WO2002098044A2

WO2002098044A2 - Method and system for directing users of a public information network to specific content locations

Info

Publication number: WO2002098044A2
Application number: PCT/US2002/016769
Authority: WO
Inventors: Peter Flentov; Henry Harington
Original assignee: Peter Flentov; Henry Harington
Priority date: 2001-05-25
Filing date: 2002-05-24
Publication date: 2002-12-05
Also published as: WO2002098044A3; AU2002344300A1

Abstract

A method and system for directing users of a public information network such as the internet to specific content locations or pages, and for influencing their actions at these content locations or pages. The method differs from other methods of directing users of public information networks such as the Internet to specific sites, in that it follows a structured and predetermined sequence or route. The method and system uses a game metaphor to attract visitors to specific sites, and to directly influence the amount of time they spend at the site, the specific actions they perform at the site, and the number of times they return to the site. Game metaphors include, but are not limited to, treasure or scavenger hunts, jigsaw puzzles, and word games. The game provides the framework for determining the specific sites that need to be visited, the sequence in which sites must be visited, and the actions that must be taken at the site. Visitors are rewarded with points, tokens, game pieces, clues or other rewards. The system comprises a Game Server to direct and monitor navigation, and a variety of objects embedded at various content locations, pages or web sites.

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DIRECTING USERS OF A PUBLIC INFORMATION NETWORK TO SPECIFIC CONTENT LOCATIONS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention related to public and private information networks, such as the Internet, and more particularly to methods and systems for influencing behavior of users of the network.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Attracting people to specific sites or web pages is an important aspect of conducting business on public networks such as the Internet. Currently, this is typically done in one of three ways:

-Direct marketing in traditional mass-market media such as TV, newspapers, magazines and other printed media, billboards, etc.

-Banner and pop-up advertisements on the Internet that are designed to get viewers to "click through" to a specific web site.

-Links from a specific web page to another web page that allows the user to go directly to the page or web site.

Each of these methods is very inefficient, leading online businesses spend significant direct marketing dollars on advertising in an attempt to build consumer awareness and attract visitors to their sites. In many cases companies spend more in advertising than they generate in revenues. There is no guarantee that direct marketing will result in a person visiting the site - the Pets.com sock puppet has become a cultural icon of sorts, but has not succeeded in drawing enough visitors to Pets.com site, and consequently it has gone out of business, "Pets.com, Sock Puppet's Home, Will Close", New York Times, November 8, 2000, and "Pets.com Mascot Seeks New Home", New York Times, November 27, 2000.

Banner advertisements and links from other sites are also inefficient - beyond the advertisement or the link, there is little that the owner of the site or web page that is seeking to attract visitors can do to directly influence the potential visitor to either "click through" to the site, or influence how much time or what they do at the site if they click through and visit the site. The Fourth Annual ANA Web Site and Internet Advertising Survey states that "the #1 barrier to online advertising continues to be no proof of return on investment. However, the level of viewer involvement and lower level of "click throughs" cited by 35% of respondents and ad formats not impactful (29%) are new, important barriers." Fourth Annual ANA Web Site and Internet Advertising Survey Findings presented at @d:tech.SanFrancisco http://www.ana.net/about/ananews/05_09_00a.htm. More troublesome, analysts say, is the ongoing decline in the effectiveness of Net ads. While banners initially garnered click-through rates well above 20%, that number has steadily decreased to about 2% last year and less than 0.5% today. Yahool's Earnings: A Reprieve for Net Advertising Business Week October 11, 2000.

Once a person has clicked through to a specific web site, the problem is how to get the visitor to spend the maximum amount of time at the site, and even to return repeatedly. In most cases when a person clicks through to a site from a link or banner advertisement, they spend very little time investigating the site before leaving. There is a need for mechanisms that induce visitors to spend long periods at the site.

"Click through" and "stickiness" are two key measures used to determine the effectiveness of various methods of getting people to visit specific web sites, and of the ability of the web site to induce the visitor to spend time at the site. The method and apparatus described in accordance with the present invention can increase both "click through" and "stickiness".

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The method of the present invention uses a game metaphor to attract visitors to specific sites, and to directly influence the amount of time they spend at the site, the specific actions they perform at the site, and the number of times they return to the site. Game metaphors include, but are not limited to, treasure or scavenger hunts, jigsaw puzzles, and word games.

