U.S. patent application number 11/484555 was filed with the patent office on 2006-12-21 for communication system and method.
Invention is credited to Gavin Robert Ferris, Peter Charles Florence.
Application Number | 20060288374 11/484555 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 10816115 |
Filed Date | 2006-12-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060288374 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ferris; Gavin Robert ; et
al. |
December 21, 2006 |
Communication system and method
Abstract
A remote control device for consumer broadcast receivers,
particularly television and radio receivers, is disclosed. In
addition to the remote control features normally found on such a
device, the device also contains a display on which advertisements,
product and service offers, and other information (collectively,
"display data") may be shown to the user. The device receives such
display data via a radio link from one of a plurality of central
processing stations. The user of the device may interact with such
display data (for example, to purchase an advertised good), and the
device may send back details of such interactions to a central
processing station, which in turn may initiate a transaction with
the appropriate sponsoring party.
Inventors: |
Ferris; Gavin Robert;
(London, GB) ; Florence; Peter Charles; (London,
GB) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Thomas G. Scavone;Niro, Scavone, Haller & Niro
Suite 4600
181 W. Madison
Chicago
IL
60602
US
|
Family ID: |
10816115 |
Appl. No.: |
11/484555 |
Filed: |
July 11, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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09463033 |
Jul 16, 2000 |
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PCT/GB98/02152 |
Jul 20, 1998 |
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11484555 |
Jul 11, 2006 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
725/62 ;
348/E5.103; 348/E7.071; 725/100; 725/131; 725/151 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04H 60/27 20130101;
H04N 21/25891 20130101; H04N 21/6582 20130101; H04N 21/4126
20130101; H04N 21/47 20130101; H04N 21/47815 20130101; H04N 21/4722
20130101; H04N 7/17318 20130101; H04N 7/173 20130101; H04N 21/43637
20130101; H04N 21/42204 20130101; H04H 60/48 20130101; H04H 60/58
20130101; H04N 21/42209 20130101; H04N 7/163 20130101; H04N 21/812
20130101; H04H 60/63 20130101; H04H 20/33 20130101; H04N 21/472
20130101; H04N 2005/441 20130101; H04N 5/4403 20130101; H04N
21/6131 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
725/062 ;
725/100; 725/131; 725/151 |
International
Class: |
H04N 7/173 20060101
H04N007/173; H04N 7/16 20060101 H04N007/16 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 18, 1997 |
GB |
9715228.4 |
Claims
1. A communications apparatus comprising means for determining
whether a broadcast receiver is receiving a particular channel, the
apparatus further comprising receiving means for receiving a
signal, means for displaying information in response to a signal
received by the receiving means, means responsive to a user input
to provide an outgoing signal and transmitting means for
transmitting the outgoing signal, wherein at least one of the
receiving means and the transmitting means is for communicating by
radio with a remote station responsive to outgoing signals from a
plurality of communications apparatus.
2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the remote station is
distinct from a primary station providing signals to a broadcast
receiver.
3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the at least one of the
receiving means and transmitting means for communicating with a
remote station comprises a means for communicating with a station
in a cell of a multi-cell communication system.
4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the multi-cell
communication system comprises a paging system.
5. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the
means for transmitting the outgoing signal is arranged to transmit
the outgoing signal as soon as a user input is complete.
6. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the
means for receiving a signal is arranged to receive a signal from a
broadcast receiver.
7. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 6, wherein
the means for displaying information is arranged to display
information immediately in response to a signal received by the
receiving means.
8. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, further
comprising means for storing a signal received by the receiving
means.
9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, further comprising time
comparison means for controlling display of information in response
to a stored signal at a predetermined time.
10. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 9,
wherein the apparatus is portable.
11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the apparatus is a
remote control.
12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein at least one of
the receiving means and the means for displaying information is
responsive to alter the information displayed in response to a
channel selected using the remote control.
13. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 9,
wherein the means for determining whether a broadcast receiver is
receiving a particular channel comprises means for receiving a
signal from the broadcast receiver, and means for comparing this
signal with a signal received from the receiving means.
14. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 9,
wherein the means for determining whether a broadcast receiver is
receiving a particular channel comprises means for receiving a
signal from a remote control.
15. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 14,
wherein the means for displaying information is further responsive
to the user input.
16. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 15,
wherein the transmitting means is arranged to transmit an encoded
authorisation signal.
17. An apparatus as claimed in claims 1 to 16, further comprising
security means responsive to a predetermined user input for
preventing the transmission of at least part of an outbound signal
if the predetermined user input is not correctly provided.
