System and method for combining interactive game with infomercial

• US 7,266,509 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2006
• Issued: 09/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Eric Koenig
• Original Assignee: Eric Koenig
• Inventors: Koenig, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Janvier; Jean D.
• Application Number:
  US11/435,365
• Publication Number:
  US 20060293958A1
• Time in Patent Office: 476 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/1, 705/26, 705/27, 463/1, 463/40, 463/42, 463/30, 463/16, 463/25
• US Class Current: 705/14.5
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/61 using advertising information
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/401 Secure communication, e.g. using encryption or authentication
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5506 using advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0252 based on events or environment, e.g. weather or festivals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements

Abstract

A combination multi-media interactive game and video infomercial acts as an advertising business method wherein a seller of merchandise can combine both an advertising infomercial with a player and/or participant'"'"'s playing an interactive game. Preferably, the game is a step-by-step strategic or random game, whereby a player and/or participant user starts at an opening “starting point” and proceeds from one interval location to another. At each interval location, the player and/or participant is interactively interfaced with one or more commercial infomercials so that the player-participant can interact with the infomercial by researching, observing and/or demonstrating the use of the products remotely, or, by shopping for the displayed products by Internet. At each infomercial the retail object for sale is related to the predetermined themes of each interval location.

Claims

1. An interactive game comprising a centralized processing in order to process strategic or random scoring and interactive game information together with financial information, said centralized processing having a plurality of games for choosing by a user wherein each game has a plurality of step interval locations, said step interval locations communicating with at least one product placement advertisement displayed upon a display device having a screen at each step of the game, wherein the user uses a provider to facilitate purchasing or demonstrating a product online from the server during the course of a strategic or random game, wherein the user interactively proceeds through selected optical three dimensional geometric oriented locations and wherein at each location, the visual field displayed to the user is divided up into discrete segmented locations in x,y,z three dimensional axes, wherein further at each location, the user advances further in the game by moving discrete, geometric or optical units of information to expand upon and overlay them upon the three dimensional geometric oriented location, whereas the user selects at least one most appropriate product displayed, to use and manipulate images to sample and try out said selected product on said screen during a story line plot of said interactive game.