The game provides the framework for determining the specific sites that need to be visited, the sequence in which sites must be visited, and the actions that must be taken at the site. Visitors are rewarded with points, tokens, game pieces, clues or other rewards. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Figure 1 shows overview of the separate entities that constitute the method and system of the invention;

Figure 2 shows overview of basic method of the invention;

Figure 3 illustrates a token embedded in a content site and indicates its collection by a user;

Figure 4 illustrates a token stored on a game server and indicates its collection by a user;

Figure 5 shows an exemplary structure of a game server of the invention;

Figure 6 illustrates an overview of synchronous operation of an embodiment of the invention, with an exemplary management module running on a game server; and

Figure 7 illustrates an overview of asynchronous operation of the invention, with a remote management agent running on a user's computer and/or network appliance.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

An exemplary system 10 of the invention is shown in Fig. 1. The system 10 operates with either synchronous or asynchronous connections between three separate entities:

1. A Content Site that the user has to visit in order to receive game pieces,

2. A Game Server which manages the progress of the user and the awarding of game pieces

3. A Computer and/or Browser used by the participant playing the game. The Content Site, Game Server and User Computer are interconnected via a public information network, such as the Internet.

In operation, a user registers to participate with the Game Server. Once registered, the user may or may not be required to establish a synchronous connection with the Game Server while playing the game. In the synchronous mode, the Game Server continuously monitors and validates the progress of the participant. In the asynchronous mode, a Remove Game Agent that runs locally on the user's computer, monitors and validates the progress of the participant, and regularly communicates back to the Game Server

4 The Game Server may be either synchronously or asynchronously connected to the Content Site. If a synchronous connection is established, the Game Server acts as a "gatekeeper", validating that a user is authorized to obtain game tokens at the Content Site.

There are two separate and distinct aspects to the system and method of the invention, as illustrated in Fig. 2. First, there is a Game Definition and Set-up phase during which the format of the game is determined, the game objectives are defined, and the rewards are developed and embedded in the target content pages or web sites. Finally during an Execution Phase, a user may register as an authorized participant, and can execute the game defined in the first phase.

During the initial Definition and Set-Up, specific content pages to be visited, the order in which they are to be visited, the number of times they are to be visited during a specific time frame (if required), and the actions to be taken by the participant are determined by a system designer, for example. The number and type of clues and rewards at each content page or web site are also determined.

Tokens are embedded in each of the information content pages or web sites that are designated as token sites. This is effected by either embedding a piece of computer code representing the actual token into code defining and generating the target site, as shown in Fig. 3, or by embedding a more general token plug-in which dynamically retrieves or refers to a token stored on the Game Server, as shown in Fig. 4.

Finally, the games rules are specified and recorded on the Game Server. These rules are used to direct users to specific information content pages, to monitor their successful achievement of the goals specified for the game.

In the Execution phase, a user registers as an authorized participant, and then executes the game defined in the first phase.

In use, a user of the public information network, such as the Internet accesses the network through a standard means such as a personal computer consisting of a keyboard, Central Processing Unit and a monitor. The user is then directed to a Authentication Module on the Game Server, as shown in Fig. 5. The Authentication Module verifies that the user is a registered participant for the game, or if the user is not already registered, the Authentication Module allows the user to register. The Authentication Module also collects and stores demographic and other personal data provided by the user.

Once the user has been verified as an authorized participant, the Authentication Module passes the appropriate information to a Management Module, as shown in Fig. 5. The Management Module either initializes the game for the participant (if it is the first time the participant is taking part in the game) or retrieves information about progress to date. The Management Module interacts directly with the participant, offering hints and directions on how to proceed, monitors the participant's progress from information content page or web site to information content page or web sites, and monitors the action taken by the participant at each information content page or web site.

Based on the game rules stored in the Rules Module, as shown in Fig. 5, the participant is eligible to retrieve a reward once he has successfully performed certain tasks defined in the Rules Module. By way of example, this could include clicking through to certain subsidiary information content pages within a web site, answering certain questions about information on the web site, clicking or placing the cursor over a number of different locations on the information content page or web site, spending a predetermined amount of time at the web site, or returning to the information content page or web site a certain number of times. When the participant becomes eligible to retrieve a reward, the participant can obtain possession of the reward by taking some action, such as double-clicking, their mouse, on the reward. The Management Module then retrieves the reward, adding it to the rewards the participant has collected to date, and disables that specific reward for the participant, in effect only allowing the participants to claim any given reward once.

The Rules Modules and the Authentication Modules typically reside on the Game Server. The Management Module can either be deployed as a component that primarily runs on the Game Server - in this case the remote game management client runs locally and is connected synchronously to the Management Module on the Game Server, as shown in Fig. 6.

