GB2351378A - Electronic multimedia information processor - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic multimedia information processor comprises a machine with means for determining and reading media and displaying information contained therein to a user. The machine further comprises means for accepting user input and combining it with data from the media for transmission via a cellular or land line telephone. A multimedia information system comprising a portable storage device is also claimed. Preferably the system can determine the operating system within which it is used. The system may use a browser or a search engine facility to retrieve data. The system may interrogate a host machine's real time clock and react according to the time received. The system may connect to the Internet or other databases. The system may manipulate the data and transmit it, preferably sequentially, to a third party.

Description

2351378

Electronic Multimedia Information Processor, Transmitter and Receiver Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a machine, system and method for presenting and processing multimedia information in real time. The present invention relates to such information in the form of product and/or service information in respect of products advertised for information only or for information and/or sale. The present invention further relates to a machine, system and/or method for placing electronic or facsimile orders or enquiries in respect of such items or services as may be presented. Background of the Invention

Conunonplace methods of presenting information in respect of products, services etc., either for direct sale or for the purposes of inviting further enquiry, such as paper catalogues, Internet and broadcast media all have their own benefits and drawbacks. Media such as paper catalogues require large expenditures of time, material and effort in production, distribution and processing. However, they offer easy access to information in a form that is available to multiple users simultaneously and continuously.

Recent developments have brought electronic versions of such catalogues within the reach of anyone with access to a computer and an Intemet account. The on-fine shop has sought to at least supplement if not supplant such catalogues. The drawbacks of such Internet shops and catalogues are their lack of speed of access and processing along with the immense resources needed to operate thern. The advantages arc mainly their quickly up-dateable databases and ability to accept orders in real time without the need for operator input from the suppliers end.

Integration of the benefits of paper catalogues with the up-dateability of electronic has led to catalogues supplied on CD or DVD ROK or similar, media. Such integration gives the speed of real time product presentation, search facilities etc. with the convenience of real-tinie pricing updates etc. and order placing. However, the databases and equipment required to maintain such systems, along with the necessary Internet or other network connections, make such systems at least as expensive and difficult to operate and maintain as dedicated on-line facilities.

A ftirther drawback of all Internet based or related systems is the considerable reluctance of a large proportion of the potential customer base to transmit credit details over the Intemet. Further, there are still large areas of the world where Internet access is extremely restricted.

Finally, all such systems as are currently available are very much tied to the computer environment per se. That is, they are intended as programs to be run on computers and not as stand-alone systems designed to present and promote the distribution of infonnation as is the sole intent of a dedicated paper catalogue. Summary of the Invention

The present invention seeks to provide a me= of combining the ease of use and convenience of paper catalogues with the convenience of real-time order placing. It further seeks to prornote and extend the advertising convenience of paper catalogues with the undoubted advantages of multimedia presentation.

In order to achieve its objectives the system has been subjected to analysis to determine the primary, essential, requirements of consumers and the secondary, desirable, ones. In determining these objectives weight has been given to types of catalogues 2 currently in circulation as well as the products types that form the bulk of current on-line shopping databases.

A primary objective of the invention is the saving of time in day to day shopping situations. For example, curTent on-line systems are very little suited to the purchasing of small, inexpensive items, such as bread, milk etc. However, the purchasing of such items as daily food staples takes a considerable amount of time, whether on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Further, although it is the purchasing of such items that consurnes the bulk of most people's earnings, such purchases are mundane and give little satisfaction to the purchaser who is therefore less likely to willingly devote much leisure time to such activities.

In direct contrast is the purchasing of leisure items themselves. Items such as books and videos are ideally suited to on-line shopping. The online shopper has easy access to vast databases of such items and finds satisfaction in perusing and selecting such items.

Again, however, we see the same drawback in both scenarios. The customer is tied to a static computer and Internet connection. The current invention seeks to offer the customer the benefits of quick and easy purchasing of dayw-to-day items along with the ability to access vast databases of other, less frequently purchased items.

The present invention discloses an electronic information retrieval and processing system that makes use of multi-media catalogues stored on inexpensive memory media, such as CD ROM or DVD ROM. It further allows customers to select hems, add them to an electronic 'shopping basket' edit such selections and place orders with individual suppliers for delivery or collection at a later time. The preferred method of placing the 3 orders is by telecommunication, either landline based or cellular, to either a dedicated printer or fax machine at the supplier's premises or other designated point.

