Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – With communication link
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-30
2002-08-27
Sager, Mark (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
With communication link
C700S091000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06439997
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a television show that also utilizes the Internet. In particular, the present invention relates to a television show featuring real people (not actors) who are given a large sum of money and a time frame in which to spend it or lose it, in which the Internet is used to select the people to be given the large sum of money.
2. Description of the Related Art
Television game shows are becoming increasing popular. For example, the television game show “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” has been an extremely popular television program recently. Also, shows dealing with real people in real situations are currently very popular. For example, the television show “Survivor” reached an almost cult status and had fantastic ratings when it was aired in the summer of 2000. Needless to say, the Internet, or World Wide Web, is an extremely popular medium for people to obtain information, chat on-line, and purchase goods and/or services easily and quickly.
Therefore, it is desired to have a television game show that involves large sums of money, and that involves real people doing real-life things, and that also involves the Internet in some manner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to have a television game show which involves real people, large sums of money, and which also involves the Internet in some manner.
This object may be achieved by a method for providing a television game show. The method includes a step of allowing users to register to win a prize to be given away on the television game show, where the registration is done over the Internet. The method also includes a step of allowing users to vote on a predetermined number of randomly selected user profiles, where the voting is done over the Internet. The method further includes a step of determining a winner based on the user profile having the most votes, and then broadcasting the winner receiving the prize on television. The method still further includes a step of videotaping the winner making purchases over a time frame in which the winner must spend the entire prize amount, where the videotaping is shown in real time over the Internet, and excerpts of the videotaping are shown as delayed video on an upcoming television broadcast.
The above-mentioned object may also be achieved by a computer program product that is used to create a television game show. The computer program product includes first program code that provides users access, via an Internet, to register to win a monetary prize to be given away on the television game show, wherein a user profile is created for each user as a result of the registering. The computer program product also includes second program code that randomly selects a fixed number of the user profiles and that displays the randomly selected user profiles on the Internet. The computer program product further includes third program code that provides users access, via the Internet, to vote on one of the randomly selected user profiles. The computer program product still further includes fourth program code that determines a winner based on one of the predetermined number of user profiles having maximum number of votes.
The above-mentioned object may also be achieved by a television game show. The game show includes means for selecting a winner for the television game show from a plurality of candidates, based on voting made by way of an Internet web site. The game show also includes means for presenting the winner with a monetary award. The game show further includes means for monitoring purchases made by the winner during a fixed time period, where the monitoring means includes a web site for users to watch the winner make the purchases.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5508731 (1996-04-01), Kohorn
patent: 6343990 (2002-02-01), Rasmussen et al.
CBS: Survivor Game Show downloaded from web site <cbs.com/primetime/survivor/>, 20 pages.*
“Shop 'til You Drop” Game Show, by Troy Diggs, 2 pages.*
“Supermarket Sweep” Game Show, by Brian Rathjen and Troy Diggs, 3 pages.*
“Brewster's Millions” Movie released 1985, 1 page.
Brasseur Edward N.
O'Connell Mark A.
Foley & Lardner
Kleinke Bernard L.
Sager Mark
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