Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer-to-computer session/connection establishing
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-06
2004-11-02
Alam, Hosain (Department: 2155)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer-to-computer session/connection establishing
C709S203000, C709S218000, C709S219000, C709S229000, C709S226000, C725S109000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06813639
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to telecommunications, and more particularly to systems and methods used to generate profits from Internet commerce.
RELATED ART
The Internet is a modern communication system that allows computer operators (users) to network with other operators as well as a variety of Internet sites (databases). These Internet sites often provide useful information, such as news and weather information, or offer products or services that can be purchased by users using, for example, credit card numbers.
As the popularity of the Internet has grown, so has the potential for profit by companies engaged in Internet-based commerce (commonly referred to as “e-commerce”). As used herein, the term “e-commerce” refers to traditional commerce over the Internet—i.e., the sale of goods and services. In addition, the term “e-commerce” is used herein to refer to other uses of the Internet for profit, such as the hosting of banners by a more popular Internet site through which an Internet user passes to a less popular Internet site. Typically, the less popular Internet site pays the more popular Internet site an agreed to amount for each “hit” passing through the banner. A common factor that often determines the success or failure of these e-commerce companies is the number of users that access (“hit”) that company's Internet site. That is, for Internet sites that sell goods and services, the greater the number of hits, the greater the potential for profit from the sale of products or services. Similarly, for Internet sits providing useful information, the greater the number of hits, the greater the chance that users will pass through a banner to a less popular Internet site paying for the banner.
A company's Internet site is typically found, for example, through advertising of the company's Internet address (URL) using conventional medium (e.g., television, radio, billboard, etc.), through banners posted in frequently-visited Internet sites, and through search engines provided by Internet portals.
Internet portals are multi-purpose Internet sites that, among other things, provide various types of general information (news, weather, stock quotes, etc.), post links to various Internet service sites, provide e-mail services, host online chat rooms and message boards, and provide search engine functions. Examples of popular Internet portals include Yahoo, AOL, and MSN. Internet portals often profit from subscriber Internet sites (i.e., Internet sites that pay the Internet portal to include their URLs and brief Internet site descriptions into that portal's search engine, and/or display banners or other links to the Internet sites). Internet sites that subscribe to one or more Internet portals greatly increase their chance of receiving “hits” due to the number of users that access the Internet portals in search of an Internet site providing a desired service. For example, a user seeking an Internet site that sells books may access an Internet portal and submit the term “BOOKS” to the portal's search engine. A list of Internet book sellers that subscribe to that Internet portal is then displayed for the user, who then accesses a selected Internet site from the displayed list.
Whether accessed directly or through an Internet portal, conventional Internet access technologies make the process of connecting to an Internet site difficult and expensive. Conventional Internet technologies typically utilize a sophisticated microprocessor (e.g., an Intel Pentium processor) and sophisticated software (e.g., Microsoft Windows '98 and Microsoft Access) that are incorporated into a person computer, which often costs more than $1,000.00. These technologies also require a user to perform several difficult interface processes using a QWERTY keyboard, for example, establishing a connection using an Internet Service Provider (ISP) by entering user information, and then entering URLs for desired sites. In addition, these conventional technologies require a user to enter, for example, a credit card number or other sensitive information that is transmitted to selected Internet sites.
Recognizing that there are a vast number of potential users that cannot afford to purchase a personal computer, or who are intimidated by personal computer operation, computer makers have sought to provide low cost and easy-to-understand Internet access systems. One attempt to provide such a system is produced by WebTV Networks, Inc. of Mountain View, Calif. The WebTV system provides a set-top box that connects to a user's television and allows the user to access the Internet using a wireless input device, thereby eliminating the cost of a computer monitor, while providing a convenient data input method. However, the WebTV set-top box is comparable to personal computers in price, and requires the user to master much of the same expensive and confusing software that is used on personal computers. Therefore, although the WebTV system makes accessing the Internet somewhat less complicated, it remains too expensive and complex for many potential users.
What is needed is a method for establishing an Internet network that both directs users to the Internet sites of the network in an easy-to-use manner, thereby maximizing the number of hits to each Internet site of the network. Ideally, each user terminal of the network would be significantly less expensive than conventional Internet access platforms, and as easy to use as a television.
SUMMARY
The present invention is directed to a channel-based Internet access network made up of user terminals that connect to selected Internet sites in response to channel numbers entered by a user. The channel numbers and associated Internet site addresses are downloaded from a central server to each user terminal of the network, and are displayed for the user on, for example, the user's television. To select an Internet site displayed on the user's television, the user merely enters the displayed channel number associated with the Internet site using a device similar to a television remote control. Consequently, the channel-based Internet access network allows a user to access selected Internet sites as easily as changing the channels on a television, thereby providing Internet access to those who are otherwise intimidated by Internet access using personal computers. Specifically, because many people who are accustomed to using a television remote control find QWERTY keyboards and the URLs of conventional Internet access platforms intimidating, the channel-based network of the present invention is likely to greatly increase the number of people that access the Internet on a regular basis.
The present invention is particularly directed to methods for establishing and operating a channel-based Internet network by allocating channel numbers to the Internet sites and Internet portals that wish to be accessed by the user terminals. In comparison to conventional Internet access using personal computers, the channel-based Internet network of the present invention promotes relatively frequent Internet site “hits” because the number of Internet sites that are accessible on the network is limited to the number of channel numbers assigned by the network administrator. That is, instead of the unlimited number of Internet sites accessible by Internet users using personal computers, the number of Internet sites accessed through the channel-based Internet network is limited to X, where X represents the number of channel numbers assigned by the network administrator. When X is relatively low, the probable number of “hits” for a particular site having an assigned channel number is relatively high because users have fewer Internet sites to select. Further, by obtaining a channel number in a group of channel numbers assigned to similar Internet sites (e.g., online stores), the probable number of “hits” for a particular Internet site is increased by users that “surf” the channel numbers (e.g., press a “NEXT CHANNEL” button on the remote control).
Clymer James R. W.
Nobakht Lida
Alam Hosain
Bever Patrick T.
Bever Hoffman & Harms LLP
Duong Oanh
VIACLIX, Inc.
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