Alternatively, a remote agent is run on the local user computer and/or network appliance, performing all of the game management functions locally. The remote agent may run in either in a connected (synchronous) mode or a disconnected (asynchronous) mode. If it runs asynchronously, the remote agent periodically connects to the

6 Management Module on the Game Server an downloads game information gathered since the last download.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of the equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

Claims

What is Claimed is:

1. A site transit management system comprising:

A. a user terminal including means operable over an information network to access a content site or

B. a content site coupled to said network and including: i. means for authenticating a user gaining access to said site as a registered participant; ii. means of monitoring and recording the progress of an authorized participant; iii. means for directing said authorized participant in sequence to one or more selected content locations; iv. means operative in response to said authorized user coupled to one of said selected content locations, for directing said authorized user to perform certain tasks at the selected content location; v. means for determining a reward for said authorized participant after said authorized participant has successfully performed certain tasks or processed certain information contained at the content location; vi. means for securely allocating and recording a reward gained by said authorized participant for said successful performance.

2. A system according to Claim 1, further comprising: means for allowing an authorized participant to review and manage the reward gained.

3. A system according to Claim 1 , further comprising: means for allowing an authorized participant to swap or exchange its rewards with one or more other authorized participants.

4. A system according to Claim 1 wherein said network is the Internet.

5. A system according to Claim 1 further comprising a game authentication server

(GAS) said GAS including: i. means for registering users as authorized participants;

8 ii. means for authenticating users as registered participants; and iii. means for allowing authenticated users to participate.

6. A system according to Claim 1 further comprising a game management server (GMS); said GMS including: i. means for directing authorized participants to specific sites; ii. means for directing authorized participants to perform specific tasks at said sites; iii. means for monitoring the progress of authorized participants navigating to specific sites and the actions performed at said sites; iv. means for allowing authorized participants to be rewarded for successfully navigating to specific sites and/or performing specific tasks at said sites; v. means for securely managing and reporting rewards to authorized participants; vi. means for reporting progress towards the attainment of goals and/or rewards.

7. A system according to Claim 1 further comprising a Game Trading Server (GTS), said GTS including: i. means for allowing authorized participants to seek other authorized participants who wish to exchange or barter rewards previously obtained; ii. means for allowing authorized participants to negotiate and set agreed exchange rates for rewards; iii. means for allowing authorized participants to securely exchange rewards according to mutually agreed to exchange rates.

8. A system according to Claim 5 further comprising a game management server (GMS); said GMS including: i. means for directing authorized participants to specific sites; ii. means for directing authorized participants to perform specific tasks at said sites;

9 iii. means for monitoring the progress of authorized participants navigating to specific sites and the actions performed at said sites; iv. means for allowing authorized participants to be rewarded for successfully navigating to specific sites and/or performing specific tasks at said sites; v. means for securely managing and reporting rewards to authorized participants; vi. means for reporting progress towards the attainment of goals and/or rewards.

9. A system according to Claim 8 further comprising a Game Trading Server (GTS), said GTS including: i. means for allowing authorized participants to seek other authorized participants who wish to exchange or barter rewards previously obtained; ii. means for allowing authorized participants to negotiate and set agreed exchange rates for rewards; iii. means for allowing authorized participants to securely exchange rewards according to mutually agreed to exchange rates.

10. A system according to claim 9 wherein said game authentication server as said game management server, and said game trading server are effected at a single game server.

11. A system according to claim 9 wherein said game authentication server, said game management server, and said game trading server are distributed across multiple distributed game servers.

12. A system according to Claim 1 wherein rewards are in the form of one or more of: i. pictorial tokens; ii. game pieces;

10 iii. clues to certain questions; iv. answers to certain questions; v. words required to complete work puzzles; vi. points of a specified type and value.

13. A system according to Claim 1 wherein tokens, game pieces and other rewards are one or more of: i. visible, ii. invisible, iii. temporal, and iv. conditional.

14. A system according to Claim 1 wherein visible tokens, game pieces and other reward, are visible to the participant at all times, and claimable by a participant only after predetermined conditions have been met.

15. A system according to Claim 1 wherein invisible tokens, game pieces and other rewards are invisible to the participant until predetermined conditions have been met, and thereafter said tokens are visible and claimable by the participant.

16. A system according to Claim 1 wherein temporal tokens, game pieces and other rewards are intermittently visible and invisible, where the periodicity and length of the visibility of temporal tokens is predetermined or random, and where temporal visible tokens are claimable by a participant after predetermined conditions have been met.

17. A system according to Claim 1 wherein conditional tokens, game pieces and other rewards are visible to the participant only after predetermined conditions have been met, and said tokens are claimable by said participant only after predetermined conditions have been met.

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18. A system according to Claim 1 wherein one or more tokens, game pieces and other rewards include objects that are embedded directly within an information content page or web site visited by an authorized participant.

19. A system according to Claim 1 wherein one or more tokens, game pieces and other rewards, include objects stored on said game management server and wherein token plug-ins embedded within an information content page or web site permit access to specific assigned tokens stored on the game management server.

20. A system according to Claim 1 wherein each participant can only claim a reward one time.

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