A system for integrating video programming with the vast information resources of the Internet. A computer-based system receives a video program with embedded uniform resource locators (URLs). The URLs, the effective addresses of locations or Web sites on the Internet, are interpreted by the system and direct the system to the Web site locations to retrieve related Web pages. Upon receipt of the Web pages by the system, the Web pages are synchronized to the video content for display. The video program signal can be displayed on a video window on a conventional personal computer screen. The actual retrieved Web pages are time stamped to also be displayed, on another portion of the display screen, when predetermined related video content is displayed in the video window. As an alternative, the computer-based system receives the URLs directly through an Internet connection, at times specified by TV broadcasters in advance. The system interprets the URLs and retrieves the appropriate Web pages. The Web pages are synchronized to the video content for display in conjunction with a television program being broadcast to the user at that time. This alternative system allows the URLs to be entered for live transmission to the user.

Enhanced video programming system and method for incorporating and displaying retrieved integrated Internet information segments

A technique for implementing in a networked client-server environment, e.g., the Internet, network-distributed advertising in which advertisements are downloaded, from an advertising server to a browser executing at a client computer, in a manner transparent to a user situated at the browser, and subsequently displayed, by that browser and on an interstitial basis, in response to a click-stream generated by the user to move from one web page to the next. Specifically, an HTML advertising tag is embedded into a referring web page. This tag contains two components. One component effectively downloads, from an distribution web server and to an extent necessary, and then persistently instantiates an agent at the client browser. This agent “politely” and transparently downloads advertising files (media and where necessary player files), originating from an ad management system residing on a third-party advertising web server, for a given advertisement into browser cache and subsequently plays those media files through the browser on an interstitial basis and in response to a user click-stream. The other component is a reference, in terms of a web address, of the advertising management system. This latter reference totally “decouples” advertising content from a web page such that a web page, rather than embedding actual advertising content within the page itself, merely includes an advertising tag that refers, via a URL, to a specific ad management system rather than to a particular advertisement or its content. The ad management system selects the given advertisement that is to be downloaded, rather than having that selection or its content being embedded in the web content page.

Technique for implementing browser-initiated user-transparent network-distributed advertising and for interstitially displaying an advertisement, so distributed, through a web browser in response to a user click-stream

The present invention is a game playing method and apparatus for automating games such as blackjack, poker, craps, roulette, baccarat and pai gow, wherein players may play continuously and asynchronously, and information related to advertised items can be exchanged between players and advertisers. In one embodiment, each instance of a game is likely unique from all other current game instances. The games do not require a manual dealer and in one embodiment, played in a gaming establishment using low cost gaming stations. The present invention may also be used to play such games on the Internet or an interactive cable television network wherein a game controller communicates with players at network nodes in their homes and at their leisure since there is no game tempo requirement. During a game, advertising is selectively provided by comparing player personal information with a desired demographic profile. Player responses to advertising are used for evaluating advertising effectiveness. The invention is useful for test marketing of products, advertisements, and reduces advertising costs.

Method and system for playing games on a network

A method (Figs. 4A-4E) or apparatus (Figs. 1-3, 6A-6B and 8A-8B) for automating playing games such as blackjack, poker, craps, roulette, baccarat and pai gow, wherein players may play continuously and asynchronously, and information related to advertised items can be exchanged between players and advertisers. Each instance of a game is unique from all other current game instances. The games do not require a manual dealer and can be played either in a gaming establishment using low cost gaming stations (18) or on the Internet (324) or by an interactive cable television network wherein a game controller (14) communicates with players at network nodes (318). During a game, advertising is selectively provided by comparing player personal information with a desired demographic profile (28). Player responses to advertising are used for evaluating advertising effectiveness and for test marketing of products, advertisements, and reduces advertising costs.

Network gaming system

A digital television recording method comprising: broadcasting a television program associated with a broadcaster set of parameters enabling access to a first set of predetermined portions of the program; operating an agent for determining whether to record the program and for associating with the program, upon recording of the program, an agent set of parameters enabling access to a second set of predetermined portions of the program; storing the program together with the broadcaster set of parameters and the agent set of parameters to generate an addressable program; retrieving at least a portion of the addressable program; displaying the at least a portion of the addressable program to a user; receiving from the user a user set of parameters enabling access to a third set of predetermined portions of the addressable program; editing the addressable program to include the user set of parameters enabling access to the third set of predetermined portions of the addressable program thereby generating an edited addressable program; and storing the edited addressable program.

Advanced television system

A game system which is operable to update advertisements that are displayed when a game program is executed. The system stores a game program in a memory, receives (i.e., downloads), at predetermined times of operation, for example, on each new day the game program is executed or each time the game program is executed, updated advertising data that relates to at least one advertisement, stores the received advertising data in the memory, executes the game program stored in the memory, and outputs during the execution of the game program display data which corresponds to the stored advertisement data in accordance with the game program code. Further, instead of downloading new advertisements, plural advertisements may be prestored with the game program and only advertisement selection codes are downloaded to update the advertisements that are displayed when the game program is executed.

Apparatus and method for executing a game program having advertisements therein

PURPOSE: To provide a game software which can be assembled into a commercial advertisement responding to demend of an enterprise, by rendering programs to be a main body of a game and relating to advertisement information of a video game image and enabling a player to rewrite the program of the latter. CONSTITUTION: At the time of the start of a game software, with a switching signal 9 from a controller 2, a movable terminal M of SW 10 is connected to a stationary terminal for output. At the same instance, the transfer instruction 5 is issued from the controller 2 to HD-M6. The data (the main program) in HD-M6 are encoded by an ENC 12 for communication via an SW 10 and transmitted from a communication means 14 through a communication line 16. The transmitted data are once received by a receiver means 18 and decoded by a DEC 20 and accumulated in an MGO-G24 in the game machine 22. After that, the transfer instruction 7 is issued from the controller 2 to HD-S8, and thus the variable data at HD-S8 is accumulated in MO-G24 of the video game equipment 22. When a disk of MO4 is exchanged, commercial advertisements can be renewed.

Video game equipment system capable of displaying commercial advertisements and method of playing game

A game system (18, 20, 22) updates advertisements that are displayed when a game program (M) is executed The system stores a game program (M) in a memory (24), receives (18) (ie downloads), at predetermined times of operation, for example on each new day the game program is executed or each time the game program is executed, updated advertising data that relates to at least one advertisement, stores the received advertising data in the memory (24), executes the game program stored in the memory, and outputs during the execution of the game program display data which corresponds to the stored advertisement data in accordance with the game program code Instead of downloading new advertisements, plural advertisements may be prestored with the game program and only advertisement selection does are downloaded to update the advertisements that are displayed when the game program is executed

Apparatus and method for executing game programs having advertisements therein

A game system (18, 20, 22) updates advertisements that are displayed when a game program (M) is executed. The system stores a game program (M) in a memory (24), receives (18) (i.e. downloads), at predetermined times of operation, for example on each new day the game program is executed or each time the game program is executed, updated advertising data that relates to at least one advertisement, stores the received advertising data in the memory (24), executes the game program stored in the memory, and outputs during the execution of the game program display data which corresponds to the stored advertisement data in accordance with the game program code. Instead of downloading new advertisements, plural advertisements may be prestored with the game program and only advertisement selection does are downloaded to update the advertisements that are displayed when the game program is executed.

Kan Ebisawa

Papers

Apparatus and method for executing a game program having advertisements therein

Video game equipment system capable of displaying commercial advertisements and method of playing game

Apparatus and method for executing game programs having advertisements therein

Executing game programs having advertisements therein

Method and apparatus for executing game programs having advertisements therein