein said accessing said scene of a rich-media application comprises one or more of the following:

modifying said scene of said rich-media application;

inserting a new scene into said rich-media application;

editing scene information for said scene of said rich-media application;

deleting said scene from said rich-media application;

reordering said scene in said rich-media application; and

selecting said scene from said rich-media application.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein said modifying said scene of said rich-media application comprises one or more of the following:

editing a selected rich-media component;

deleting a selected rich-media component;

undoing the previous modification to a selected rich-media component; and

saving said rich-media application scene.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein said editing a selected rich-media component comprises:

selecting said selected rich-media component from a hierarchical list of folders and rich-media components;

closing graphical user interfaces used to edit non-selected rich-media components;

opening a graphical user interface used to edit said selected rich-media component; and

editing said selected rich-media component by means of said graphical user interface.

46. The method of claim 44, wherein said editing a selected rich-media component comprises editing one or more of the following:

the display of said selected rich-media component;

the volume of said selected rich-media component;

the link between said selected rich-media component and said associated menu entry;

the text field of said selected rich-media component;

the layout of said selected rich-media component;

the size of said selected rich-media component;

the transparency of said selected rich-media component;

the timing of said selected rich-media component;

the rotation of said selected rich-media component;

the color of said selected rich-media component;

the level of said selected rich-media component; and

the position of said selected rich-media component.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein said editing said display of said selected rich-media component comprises one or more of the following:

selecting an introduction animation;

selecting a loop animation; and

selecting an exit animation.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein said selecting a loop animation comprises one or more of the following:

playing said loop animation a selected number of times;

playing said loop animation no times; and

playing said loop animation continuously.

49. The method of claim 46, wherein said editing said volume of said selected rich-media component comprises modifying the volume of said selected rich-media component by means of one or more of the group consisting of:

a slider bar;

a textual input field;

an up-volume button; and

a down-volume button.

50. The method of claim 46, wherein said editing said link between said selected rich-media component and said associated menu entry comprises one or more of the following:

selecting the style of said associated menu entry;

creating said link between said rich-media component and said associated menu entry; and

selecting the uniform resource locator of said associated menu entry.

51. The method of claim 46, wherein said editing said text field of said selected rich-media component comprises one or more from the group consisting of:

selecting a layout for said text field;

selecting a font for the selected text;

selecting a font size for the selected text;

selecting a font color for the selected text; and

selecting an alignment for said text field.

52. The method of claim 46, wherein said editing said layout of said selected rich-media component comprises:

selecting a component type; and

selecting from all preset and uploaded components matching said selected rich-media component'"'"'s component type.

53. The method of claim 46, wherein said editing said size of said selected rich-media component comprises:

modifying the size of said selected rich-media component by means of a slider bar;

modifying the size of said selected rich-media component by means of a textual input field;

modifying the size of said selected rich-media component by means of comer handles;

modifying the size of said selected rich-media component by means of side handles; and

viewing a display of the current size of said selected rich-media component.

54. The method of claim 46, wherein said editing said transparency of said selected rich-media component comprises:

modifying the transparency of said selected rich-media component by means of a slider bar;

modifying the transparency of said selected rich-media component by means of a textual input field; and

viewing a display of the current transparency of said selected rich-media component.

55. The method of claim 46, wherein said editing said timing of said selected rich-media component comprises:

modifying the timing of said selected rich-media component by means of one or more textual input fields;

modifying the timing of said selected rich-media component by means of a component start marker;

modifying the timing of said selected rich-media component by means of a component end marker;

modifying the timing of said selected rich-media component by means of a life bar; and

viewing a display of the current timing of said selected rich-media component.

56. The method of claim 46, wherein said editing said rotation of said selected rich-media component comprises:

modifying the rotation of said selected rich-media component by means of a slider bar;

modifying the rotation of said selected rich-media component by means of a textual input field; and

viewing a display of the current rotation of said selected rich-media component.

57. The method of claim 46, wherein said editing said color of said selected rich-media component comprises:

modifying the color of said selected rich-media component by means of a slider bar;

modifying the color of said selected rich-media component by means of a textual input field; and

viewing a display of the current color of said selected rich-media component.

58. The method of claim 46, wherein said editing said level of said selected rich-media component comprises:

modifying the level of said selected rich-media component by means of a slider bar;

modifying the level of said selected rich-media component by means of an ordered list representing the relative level of all components in the current scene;

modifying the level of said selected rich-media component by means of a textual input field; and

viewing a display of the current level of said selected rich-media component.