The present invention seeks to emulate a paper catalogue rather than an on-line Internet shop in that it provides a time sensitive database that is not up-dateable in its basic form and finther allows the presentation of related and/or non-related advertising or other information within the same screei?area as the primary information. An analogy would be current picture-in-picture television systems. However, an advantage of the system would be that the secondary information presented could be interactive, in that there could be a means, such as a pointer system, for selecting the secondary information and making it the primary information. It is also possible to code the continuous display of advertising so as to reflect the items being browsed by the user. For example a user browsing a range of fishing rods could have advertising for fishing reels and accessories displayed at the same time.

Simply put, while the system is running the viewer is presented with the information and services selected as well as additional infon-nation and advertising, which can also be selected as desired. The primary advantage of the invention as presented is that revenue from the additional information or advertising would supplement or supplant the costs of producing and maintaining the system. All previous solutions to the problems of electronic shopping have suffered from the problem of set up and running costs. Various attempts to solve this have involved selling the disks containing the catalogues, charging membership fees etc. The inclusion of pre-sold advertising on the disk along with the requirement to update the production license on a 4 regular basis would enable the disks to be issued free in most cases. Certain specialized disks may be made available at additional cost to the user is circumstances so warrant.

A further refinement of the invention is the incorporation of a means of accessing the Internet through the authority of the memory media in use. That is, each system disk could or would carry Internet access, either anonymous or through an established account. However, each disk would have a database of Internet access telephone numbers relevant to the geographic area for which it was produced. The disk itself could be the identification for Internet access, be it fiffl or limited, or it could merely provide the ability to link to an established account.

Access to the Internet through the auspices of the disk may also allow the addition to the screen of finther information, that is additional advertising, that may supplement or supplant that already supplied with the disk. Again, this would serve to supplement any costs involved. An analogy here would be the free Internet access services provided by organizations such as Blue Light, Juno etc. that derive their income from advertisers rather than subscriber subscriptions.

To provide simplicity of use it is desirable that the system be able to function in a variety of locales. To this end the present invention is presented in two forms. The first is a self-contained machine containing all the components necessary to operate the systerm These components will be detailed later but for explanation here we will analogize the system to a small personal computer with restricted fimtions. These flinctions include the ability to read, display and select information, input information, process, store and transfer information to a third party via a telecommunications interface. The machine may also interface with an external display and speaker system such as a television and/or speakers. The machine would be self-powered but may also be able to take power from an external source. There are analogies here to personal CD music players, portable DVD players, scientific calculators and hand held computers. It could be said that the machine takes from each system and combines the benefits into a new whole.

The machine outlined above would be very portable and capable of being used in a wide variety of environments. Such environments could include the home or the office, or even use during travel. It could be used at convenient periods and when the user has completed their selections it could be connected to the telephone system of choice to enable the selected orders to be placed.

The machine would follow an updated pattern of the early personal computers in that each operating disk would be 'bootable', i.e. the information necessary to run and operate the system is contained on each and every disk. A small amount of information would be coded into the machine itself to enable the machine to recognize the type of disk that is inserted. The machine could be capable of utilizing various types of CD ROK such as music or interactive disks, DVD and the dedicated system disk. The machine could, therefore, ftinction as music CD player, DVD player or purchasing system. Other common flinctions could also be incorporated such as those found in current hand held computers and organizers. The ability to interface with cellular telephones is highly desirable but not essential.

The advantages of a 'bootable' disk system are that the machine is easily updated simply by additions to the disk itself Further, the system does not rely on remembered programming which can become corrupted if misused or virus infected. Also, any personal information that may be stored can be simply protected in that it is stored in 6 memory that is easily erased without trace. Current computer hard drives store erased information until it is Rilly overwritten or 'shredded'. As such it can be accessed without authority in various ways.

The second form of the invention embodies the system disk itself This disk forms the core of the operating system for the machine outlined above, but can also be written to be compatible with current personal computer systems. The disk could be used in two different ways. In the first mode it could be used as described above to 'boot' the personal computer if the computer had CD ROM boot up engaged. In this case the computer would boot to the disk's operating system and the computer would function in a manner similar to that described above.

