METHOD FOR BUYER-SELLER-ON-LINE COMMERCE

METHOD FOR BUYER-SELLER-ON-LINE
COMMERCE

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED
APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/154,313, entitled "SCHEDULING AND PROCESSING SYSTEM FOR TELEPHONE VIDEO COMMUNICATION" and filed on Nov. 17, 1993, which is a continuation-in-part application of application Ser. No. 08/067,783, entitled "VIDEOPHONE SYSTEM FOR SCRUTINY MONITORING WITH COMPUTER CONTROL" and filed on May 25, 1993, which is a continuationin-part application of application Ser. No. 08/031,235, entitled "VIDEOPHONE SYSTEM FOR SCRUTINY MONITORING WITH COMPUTER CONTROL" and filed on Mar. 12, 1993. The subject matter in all the aboveidentified co-pending and commonly owned applications is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates generally to the field of computerized telephone and video communication, and more particularly, to a communication traffic control system for providing video communication through a dial-up telephone system, for selectively interfacing members of plural groups, for example, wholesale buyer groups and vendor groups. Such a system may be used in a variety of applications, such as for directing and exchanging offers and responses at the wholesale level, between selective members of plural groups, for analyzing and compiling data, scheduling and implementing conferences, consummating sales and the like. It is currently contemplated that the present invention may be used, for example, in merchandising applications, including purchasing, selling, marketing or the like, educational conventions for medical doctors and other professionals, game shows, dating services and so on.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Over the years, integration of computer and telephone technologies has brought many advances in the telecommunication industry. Functionally integrating human operators with telephone network capabilities, voice and data switching capabilities, computer applications and databases, and voice processing technology not only provides human operators with immediate access to information from a wide variety of sources, but allows them to intelligently process each call as well. Telephone switches are linked with computers to coordinate computer information and intelligence with call handling capabilities to automatically add relevant data, as well as facsimile, graphics, video or audio communication capabilities. Select services or equipment such as automatic number identification (ANI) or dialed number identification service (DNIS) enhance calls and human capabilities by forwarding identifying information preceding a telephone call, thereby, eliminating steps otherwise performed by people to capture information regarding the caller. For applications involving large scale processing of calls, switch and host databases automatically link calls with a caller's record, eliminating the need for the caller to enter an identification number when using a voice response system.

[0004] More revolutionary applications use ANI to simultaneously pass both the call and the caller's current record to

an operator's telephone and terminal. This obviates the need for a person to obtain, enter and receive the caller's record from the database. Such advances have immensely enhanced human capabilities for communication, data manipulation and control functions.

[0005] Somewhat concurrently, rapid developments in computer, telephone and video technologies have introduced the concept of visual communications or video conferencing. In particular, efforts at integrating these technologies have gained enormous momentum in recent years, resulting, in part, from a general desire in all industries to conserve time and expenses, and thereby, maximize human efficiency and productivity. The advent of videophones has enabled users to visually communicate from remote locations. Many industries are rapidly embracing the idea of video conferencing or visual communication to eliminate escalating travel expenses. Employees or customers in different places can take part in interactive training sessions or seminars with no loss of time for travel.

[0006] However, obstacles remain, particularly in traditional areas of cumbersome communication. Still, with developments, virtually every industry segment can profit from interactive data sharing in real time with the added advantage of face-to-face communication. Innovative technical advances are fast satisfying promises of enhanced capabilities, thereby, allowing users to share and manipulate images from remote locations, such as pictures, graphs, maps or the like.

[0007] Technical breakthroughs in audio and video compression technology make desktop video conferencing and visual communication both economical and practical for everyday business communications. To fully participate in video conferencing, the user's equipment must communicate with similar units, albeit, from different equipment vendors. The International Telephone and Telegraph Consultative Committee (CCITT) has defined a standard called H.261 (or "Px64") detailing how video and audio signals are compressed and decompressed for transmission across a common link. At present, no one industry standard and format has been adopted for video conferencing systems. Thus, the systems available on the market are not always compatible. As a consequence, many different types of video codecs (coders/decoders) are currently in use. For example, the AT&T AVP CODEC is a three-chip set that digitally processes high quality, full motion video images and sounds that are compatible with the latest videoconferencing standards.

[0008] At any rate, ongoing efforts at achieving compatibility and providing compression schemes that can transmit color images over POTS (plain old telephone system) all over the world are in the offing. Approaches for incorporating live-action, color video with standard voice telephone lines via networks and modems are currently being introduced. By using a suitable video capture board and a modem, live video may be received and displayed on any 386 or 486 personal computer running Microsoft WindowsTM. The frame rate depends upon the type of display and type of communication hardware. For example, over a normal dial-up telephone line, a computer with a VGA (video graphics array) display set at 32,000 colors, a 486 CPU and a 14.4 kbs (thousand bits per second) modem can achieve a frame rate of 5 frames per second. The link