US5828839A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Computer network chat room based on channel broadcast in real time
Assignee: CHAT TV A WHOLLY OWNED SUBSIDIARY OF INTERACTIVE BROADCAST SERVICES LLC
•
Filing: 1996-11-14
•
Granted: 1998-10-27
•
Expires: 2016-11-14
Abstract
Abstract A computer network chat room system includes plural chat rooms, with the conversation in each chat room being related to the program being broadcast real-time over a respective TV or radio channel in a user-defined time zone. Computer users access the chat rooms via the Internet by inputting their desired television or radio channel, along with a request to enter a chat room. A chat window is presented to the users of the system, along with a Web page window relating to the program currently being broadcast over the respective channel, and two advertising windows that also relate to the current program that is the discussion topic of the respective chat room. Additionally, a merchandising window can be presented for effecting transactions of merchandise that relates to the current program. A time zone-dependent channel guide is also advantageously provided to the computer users.
Inventors
- 👤 Craig T. Moncreiff
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 03:52
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L12/00; H04L12/02; H04L12/16; H04L12/18; H04L12/1813; H04L12/1818; G; G07; G07F; G07F7/00; H04L9/00; H04L9/40; H04N; H04N21/00; H04N21/40; H04N21/47; H04N21/478; H04N21/4786; H04N21/4788; H04N7/00; H04N7/16; H04N7/173; H04L69/00; H04L69/30; H04L69/32; H04L69/322; H04L69/329
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
156 words
A computer program product comprising: a computer program storage device readable by a digital processing system; and logic means on the program storage device and including instructions executable by the digital processing system for performing method steps for establishing communication between at least one user computer and at least one chat room in a computer network based on the broadcast time of a broadcast program to which the chat room relates, the method steps comprising: (a) receiving from the user computer a desired program channel; (b) receiving from the user computer a desired time zone; (c) receiving from the user computer a request to enter a chat room; (d) in response to the receiving steps, establishing communication between the user computer and the computer network chat room; storing in a viewer file for each broadcast program, the number of user computers logged in to a chat room; and providing accounting data based on the viewer file.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
156 words
A computer program product comprising: a computer program storage device readable by a digital processing system; and logic means on the program storage device and including instructions executable by the digital processing system for performing method steps for establishing communication between at least one user computer and at least one chat room in a computer network based on the broadcast time of a broadcast program to which the chat room relates, the method steps comprising: (a) receiving from the user computer a desired program channel; (b) receiving from the user computer a desired time zone; (c) receiving from the user computer a request to enter a chat room; (d) in response to the receiving steps, establishing communication between the user computer and the computer network chat room; storing in a viewer file for each broadcast program, the number of user computers logged in to a chat room; and providing accounting data based on the viewer file.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
44 words
The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the method steps further comprise establishing communication between a plurality of user computers and a plurality of chat rooms, at least some of the chat rooms being associated with respective channels in a respective time zone.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
43 words
The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the method steps further comprise: (e) receiving from the user a request to change time zones; and (f) in response to step (e), establishing communication between the user computer and a computer network chat room.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
22 words
The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the method steps further comprise presenting a broadcast program listing to the user computer.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
34 words
The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the method steps further comprise: presenting an advertisement related to the broadcast program to the user computer; and providing accounting data based on the providing step.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
36 words
The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the method steps further comprise: presenting a first Web page related to the broadcast program to the user computer; and providing accounting data based on the providing step.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
31 words
The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the presenting step further includes presenting hyperlinks to Web pages other than the first Web page that are related to the broadcast program.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
45 words
The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the method steps further comprise: presenting a merchandise computer page to the user computer, wherein merchandise presented on the merchandise computer page is related to the broadcast program; and providing accounting data based on the providing step.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
14 words
The computer program product of claim 1, in combination with the digital processing apparatus.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
12 words
The combination of claim 9, in further combination with the computer network.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
92 words
A system for keying at least one computer network site to a respective channel over which programs are broadcast, comprising: logic means for providing user computers access to the computer network site when the user computers input data at least representative of: the channel, and a request to communicate with the computer network site; logic means for presenting a first Web page related to the broadcast program to the user computer; and logic means for presenting hyperlinks to Web pages other than the first Web page that are related to the programs.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
92 words
A system for keying at least one computer network site to a respective channel over which programs are broadcast, comprising: logic means for providing user computers access to the computer network site when the user computers input data at least representative of: the channel, and a request to communicate with the computer network site; logic means for presenting a first Web page related to the broadcast program to the user computer; and logic means for presenting hyperlinks to Web pages other than the first Web page that are related to the programs.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
80 words
The system of claim 11, wherein the computer network site is a chat room, and the system further comprises: logic means for receiving from the user computer a desired time zone; logic means for receiving from the user computer a request to enter a chat room; logic means for establishing, in response to the receiving steps, communication between the user computer and the computer network chat room; and logic means for presenting a broadcast program listing to the user computer.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
65 words
The system of claim 11, further comprising: logic means for presenting an advertisement related to the broadcast program to the user computer; logic means for presenting a merchandise computer page to the user computer, wherein merchandise presented on the merchandise computer page is related to the programs; and logic means for providing accounting data in response to at least some of the means for presenting.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
45 words
The system of claim 13, further comprising: logic means for storing in a viewer file for each program, data representative of the user computers in communication with the respective chat room; and logic means for providing accounting data in response to the means for storing.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
14 words
The computer program product of claim 14, in combination with a digital processing apparatus.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
12 words
The combination of claim 15, in further combination with a computer network.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
130 words
A computer-implemented method for cost accounting in a computer system simultaneously displaying, to user computers, at least one chat window, at least one Web page window, and at least one advertising window, wherein the computer system displays at least one merchandising window simultaneously with the chat window, comprising the steps of: generating an accounting representative of advertising presented in the advertising window; generating an accounting of user access to the Web pages; generating an accounting of merchandise transactions executed via the merchandising window; and generating an accounting based on user data from the computer system, and further wherein the computer system includes a plurality of chat windows, each chat window establishing a respective channel chat room, and wherein the user data includes the number of users per channel chat room.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
130 words
A computer-implemented method for cost accounting in a computer system simultaneously displaying, to user computers, at least one chat window, at least one Web page window, and at least one advertising window, wherein the computer system displays at least one merchandising window simultaneously with the chat window, comprising the steps of: generating an accounting representative of advertising presented in the advertising window; generating an accounting of user access to the Web pages; generating an accounting of merchandise transactions executed via the merchandising window; and generating an accounting based on user data from the computer system, and further wherein the computer system includes a plurality of chat windows, each chat window establishing a respective channel chat room, and wherein the user data includes the number of users per channel chat room.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2001-10-26 | 2002-04-27 | 2002-10-27 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-10-26 | 2006-04-27 | 2006-10-27 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-10-26 | 2010-04-27 | 2010-10-27 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |