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 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 - 29 . (canceled) 
     
     
         30 . A method of presenting an on-line product catalogue and ordering system to a user in a data networked computer apparatus, said method comprising providing a graphical user interface representing a virtual space through which users may navigate along a given journey path, said virtual space including product representations representing non-virtual products, through which a user may obtain product information and order the non-virtual product corresponding to the product representations on-line, wherein the non-virtual product is received by the user outside of the virtual space, said product representations being arranged as a sequence thereof interlinked by said given journey path, and user representations representing other current users of the system and positioned along the given journey path, through which the user may identify such other current users and communicate with a selected other user regarding the products on offer. 
     
     
         31 . A method according to  claim 30 , 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. 
     
     
         32 . A method according to  claim 31 , wherein in 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. 
     
     
         33 . A method according to  claim 30 , wherein said product representations comprise image objects. 
     
     
         34 . A method according to  claim 30 , wherein said user representations comprise avatars. 
     
     
         35 . A method according to  claim 30 , further comprising presenting audio resources to the user, said audio resources relating to products represented by said product representations in said graphical user interface. 
     
     
         36 . A method according to  claim 35 , wherein a user is represented by a said user representation within said virtual space in accordance with the user's temporal location within an audio resource the user is accessing. 
     
     
         37 . A method according to  claim 30 , wherein said product representations in said virtual space comprise representations of different audio products. 
     
     
         38 . A computer program for use in an on-line product catalogue and ordering system to be implemented in a data-networked computer apparatus, said program being adapted to generate a graphical user interface representing a virtual space through which users may navigate along a given journey path, said virtual space including product representations representing non-virtual products, through which a user may obtain product information and order the non-virtual product corresponding to the product representations on-line, wherein the non-virtual product is received by the user outside of the virtual space, said product representations being arranged as a sequence thereof interlinked by said given journey path and user representations representing other current users of the system and positioned along the given journey path, through which the user may identify such other current users and communicate with a selected other user regarding the products on offer.