18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the at least part
of an outbound signal is the encoded authorisation signal.
19. An apparatus as claimed in claim 14 or claim 15, wherein the
security means is responsive to a plurality of different
predetermined user inputs.
20. A transmitter apparatus comprising means for storing
information concerning transmission from a primary broadcaster,
means for transmitting the information and means for synchronising
the transmission of information to at least one transmission from
the primary broadcaster, wherein the means for transmitting
information transmits distinct from the primary broadcast
chain.
21. An apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein the means for
storing the information includes means for storing timing data
associated with the information and the means for synchronising the
transmission of information is responsive to the stored timing
data.
22. An apparatus as claimed in claim 21, wherein the means for
sychronising the transmission of information controls the means for
transmitting the information to transmit the information before an
intended time for display, and to transmit cueing information.
23. An apparatus as claimed in claim 20, further comprising means
for receiving a signal from the primary broadcaster, wherein the
means for synchronising the transmission of information is
responsive to at least one portion of the signal from the primary
broadcaster.
24. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the claims 20 to 23,
wherein the means for transmitting information comprises a
multi-cell communications system.
25. An apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein the multi-cell
communications system comprises a cellular paging system.
26. A communication system comprising: transmitter apparatus
comprising means for storing information concerning transmission
from a primary broadcaster, means for transmitting the information
and means for synchronising the transmission of information to at
least one transmission from the primary broadcaster, wherein the
means for transmitting information transmits distinct from the
primary broadcast chain; apparatus comprising receiving means for
receiving a signal from the transmitter apparatus, means for
displaying information in response to a signal received by the
receiving means, means responsive to a user input to provide an
outgoing signal and transmitting means for transmitting the
outgoing signal; and receiving apparatus for receiving the outgoing
signal.
27. A communications system as claimed in claim 26, wherein the
receiving apparatus further comprises means for storing the
received outgoing signal for subsequent processing.
28. Apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein the receiving
apparatus comprises a station in a cell of a multi-cell
communication system.
29. An apparatus as claimed in claim 28, wherein the multi-cell
communication system comprises a paging system.
30. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the claims 27 to 29,
wherein the means for displaying information is arranged to display
information immediately in response to a signal received by the
receiving means.
31. A method of communication comprising: storing information
concerning transmission from a primary broadcaster, transmitting
the information and synchronising the transmission of information
to at least one transmission from the primary broadcaster, wherein
the information is transmitted distinct from the primary broadcast
chain; receiving a signal from the transmitter apparatus,
displaying information in response to a signal received by the
receiving means, providing an outgoing signal in response to a user
input and transmitting the outgoing signal; and receiving the
outgoing signal.
32. A method as claimed in claim 31, wherein the transmission
distinct from the primary broadcast chain is via a cellular paging
system.
Description
[0001] This application is a continuation of pending application
Ser. No. 09/463,033. filed on Jul. 16, 2000.
[0002] The present invention relates to a communication system and
method. The invention further relates to a transmitter apparatus
and a receiver apparatus for use with the system and to a
subscriber apparatus for communicating with at least one of the
transmitter and receiver apparatus.
[0003] The invention may be applied to the field of remote control
units for consumer broadcast receivers, including television and
radio receivers. The invention relates to the display of (possibly
programme-related) information, advertising, and product and
service offers on said remote control units. The invention provides
use of said units to allow consumer response to the said displays,
particularly but not exclusively where said response involves the
purchase of said products and services so offered.
[0004] It is commonly known in the advertising, sales and marketing
arts that users are much more likely to initiate an impulse
purchase of information, products and services (collectively,
`offerings") if:
[0005] 1) they are induced to think about said offerings in a
positive manner shortly prior to the offer of sale,
[0006] 2) an offer of sale is, in fact, made and
[0007] 3) it is fast and easy for users to place orders for such
offerings, once the offer of sale has been made.
[0008] Broadcast media, such as television and radio, often satisfy
the first condition for many offerings. For example, upon hearing a
track from an album on the radio on the radio, a listener will
commonly wish to purchase that album. Similarly, upon watching a
cookery programme on television, a viewer may wish to purchase a
bottle of wine reviewed therein. Indeed, condition 1) forms a key
premiss of many television shopping channels, infomercials and
commercials in the United States and elsewhere.
[0009] Unfortunately, however, condition 2) is often unsatisfied,
as, for example, when a radio station does not broadcast the name
of the artist and album of the current song, or where (as in the
cookery programme example) there is no provision to phone in orders
(which is a costly enterprise for the broadcaster to maintain).
