Call to action lockout system and method

Abstract

A Call-To-Action Lockout on a mobile device coupled to a data network is disclosed as a method and apparatus comprising providing a media application configured to respond to a control point associated with media content, providing media content which has at least one associated control point, triggering at least one control point while experiencing the media content; and performing an appropriate Call To Action Script (CTAS) in response to the triggered control point.

1 . A computer implemented method for allocating a stockpile of units to a group of users via a web-based auction, the method comprising:
 (a) executing software instructions via one or more processors of a computer system thereby to provide an interface that receives of two distinct forms offers from users, being: (i) direct offers, which have a value defined by a current purchase price value; and (ii) speculative offers which have a value defined by the user of less than the current purchase price value;   (b) executing software instructions via one or more processors of a computer system thereby to downwardly increment a purchase price for the web-based auction, thereby periodically to reduce the purchase price to below the value of one or more speculative offers;   (c) executing software instructions via one or more processors of the computer system thereby to, each time the purchase price downwardly increments to a new current purchase price value, identify users who have pending speculative offers having values greater than or equal to the new current purchase price value, and allocate units to those users; and   (d) executing software instructions via one or more processors of the computer system thereby to, following (c), enable users to make direct offers at the new current purchase price value, and allocate units to users which make offers at the new current purchase price value.   
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1  including providing an interface thereby to allow users to place speculative offers preceding or following an auction commencement time. 
     
     
         3 . A computer system, comprising:
 a microprocessor configured to:
 (a) provide an interface that receives of two distinct forms offers from users, being: (i) direct offers, which have a value defined by a current purchase price value; and (ii) speculative offers which have a value defined by the user of less than the current purchase price value; 
 (b) provide a downwardly incrementing purchase price for the web-based auction, thereby periodically to reduce the purchase price to below the value of one or more speculative offers; 
 (c) each time the purchase price downwardly increments to a new current purchase price value, identify users who have pending speculative offers having values greater than or equal to the new current purchase price value, and allocate units to those users; and 
 (d) following (c), enable users to make direct offers at the new current purchase price value, and allocate units to users which make offers at the new value. 
   
     
     
         4 . The computer system according to  claim 3  wherein the computer system is a web server configured to deliver a web based interface to a plurality of user terminals. 
     
     
         5 . A tangible non-transient computer readable medium carrying executable code that when executed on one or more microprocessors of a computer system cause the computer system to:
 (a) provide an interface that receives of two distinct forms offers from users, being: (i) direct offers, which have a value defined by a current purchase price value; and (ii) speculative offers which have a value defined by the user of less than the current purchase price value;   (b) provide a downwardly incrementing purchase price for the web-based auction, thereby periodically to reduce the purchase price to below the value of one or more speculative offers;   (c) each time the purchase price downwardly increments to a new current purchase price value, identify users who have pending speculative offers having values greater than or equal to the new current purchase price value, and allocate units to those users; and   (d) following (c), enable users to make direct offers at the new current purchase price value, and allocate units to users which make offers at the new value.   
     
     
         6 . The tangible non-transient computer readable medium carrying executable code according to  claim 5 , wherein the computer system is a server computer system, and wherein when executed on one or more microprocessors of the server computer system the executable code cause the server computer system to perform the acts (a) through (d).