59. The method of claim 58, wherein said ordered list representing the relative level of all components in the current scene comprises one or more of the following:

a list of all components in said current scene ordered by the depth of the components;

a means of toggling the visibility of each component; and

a means of toggling the ability to modify the depth of each component.

60. The method of claim 46, wherein said editing said position of said selected rich-media component comprises:

modifying the vertical position of said selected rich-media component by means of a textual input field;

modifying the horizontal position of said selected rich-media component by means of a textual input field;

modifying the position of said selected rich-media component by means of a hit area associated with said selected rich-media component; and

modifying the position of said selected rich-media component by means of a graphical input field.

61. The method of claim 60, wherein said modifying the position of said selected rich-media component by means of a hit area associated with said selected rich-media component comprises:

moving said selected rich-media component by means of said hit area associated with said selected rich-media component;

placing said selected rich-media component by releasing said hit area associated with said selected rich-media component; and

centering said selected rich-media component on the nearest grid point.

62. The method of claim 60, wherein said modifying the position of said selected rich-media component by means of a hit area associated with said selected rich-media component comprises:

moving said selected rich-media component by means of said hit area associated with said selected rich-media component;

placing said selected rich-media component by releasing said hit area associated with said selected rich-media component; and

aligning said selected rich-media component to the nearest guide line.

63. A method for providing a host website that allows users to create rich-media applications via the Internet comprising the steps of:

providing access to said host website via the Internet; and

providing rich-media application development tools for creating said rich-media application on said host website.

64. The method of claim 63 further comprising the step of:

charging users through said host website for the ability to create said rich-media application.

65. The method of claim 63 further comprising the step of:

allowing users to modify said rich-media application on said host website.

66. The method of claim 64, wherein said charging users through said host website for said ability to create said rich-media application comprises charging a fee for use of said rich-media application.

67. The method of claim 64, wherein said charging users through said host website for said ability to create said rich-media application comprises charging a fee for access to said host website.

68. The method of claim 67, wherein said charging users through said host website for said ability to create said rich-media application further comprises the step of:

charging a fee for use of said rich-media application.

69. The method of claim 67 further comprising the step of:

providing multiple levels of service on said host website associated with said charging users through said host website for creating said rich-media application.

70. The method of claim 69, wherein said providing multiple levels of service on said host website associated with said charging users through said host website for creating said rich-media application comprises providing one or more of the group consisting of:

components for creating a rich-media graphical user interface;

components for creating rich-media applets; and

components for creating a rich-media application capable of electronic commerce operations.

71. The method of claim 63, wherein said providing rich-media application development tools for creating said rich-media application on said host website comprises:

providing components from said host website; and

allowing the ability to create said rich-media application with said components.

72. The method of claim 71, wherein said components comprise one or more selected from the group consisting of:

navigation elements;

backgrounds;

images;

headings;

sound files;

text;

windows;

animations;

e-mail clients;

calculators;

stock tickers;

clocks;

menus;

movie files; and

production types.

73. The method of claim 72, wherein said production types comprise one or more customizable rich-media templates selected from the group consisting of:

presentations;

resumes;

catalogs;

reports;

user manuals;

magazines;

newspapers;

photo albums;

cartoons;

websites;

shows;

movies; and

invitations.

74. The method of claim 72, wherein said production types comprise one or more components selected from the group consisting of:

navigation elements;

backgrounds;

images;

headings;

sound files;

text;

windows;

animations;

e-mail clients;

calculators;

stock tickers;

clocks;

menus;

movie files; and

production types.

75. The method of claim 71, wherein said providing components from said host website is limited to a subset of all components based on a level of service.

76. The method of claim 71 further comprising the step of:

allowing users to upload rich-media components not residing on said host website to said host website via the Internet.

77. The method of claim 76, wherein said allowing users to upload rich-media components not residing on said host website to said host website via the Internet comprises:

allowing access to said host website via the Internet;

accepting an inputted location for said component;

accepting an inputted component type for said component; and

loading said component from said inputted location via the Internet.

78. The method of claim 77, wherein said accepting an inputted component type for said component comprises component types selected from the group consisting of:

GIF;

animated GIF;

JPEG;

SWE;

MPEG;

TIFF;

EPS;

PNG;

MP3; and

WAV.