Many commercial opportunities to make a sale are lost in this
way.
[0010] Furthermore, even when 1) and 2) are satisfied (as with a
television shopping channel), it is usually the case that 3) is
not. Users who might initially be keen to purchase an offering
become less so when such purchase involves location of a credit
card, phoning up, waiting in an answering system, and then having
to give a number of lengthy details. Lack of convenience acts as a
strong barrier to sales.
[0011] Various solutions have been proposed in the art to the
various problems of 1), 2) and 3). However, a good, economical
solution has not yet been offered to all three.
[0012] U.S. Pat. No. 5,410,326 (Goldstein) describes the use of a
universal remote control device with a built in display on which
advertisements can be shown. The system does allow purchasing;
however, this requires the use of a phone modem, which is highly
inconvenient, and also, since the system connects directly to the
sponsoring party, may require direct data handling for which that
party is not equipped. Furthermore; downloading data into the
device requires either the use of the said modem, a set-top box
adaptor (to gain access to in-band or out-of-band Programme
Associated Data (PAD)), an optical device to `read` information off
the television screen, or an audio device to detect information
hidden in audio signals. The disadvantage of using the phone modem
to download PAD is clear, in that a call must be made, which is
inconvenient, and since there is both a limited memory in the
device (limiting the amount of static information which can be
downloaded) and occasions when the PAD will be highly volatile and
not known ahead of time (as with sporting events), the solution is
not general. The disadvantages of using a set-top box, namely cost
and complexity, are easily understood, as are the difficulties
suffered by `data-hiding` or visual indicia systems (low code rate,
low reliability). Therefore, while this device has some promise, it
must fall down in being manifest either as a workable but very
expensive unit, or a mid-priced but less than useful one.
[0013] It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to
provide an economical channel for at least one of outgoing or
incoming information, avoiding the disadvantages of the channels
currently in use in the art, for the transmission of interaction
data to or from the instant device.
[0014] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a communications apparatus comprising means for
determining whether a broadcast receiver is receiving a particular
channel, the apparatus further comprising receiving means for
receiving a signal, means for displaying information in response to
a signal received by the receiving means, means responsive to a
user input to provide an outgoing signal and transmitting means for
transmitting the outgoing signal, wherein at least one of the
receiving means and the transmitting means is for communicating by
radio with a remote station responsive to outgoing signals from a
plurality of communications apparatus.
[0015] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a transmitter apparatus comprising means for storing
information concerning transmission from a primary broadcaster,
means for transmitting the information and means for synchronising
the transmission of information to at least one transmission from
the primary broadcaster, wherein the means for transmitting
information transmits distinct from the primary broadcast
chain.
[0016] Looking generally at the issue of presenting
programme-related offerings to a user via an apparatus, one can see
that there is a need to have an outbound channel, holding the
programme-associated data, which is broadcast to the user in
parallel with the programme channel, and which is picked up by the
said apparatus. However, as we have seen, current mechanisms for
sending offering-related PAD requires that the data be sent in the
same medium as the programme, which in turn requires either a
costly set-top box decoder, an unreliable (and broadcaster-tied)
`data-hiding` decoder, or the duplication of the receiver circuitry
in the receiver, which would also be very expensive. Broadcast of
PAD using other channels either has significant drawbacks (as with
the use of telephone channels, which are inconvenient,
non-broadcast, and not amenable to `real-time` PAD), or has not yet
been applied to the distribution of offering-related PAD (as with
the systems which use the pager network as a transport).
[0017] The present invention may further provide an
offering-related PAD broadcast channel which can be received by a
device without the use of a set-top box, telephonic modem, or other
external inconveniences, and which does not rely upon to
co-operation of anyone in the primary broadcast chain to insert
information (whether using out-of-band, in-band, using data hiding
or otherwise) into the programme broadcast medium.
[0018] Similarly, it may be appreciated that such a device, if it
is to allow useful purchasing and information request actions by
customers, must supply a (relatively low-capacity), real-time back
(or return) channel, to allow interaction data to be conveyed to
the sponsoring party. Such a back channel must be initiated on a
individual basis, as opposed to the broadcast nature of the
outbound channel. Existing systems rely on back-channel paths with
are either inconvenient (for example, telephonic modems), require
the use of a costly set-top unit (for example, those which exploit
the cable system as a return path), or are not `real time` or close
to `real time` (as with systems which must be taken to a
`downloading` point to extract any interaction data stored in
them). Current systems also connect the back channel of the user's
system directly to the sponsoring party, thereby requiring that the
latter be equipped with whatever handling equipment may be
necessary; another potential hurdle to take-up.
