Patent ID: 6970916

Claim:
A method for conducting a contest using a network, the method comprising the steps of: displaying, on a practical screen of a user computer operably connected to the network at a user site; a plurality of pick spaces, a virtual television set including a first virtual screen, an apparent area of the first virtual screen constituting a first display area of the practical screen showing successive images selected from a first plurality of images, a preselected one of the first plurality of images being designated a lesson image, and a virtual computer including a second virtual screen, an apparent area of the second virtual screen constituting a second display area of the practical screen showing a rolling counter depicting successive ones of a plurality of available characters, each character being displayed in the rolling counter for a preselected duration; assigning, each time that a lesson image is shown in the first display area, a screen cursor is simultaneously positioned within the second display area, and a pointing device operably connected to the user computer and is simultaneously triggered, a then-current character shown in the rolling counter to a successive one of the plurality of pick spaces, and thereafter displaying an assigned character in a corresponding pick space; assembling, when each pick space displays an assigned character, an entry data packet including data indicative of the assigned character in each of the plurality of pick spaces; transmitting the entry data packet from the user computer across the network to a remote site; receiving the entry data packet at the remote site; determining if the assigned characters in each of the plurality of pick spaces represented by the received entry data packet match a preselected winning combination of characters, and if so, concluding the received entry data packet to be a winning entry, otherwise, concluding the received entry data packet is not a wining entry; notifying a user of the contest outcome; and wherein the entry data packet further comprises data indicative of the user's identity, and wherein the step of notifying includes using the user identity data received in the entry data packet to send a message across the network from the remote site to the user site.