79. A computer process allowing a user to interactively create and maintain a rich-media application on a host website via the Internet comprising:

allowing the creation of a user account;

allowing access to a user account; and

displaying available options for creating rich-media applications.

80. The computer process of claim 79, wherein said displaying available options for creating rich-media applications comprises displaying one or more of the group consisting of:

a production type inventory;

component drag-and-drop loading;

component-editing graphical user interfaces;

component inventory, including backgrounds, soundtracks, and images; and

user-image uploads.

81. The computer process of claim 79, wherein said allowing access to a user account comprises one or more of the following:

displaying user account information;

allowing said user to create a new rich-media application;

allowing said user to modify an existing rich-media application; and

displaying statistics from an existing rich-media application.

82. The computer process of claim 81, wherein said displaying statistics from an existing rich-media application comprises one or more of the following:

displaying a weekly session log, displaying a server activity log;

displaying a record of user accesses for a published rich-media application;

analyzing said weekly session log;

analyzing said server activity log; and

analyzing said record of user accesses for said published rich-media application.

83. The computer process of claim 81, wherein said allowing said user to modify an existing rich-media application comprises one or more of the following:

providing account information;

providing rich-media application information;

providing rich-media application specification information;

allowing said user to save said rich-media application;

allowing said user to close said rich-media application;

allowing said user to delete said rich-media application;

allowing said user to publish said rich-media application;

allowing said user to preview said rich-media application;

providing access to components used in the construction of said rich-media application;

providing component-editing graphical user interfaces; and

allowing said user to access a scene of said rich-media application.

84. The computer process of claim 83, wherein said allowing said user to publish said rich-media application comprises:

downloading said rich-media application from said host computer to said user'"'"'s remote computer system.

85. The computer process of claim 83, wherein said allowing said user to access a scene of said rich-media application comprises one or more of the following:

modifying said scene of said rich-media application;

inserting a new scene of said rich-media application;

editing scene information of said rich-media application;

deleting said scene of said rich-media application;

reordering said scene in said rich-media application; and

selecting said scene of said rich-media application.

86. The computer process of claim 85, wherein said modifying said scene of said rich-media application comprises one or more of the following:

editing a selected rich-media component;

deleting a selected rich-media component;

undoing the previous modification to a selected rich-media component; and

saving said scene of said rich-media application.

87. The computer process of claim 86, wherein said editing a selected rich-media component comprises:

selecting said selected rich-media component from a hierarchical list of folders and rich-media components;

closing graphical user interfaces used to edit non-selected rich-media components;

opening a graphical user interface used to edit said selected rich-media component; and

editing said selected rich-media component by means of said graphical user interface.

88. The computer process of claim 86, wherein said editing a selected rich-media component comprises one or more of the group consisting of:

an editor configured to edit the display of said selected rich-media component;

an editor configured to edit the volume of said selected rich-media component;

an editor configured to edit the link between said selected rich-media component and an associated menu entry;

an editor configured to edit the text field of said selected rich-media component;

an editor configured to edit the layout of said selected rich-media component;

an editor configured to edit the size of said selected rich-media component;

an editor configured to edit the transparency of said selected rich-media component;

an editor configured to edit the timing of said selected rich-media component;

an editor configured to edit the rotation of said selected rich-media component;

an editor configured to edit the color of said selected rich-media component;

an editor configured to edit the level of said selected rich-media component; and

an editor configured to edit the position of said selected rich-media component.

89. The computer process of claim 88, wherein said editor configured to edit said display of said selected rich-media component comprises one or more of the following:

a displayer configured to display an introduction animation;

a displayer configured to display a loop animation; and

a displayer configured to display an exit animation.

90. The computer process of claim 89, wherein said displayer configured to display a loop animation comprising one or more of the following:

a player configured to play said loop animation a selected number of times;

a player configured to play said loop animation no times; and

a player configured to play said loop animation continuously.

91. The computer process of claim 88, wherein said editor configured to edit the volume of said selected rich-media component comprises the group consisting of one or more of the following methods for modifying the volume:

a slider bar;

a textual input field;

an up-volume button; and

a down-volume button.

92. The computer process of claim 88, wherein said editor configured to edit the link between said rich-media component and said associated menu entry comprises one or more of the group consisting of:

an obtainer that obtains the style of said associated menu entry;

a developer that develops said link between said rich-media component and said associated menu entry; and

an obtainer that obtains the uniform resource locator of said associated menu entry.

93. The computer process of claim 88, wherein said editor configured to edit the text field of said selected rich-media component comprises one or more of the group consisting of:

a menu for selecting a layout for said text field;

a menu for selecting a font for the selected text;

a menu for selecting a font size for the selected text;

a menu for selecting a font color for the selected text; and

a menu for selecting an alignment for said text field.

94. The computer process of claim 88, wherein said editor configured to edit the layout of said selected rich-media component comprises:

a menu for selecting a component type; and

a graphical display of all preset and uploaded components matching said selected rich-media component'"'"'s component type.

95. The computer process of claim 88, wherein said editor configured to edit the size of said selected rich-media component comprises one or more of the group consisting of:

a slider bar for modifying said size of said selected rich-media component;

a textual input field for modifying said size of said selected rich-media component;

comer handles for modifying the size of said selected rich-media component;

side handles for modifying the size of said selected rich-media component; and

a display of the current size of said selected rich-media component.

96. The computer process of claim 88, wherein said editor configured to edit the transparency of said selected rich-media component comprises one or more of the group consisting of:

a slider bar for modifying said transparency of said selected rich-media component;

a textual input field for modifying said transparency of said selected rich-media component; and

a display of the current transparency of said selected rich-media component.

97. The computer process of claim 88, wherein said editing said timing of said selected rich-media component comprises:

one or more textual input fields for modifying said timing of said selected rich-media component;

a component start marker for modifying the timing of said selected rich-media component;

a component end marker for modifying the timing of said selected rich-media component;

a life bar for modifying the timing of said selected rich-media component by means of; and

a display of the current duration of said selected rich-media component.

98. The computer process of claim 88, wherein said editor configured to edit the rotation of said selected rich-media component comprises one or more of the group consisting of:

a slider bar for modifying said rotation of said selected rich-media component;

a textual input field for modifying said rotation of said selected rich-media component; and

a display of the current rotation of said selected rich-media component.

99. The computer process of claim 88, wherein said editor configured to edit the color of said selected rich-media component comprises one or more of the group consisting of:

a slider bar for modifying said color of said selected rich-media component;

a textual input field for modifying said color of said selected rich-media component; and

a display of the current color of said selected rich-media component.

100. The computer process of claim 88, wherein said editor configured to edit the level of said selected rich-media component comprises one or more of the group consisting of:

a slider bar for modifying said level of said selected rich-media component;

an ordered list representing the relative level of all components in the current scene for modifying said level of said selected rich-media component;

a textual input field for modifying said level of said selected rich-media component; and

a display of the current level of said selected rich-media component.

101. The computer process of claim 100, wherein said ordered list representing the relative level of all components in the current scene comprises one or more of the following:

a list of all components in said current scene ordered by the depth of the components;

a means of toggling the visibility of each component; and

a means of toggling the ability to modify the depth of each component.

102. The computer process of claim 88, wherein said editor configured to edit the position of said selected rich-media component comprises one or more of the group consisting of:

a textual input field for modifying the vertical position of said selected rich-media component;

a textual input field for modifying the horizontal position of said selected rich-media component;

a hit area for modifying the position of said selected rich-media component; and

a graphical input field for modifying said position of said selected rich-media component.

103. The computer process of claim 81, wherein said allowing said user to create a new rich-media application comprises one or more of the following:

providing account information;

providing rich-media application information;

providing rich-media application specification information;

allowing said user to save said rich-media application;

allowing said user to close said rich-media application;

allowing said user to delete said rich-media application;

allowing said user to publish said rich-media application;

allowing said user to preview said rich-media application;

providing access to components used in the construction of said rich-media application;

providing component-editing graphical user interfaces; and

allowing said user to access a scene of said rich-media application.

104. The computer process of claim 103, wherein said allowing said user to publish said rich-media application comprises:

downloading said rich-media application to said user'"'"'s remote computer system from said host computer.

105. The computer process of claim 103, wherein said allowing said user to access a scene of said rich-media application comprises one or more of the following:

modifying said scene of said rich-media application;

inserting a new scene of said rich-media application;

editing scene information of said rich-media application;

deleting said scene of said rich-media application;

reordering said scene in said rich-media application; and

selecting said scene of said rich-media application.

106. The computer process of claim 105, wherein said modifying said scene of said rich-media application comprises one or more of the following:

editing a selected rich-media component;

deleting a selected rich-media component;

undoing the previous modification to a selected rich-media component; and

saving said scene of said rich-media application.