[0019] Notice that such a device, if it is to be generally useful,
must be able to receive PAD items in an ongoing feed. There are two
main reasons for this. First of all, the fact that any
reasonably-priced embodiment of such a device can have only a
modest amount of onboard memory, places a limit on the number of
PAD items that can be downloaded to it in any given batch mode
transfer. Second, for certain events, such as televised live horse
races, the outcome is not known in advance, and so neither, a
fortiori, is the content of any event-related PAD. Such PAD cannot,
therefore, be downloaded in advance of the event using a batch mode
transfer.
[0020] These two factors, namely limited buffer memory in the
device, and the dependence of certain PAD items on live events,
means that the ongoing feed of PAD to the device must take place in
"real time" or close to "real time". "Reel time" feed is required
in the second scenario mentioned, where PAD content is contingent
upon an event, the outcome of which is unknown until the time of
broadcast. Once the event in question is determined (for example, a
particular horse wins the race), the relevant PAD may be
constructed and is then immediately due for presentation to
interested users. Ideally, as little additional delay as possible
is incurred from this point on; hence the term "real-time". Near
"real-time" feed is required in the first scenario, where PAD items
transmitted to the user device must be relevant to a primary
broadcast within the near future, if buffer overflow in the device
is to be avoided.
[0021] The present invention allows the passage of such data to
sponsoring parties to be indirected via a central processing
station and require only the use of standard, well-known protocols
for any communication between said central processing station and
said sponsoring parties.
[0022] The present invention may further allow the presentation to
users--through a cost-effective, single device--of
programme-associated data, particularly where such PAD constitutes
an offering, and to allow the user to express interaction with the
PAD through the device, particularly where such interaction
consists of the purchase of said offerings.
[0023] The present invention may further allow such PAD to be
`real-time` or `near real-time", and for the interaction data to be
conveyed back to the sponsoring party in `real-time` or `near
real-time".
[0024] The present invention may further provide a solution to the
problem of satisfying conditions 2) and 3) mentioned above, (given
that condition 1) is already satisfied by the primary broadcast
material), in the form of a simple user device, a plurality of
which may be in operation at any time, remote adaptor station or
stations, and, methods.
[0025] In accordance with the aforementioned and other objects of
the invention, a brief summary of the present invention is given.
Some simplifications and omissions may be made in the following
summary, which is intended to highlight and introduce some aspects
of the present invention, but not to limit its scope. Detailed
descriptions of a preferred and other exemplary embodiments
adequate to allow those of ordinary skill in the art to make and
use the inventive concepts will follow in later sections.
[0026] The present invention provides apparatus and method for
providing simple, efficient and economic display of advertisements,
product and service offers, and other information (collectively,
`display data") to the users of broadcast receivers, and is
intended to have particular application where said display data is
related to the programmes picked up by such receivers. The
invention also provides apparatus and method for users, where
applicable, to interact with said display data (for example, to
order an offered product, or to request more information about an
advertised good or service), and for the details of such
interaction (collectively, `interaction data") to be sent back to
the sponsoring party for processing.
[0027] The apparatus, for example a remote control can determine
whether a channel is selected on a broadcast receiver. In the case
of a remote control this can be by way of selection by a user. A
confirmation of the correct channel can be obtained by receiving a
signal from the broadcast receiver, for example using a microphone
and comparing the signal with a predetermined signal or a signal
received at this apparatus.
[0028] However, the device may also contain a radio data receiver,
which is used to pick up display data relevant to the programme
that the user is currently watching (or listening to). The device
is able to filter this incoming data according to the current
<medium, channel > pair, which is known to the device.
[0029] Incoming display data is stored in memory within the said
device until it becomes eligible for display. Generally, such data
will be timed to become eligible for display at a point when the
programme on the associated channel contains relevant content,
(thereby satisfying condition 1) mentioned in the background
section); in such a circumstance the display data may be termed
programme associated data, or PAD, and the point in time of
activation is known as the cue point. The list of PAD items and
associated cue points, for each programme broadcast on a given
channel (which can include infomercials and commercials, for our
purposes) must be provided to a central PAD scheduler, either ahead
of time, just in time, or some combination of both. The scheduler
co-operates with a database system to hold this list, and, at the
appropriate point (either ahead of or at the cue point), passes the
next due PAD item, including its cueing information, through to a
radio transmission system, which it turn sends it to users'
handsets, as rehearsed above.
