According to patent 8,924,261, Brooklyn, New York-based Etsy Inc., No. 130 in the Internet Retailer 2014 Top 500 Guide , which filed for an initial public offering this month, has invented a “method for administering a live, online, interactive shopping event.”

The event host would provide a live video stream displaying the item to be sold. Potential buyers would be represented by avatars displayed within the web page, Etsy said in the patent.

The invention will be an advance over the online shopping method offered by eBay Inc., which doesn’t provide for “real-time interaction between potential buyers,” Etsy said.

While sites such as those operated by the Home Shopping Network Inc., No. 26 in the Top 500 Guide, and QVC Inc., No. 6, do feature videos of people selling products, their customers must communicate by sending text messages that can’t be viewed by other customers, Etsy said.