Abstract:
A method and system using moving images for conducting electronic commerce are disclosed. A moving image is displayed that contains links to one or more additional image sources. The additional sources contain information about goods or services related to the moving image.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The invention is in the field of electronic commerce. More specifically, the invention relates to methods for enabling users of electronic media visual displays to engage in automated commerce and the purchase of goods and services through links embedded in moving images.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Placement of links allowing automated commerce and purchasing through electronic media visual displays is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,266,650 to Sugaya et al. and PCT published application WO 00/72179 A2. These disclose systems and methods in which merchandise catalogues are represented in electronic still images.  
         [0003]     These documents do not disclose the use of links embedded in full-motion moving images, however. The inventive method allows users of electronic media visual displays to select links embedded in moving images that will enable the electronic media visual display user to gain access to an internet address or other electronic location where the user may obtain information about goods or services related to the moving image and, if desired, purchase these goods or services.  
         [0004]     The method of embedding links in dynamic images which allow access to an internet address or other electronic location for the purpose of purchasing goods and services departs from the inventional concepts and design of the prior art, and in so doing provides a method primarily developed for the purpose of allowing users of electronic media visual displays to engage in automated commerce and the purchase of goods and services through links embedded in moving images.  
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     A moving image is displayed which contains links to a second image source. The supplier of the moving image might be a vendor desiring to advertise and sell particular items, such as clothing. The moving image might be distributed in the form of a digital video disc (DVD), a broadcast over cable or over the air, or over the internet, as examples.  
         [0006]     The links are connected with certain specific images within the scenes of the moving image. A viewer may watch the moving image on a screen and notice certain specific images of items of interest, such as an article of clothing being worn by a person in the scene. Using a pointing device, the viewer can designate and select the specific image, activating the link connected with that specific image. The activation brings one or more images from the second image source to the screen for viewing by the viewer. These new images may themselves contain links to each other, to other images from the second source, and back to the moving image, allowing the viewer to navigate between all of these images. The new second-source images may include additional information about the item in the specific image selected from the moving image. They may also enable the user to place a purchase order for the item.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]      FIG. 1  shows a schematic of an embodiment of a system in which the method is implemented.  
         [0008]      FIG. 2  shows a flow chart indicating an embodiment of the method. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     The following detailed descriptions of embodiments of the invention are to be construed as examples and not as limiting to the scope of the invention.  
         [0010]      FIG. 1  depicts one embodiment of the method. A viewing system  5  comprises a screen  10  and hardware and software capable of receiving, processing, and acting on information from one or more information sources, such as a pointing device  35 , a first image source  15  and a second image source  40 . A viewer views a moving image on the screen  10 , which originates from the first image source  15 , such as a DVD being played in a local DVD player. The DVD might contain, for example, a movie in video form (viewable on a TV) produced by a clothing manufacturer and the DVD could be distributed by traditional mail. Alternatively, the first source could be a broadcast over the air or via a solid conduit, such as a wire, cable, waveguide, or optical fiber.  
         [0011]     Within a scene of this moving image are specific images of one or more items  20 ,  22 , such as articles of clothing being worn by people in the scene. The viewer, desiring either to purchase an item or to learn more about the item before making a purchasing decision, designates the specific image of the item  20  by moving a cursor  30  over that specific image  20  through the use of the pointing device  35 . The viewer then selects the item by, for example, pushing a button on the pointing device  35 .  
         [0012]     The act of selecting the item may stop the moving image and cause one or more images from a second source  40  to appear on the screen  10 . Alternatively, the viewer might stop the moving image—pause or “freeze” a frame—before designating and selecting an item in the resulting still image. The image from the second source  40  conveys to the viewer further information concerning the selected item  20 . The second source  40  image may contain links to other second source images, which again might provide additional information. To view these other images, the viewer could use the pointing device  35  to designate and select a particular area of the present second source  40  image. One of these second source  40  images could be in the form of a purchase order, which the viewer could fill out, using the pointing device, and then send to a supplier by selecting another link, thereby purchasing the item. The second-source  40  images could also contain links, which enable the viewer to return to the first source moving image at any time by selecting those links. After so returning, the viewer could then repeat the process by designating and selecting additional images  22  of other items, distinct from those previously selected.  
