Technique for conducting a game over a communication network
US6335744B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 21, 1998 |
| Grant date | Jan 1, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 21, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA63F2300/5506
- WIPO fieldIT methods for management
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A game has been designed to lure computer users to websites established by companies participating in the game. The participating companies advertise their products and/or services on the websites. The object of the game is to locate and procure a specified icon hidden at each of the websites. In accordance with the invention, the specified icon may assume one of three states, e.g., green, red and yellow states in that order. The three states vary with time and cycle themselves. A user is able to procure and click on a located icon only when it is in a green state, manifest by its green color. A red state of the icon indicates that the green state has just ended, and a yellow state of the icon indicates that the green state is imminent. Thus, in the course of playing the game, a user is likely to revisit or linger at a website whose icon is in a red or yellow state. As a result, such a user spends time on the website and may learn about its advertised products and/or services, thereby helping realize the advertising purpose of the website.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.