System and method for dynamic customizable interactive portal active during select computer time

• US 20030050834A1
• Filed: 09/07/2001
• Published: 03/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mode II, LLC
• Original Assignee: Mode II, LLC
• Inventors: Caplan, Sergio
• Application Number:
  US09/948,282
• Publication Number:
  US 20030050834A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/165 Combined use of TCP and UDP protocols; selection criteria therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8173 End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A dynamic transactional broadcasting portal display screen application comprising a screensaver substitute activating during select computer time such as idle time. Sponsors or affinity groups can customize the functionality as well as “look and feel” of the portal application utilizing distributed networks including computers with broadband internet connection. The portal application logs into a distributed network including but not limited to a central network application to perform periodic updates of functionality and content. Content can comprise any combination of video, digital applications, still pictures and audio. The application is directed to a broadcast functionality for a distributed network application intercasting and guiding the users to experience directed digital information, incentivising users to buying activity on and off network, profiling users to provide affinity user selections and incentives to consumerism.

Claims

1. A process for a dynamic customizable broadcast application portal active during selected computer time, said process comprising the steps of:

providing an electronic network having client software, said network being connectable thereto by multiple clients having network connectable machines, each machine having a display;

activating the client software based on certain determined criteria after predefined timeout periods for the network connectable machines;

said client software installing said application to the display, said application comprising digital signals;

maintaining selected static functions and applications on said machine; and

intercasting via said network for said portal replication, customization and selected dynamic functions and application updates on said machine.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein said process is implemented during idle computer time.

3. The process of claim 1 further wherein said process replaces a screen saver.

4. The process of claim of 1, wherein said process of selecting at least one of said multiple clients is customized to be random, user-determined, or network participant determined.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein said display contains a screen that is comprised of any combination of both video, stills and audio and wherein a distributor or sponsor can customize times between update to said screens of said display;

wherein a user has the ability to pause or hold a selected screen of said display in place for a time delay control of time flow of view stream.

6. The process of claim 1, wherein said step of intercasting includes providing incentives via selection of said network clients.

7. The process of claim 2, further providing a toolbar for each said of said screens with customizable functionality including but not limited to VCR type navigational controls, wherein said toolbar is dynamically updated and customized at each new update of said screen, comprising video, stationary and digital data and which provide for users of said portal linkages which can instantly transport to other sites on the distributed network such as the internet.

8. The process of claim 3, further comprising the step of:

providing customization of channels for sponsors or affinity “

barker channels”

for product placement; and

providing from sponsors or affinity “

barker channels”

real time information signals across said distributed network comprising news or other time sensitive information.

9. The process of claim 4, further comprising the step of:

providing incentives from sponsors or affinity groups in real time;

choosing select users;

intercasting time sensitive promotions with a time-out value, including but not limited to a contest or sweepstake; and

a “

win now”

functionality comprising a graphical user interface with a button for users to instantly interact with a promotion and automatically alert the provider of the promotion or contest to the users desire to accept the time sensitive promotion or contest.

10. The process of claim 5, further providing steps of:

selecting at least a client in real time by sponsors or affinity groups;

intercasting promotions comprising applications with sponsor customizable graphical user interfaces (GUIs) comprising a “

free sample giveaway”

with a time-out value;

providing a “

receive free sample now”

customized GUI comprising a style button for users to instantly interact with a promotion and automatically alert the provider of the promotion or contest to the users choice to accept the time sensitive promotion or contest.

11. The process of claim 6, wherein said step of intercasting includes allowing sponsors or affinity groups to provide real time incentives;

selecting users to be intercast time sensitive promotions comprising of a “

special offer”

with a time-out value;

contacting said users;

providing sponsor customizable GUIs comprising a “

special offer now”

style button for users to instantly interact with a promotion and automatically alert the provider of the promotion or contest to the users acceptance of the time sensitive incentive including a promotion or contest.

12. The process of claim 7, further comprising;

a real time recording, intercasting and transmission of a user'"'"'s interactions with the dynamic portal;

wherein said application means builds a demographic database for use by said sponsor or affinity group.