         [0013]     The designating and selecting can be realized in numerous ways. In one embodiment the pointing device  35  might operate in the manner of a mouse for a personal computer. Designating may be accomplished by moving the pointing device  35 , thereby moving a cursor  30  to the desired area of the image  20 ,  22 . Selecting of that area may then be done by pushing a button, or “clicking.” The pointing device  35  may interact with the viewing system  5  either through a wired or a wireless connection. Wireless connections could be accomplished with a beam emitted from the pointing device  35  and detected somewhere at the viewing system  5 . The beam might be electromagnetic (radio or infrared) or acoustic.  
         [0014]     The second source  40  of images could be provided by a warehouse, distribution center, manufacturing center, catalogue center or order processing center. It may be linked to the viewing system in various ways, and the linking of the second source images to each other can likewise be realized in various ways. These moving image frames and second-source images may contain embedded Universal Resource Locators (URLs) and the linking can be accomplished through the Internet to a website. Alternatively, the linking could be accomplished through a direct radio frequency (RF) link, either through a ground-based channel or a satellite.  
         [0015]     In one embodiment the viewing system may process information as follows: the first image source  15  may convey to the viewing system  5  two sets of information for each frame of the moving image. A first set is the image information, which is used by the viewing system  5  to form the image of each frame of the moving image on the screen  10 . A second set conveys, for a given frame, which areas of that frame can be selected using the pointing device  35 , and linking information, such as a URL, corresponding to each selectable area. Selectable areas comprise the areas of specific images  20 ,  22 . The viewing system  5  receives both sets of information and also a third set originating with the pointing device  35 . This third set contains the position of the cursor  30  and whether, at any given moment, the designated area is being selected by the viewer. The viewing system  5  compares the position of the cursor  30  and the information in the second set in order to determine whether or not the cursor is in a selectable region of the frame.  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  shows a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of the method. This embodiment, including the temporal order of the events depicted, is for illustration only and is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.  
         [0017]     A moving image from the first source  15  is displayed  110  by the viewing system  5 . At some point a viewer sees a specific image of an object in the frame and wants to learn more about it and perhaps ultimately purchase it. The viewer designates and selects  115  the object using the pointing device  35 . An image from the second source  40  now appears  120  on the screen  10 . The viewer now examines the second source image and then makes a choice  135  to either view a new second source image  127  or to return to the first source moving image  130 . After viewing  127  any succeeding second-source image the viewer once again has a choice  129  of either viewing another second source image or returning to the moving image  130 .  
         [0018]     In one embodiment, linking information might be encoded in a moving image as follows: The first image source  15  could be a recording medium, such as a DVD, containing multiple discrete frames which, when displayed sequentially, form a moving image. For each frame, the medium also contains information encoding which portions of that frame define the specific images  20 ,  22  that can be selected by the pointing device  35 . One example of such a selectable portion might be an article of clothing worn by a person in the frame.  
         [0019]     Before the displaying of a given frame, the specific image area information for that frame is transmitted from the first image source  15  to the viewing system  5 . This transmission may occur in a time interval between the displaying of the given frame and the displaying of the previous frame. Also transmitted is the linking information associated with each specific image, such as a URL. The information for the display of the entire frame is transmitted and displayed on the screen  10 . The position of the cursor  30 , determined by the pointing device, is loaded. The cursor position and the specific image location information are compared to determine whether or not the cursor is within a specific image area  20 ,  22 —i.e. to determine if that specific image area is being designated. If it is, and if the specific image is being selected, the moving image is stopped, the linking information is read, and communication with the second image source  40  is initiated. If a specific image  20 , 22  is not being designated or selected, the specific image information for the next frame is loaded, followed by the frame information itself, and the cycle repeats for the duration of the moving image presentation. Once the viewer is finished with images from the second source, the viewer can return to the moving image as previously described.  
         [0020]     The preceding descriptions and embodiments are for illustrative purposes only, and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is to be determined by the following claims.