In the second mode the computer would already be running on its own operating system and the disk, upon insertion, would recognize the system and act accordingly. It should be emphasized that in all scenarios the disk and the system are self-contained. Tlat is they do not require interaction with any other database to be My fimtional. Once the disk was inserted and any required information provided, the system would again function as outlined above. It would not be necessary for any part of the system to be permanently resident on the host computer, all required interactive software, if not already resident on the host, would be contained on the disk.

Simply put, the disk becomes part of the system in which it is used. It is not simply a software program that relies on the host system for operation, rather it is a part of that system in a manner similar to the integrated circuit that contains the basic operating parameters for the host machine.

7 The broad aspect of the invention therefore comprises a self contained machine able to recognize and process several different types of information sources, a system disk comprising of a program able to recognize the type of host into which it is inserted and a selection of some or all of a catalogue of product and options, a database of advertising and information and a means of providing connection to the Internet or other external database. From this it can be seen that the primary source of information on the disk could be of various kinds. For example, we have already described a shopping scenario, but the primary information could be a music presentation with video and/or audio subpresentations, which can be interactively selected. Alternatively it could be a DVD movie presentation with additional information that could again be interactively selected. A direct example could be a DVD with advertising for fixst food presented in the comer or some other unused part of the screen.

As the information contained within the disk is not updateable, it is preferred that it be of short applicable duration. That is the disk should be time coded so that it is current for only the period of time desired, a month or three months etc. This currency time would be determined by the license period purchased by the compiler of the disk. However, the purchase of a license for three months or more would not preclude the issue of updated disks during the currency of that license.

For the applications for which the system is intended such inflexibility should be of no great importance. The system is based on paper catalogue lines and, being electronic, is far simpler to update and re-publish and distribute. Further, for maximum revenue generation from advertising it is preferable that the system disks be re-issued as frequently as feasible. This inflexibility in up-dating leads to fitr lower costs in terms of 8 operation. No central servers or databases are required except for the Internet access section of the invention. This means that the system is applicable to low cost items such as food etc. It also means that local distribution of the disks on a small scale is very feasible. Large suppliers could issue their own disks and smaller suppliers could combine to have their own individual sections on joint disks.

The production of the disks could be managed by regular distribution of program disks to licensed producers. Such program disks would carry the scheduled advertising relevant to the area in which the producer operates. All disks produced from the program disk would carry that advertising.

Each supplier on each disk would receive orders separately direct to their own terminal. This terminal could comprise of a simple fax machine, a dedicated printer or an electronic reception unit capable of accepting or ignoring each item ordered. If an item ordered was accepted, the transmitting machine would receive acknowledgment from the supplier, if not accepted, perhaps because it was out of stock, no acceptance code would be transmitted. If the transmitting machine did not receive an acceptance code it could indicate the sarm to the user and ask if a different selection was required. However, such indication etc. would only occur after transmission and reception were complete. That is, there would be no two way communication unless the Internet connection application were being used. The basic system carries no facilities for two-way cormnunication as suck simply acceptance or rejection of an order by means of confirmation that an order was received. This rrieans that a rejected order that generated an alternative selection by the user would be placed as an entirely new order, not an update of the original.

9 From the foregoing we see that electronic transfer of funds is not a prerequisite of the system. A customer may transmit their credit card details if delivery is required, Or choose to pay by check or cash on delivery or collection. The system can ask a customer to enter the telephone number on which they are calling as part of the order. The supplier can then verify, by standard caller ID means whether or not that number matches the number received. This would be of benefit for orders for food etc. where the customer wishes to collect the order after work or have it delivered and pay on delivery. The telephone number from which orders are placed can thus be verified. Detailed Description of the Prefermd Embodiment

The electronic system related to the present invention provides a platform for the real-time presentation of multi-media information on locally stored media in respect of products and/or services offered for purchase by the system user. Large quantities of data comprising the primary information, such as product catalogues, music CDs, movie DVI)s etc. are combined with advertising and information from other sources contained within the memory media and presented to the user in a picturewithin-picture format. All data required to complete telephonic transactions, except relevant data in respect of each user, in respect of products and/or services offered are contained within the memory media; as is all relevant inforniation as to the operation of the system both in terms of a dedicated player and in terms of interaction with a personal computer system.

