Directing internet shopping traffic and tracking revenues generated as a result thereof

• US 7,000,242 B1
• Filed: 07/31/2000
• Issued: 02/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kenxus, LLC
• Original Assignee: Jeff Haber
• Inventors: Haber, Jeff
• Primary Examiner(s): RUDY, ANDREW J
• Application Number:
  US09/628,569
• Time in Patent Office: 2,024 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 715/719, 725 41- 43
• US Class Current: 725/43
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0246 Traffic
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

A system having a client, a host server, a sponsor server, and a video server, which are all interconnected via the Internet and which operate seamlessly together in order to provide video content to an end user at the client and allow the end user at the client to purchase products and/or services from the sponsor that are featured in the video content provided by the video server. As the user views video content on his or her computer, images associated with segments of the content are periodically provided in conjunction with the video content. Each image contains an image map, which defines areas in the image. Each defined area is associated with a product which is displayed in that area of the image. Each defined area is also associated with an anchored hyperlink which links to web content from a sponsor server. The web content includes product information for that particular product featured in that area of the image. Accordingly, by selecting an item in the image, product information is retrieved from a sponsor server and provided to the user so he or she may purchase the product seen in the video content.

Additionally, various user activities and interactions, including which videos are selected for viewing and which products are purchased, is tracked for several purposes. This tracking can be used to determine which videos and products are viewed and purchased more often, as well as for generating revenue sharing reports for purposes of profit sharing.

Claims

1. A method for providing internet traffic for on-line shopping:

providing a segment of video content in a first portion of a display, said segment of video having a number of products featured in the video content which a user may purchase;

simultaneously providing a still image in a second and separate portion of the display, which image corresponds with a frame in the segment of video content and contains a number of user selectable areas, each user selectable area showing one of the products contained in the corresponding segment of video content, each user selectable area being anchored to a hyperlink, each hyperlink linking to an e-commerce website where specific information about the product resides and from which the product may be purchased;

receiving a user'"'"'s selection of one of the user selectable areas in the still image showing one of the products contained in the corresponding segment of video content;

using the hyperlink anchored to the user'"'"'s selected area to directly access the e-commerce website and retrieve the specific information about the product contained in the corresponding segment of video content; and

simultaneously providing the specific information about the product to the user in a separate and third portion of said display.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

allowing the user to exercise an option to purchase the product on-line directly from the e-commerce website.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

simultaneously providing a set of user selectable hypertext links in a fourth portion of said display, which user selectable hypertext links correspond with the simultaneously provided image, each hypertext link in the series corresponding with a product contained in the image, each hypertext link linking directly to an e-commerce site where specific information about the product resides and from which the product may be purchased.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

receiving a user'"'"'s selection of one of the hypertext links in the set;

retrieving the specific information about the product from the e-commerce site using the hypertext link selected by the user from the set;

providing the specific information to the user in the separate and third portion of the display so he or she may purchase the product on-line directly from the e-commerce website.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

tracking the user'"'"'s activity, including the user'"'"'s product selection from the user selectable products provided in the image and the user'"'"'s purchase activity after the information about the product is retrieved from the e-commerce web site.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

generating the activity report for each user who selects one of the user selectable products provided in the image and retrieves information from the e-commerce site, said report containing information about the tracking of the user'"'"'s activity.

7. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

tracking the user'"'"'s activity, including the user'"'"'s selection of one of the hypertext links in the series and further tracking the user'"'"'s purchase activity after the information about the product is retrieved from the e-commerce site.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

generating an activity report for each user who selects one of the hypertext links in the series of hypertext links and retrieves information from the e-commerce site, said report containing information about the tracking of the user'"'"'s activity.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a new segment of video content in the first portion of the display, said new segment of video content having a number of new products featured in the video content which a user may purchase;

simultaneously providing a new still image in the second portion of the display, which corresponds with a frame in the new segment of video content, and contains a number of new user selectable products which correspond with the new products featured in the new segment of video content, each new user selectable product in the new still image being embedded with a hypertext link, each hypertext link linking to an e-commerce site where specific information about the new product resides and from which the new product may be purchased;

