Abstract: A system and method for efficiently conducting a fundraising campaign over a wide-area network is provided. In accordance with the invention a method for conducting an efficient fundraising campaign by an organization over a wide-area network includes hosting a website, registering on the website, making a charitable donation on the website, contacting third parties via email messages soliciting charitable donations, and providing one or more reports, on the website, including information on the status of the fundraising campaign. The method further includes contacting third parties, via email messages, to provide information about one or more teams participating in a competition associated with the fundraising campaign. The method further includes providing information, in the reports, about the third parties that have been contacted via email messages.

Abstract: A database in a computer system linked to a network is discloses. The database is configured to store one or more organizations' data. Each organization comprises one or more sub-organizations. The database is partitioned into one or more virtual data islands, wherein each virtual data island stores data of an organization. Each virtual data island is further partitioned into one or more sub-islands, wherein each sub-island stores data for a sub-organization. There are one or more constituent records (CR) in each sub-island, each CR including one or more fields with data. A sub-organization can share data from selected fields with multi-level organizations and other sub-organizations. The database further comprises a masking means allowing the sub-organization, individual donors or volunteers to mask one or more fields in the CR, wherein data in the masked fields are not shared with organizations and other sub-organizations.

Abstract: A system and method for efficiently conducting a fundraising campaign over a wide-area network is provided. In accordance with the invention a method for conducting an efficient fundraising campaign by an organization over a wide-area network includes hosting a website, registering on the website, making a charitable donation on the website, contacting third parties via email messages soliciting charitable donations, and providing one or more reports, on the website, including information on the status of the fundraising campaign. The method further includes contacting third parties, via email messages, to provide information about one or more teams participating in a competition associated with the fundraising campaign. The method further includes providing information, in the reports, about the third parties that have been contacted via email messages.

Abstract: Hypervideo data is encoded with two distinct portions, a first portion which contains the video data and a second portion, typically much smaller than the first, which contains hyperlink information associated with the video data. Preferably, the first and second portions are stored in separate and distinct files. The encoding of the hyperlink information is preferably made efficient by encoding only key frames of the video, and by encoding hot link regions of simple geometries. A hypervideo player determines the hot link regions in frames between key frames by interpolating the hot link regions in key frames which sandwich those frames.

Abstract: A television companion device (TCD) is a device comprising a communication transceiver capable of receiving a signal from a television set, the signal having one or more types of information split from a broadcast signal received by the television set and an output that presents one or more segments of one or more of the types of information. This device enables the personal viewing of information selected specifically for the individual. This information can be different than and/or unrelated to that displayed on the television. The information displayed on each individual TCD may be video clips or video programs, audio clips or audio programs, data, graphical images, still images, and/or animations. The device may also comprise an input that sends one or more messages through the communication transceiver to the television, thereby allowing the viewer to send requests for information to the television or send messages to other television companion devices.

Abstract: An improved method and apparatus are disclosed for selectively inserting interactive content into a live TV or recorded broadcasting presentation and tracking the usage of the inserted content by end user viewers of the presentation. The method and apparatus enable operators to watch the live audiovisual programming feed, view and navigate product lists from e-commerce servers, control the insertion of interactive content into the audiovisual programming, monitor the content insertion status, and track the usage by client viewers of the inserted content in real time. It is especially useful for interactive e-commerce applications.

Abstract: A method for indicating the location of time dependent video hot links to a user, comprising the steps of: displaying a motion video presentation on a first portion of a display device, the video presentation including a hot link region which can be selected by a user to link to different content; displaying an indication of the presence of the hot link region in the video presentation. The method may comprise the further step of altering a visual attribute of at least a portion of the hot link region when a user manipulable cursor is within the first portion. The method may comprise the further step of displaying an indication of the presence of the hot link region in the video presentation on a second portion of the display screen.