Internet based search contest

• US 6,074,299 A
• Filed: 02/06/1998
• Issued: 06/13/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cohen, Robert H.
• Original Assignee: Cohen, Robert H.
• Inventors: Cohen, Robert H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Martin-Wallace, Valencia
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOTALING, JOHN M
• Application Number:
  US09/020,034
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 463/40-42, 463/9-11, 463/16, 434/322, 434/323, 434/332, 700/91-93, 705/14, 709/223, 709/224
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0053 Computers, e.g. programming

Abstract

An Internet-based Web Search Contest. Participants are provided clues as to target Web sites. The target Web sites are maintained in an ordered list and participants sequentially locate the target Web sites and are provided clues as to the next target Web site in the list.

Claims

1. A method of tracking web search progress of a game participant using a game participant computer linked to the internet comprising:

providing information over the internet from a game server computer with a computer memory to the game participant computer at a first time, the information pertaining to an internet target location;

storing the first time in the computer memory;

examining submission information provided over the internet by the game participant computer to the game server computer at a second time; and

storing the second time in the computer memory.

2. The method of tracking web search progress of claim 1 further comprising determining whether the submission information provided by the game participant computer correctly identifies the internet target location.

3. The method of tracking web search progress of claim 2 further comprising providing additional information over the internet from the game server computer to the game participant computer at first additional times, the additional information pertaining to additional internet target locations;

storing the first additional times in the computer memory;

examining additional submission information provided over the internet by the game participant computer to the game server computer at second additional times;

storing the second additional times in the computer memory.

4. The method of tracking web search progress of claim 3 further comprising multiple game participants each using a game participant computer, with each game participant uniquely identified by a unique identifier.

5. The method of tracking web search progress of claim 4 wherein the first additional times and the second additional times for each game participant are stored in the computer memory device in association with the unique identifier of each game participant.

6. The method of tracking web search progress of claim 5 further comprising sorting the additional internet target locations in a list having sequential positions and providing information over the internet from the game server computer to the game participant computer, the information pertaining to a one of the additional internet target locations appearing in the sequence of positions in the list to the game participant computer only when the additional submission information provided by the game participant computer correctly identifies the additional internet target location appearing immediately prior to the one of the additional internet locations in the sequence of positions in the list.

7. The method of tracking web search progress of claim 6 further comprising storing a status number indicative of the entries identifying additional internet locations for each game participant.

8. The method of tracking web search progress of claim 7 further comprising providing the status number and unique identifier of each game participant to all game participants.

9. A computer-implemented internet-based learning system in communication with a user computer connected to the internet comprising:

a server computer connected to the internet with clue provision means for providing information pertaining to a target web page to the user computer connected to the internet; and

tracking means operated by the server computer for determining if the user computer has received information from the target web page.

10. A computer-based web search game comprising:

a user computer, with a computer memory and a display, connected to the internet;

at least one computer-readable clue stored in the computer memory and displayed by the computer display, the computer readable clue pertaining to a predetermined web page provided by a web server computer over the internet; and

tracking means operated by the user computer for determining if the user computer has received the predetermined web page provided by the web server computer over the internet.

11. The computer-based web search game of claim 10 further comprising at least one code word associated with the predetermined web page.

12. The computer-based web search game of claim 11 wherein the tracking means comprises entry means for entering on the user computer a code word guess and comparison means operated by the user computer for comparing the code word guess with the code word.

13. A computer-based web search game comprising:

a plurality of computer-readable clues, each one of the computer-readable clues being associated with one of a plurality of target web pages provided by at least one web server;

a server computer, with a computer memory, connected to the internet and storing the plurality of sets of computer-readable clues in the computer memory, the server computer comprising;

clue provision means for providing one of the computer-readable clues to a user computer connected to the internet, the one of the computer-readable clues being associated with one of a plurality of target web pages;

tracking means for determining if the user computer has received the one of the plurality of target web pages from at least one web server.

14. The computer based web search game of claim 13 wherein the plurality of target web page are sequentially ordered in a list having a lowest position and a highest position.

15. The computer based web search game of claim 14 wherein the clue provision means provides computer-readable clues associated with a target web page with a first position in the list to a user computer only if the tracking means has determined that the user computer has received all of the target web pages having positions higher in the list than the first position.

16. The computer based web search game of claim 15 wherein the server computer further comprises timing means for timing the period beginning with the time at which the clue provision means first provides a clue associated with a target web page having the highest position in the list to a user computer and the time at which the tracking means determines the user computer has displayed a target web page having the lowest position in the list.