[0030] When a PAD becomes eligible for display and is present in
the memory of the said remote control device, it will be caused to
be shown on the display of said device, possibly accompanied by
certain event indications (such as an audible alarm or flashing
lamp).
[0031] Various sorts of input signal may be utilized by such a
device. For example, a serialized PAD software object may be sent,
comprising a program, associated state, unique identifier (PADUID),
relevant <medium, channel> specification, and a triggering
(cueing) time specification. Control messages may also be sent, to
cause PAD items buffered in any appropriate receiving device to be
rescheduled, edited, deleted or otherwise manipulated. Simple
trigger signals may be sent, to cause any appropriate receiving
device to perform some preset operation. Configuration information
may be sent (including software updates for the main device
operating routines). "Pure" data may also be sent, devoid of any
executable content, such data to be interpreted (and possibly
displayed) by software routines resident in any appropriate
receiving device.
[0032] If the user desires (and the PAD is of a nature so to
permit), s/he may interact with the display data by operating
controls on the said device. Through this mechanism the user may
traverse through a structure of displays, or modify state
information associated therewith, under the control of a flow
control program embedded in the display data. The user may also
move backwards and forwards through the set of display data items
which has been received (bounded by the size of the memory) if
desired. If a user is particularly interested in a unit of display
data, s/he may cause said unit to be stored in non-volatile memory
on the said device, from where it may be retrieved by the user for
processing at a later time. In normal circumstances, any given unit
of display data is eventually evicted from the memory of the device
by an incoming unit; this will happen whenever the display data
memory is full and the given unit is deemed least eligible to be
retained, under some appropriate metric.
[0033] User interactions with each unit of display data are stored,
and the flow control program contained with each unit may specify
at which point (if at all) such interaction data should be
forwarded to the sponsor of the display data. When this point is
reached, a radio data transmitter in the device is used to send the
interaction data back, via a radio service provider, to the central
processing station. Here, it is fed into an interaction processor,
which is responsible for providing the appropriate response. This
may involve initiating a transaction on behalf of the user,
possibly via an Internet gateway to the appropriate sponsoring
party, requesting that the sponsoring party send more information,
logging the interaction in a user database, performing a financial
transaction, or otherwise.
[0034] In response to the interaction data so transmitted, it is
possible for the interaction processor to send back data for the
individual consumption of the display data program that initiated
the transmission of the interaction data in the first place. This
mechanism may be used, for example, to confirm that an order has
been received and will be processed.
[0035] The central processing station mentioned above may be part
of a large network of such stations, which may be arranged in such
a manner as to provide transparent `fail-over` of the transactions
of one processing stations to others.
[0036] When a transaction is performed using the handset, details
of that transaction are stored in non-volatile memory, and a set of
the most recent transactions may be displayed to the user on
demand. A full record for each user is stored at the central
processing station handling that user, and may be downloaded to the
handset on demand.
[0037] From a user's perspective, the device allows an easy, cheap
and hassle-free entry into the world of interactive broadcasting.
Services which may be offered include programme-associated selling,
schedule information, betting, advertisement follow-up, voting,
competitions, audience demographic measurement, interactive story
lines, and many others.
[0038] The present invention will now be described, by way of
example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0039] FIG. 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of the remote
control apparatus of the present invention;
[0040] FIGS. 2A through 2L show various exemplary displays of the
embodiment of the remote control device of the present invention
shown in FIG. 1;
[0041] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of an interactive
system having a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0042] FIG. 4 is illustration of the embodiment of the remote
control device of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, as it
might be used to offer programme-associated goods; and
[0043] FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing the major
components of one embodiment of the remote control device of the
present invention. Only the major data flows are show; minor
control flows are not.
[0044] FIG. 6 is a plan view of an alternative embodiment of the
present invention, as a "pass-through" adaptor that may be attached
to an existing broadcast receiver remote control handset.
[0045] FIG. 7A is a plan view of another alternative embodiment of
the present invention, as a device which passively detects the
currently selected <medium, channel>pair, and which has no
remote control functionality.
[0046] FIG. 7B is a plan view of another alternative embodiment of
the present invention, as a more restricted form of the device
disclosed in FIG. 7A, which relies on user input to set the current
<medium, channel>pair.
[0047] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of an interactive
broadcast system embodying the principles of the present invention.
The system of FIG. 3 is intended to serve as an example and should
not be construed as limiting the invention.