receiving a user'"'"'s new product selection from one of the new user selectable products in the image;

retrieving the specific information about the user'"'"'s selected new product directly from the e-commerce website using the embedded hypertext link to access the e-commerce website and retrieve the specific information about the product selected;

simultaneously providing the specific information about the new product to the user in the separate and third portion of said display and allowing the user to exercise an option to purchase the new product on-line.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

simultaneously providing a new series of user selectable hypertext links in the fourth portion of said display, which correspond with the new image, each hypertext link in the series corresponding with one of the new products contained in the new image, each hypertext link linking directly to an e-commerce site where specific information about the new product resides and from which the product may be purchased.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

receiving a user'"'"'s selection of one of the new hypertext links in the new series of user selectable hypertext links;

retrieving the specific information about the new product from the e-commerce site using the selected hypertext link;

providing the specific information to the user in the third portion of the display so he or she may purchase the product on-line directly from the e-commerce website.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

tracking the user'"'"'s activity, including the user'"'"'s product selection from the user selectable products provided in the new image and further tracking the user'"'"'s purchase activity after the information about the product is retrieved from the e-commerce site.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

generating an activity report for each user who selects one of the user selectable products provided in the new image and retrieves information from the e-commerce site, said report containing information about the tracking of the user'"'"'s activity.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

tracking the user'"'"'s activity, including the user'"'"'s selection of one of the hypertext links in the series and the user'"'"'s purchase activity after the information about the product is retrieved from the e-commerce site.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

generating an activity report for each user who selects one of the hypertext links in the series of hypertext links and retrieves information from the e-commerce site, said report containing information about the tracking of the user'"'"'s activity.

16. A user interface for use with a web browser, comprising:

a video area for displaying several contiguous segments of video content featuring products which may be purchased; and

a second and separate image area for simultaneously providing a series of still images, each still image in the series corresponding with one of the contiguous segments of video content and being a select frame from said corresponding segment of video content, each still image containing a number of user selectable areas, each user selectable area showing one of the products featured in the corresponding segment of video content, wherein each user selectable area in the still image is anchored with a hyperlink which links directly to a sponsor webpage such that when the user selectable area is selected, information about the product shown in that area, including an option to purchase the product, is linked directly from the sponsor webpage using the hyperlink, and the information is simultaneously displayed to the user in a third and separate display area.

17. The user interface of claim 16, further comprising:

a fourth and separate hypertext link area for providing a set of user selectable hypertext links, each hypertext link in the set corresponding with one of the number of user selectable products contained in the image such that when one of the hypertext links in the set is selected, information about the corresponding product, including an option to purchase the product, is linked directly from the sponsor web site and provided to the user.

18. The user interface of claim 16, further comprising:

a fifth and separate product content area for simultaneously displaying the information about the product and the option to purchase the product which was linked from the sponsor webpage using the hypertext link.

19. A user interface for use with a web browser, comprising:

a video area for displaying a segment of video content featuring products which may be purchased; and

a separate still image area for simultaneously providing a still image corresponding with a frame of the segment of video content and containing a number of user selectable areas, each user selectable area showing one of the products featured in the corresponding segment of video content, wherein each user selectable area in the still image is anchored with a hyperlink which links directly to a sponsor webpage such that when the user selectable area is selected, information about the product shown in that area, including an option to purchase the product, is linked directly from the sponsor webpage using the hyperlink, and the information is simultaneously displayed to the user;

a separate product content area for simultaneously displaying the information about the product and the option to purchase the product which was linked from the sponsor webpage using the hyperlink anchored to the user selectable area.

20. The user interface of claim 19, further comprising:

a separate hypertext link area for providing a set of user selectable hypertext links, each hypertext link in the set corresponding with one of the number of user selectable products contained in the still image being displayed such that when one of the hypertext links in the set is selected, information about the corresponding product, including an option to purchase the product, is linked directly from the sponsor web site and provided to the user.