13. The process of claim 8, further comprising the step of providing a customizable multi-tiered layer of timers to signal the portal'"'"'s activation, update times, update digital applications and video play times.

14. The process of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

transferring files in predetermined size chunks;

numbering said chunks;

using said chunk numbers to continue disrupted file transfers.

15. The process of claim 10, further providing the steps of:

updating in real time functionality features for user to user intercasting;

wherein said functionality features allow selection of predefined time periods where the signals are automatically muted; and

wherein said signal comprises audio, video, or digital program streaming.

16. The process of claim 1, wherein said network is peer-to-peer.

17. The process of claim 1, wherein said network is a Very Private Network.

18. The process of claim 1, wherein said network is wireless.

19. The process of claim 1, further comprising a markup language.

20. A process for a dynamic customizable broadcast application portal active during selected computer time, said process comprising the steps of:

initiating communication, upon activation, from a client to a server computer on a network;

delivering from said client to said server identification information to allow said server to record process activity regarding the activities within the domain of the client software processes;

requesting a current version of rules from said server by said client, said current version determining content and order of information to be delivered to said client computer;

integrating said rules delivered to said client from said server into a preexisting rules list;

requesting by said client from said server, other proximate positioned computers on the network;

initiating a process, based upon said current rules a determination of information said client computer will request from other proximate positioned computers on the network;

contacting said proximate computers on said network by said client;

requesting information that has been determined by the application of the rules in previous software process;

determining whether said proximate computers on the network contain said information being requested by said client;

intercasting said information from said proximate computers on said network;

obtaining information that was unavailable from the proximate computers on said network from said server;

parsing the information that has been received based upon most recent rules;

displaying the information obtained in the order determined in the previous process;

delivering the information obtained to the device determined by the application of rules, and based upon said previous rules embedded in the process;

delivering the information obtained to the device determined by the application of rules based upon the previous rules embedded in said process;

allowing for interaction by a user within components of said process that is running on the client computer;

displaying the information determined by application of said rules running on the client computer;

delivering the information determined by application of said rules running on the client computer;

recording the details of all interactions with the interface on said client computer;

recording all the details of interactions whether accidental or deliberate with various interface components of said client computer;

intercasting periodically, based upon most recent rules information recorded by said client to said server in the process;

requesting periodically from said server to said client current rules to be implemented within processes on said client computer.

21. The process of claim 20, further comprising the steps of

fetching via a peer from a local node a rules based database to a preferred node comprising a server or other nodes to find nodes with active content;

and

intercasting needed content to said nodes requiring additional required content and applications based upon said rules.

22. A preferred peer-to-peer network process for broadcasting digital applications across a digital network, said process comprising the steps of:

communicating peer-to-peer to server applications via a screensaver substitution application;

intercasting peer-to-peer to server affinity incentives;

providing a prioritized peer broadcasting application within a VPN;

providing a real-time rules based server-client peer-to-peer application capable of contacting proximate computers on said network;

requesting via a client peer information that has been determined by said application of rules in a previous proximate peer run of said process;

intercasting via said proximate client peer said information that has been determined by said application of the rules to fulfill request; and

updating all peer-to-peer to client applications via said information.

23. The process of claim 22, further comprising the steps of

intercasting peer-to-peer to server to PDA digital signals;

intercasting peer-to-peer to server to a Television with a settop Receiver digital signals;

intercasting peer-to-peer to server to a wireless network digital signals;

intercasting peer-to-peer to server to a Cable Television Network digital signals;

intercasting peer-to-peer to server digital signals to a machine comprising a CPU, RAM, ROM Memory, and a Display Device;

intercasting peer-to-peer to server digital signals to at least one data storage device; and

intercasting peer-to-peer to server digital signals to a network within a network.

24. The process of claim 22 further comprising the steps of:

intercasting from a game server;

intercasting from a centralized database server; and

intercasting from at least one data storage device.

25. The process of claim 22, further comprising the steps of:

intercasting from a preferred client as a game server; and