[0048] Broadcasters 402 generate content from a number of sources
403, depending on the broadcast medium in use. For example, a
television broadcaster might utilise live feed from video cameras,
and video played from tape, as primary sources. Commercial
broadcasters will also have programmes and segments (such as
infomercials and commercials) provided by sponsors 401, for
insertion. In the normal course of events this combined content
stream is fed into a transmission mechanism 404 for broadcast to
into a user's home 416 where the content carrier is acquired and
the content reconstructed and displayed using a broadcast receiver
405. Said transmission mechanism may involve terrestrial
radio-frequency broadcast, satellite radio-frequency broadcast, or
wired or fibre optic cable transmission, or otherwise. The overall
path and system, by means of which content is disseminated from
broadcasters 402 to broadcast receivers 405 in users' homes 416, is
termed the primary broadcast chain.
[0049] For the system of the instant invention to operate, as
mentioned above, a rolling `play list` is compiled for each
broadcast channel, containing the PAD display data records and
their respective cue points. This information is fed, whether well
or only very shortly in advance of the earliest cue point in the
segment of the rolling list passed at that time, to a PAD scheduler
411 at a central processing station 420. Such a list may be
provided by any combination of the sponsors 401, the broadcasters
402, or by some third party 406 which annotates programmes, either
as these programmes are broadcast or ahead of time. The use of
third party annotation may be useful where a broadcaster does not
wish, or is not correctly placed, to co-operate with the display of
programme-associated information. There are a number of
circumstances where this might be appropriate; for example, local
advertising, advertising making use of products appearing in a
feature film, betting on the outcome of events, such as sporting
events, and so on. Furthermore, the circumstance may arise, where a
sponsor, for example, has an advertisement produced, but does not
know at which time such this advert will be shown. In such a case,
the transmission signal of the broadcaster in question may be
monitored to detect the said advertisement at which point any PAD
for that advert may be instantly cued.
[0050] In one envisaged embodiment of such a monitoring system,
each central processing station contains a database of various
audio and/or video samples (supplied ahead of time) taken from the
programmes (including advertisement and infomercials) which are to
be augmented with data. A matching engine then continuously
compares input from the various broadcast channels with these
samples, and uses a commonly known algorithm (such as a
sliding-window, averaged, square-of-difference system with an
activation threshold) to determine when a `match` has occurred.
Such a system may be utilised to determine that a piece of
annotated content is being broadcast at a certain time on a
particular <medium, channel> pair, which may in turn allow
the scheduler to verify or regain its synchronisation lock for the
PAD items for that content. Through the transmission of special
control messages, PAD items already sent to user devices may be
rescheduled or deleted, without the main body of the message having
to be retransmitted.
[0051] The possibility of maintaining multiple, alternative lists
of PAD items for a given <medium, channel> pair is
acknowledged here, with selection of the appropriate list or lists
at the user device; however, the primary focus in this exposition
will be for the simpler case of a single `cue list` per pair.
[0052] When the next display message is due to be transmitted, as
may be detected at the PAD scheduler 41 1 using either a polling
or, preferably, an interrupt mechanism, it is retrieved from a PAD
database 408, given a unique identification number (PADUID), and
sent to a transmission gateway 413, which may be physically remote,
where it is translated into the correct format to be sent over a
radio transmission service 414. In the preferred embodiment of the
present invention, the PAD would be sent using the text message
transmission protocols of a cellular paging system, with a virtual
`recipient address` identified with the pair consisting of the
medium and content broadcast channel in question, but other formats
are obviously possible. For example, the outbound PAD could be
transmitted using `data-hiding` technology over an existing radio
broadcast channel, or sent on a dedicated data radio channel, or
otherwise.
[0053] From the gateway, the radio service provider 414 arranges
for the transmission of the information over the service 414. In
the preferred embodiment this involves sending the message using a
cellular network of paging transmitters.
[0054] The message is received in a given user's home 416 by
receiving apparatus 417, which in the preferred embodiment, is a
remote control device for said broadcast receiver 405. In the
preferred embodiment, the said remote control device 417 will
contain a two-way paging chipset to allow reception and
transmission of digital information in a ubiquitous and
cost-efficient manner. The user 418 utilises the remote control
device 417 to select the channel to receive at any given time on a
given broadcast receiver 405, and this allows the device 417 to
select the appropriate stream of incoming PAD items. In the
preferred embodiment, the selected channel and receiver uniquely
specify a virtual `paging user id` to which the said two-way pager
chipset may be set to be responsive.