107. The computer process of claim 106, wherein said editing a selected rich-media component comprises:

selecting said selected rich-media component from a hierarchical list of folders and rich-media components;

closing graphical user interfaces used to edit non-selected rich-media components;

opening a graphical user interface used to edit said selected rich-media component; and

editing said selected rich-media component by means of said graphical user interface.

108. The computer process of claim 106, wherein said editing a selected rich-media component comprises one or more of the group consisting of:

an editor configured to edit the display of said selected rich-media component;

an editor configured to edit the volume of said selected rich-media component;

an editor configured to edit the link between said selected rich-media component and an associated menu entry;

an editor configured to edit the text field of said selected rich-media component;

an editor configured to edit the layout of said selected rich-media component;

an editor configured to edit the size of said selected rich-media component;

an editor configured to edit the transparency of said selected rich-media component;

an editor configured to edit the timing of said selected rich-media component;

an editor configured to edit the rotation of said selected rich-media component;

an editor configured to edit the color of said selected rich-media component;

an editor configured to edit the level of said selected rich-media component; and

an editor configured to edit the position of said selected rich-media component.

109. The computer process of claim 108, wherein said editor configured to edit said display of said selected rich-media component comprises one or more of the following:

a displayer configured to display an introduction animation;

a displayer configured to display a loop animation; and

a displayer configured to display an exit animation.

110. The computer process of claim 109, wherein said displayer configured to display a loop animation comprising one or more of the following:

a player configured to play said loop animation a selected number of times;

a player configured to play said loop animation no times; and

a player configured to play said loop animation continuously.

111. The computer process of claim 108, wherein said editor configured to edit the volume of said selected rich-media component comprises the group consisting of one or more of the following methods for modifying the volume:

a slider bar;

a textual input field;

an up-volume button; and

a down-volume button.

112. The computer process of claim 108, wherein said editor configured to edit the link between said rich-media component and said associated menu entry comprises one or more of the group consisting of:

an obtainer that obtains the style of said associated menu entry;

a developer that develops said link between said rich-media component and said associated menu entry; and

an obtainer that obtains the uniform resource locator of said associated menu entry.

113. The computer process of claim 108, wherein said editor configured to edit the text field of said selected rich-media component comprises one or more of the group consisting of:

a menu for selecting a layout for said text field;

a menu for selecting a font for the selected text;

a menu for selecting a font size for the selected text;

a menu for selecting a font color for the selected text; and

a menu for selecting an alignment for said text field.

114. The computer process of claim 108, wherein said editor configured to edit the layout of said selected rich-media component comprises:

a menu for selecting a component type; and

a graphical display of all preset and uploaded components matching said selected rich-media component'"'"'s component type.

115. The computer process of claim 108, wherein said editor configured to edit the size of said selected rich-media component comprises one or more of the group consisting of:

a slider bar for modifying said size of said selected rich-media component;

a textual input field for modifying said size of said selected rich-media component;

corner handles for modifying the size of said selected rich-media component;

side handles for modifying the size of said selected rich-media component; and

a display of the current size of said selected rich-media component.

116. The computer process of claim 108, wherein said editor configured to edit the transparency of said selected rich-media component comprises one or more of the group consisting of:

a slider bar for modifying said transparency of said selected rich-media component;

a textual input field for modifying said transparency of said selected rich-media component; and

a display of the current transparency of said selected rich-media component.

117. The computer process of claim 108, wherein said editing said timing of said selected rich-media component comprises:

one or more textual input fields for modifying said timing of said selected rich-media component;

a component start marker for modifying the timing of said selected rich-media component;

a component end marker for modifying the timing of said selected rich-media component;

a life bar for modifying the timing of said selected rich-media component by means of; and

a display of the current duration of said selected rich-media component.

118. The computer process of claim 108, wherein said editor configured to edit the rotation of said selected rich-media component comprises one or more of the group consisting of:

a slider bar for modifying said rotation of said selected rich-media component;

a textual input field for modifying said rotation of said selected rich-media component; and

a display of the current rotation of said selected rich-media component.

119. The computer process of claim 108, wherein said editor configured to edit the color of said selected rich-media component comprises one or more of the group consisting of:

a slider bar for modifying said color of said selected rich-media component;

a textual input field for modifying said color of said selected rich-media component; and

a display of the current color of said selected rich-media component.