The system further allows for connection to the Internet using the auspices contained within the memory media. Such connection may allow users to supplement information contained within the memory media, but does not allow for updating thereof Connection of the system to the Internet is bi-directional and as such A or pre-selected available Internet functions may be utilized. Connection of the self- contained purchasing system to suppliers is essentially uni-directional, allowing only for the confirmation or otherwise of receipt of an order.

Two versions of the system are disclosed herein. The first, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, is a dedicated player and interface for the system, referred to herein as 'the machine'. The machine is intended as a portable, personal machine allowing a user to access and process the information provided by the system It finther allows for the playing of conventional music CDs and/or movie DVDs. As such it comprises of an internal display and sound system and may or may not further allow for said display and sound to be relayed to an external screen and speaker. The second embodiment is the memory media itself in a fbrm that may be utilized in a personal computer equipped with systems to enable it to read the media and transmit data to suppliers. The preferred memory media being CD or DVD ROM and the preferred method of transmission of data being telephonic via a modem or cellular telephone interface. Both embodiments are, for present purposes, essentially identical in actual operation and differ primsfily in the hardware and operating system utilization in terms of information presentation and data transmission.

The information system is distributed to users in the form of a CD or DVD ROM disk. The disk is time sensitive and relates to the real-time clock contained within a personal computer system or the machine. It also transmits its time sensitive code each time it communicates with a supplier so that its currency is easily verified. The disk further contains additional information in the form of advertising or other information.

This information is supplied to each disk by the program used by the supplier or his agent to create the disk's primary information.

For current purposes the infon-nation created on each disk, whether it be product catalogues, music, movies etc. is considered to be the primary information- The advertising or other information content is considered to be the secondary information. The programming of each disk is such that secondary information must be included with the primary information. The secondary information is provided with each updated program creation disk and cannot be legaRy deleted therefrom.

The secondary information also includes Internet connection information relevant to the geographic distribution of the system disks. Producers of system disks will be able to negotiate license levels of differing permissions. Such levels will govern the inclusion and source of additional information. Basic levels will not allow additional information other than that included with the license. Advanced levels will allow for addition and/or deletion of additional information- The machine shown in Drawing I is a dedicated player for the system and is intended to be used to access the system, play music or interactive CDs and if so equipped, movie DVDs. In a preferred embodiment the machine comprises (not all components are represented in the drawing): (1) Basic input output system - This shall be a device capable of storing and processing such basic information as may be required to enable the components of the system to interact with each other, said device to take the form of an integrated circuit; (2) Reader for memory media This shall be a devise such as a CD ROM or DVD ROM player. Other non-volatile memory media such as flash memory cards could be utilized, but optical storage such as 12 CD or DVD is preferred. The reader is capable of retrieving the data stored on the memory media and making it available for the use of the other components; (3) Viewing screen - This shall be a screen capable of displaying the information stored on the memory media, in text and graphic form. It is preferred that the screen shall be capable of displaying the information in color, but monochrome displays may also be employed; (4) Input device - alpha numeric - This shall be a device capable of inputting text and numeric characters along with such other characters and commands as may be required. An alphabetic keypad with number keys is preferred but may be replaced/supplemented by stylus pad inputs etc.; (5) Input device pointer - This shall be a device for selecting an area of the display screen and causing an action to occur, such as selecting an option. This devise shall approximate, but not be limited to, the mouse used with personal computer systems. Drawing I shows the machine equipped with a touch screen; (6) Volatile memory and non-volatile memory - The volatile memory shall be a means of holding data temporarily retrieved from the memory media and also data in process. This memory shall also hold the data to be transmitted at the completion of any session of use of the system. The non-volatile memory shall be a means of holding repeatedly used information, such as customer information, until deleted by the user or by safety features; (7) Processor - This shall be a device capable of interpreting and utilizing data retrieved from media or volatile memory and shall take the form of an integrated circuit; (8) Modem - This shall be a device capable of, but not limited to, transmitting and receiving data by land or cellular telephone; (9) TV output - This shall be a device capable of outputting the data normally shown on the viewing screen and the audio output to a remote television receiver and/or audio speaker.

13 After turning on the power or at the insertion of a compatible disk the machine is activated. The type of disk, music CD, movie DVD, interactive shopping CD/DVD is coded onto the table of contents of the disk. This is standard industry practice and determines the mode of operation of the disk. For example the insertion of a music CD would bring up a short menu on the display screen. This menu would allow the user to choose the operation required e.g. play CD from start, select a track. A movie DVD would bring up a similar menu - play, fast forward, reverse etc.