[0055] In an alternative envisaged embodiment, data is transmitted
to the device using a radio subcarrier scheme, such as is provided
by the SCA system in the United States. In another envisaged
embodiment, the data transport mechanisms of the Digital Audio
Broadcasting (DAB) system are used to transmit information to the
device (as defined in ETS 300 401--"Radio Broadcasting Systems;
Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) to Mobile, Portable and Fixed
Receivers").
[0056] The internal configuration of the remote control device 417
will be described later. For now, simply note that the device 417
will display the incoming PAD display data to the user at the
appropriate cue point, and may accept interaction from the user on
the basis of the information so displayed. Details of such
interaction, where relevant, may be transmitted back to the central
control station 420, together with the unique handset/user id
(HUUID) and PADUID of the initial display data. In the preferred
embodiment, encoding and transmission is performed by a two-way
paging chipset in the remote control device, and picked up by the
local cell receiver of a co-operating paging service operator.
However, other arrangements for reception of the return radio
signal are possible.
[0057] For example, the system may make use of bandwidth available
within a digital cellular telephony system, under some appropriate
protocol (e.g. the Short Message Service of GSM). Alternatively,
the signal may be sent into an unlicenced radio data network, for
example, a metropolitan packet-relay system.
[0058] In any event, the return signal is picked up by the receiver
network 415 of a radio service provider (which may or may not be
the same as provider 414), and forwarded to a reception gateway
412. This gateway formats the interaction data in a manner suitable
for processing by the rest of the system, and arranges for the
translated message to be transported to the appropriate central
processing site 420, which may be physically remote.
[0059] At the central processing site, the forwarded message is
received by an interaction processor 407, which decodes and
processes the interaction data. It makes use of the PAD database
408, in conjunction with the enclosed PADUID. The enclosed HUUID is
used to look up the user's record in a user database 410. Security
mechanisms are incorporated into the message sent from the handset
417 to prevent fraud.
[0060] There are a number of possible operations available to the
interaction processor upon receipt of a message, and the use of a
plug-in architecture here allows this set to be extended at will.
Indeed, a separate handler may be registered for each PAD, if
desired. In any event, certain common actions will be possible. For
example, the user's credit card details may be held in the user
database 410 (indeed, if the remote control device is sold to the
user by credit card, then this information will be immediately
available after the sale), and used, in conjunction with the offer
details from the PAD database 408 and vendor details from the
vendor database 409 to formulate a financial transaction request,
which may then be forwarded to the sponsoring party in question
401. This forwarding may utilise such transports and protocols as
are known in the art, and may interface to existing systems
installed by the sponsor; for example, the request might be sent
over the Internet, using the Secure Electronic Transactions (SET)
protocol. Alternatively, the interaction might constitute a request
for further information, in which case the sponsor will be so
informed. Here, a convenient format may be a `virtual hit` on the
sponsor's Internet Web site, suitably tagged so that the sponsor is
aware of the mechanism through which the interest has been
channelled. In yet another common transaction, details are passed
back to broadcasters 402, allowing the production of genuinely
interactive broadcasts--for example, by allowing feedback voting on
a talent contest, or program story line selection.
[0061] Through use of an optional home computer 419 connected to
the appropriate central processing station 420 over a known
transport, such as the Internet, users will be able to review the
transaction histories held in the database 410, and have access to
all the facilities offered by the handset 417, but in greater
detail and with full graphical support. It should be noted that use
of a home computer 419 is not necessary to the operation in the
main of the present invention.
[0062] As the user's name and address is held in the user database
410, the process of purchasing, or requesting the mail-out of
information, is greatly simplified.
[0063] FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of an embodiment of the
remote control handset according to the instant invention, and FIG.
I is a plan view of one embodiment of such a handset.
[0064] Turning first to FIG. 5, we see that the user of the handset
provides input to the device via input system 622, which in one
preferred embodiment consists of a set of keys. This input is
supplied to the core of a conventional remote control system, 614.
This core system may be of any of the configurations well known and
rehearsed in the art, such as vendor-specific, universal, learning,
programmable, or otherwise. It consists of an input controller,
which decodes the data from said input system 622, and invokes the
appropriate response in the remote control driver 612. This driver
will contain such means, well known in the art (e.g., ROM lookup
tables, non-volatile RAM for `learnt` configurations, etc.), as are
necessary for the operation of the device as a remote controller of
the required type, and will be connected to infra-red transmitter
613. This will provide an infra-red signal 615, coded appropriately
by 612 in response to the user input from input system 622 as
detected by the input controller 611, which, in turn, will drive
the remote consumer device (such as a broadcast receiver, VCR,
etc).