120. The computer process of claim 108, wherein said editor configured to edit the level of said selected rich-media component comprises one or more of the group consisting of:

a slider bar for modifying said level of said selected rich-media component;

an ordered list representing the relative level of all components in the current scene for modifying said level of said selected rich-media component;

a textual input field for modifying said level of said selected rich-media component; and

a display of the current level of said selected rich-media component.

121. The computer process of claim 120, wherein said ordered list representing the relative level of all components in the current scene comprises one or more of the following:

a list of all components in said current scene ordered by the depth of the components;

a means of toggling the visibility of each component; and

a means of toggling the ability to modify the depth of each component.

122. The computer process of claim 108, wherein said editor configured to edit the position of said selected rich-media component comprises one or more of the group consisting of:

a textual input field for modifying the vertical position of said selected rich-media component;

a textual input field for modifying the horizontal position of said selected rich-media component;

a hit area for modifying the position of said selected rich-media component; and

a graphical input field for modifying said position of said selected rich-media component.

123. A method of accessing rich-media component information from a database comprising:

storing said rich-media component information in said database;

retrieving said rich-media component information from said database; and

denoting said rich-media component information by a unique identifier mapped to said component.

124. The method of claim 123, wherein said retrieving said rich-media component information from said database comprises:

a sorter that sorts components stored in said database into lists sorted by component type; and

a displayer that displays said lists sorted by component type.

125. The method of claim 123, wherein said unique identifier mapped to said component comprises 18 digits.

126. A method of displaying a rich-media application comprising the steps of:

allowing a user to access said rich-media application; and

allowing a user to display the scenes of said rich-media application.

127. The method of claim 126, wherein said allowing a user to display the scenes of said rich-media application comprises one or more of the following:

stopping at the current scene of said rich-media application;

moving to the next sequential scene of said rich-media application;

moving consecutively through the next sequential scenes of said rich-media application;

moving to the last scene of said rich-media application;

moving to the previous sequential scene of said rich-media application;

moving consecutively through the previous sequential scenes of said rich-media application;

moving to the first scene of said rich-media application;

moving to a selected scene of said rich-media application by using a slider bar; and

moving to a selected scene of said rich-media application by inputting the sequence number of the scene in a text field.

128. A computer system for providing users with the ability to create rich-media applications via the Internet, comprising:

a computer processor;

a memory which is operatively coupled to the computer processor;

a computer process stored in said memory which executes in the computer processor and which comprises;

a developer configured to develop rich-media applications; and

an obtainer configured to obtain computer system specifications from said user'"'"'s remote computer system via the Internet.

129. The computer system of claim 128, wherein said obtainer configured to obtain computer system specifications from said user'"'"'s remote computer system comprises one or more of the following:

an obtainer configured to obtain the processor type of each processor in the central processor unit of said user'"'"'s remote computer system;

an obtainer configured to obtain the frequency of each processor in the central processor unit of said user'"'"'s remote computer system;

a calculator configured to calculate the MIPS rating of each processor in the central processor unit of said user'"'"'s remote computer system;

an obtainer configured to obtain the combined capacity in bytes of all random access memory systems of said user'"'"'s remote computer system;

an obtainer configured to obtain the combined capacity in bytes of all attached memory systems of said user'"'"'s remote computer system;

an obtainer configured to obtain the network connection type of said user'"'"'s remote computer system; and

an obtainer configured to obtain the network transmission bandwidth of said network connection type of said user'"'"'s remote computer system.

130. The computer system of claim 129, wherein said obtainer configured to obtain the network connection type of said user'"'"'s remote computer system comprises determining if said network connection type of said user'"'"'s remote computer system is one of the following:

a modem;

a digital subscriber line;

a cable modem;

a T-1 line;

a DS-1 line;

an E-1 line;

a T-3 line;

a DS-3 line;

an E-3 line;

a 10 Mbps Ethernet line;

a 100 Mbps Ethernet line;

an OC-3/STS-1 line;

an OC-12/STS-4 line;

a 1000 Mbps Ethernet line;

an OC-48/STS-16 line; and

an OC-192/STS-64 line.

131. The computer system of claim 130, wherein said calculator configured to calculate the MIPS rating of each processor in said central processor unit of said user'"'"'s remote computer system comprises:

an obtainer configured to obtain the frequency of each processor in said central processor unit of said user'"'"'s computer system;

an obtainer configured to obtain the number of cycles per instruction for each central processor unit of said user'"'"'s host computer system; and

a calculator configured to calculate said MIPS rating of each processor in said central processor unit of said user'"'"'s remote computer system.

