Patent ID: 7392312

Claim:
A method for facilitating computer based access to a location on a network by a consumer witnessing a presentation at a consumer viewing site that is broadcast to the consumer over a broadcast network at the consumer viewing site, which broadcast is operable to make available to a plurality of consumers the presentation, comprising the steps of: providing a visual cue as a part of and during a broadcast presentation apparent to the consumer at the consumer viewing site and indicative of a relationship between the visual cue and the presence of the location on the network that will attract the consumer's attention, the visual cue provided in close association with the occurrence of a control signal that is part of and provided during the broadcast presentation and which control signal is in association with the visual cue, wherein the visual cue and control signal are part of the broadcast before transmission thereof over the broadcast network; releasing the control signal in conjunction with the broadcast presentation such that it will be part of the broadcast presentation, the step of releasing occurring during the presentation broadcast; providing at the consumer site a computer having an input device responsive to the control signal; and controlling the computer in response to release of the control signal by the step of recognizing the control signal with the input device and then extracting the control information contained in the control signal to enable and control the computer to access the location on the network upon both the appearance of the visual cue and receipt of the control signal during the broadcast presentation, which control is facilitated from the presentation broadcast with no user intervention.