On-line product catalogue and ordering system, and the presentation of multimedia content

Abstract

A method of presenting an on-line product catalogue and ordering system to a user, said method comprising providing a graphical user interface representing a virtual space through which users may navigate, said virtual space including representations representing products, through which a user may obtain product information and order a product on-line, and representations representing the other users of the system, through which the user may identify such other users and communicate with a selected other user regarding the products on offer.

1 . A method of presenting an on-line product catalogue and ordering system to a user, said method comprising providing a graphical user interface representing a virtual space through which users may navigate, said virtual space including representations representing products, through which a user may obtain product information and order a product on-line, and representations representing other users of the system, through which the user may identify such other users and communicate with a selected other user regarding the products on offer.  
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said user representations are represented in a relationship with a first product representation in said virtual space when selecting a first product or accessing information relating to said first product, and represented in a relationship with a second product representation in said virtual space when selecting a second product or accessing information relating to said second product.  
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 2 , wherein said relationships said one or more user representations are represented as spatially proximate the respective product representation, compared to such proximity with representations of other products.  
     
     
         4 . A method according to  claim 1 ,  2  or  3 , wherein said product representations comprise image objects.  
     
     
         5 . A method according to any preceding claim, wherein said user representations comprise avatars.  
     
     
         6 . A method according to any preceding claim, further comprising presenting audio resources to the user, said audio resources relating to a product represented in said graphical user interface.  
     
     
         7 . A method according to  claim 6 , wherein a user is represented within said virtual space in accordance with their temporal location within an audio resource the user is accessing.  
     
     
         8 . A method according to any preceding claim, wherein said virtual space comprises representations of different audio products.  
     
     
         9 . A computer program for use in on-line product catalogue and ordering system, said program being adapted to generate a graphical user interface representing a virtual space through which users may navigate, said virtual space including representations representing products, through which a user may obtain product information and order a product on-line, and representations representing other users of the system, through which the user may identify such other uses and communicate with a selected other user regarding the products on offer.  
     
     
         10 . A method of presenting multimedia content to a user of a multi-user system, said method comprising providing a graphical user interface representing a virtual space through which a user may navigate, said virtual space including representations of a plurality of multimedia resources and representations of one or more users, wherein said one or more user representations are represented in a relationship with a representation of a first multimedia resource in said virtual space when selecting or accessing said first resource, and represented in a relationship with a representation of a second multimedia resource in said virtual space when selecting or accessing said second resource.  
     
     
         11 . A method according to  claim 10 , wherein said relationships said one or more user representations are represented as spatially proximate the representation of said resource being accessed or selected, compared to such proximity with representations of other resources.  
     
     
         12 . A method according to  claim 10  or  11 , wherein said resource representations comprise image objects.  
     
     
         13 . A method according to  claim 10 ,  11  or  12 , wherein said user representations comprise avatars.  
     
     
         14 . A method according to any of  claims 10  to  13 , wherein said resources comprise audio resources.  
     
     
         15 . A method according to  claim 14 , wherein a user is represented within said virtual space in accordance with their temporal location within an audio resource the user is accessing.  
     
     
         16 . A method according to  claim 14  or  15 , wherein said audio resources have representations which are sequentially linked in said virtual space.  
     
     
         17 . A method according to  claim 14 ,  15  or  16 , wherein a user may navigate through said virtual space by selecting an audio control option in said graphical user interface.  
     
     
         18 . A method according to any of  claims 10  to  17 , said program being adapted to generate a graphical user interface representing a plurality of different virtual spaces, each of said different virtual spaces being independently selectable.  
     
     
         19 . A method according to  claim 18 , wherein each of a plurality of said virtual spaces comprises representations of different audio resources.  
     
     
         20 . A method according to  claim 18  or  19 , wherein each of a plurality of said virtual spaces comprises representations of different graphical and/or text resources.  
     
     
         21 . A method according to  claim 18 ,  19  or  20 , wherein said plurality of different virtual spaces comprises a plurality of different types of virtual spaces.  
     
     
         22 . A method according to  claim 21 , wherein one type includes representations of a plurality of sequentially linked resources, not all said linked resource representations being displayed in said interface simultaneously.  
     
     
         23 . A method according to  claim 21  or  22 , wherein one type includes representations of a plurality of sequentially linked resources, all said linked resource representations being displayed in said interface simultaneously.  
     
     
         24 . A method according to  claim 21 ,  22  or  23 , wherein one type includes representations of a plurality of resources which are not sequentially linked.  
     
     
         25 . A method according to any of  claims 10  to  24 , wherein said virtual space or spaces is or are each represented in a single window in said graphical user interface.  
     
     
         26 . A computer program for implementing the method of any of  claims 10  to  25 .  
     
     
         27 . A method of presenting on-line audio content from a multi-user system to a user, said method comprising: 
 receiving audio data via a data network;    representing the position of the user within a sequence of audio content on a graphical user interface; and    representing the location of other users of the system within said sequence of audio content on said graphical user interface.    
     
     
         28 . A method of transmitting on-line audio content from a multi-user system, said method comprising: 
 transmitting audio data from a sequence of audio content via a data network to a user; and    transmitting data indicating the location of other users of the system within said sequence of audio content to said user via said data network.    
     
     
         29 . A method according to  claim 27  or  28 , wherein said audio data is streamed to the user.