132. The computer system of claim 128 further comprising:

a calculator configured to calculate the number of central processor unit cycles available to be used by rich-media application components.

133. The computer system of claim 132, wherein said calculator configured to calculate the number of central processor unit cycles available to be used by rich-media application components comprises the following steps:

an obtainer configured to obtain the initial number of central processor unit cycles available for use by rich-media application components;

an obtainer configured to obtain the number of central processor unit cycles necessary for a selected rich-media component; and

a calculator configured to calculate the number of central processor unit cycles available to be used by rich-media application components.

134. The computer system of claim 133 further comprising:

a determiner configured to determine a hierarchy for loading rich-media application components based on the number of central processor unit cycles available to be used by rich-media application components; and

a loader configured to load a rich-media application component based on said hierarchy.

135. The computer system of claim 134, wherein said determiner configured to determine a hierarchy for loading rich-media application components based on the number of central processor unit cycles available to be used by rich-media application components comprises:

an obtainer configured to obtain the required number of central processor unit cycles for each of a set of rich-media components for a given part of said rich-media application;

an obtainer configured to obtain the available central processor unit cycles; and

a determiner configured to determine a rich-media component to use for a given part of said rich-media application.

136. The computer system of claim 135, wherein said determiner configured to determine a rich-media component to use for a given part of said rich-media application comprises:

a determiner configured to determine the rich-media component for a given part of said rich-media application using the greatest portion of the available central processor unit cycles without exceeding the available central processor unit cycles.

137. The computer system of claim 135, wherein said obtainer configured to obtain said available central processor unit cycles comprises:

a determiner configured to determine the number of central processor unit cycles used during a previous Internet download; and

a calculator configured to calculate the average number of central processor unit cycles used during a set of previous Internet downloads.

138. The computer system of claim 134, wherein said loader configured to load said rich-media application component based on said hierarchy comprises:

a loader configured to load the selected rich-media application component; and

a loader configured to load rich-media application components in the same rich-media application into said memory prior to said user requesting said rich-media application components.

139. The computer system of claim 128 further comprising:

a calculator configured to calculate the remaining amount of network transmission bandwidth available for rich-media application components.

140. The computer system of claim 139, wherein said calculator configured to calculate the remaining amount of network transmission bandwidth available for rich-media application components comprises the following steps:

an obtainer configured to obtain the current amount of network transmission bandwidth available for said rich-media application;

an obtainer configured to obtain the required amount of network transmission bandwidth necessary for a selected rich-media component; and

a calculator configured to calculate the remaining amount of network transmission bandwidth available for said rich-media application.

141. The computer system of claim 140 further comprising:

a determiner configured to determine a hierarchy for loading rich-media application components based on the amount of network transmission bandwidth available to be used by rich-media application components; and

a loader configured to load a rich-media application component based on said hierarchy.

142. The computer system of claim 141, wherein said determiner configured to determine a hierarchy for loading rich-media application components based on the amount of network transmission bandwidth available to be used by rich-media application components comprises:

an obtainer configured to obtain the required amount of network transmission bandwidth for each of a set of rich-media components for a given part of said rich-media application;

an obtainer configured to obtain the available network transmission bandwidth; and

a determiner configured to determine a rich-media component for a given part of said rich-media application.

143. The computer system of claim 142, wherein said determiner configured to determine a rich-media component for a given part of said rich-media application comprises:

a determiner configured to determine the rich-media component for a given part of said rich-media application using the greatest portion of the available network transmission bandwidth without exceeding the available network transmission bandwidth.

144. The computer system of claim 142, wherein said obtainer configured to obtain said available network transmission bandwidth comprises:

a determiner configured to determine the amount of network transmission bandwidth used during a previous Internet download; and

a calculator configured to calculate the average amount of Internet transmission bandwidth used during a set of previous Internet downloads.

145. The computer system of claim 141, wherein said loader configured to load said rich-media application component based on said hierarchy comprises:

a loader configured to load the selected rich-media application component; and

a loader configured to load rich-media application components in the same rich-media application into said memory prior to said user requesting said rich-media application components.

146. A business method of providing the user a method of designing and creating a rich-media application via the Internet comprising the step of:

accessing a third party'"'"'s host website via the Internet; and

creating a rich-media application on said third party'"'"'s host website.

147. The method of claim 146 further comprising the step of:

purchasing the ability to construct said rich-media application on said third party'"'"'s host website.

