METHODS FOR INTERACTIVE AND SYNCHRONOUS DISPLAY SESSION

• US 20100146404A1
• Filed: 02/16/2010
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: 7842317 Canada Incorporated, Reliable Tack Acquisitions LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: 7842317 Canada Incorporated
• Inventors: Nykamp, Paul
• Application Number:
  US12/706,446
• Publication Number:
  US 20100146404A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/755
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers

Abstract

A system for interactively displaying and distributing information. The information may relate to consumer products, any type of article of commerce, marketing and advertising layouts, floor plans, planograms or any other type of information that is capable of being illustrated graphically. A consumer engages in an Interactive Information Session with an attendant, such a help desk attendant. During the Interactive Information Session, the attendant and consumer see synchronized displays of images or animations of the information, which may be manipulated by either one of them. The attendant and the user can communicate interactively by voice or text during at least part of the Interactive Information Session. In another embodiment, two or more users of a system according to the invention can collaboratively design a product, marketing or advertising layouts, planograms, floor plans or other graphical information in an Interactive Design Session. During the session one of the users controls the design at any time. Different users may have control at different times. The users can engage in interactive voice or text communications during at least part of the Interactive Design Session.

Claims

1. A method for an interactive session between two or more user computers, wherein each of the user computers is operated by a user, the method comprising:

storing at least one data object in a server system;

transmitting the data object to at least some of the user computers, wherein at least some of the data object is displayed on the user computers by user client software;

establishing an interactive communication link between the user computers to enable the user computers to transmit and receive interactive communication messages, wherein the interactive communication link is selected from the group consisting of a text communication link and an audio communication link.

synchronizing the display of at least some of the data object on the user computers, wherein synchronizing comprises;

at one of the user computers, generating one or more Update Messages that describe a modification of the display of at least some of the data object;

transmitting corresponding Update Messages to the remaining user computers;

and at the remaining user computers, updating the display of at least some of the data object in response to the corresponding Update Messages.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the user client software is configured to allow a user computer to control which user computers receive their interactive communication messages.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the user client software is configured to allow a user computer to select which user computers to receive interactive communication messages from.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the data object includes initial display instructions for defining how the data object is displayed when initially displayed on each of the user computers.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the user computers is designated as a controlling computer and the remaining user computers are designated as viewing computers and wherein the modification of at least some of the data object occurs on the controlling computer.

6. The method of claim 5 including permitting a user to designate the user'"'"'s computer as the controlling computer, wherein a computer previously designated as the controlling computer is then designated as a viewing computer.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein synchronizing comprises receiving the Update Messages at a system server and transmitting the corresponding Update Messages from the system server to the remaining user computers.

8. The method of claim 5 further comprising receiving a Store Current View message from a user computer, in response to the Store Current View message, recording view data related to the current display of the data object.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising transmitting a New View message to each of the user computers other than the user computer from which the Store Current View message was received, wherein the New View message includes the view data and an identifier for the view data.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising receiving a Display Stored View message from the controlling computer, wherein the Display Stored View message includes the identifier for the view data, and transmitting to the viewing computer a corresponding Display Stored View message.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the data object is transmitted to the user computers in response to receiving an Initiate Interactive Information Session message at the server system from a user computer.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving an additional data object from one of the user computers;

transmitting the additional data object to the remaining user computers; and

displaying at least some of the additional data object on the remaining user computers.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting a link to join the interactive session to a user computer, wherein the link comprises a URL relating to the interactive session.

14. The method of claim 5 wherein the Update Messages describe an annotation of the data object on the controlling computer and wherein the viewing computer is configured to display a corresponding annotation of the data object.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein establishing an interactive communication link between the user computers comprises:

generating an interactive communication message at a user computer;

transmitting the interactive communication message from the user computer to the remaining user computers.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising receiving the interactive communication message at the system server and transmitting the interactive communication message from the system server to the remaining user computers.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising recording the interactive communication message at the system server.