Patent ID: 8060386

Claim:
An online sales and distribution system for facilitating complex multi-stage transactions between prospective customers and providers of products and services on multiple network platforms, the system comprising: (a) a first computer hosting a first application that is accessible, via a first network platform, by a prospective customer of a provider offering to sell one or more products or services; (b) a first virtual character in the first application that interacts with and engages the prospective customer, during a first stage of a complex transaction, regarding the products and services offered by the provider; and (c) a link from the first application to a second application that is hosted on a second computer and is accessible by the prospective customer via a second network platform, the link invocable by the prospective customer from the first application; (d) an educational module in the second application that employs the first virtual character to interact with and educate the prospective customer, during a second stage of the complex transaction, regarding the characteristics and suitability to the prospective customer of the products and services offered by the provider, wherein the first virtual character (i) poses one or more questions to the prospective customer, (ii) obtains data from the prospective customer in response to such questions, and (iii) provides educational material to the prospective customer that is tailored to such data; and (e) a transactional module in the second application that enables the prospective customer, during a third stage of the complex transaction, to purchase one or more of the products and services offered by the provider.