The insertion of a dedicated system disk would bring up a menu offering choices both common to the system as a whole and/or particular to that disk. For example the advertising or additional information content on the disk would immediately begin to play in an area of the screen, a corner or a band, along one side etc. after the system starts. Features such as shopping carts, Internet access etc. could also be chosen from this menu. The dedicated disk would also contain the necessary browser and shopping software along with the information required by the modem for each connection telephone numbers etc. The disk would be bootable, that is it contains sufficient information to enable the system to function in a manner similar to a personal computer. However, as the system is dedicated, such information need not be prolific. If we assume that we are describing the system using a dedicated disk the mode of operation, referring to the operating schematic shown in Drawing 2, would be as follows:

The initial insertion of the disk brings up the menu as outlined above. The table of contents on the disk is read by the BIOS (1) from the memory media reader (CD or DVD ROM (2)). The table of contents contains all of the location information (on the disk) and the files required to 'boot' the system.

14 The information supplied to the BIOS (1) by the CD/DVD is transmitted to the volatile memory (RAM (6)) and from there to the viewing screen (3) and or audio speaker (10). Additional input in the form of commands, either alphanumeric or positional (4 & 5) is also transmitted to the RAM (6). These commands are transmitted from RAM (6) to either/and/or the processor (CPU (7)) and screen (3) and or speaker (10) as required.

The combination of input from the disk (2), the RAM (6) and the input devices (4 & 5) is processed by the CPU (7) and retained as required in RAM (6) until such time as it is ready to be transmitted to the remote receiver(s) by the modem (8). After such transmission, or at some earlier time as determined by information input by the user, the system offers the user the option of carrying out finther operations or exiting from the system. If the user chooses to exit the system a close down occurs. At this time all information stored in RAM is erased.

In the event that the machine is connected to an external viewing screens and audio output, such as a television receiver, the auxiliary output (9) would substitute for or supplement the internal viewing screen (3) and audio output (10).

A finther option of the system could be a small amount of re-useable semi permanent memory (such as flash memory used in digital cameras etc.) that would enable some user specific data etc. to be retained for future use. Examples could include user name, address etc., frequently used Internet addresses etc.

All of the time the user operates the system using a dedicated disk they would be subject to the additional pre-coded information displayed on the screen, with or without sound. When connected to the Internet this information could be supplemented with additional information provided by the Internet service provider to whom the user was connected.

In the preferred embodiment the insertion of a dedicated shopping disk would allow the user the options of searching the disk database for relevant products or seTvices, selecting various options there from and adding that selection to a virtual shopping cart. Each supplier contained upon the disk would have their own virtual shopping cart although this would be transparent to the user. By this it is meant that the total costs displayed would reflect all of the goods in all of the carts. The user would have the means to choose the method of supply, collection, delivery, payment etc. for each supplier as allowed by that supplier. At the conclusion of a session the user would 'checkout' similar to a usual supermarket. Each supplier would then be contacted in turn via the mDdemand the relevant order placed. The placing of each order would also signify the supply and payment method, collection, delivery, cash, check, credit card etc. To facilitate the delivery of orders by carrier, post etc., the supplier could stipulate a delivery charge or charges. Such charges could be based on item weight, value etc. as required.

The method of contact with the supplier could be a dedicated printout, a simple fax or an electronic connection. In either case the order would simply be placed with the supplier. In the case of a dedicated connection the order could be confirmed or declined depending on the signal returned from the supplier. Therefore the supplier could set the connection to not respond to out of stock items and the user's machine could indicate nonacceptance of that part of the order. However, acceptance or otherwise would not be conveyed to the user until after all relevant suppliers had been contacted and all orders conveyed. The system being, therefore, unidirectional.

16 Reference to Drawing 3, a schematic of the system in use gives the following series of operations: Insertion of the relevant disk brings up the start menu and the option to view the catalogue of contents of the disk, A user selecting to view said catalogue is then able to make selections from the catalogue or catalogues and add them to an electronic shopping cart. Each selected item brings up a prompt to continue making selections or to proceed to an electronic checkout. Before checking out the user has the option to edit the selections made previously. Once the selections are finalized the system contacts each supplier or third party in turn and places the relevant order.