148. The method of claim 147, wherein said purchasing the ability to construct said rich-media application on said third party'"'"'s host website comprises one or more of the group consisting of:

purchasing a license to use rich-media application development tools for creating said rich-media application from said third party; and

paying a fee for use of said rich-media application to said third party.

149. A business method of providing rich-media application development tools that allow users to create rich-media applications via the Internet to third party website maintainers comprising the step of:

developing a software platform using said rich-media application development tools on said third party'"'"'s website.

150. The method of claim 149 further comprising the step of:

charging a fee paid by said third party for use of said rich-media application development tools.

151. The method of claim 150, wherein said charging a fee paid by said third party for use of said rich-media application development tools comprises one or more of the group consisting of:

a one-time fee;

a per-customer fee;

a per-project fee; and

a time-based fee.

152. A business method of providing a third party website maintainer a method of providing users the ability to create rich-media applications via the Internet comprising the step of:

developing a software platform using rich-media application development tools on said third party'"'"'s website.

153. The method of claim 152 further comprising the step of:

purchasing the ability to use said rich-media application development tools.

154. The method of claim 153, wherein said purchasing the ability to use said rich-media application development tools comprises paying one or more of the group consisting of the following for the use of said rich-media application development tools:

a one-time fee;

a per-customer fee;

a per-project fee; and

a time-based fee.

155. A computer system for providing a user with the ability to execute a rich-media application via the Internet, comprising:

a computer processor;

a memory which is operatively coupled to the computer processor;

a computer process stored in said memory which executes in the computer processor and which comprises;

a loader configured to load said rich-media application from a database residing in said memory; and

means of transferring said rich-media application to a user'"'"'s host computer system via the Internet.

156. The computer system of claim 155, wherein said loader configured to load said rich-media application from a database comprises:

a loader configured to load files of one or more file types for said rich-media application;

one or more queues configured to enqueue file load requests; and

means of determining the next file to load based on the enqueued file requests in said one or more queues.

157. The computer system of claim 156, wherein said files of one or more file types comprise one or more of the following:

a scene file;

a data block file;

a control block file;

a chrome file; and

a clip file.

158. The computer system of claim 156 further comprising one or more master files for said files of one or more file types.

159. The computer system of claim 158 wherein said files of one or more file types comprise one or more of the following:

a scene file;

a data block file;

a control block file;

a chrome file; and

a clip file.

160. The computer system of claim 156, wherein said loader configured to load files of one or more file types for said rich-media application comprises the steps of:

calculating the available network bandwidth for the connection to the user'"'"'s host computer system;

calculating the speed of the central processing unit of the user'"'"'s host computer system;

calculating the display frame rate of the user'"'"'s host computer system;

selecting the version of a file that most closely matches the determined values for said available network bandwidth, said speed of the central processing unit, and said display frame rate of the user'"'"'s host computer system;

loading said version of said file.

161. The computer system of claim 160, wherein said step of calculating the available network bandwidth for the connection to the user'"'"'s host computer system comprises:

obtaining the number of bytes loaded for a file request;

measuring the duration from the start of execution of said file request to the end of execution of said file request; and

calculating said available network bandwidth for the connection to the user'"'"'s host computer system using said number of bytes and said duration.

162. The computer system of claim 160, wherein said step of calculating the speed of the central processing unit of the user'"'"'s host computer system comprises:

obtaining the number of instructions executed by said user'"'"'s host computer system for a process;

measuring the duration from the start of execution of said process to the end of execution of said process; and

calculating said speed of said central processing unit of said user'"'"'s host computer system using said number of instructions executed and said duration.

163. The computer system of claim 160, wherein said step of calculating the display frame rate of the user'"'"'s host computer system comprises:

obtaining the number of frames executed by said user'"'"'s host computer system for a process;

measuring the duration from the start of execution of said process to the end of execution of said process; and

calculating the display frame rate of the user'"'"'s host computer system using said number of frames and said duration.

164. The computer system of claim 160, wherein said step of loading said version of said file comprises:

copying a parameter from a master file; and

adding the value of said parameter to one of one or more checksums.

165. The computer system of claim 164, wherein said one or more checksums are selected from the group consisting of:

an integer checksum;

a string length checksum; and

a floating point checksum.

166. The computer system of claim 165, wherein said floating point checksum comprises a floating point checksum with up to 4 digits to the right of the decimal point.