Abstract:
A method for Internet advertising and gamming that encourages the player to click through several sponsor website link and therefore present a much more efficient method than those in practice at the present time.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/652,676, filed Feb. 15, 2005, which application is fully incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     This application relates generally to the field of Internet advertising and methods of advertising. More particularly, online gamming for advertising.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Presently Many companies advertise their products by showing a video clip or displaying a graphic on a popular website. When the user clicks the advertising the user is transferred to the company&#39;s main page. Further, other methods are based on the need to entertain people who are visiting their websites. Many companies lure visitors to their websites by providing online games. While the users are playing the available games, the users spend time on the website and are constantly fed with advertising.  
         [0004]     However, although these methods have limited success, it is restricted since the user is bound to the current web page and the user is tuned to the game and therefore ignores the advertising. Also, once a user follows a link to a website, the user goes specifically to that product, and bypasses all other products in the company&#39;s portfolio.  
         [0005]     Accordingly, it would be desirable for users to be more exposed to the displayed advertisements and advertiser&#39;s portfolio of other products while playing an online game.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0006]     A method for online advertising and gamming is disclosed utilizing advertisers&#39;/affiliates&#39; web sites, and tokens that are inserted within web pages in advertisers&#39; web sites. This method also utilizes a game master server attached to a database. A user/player registers on the game master&#39;s website, on the game master&#39;s server. This method further comprises of personal web pages, also referred as game boards, which are given to every successfully registered user/player. The player attempts to collect all the tokens in order to complete the game. In so doing, the players access the advertisers&#39; web sites and several of their web pages. The players are therefore exposed to the advertisers&#39; advertisements and product lines. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0007]     These and other features and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a diagram of a method for online advertising and gamming, according to an exemplary embodiment, having advertiser/affiliate websites, tokens/game pieces, a game master server, a database, and users&#39;/players&#39; personal web pages on the game master&#39;s website. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0009]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a method for online advertising and gamming  10  is illustrated. This system  10 , includes advertisers&#39; websites  12 , advertisers&#39; web pages  14 , tokens  16 , the Internet  20 , high speed internet connections  18 , the game master server  22 , high speed LAN connection  24 , a database  26 , and users&#39; personal web pages on the game master server  28 .  
         [0010]     This method involves fabricating a search engine, not shown in the figure, or any other means of directing a user to an advertiser and/or affiliates website  12 . A search engine is a program, which enables a user to search for websites that contain information and/or products of their interest. The search engine consists of all the links to advertisers and/or affiliates websites  12 . Ideally the search engine or advertisers&#39; list, resides on the game master server  22 .  
         [0011]     The advertisers&#39; websites  12 , is a collection of web pages  14 , which contain various texts, data items such as graphics, pictures, table etc. formatted in some form of hyper text mark-up language to be viewed by a web browser.  
         [0012]     The token  16 , is a piece of computer code written in some form of hypertext language such as HTML, XML, although not limited to those languages. The token  16 , contains various information; such as advertisers&#39; identification, game piece identification and numerous other essential information for identification and security purposes. The token  16 , may be represented pictorially as a game piece. It is understood that an empty token  16 , is an advertiser webpage  14  and/or website  12  with no game pieces by which it is associated.  
         [0013]     The Internet  20 , is a global system of interconnected networks. The advertisers&#39; websites  12 , resides on a server that is connected to the Internet  20 , via high speed Internet connections  18 . The high speed Internet connections  18 , may be T1, T3, or higher speed connections, which transmit data at speeds of 1.44 Mbs or higher.  
         [0014]     The game master server  22 , is a powerful computer with specialized software that accept and process client requests over the Internet  20 , via the high speed Internet connection  18 .  
         [0015]     A database  26 , is a storage system which comprises, but not limited to a database server and storage media. The database  26 , is connected to the game master server  22 , via high speed Local Area Network (LAN) line  24 , such as Ethernet connection.  
         [0016]     The users&#39; personal web pages/game boards  28 , are web pages in which the users/players collect the game pieces/tokens  16 , and/or information about the game. The users, depending on the games played, assemble and complete the game on the game board  28 .  
         [0017]     Now, exemplary method of implementing the advertising and gamming system  10  will be discussed. Several advertisers sign up with the game master server  22 . The game master server  22 , provides a search engine or some form of list of the advertisers. The game master server  22 , provides the game board  28 , and registers the user. The game master server  22 , is in no way limited to these tasks.  
         [0018]     To start a new game, The game master server  22 , inserts tokens  16  in the advertiser&#39;s and/or affiliates web sites  12 . Depending on the game, the tokens  16  may represent a game piece for assembly such as a jigsaw puzzle, clues for solving a game such as an adventure game, or interactive game elements. The function of said tokens  16 , are not limited to the aforementioned tasks.  
         [0019]     The users sign up to the game master server  22 . Once registered, each user gets storage space on the game master server  22 . The storage space is to allow the set up of a personal web page/game board  28  for the user. The game board  28 , consists of instructions, templates, collection area, assembling area and all other pertinent mechanism to complete the game. The user is instructed of the websites  12 , in which the tokens/game pieces are located. The actual web page  14  is not disclosed, although there may be clues that lead to the actual web page  14 .  
         [0020]     A user goes to the indicated websites  12 . The user searches through many different web pages  14  within the advertiser web site  12 , and therefore are exposed to numerous information and/or advertisements. While searching, except in the case of an empty token, the user finds the token  16 . The user clicks on the token  16 , and gathers all the information from that token  16 . Information gathering from a link is typically done on the internet using “cookies”. “Cookies” are well known objects for those well versed in the art. The information gathered is transferred to the user&#39;s/player&#39;s game board  28 . The user collects all the tokens  16  from different advertiser&#39;s/affiliate&#39;s websites  12  in order to complete the game.  
         [0021]     As a specific example, one game that suits this process well is the jigsaw puzzle. The jigsaw puzzle is a very popular game. It consists of a picture that is fragmented in many pieces. The pieces are then scrambled. The object of the game is to reassemble the original picture.  
         [0022]     The game begins when the player accesses the game master server  22 . The player is presented a picture. The picture is cut in many fragments. The numbers of fragments vary, depending on the difficulty level. The player is given a list of websites  12 , in which the game pieces/tokens  16  may be found. The object of the game is for the player to go to those different websites  12  and collect the pieces/tokens  16  of the puzzle. Once the user finds and clicks on a token  16 , the information is gathered and the game fragment is transferred on the user&#39;s game board  28 . The player can either start assembling the fragments of the puzzle as he/she discovers them or wait until he/she has all the fragments before starting assembling the puzzle. The first player who finds all the fragments and reassembles them first, wins.  
         [0023]     Other types of games are adventure games where the object of the game is to collect information in order to solve a problem. In such games the game objects or tokens  16  are information hubs where the player gathers clues and/or objects.  
         [0024]     The tokens/puzzle pieces  16  may be shuffled, after a set time to solve such puzzle has expired. Shuffling a puzzle piece/token  16  consists of removing the piece/token  16  from one website  12  link association, to another website  12  link association.