The simplicity of the system makes it applicable to all levels of supplier. Large suppliers could use fully dedicated disks with time coded special offers and specific additional inforniation. Such information could be invisible to customers both prior to and after the coded times and dates. Smaller suppliers could use shared disks through agents and the additional information would be supplied with the relevant disk production program- A fimiher advantage of the system is that there is no transmission of credit card details over the Internet required for the operation of the dedicated purchasing system. Users would have the option of using on-line shops once they had connected to the Internet via the on-board Internet access facilities, but this is not a requirement of the system. Suppliers could verify supplied customer telephone numbers with caller ID information from their own telephone system This would allow for verification of customer identity prior to dispatch of items such as fast food etc.

A particular advantage of the system, and the machine in particular, is that it makes the purchase of smaller items, such as everyday staples, food, cleaning supplies 17 etc. feasible. A customer can make their selections at convenient times during the day and place their orders for collection later. As the system allows for collection of the items to be made, the system is ideally suited to such smaller local transactions. It also allows for suppliers to have small, dedicated outlets of a 'drive through' nature where customers can pick up prior orders and pay on collection.

A further advantage of the machine is that it allows for the playing of music CDs and movie DVDs. It also allows electronic shopping without tying up the user's main home computer or their computer at work. As the amounts of data transmitted for each order are small, telephone fine time is also small. The time element is such that transn-dssion of orders by cellular telephone in also economic. Standard ASCII codes could be utilized to ftwther reduce the volumes of information transmitted.

In the second embodiment, using a personal computer, most of the foregoing is relevant. The main distinguishing features are that the system disk needs to determine the computers operating system, browser interface and modem configuration. A series of simple questions posed by the disk and answered by the user would serve to facilitate the determination of such configuration. Once these parameters are set the system functions in a nimmr similar to that described above. As the disk is 'bootable' it could be used to start up a compatible computer, i.e. one with CD ROM boot enabled, and would then fimction using its own on- board browser and interface.

The system could determine the level of compatibility between itself and the resident operating and browser systems. Depending upon that level it could utilize all or pan of the host computers facilities. However, as the system is selfcontained it could 18 also utilize its own built in interfiLces and simply interface with the host's communication system, modem etc., in order to facilitate the placing of orders.

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Claims (15)

Claims What is claimed is:

1. A machine comprising:

a means of determining the type of memory media (disk) inserted into its memory media reader, interpreting the information contained within that media and playing, displaying or otherwise presenting that inforrnation to the user or operator of the machine; a means of accepting data input from the operator or user and utilizing that data in conjunction with the data contained within the memory media; a means of correlating, combining and transmitting that data to a third party via telecommunications means;

2. A machine as claimed in claim I wherein said machine is powered by internal or external electric batteries or other external electric supply.

3. A machine as claimed in claim I wherein said means of transmitting said data to a third party is by cellular or land he telephone.

4. A machine as claimed in claim I wherein said means of transmitting data may also be used to receive data.

5. A multimedia information system comprising a portable mass data storage rnedia capable storing a plurality of information, said information capable of being retrieved and presented at high speed in real time.

6. A multimedia information system as claimed in claim 5 wherein said media contains a means of determining the type of operating environment within which it is being used.

7. A multimedia information system as chdmed in claim 5 wherein said nvdia contains a browser system to enable the retrieval, display and manipulation of said data.

8. A multknedia information system as claimed in claim 5 wherein said media contains a search engine facility to enable the retrieval of information based on an entered keyword basis.

9. A multimedia information system as claimed in claim 7 wherein said manipulated data is capable of transmission to a third party via telephonic means.

10, A multimedia information system as claimed in claim 5 wherein the data contains a plurality of information for presentation to the user independently of the users choice.

11. A multimedia information system as claimed in claim 5 wherein the data contains information capable of facilitating the connection of the host machine to the Internet or other external database.

12. A multimedia information system as claimed in claim 5 wherein the data is capable of interrogating the host machine's real time clock and reacting according to its programmed period of currency.

13. A multimedia information system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the independently presented data is capable of being selected for viewing.

14. A multimedia information service as claimed in claim 9 wherein said manipulated data may be transmitted to a plurality of third parties sequentially as relevant to each third party.

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15. A multimedia information service as claimed in claim 5 wherein the independent data presented to the user is capable of being retrieved from the Internet or other external database.

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