[0065] Depending on the type of remote control device desired,
various optional modules may be added to the remote control core
614. For example, a `learning` remote control would need to have an
infra-red receiver 617 connected to the driver 612, in order that
inbound infra-red signals 616 from (e.g.) a target handset could be
recorded. Similarly, a `programmable` remote control may require a
communications system 628 to allow the appropriate vendor-specific
codes to be downloaded from a remote site upon request. According
to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, this
functionality of system 628 may be provided as a secondary function
of the radio data transceiver 603 (described below).
[0066] As well as feeding the driver 612 via output 623, the input
controller 611 also passes details of the invoked commands to the
main processing system 604 within the handset via output 624. This
processing system is responsible for dealing with the reception,
storage and display of incoming display data, and also handling any
interaction with said display data from the user, including (where
necessary) causing any resulting interaction data to be transmitted
back to the central control system 420.
[0067] The main processing system 604 contains a microprocessor 607
(which executes the software components of the user-side system), a
real-time clock 626 used to determine (inter alia) when the cueing
point of PAD items has been reached, a watchdog timer 629 to reset
the system should it become locked up for whatever reason, and
various memory components. The latter may be split into: workspace
random access memory (RAM) 608, used to hold the ephemeral running
state of programs executing on the microprocessor 607, non-volatile
RAM 609 used to hold configuration information which must not be
lost upon power loss (such as, possibly, HUUID information,
purchase records, display data that the user has requested be
stored, and possibly system software or patches), and finally,
read-only non-volatile memory (ROM) 610, used to store non-changing
information in the system, such as core system software
routines.
[0068] According to one embodiment of the current system, the
functions of all or part of the entire system 604 are provided by
an appropriately chosen microcontroller, to reduce cost.
[0069] According to another embodiment of the current system,
either or both the input controller 611 and the remote control
driver 612 are provided by the said microcontroller also, to reduce
cost.
[0070] The software running on the microprocessor 607 has the
responsibility of storing display data pertaining to the currently
selected channel of the currently selected broadcast receiver. The
microprocessor 607 knows which is the currently selected channel,
because it monitors the data 624 sent from the input controller
611; when a channel change is detected, the new <medium,
channel> pair is stored in the non-volatile RAM 609. The system
software is so arranged that, as soon as may be practicable after
the user switches on a broadcast receiver using the device, the
microprocessor sends an output along the bus 624 to the input
controller 611, to force the transmission of an appropriate
infra-red code to the said receiver, to force the selection of a
known starting channel.
[0071] During operation, the microprocessor 607 may obtain extra
information and confirmation about the current <medium,
channel>pair, through the optional additional channel
confirmation system 625. According to one embodiment of the current
invention, this is provided by a microphone and analogue-to-digital
(A to D) converter, together with a system which periodically
receives a set of expected amplitude value ratings for each
<medium, channel> pair from the radio transceiver system 603,
and provides a running best match between these using such
value-set correlation mechanisms as are well known in the art, such
as a sliding-window, averaged, square-of difference system with an
activation threshold.
[0072] The currently selected <medium, channel> pair affects
what information is accepted by the microprocessor from the radio
transceiver system 603. According to the preferred embodiment, this
will involve sending a control instruction to the pager reception
circuitry to make it sensitive only to messages with the
appropriate `virtual` pager user id, corresponding to the said
pair.
[0073] The radio transceiver system 603 is the main method by which
the device communicates with the appropriate central processing
station 420, as discussed above. Inbound messages, transmitted as
radio signals 618, are picked up by the radio data receiver 601,
which functionality in the preferred embodiment will be provided by
the reception portions of a two-way pager chipset. Said messages
are then passed through the message security system 627, to ensure
that they are legitimate. In one embodiment, this process involves
decrypting said inbound messages according to a public key
algorithm. In another embodiment, it involves comparing a stated
checksum on said inbound messages with the same checksum computed
dynamically.
[0074] Any messages which are picked up and successfully validated
by the radio transceiver system 603 are fed to the microprocessor
607, where their <medium, channel> pair is checked against
that stored in the non-volatile RAM 609. Those messages which do
not match are discarded, whereas those which do match are placed
into a buffer in the workspace RAM 608. This buffer clearly has a
limited size, and, when the buffer is full and a new message comes
in, the PAD item (message) in the buffer with the cue point
furthest away from the current time is discarded. Where possible,
items which have interactive data stored are not discarded until
either a timeout period elapses or the transaction is completed (in
which case a summary may be written to the non-volatile RAM 609,
and the item discarded if necessary). In the case of a tie, one PAD
item is discarded at random. PAD items in the buffer are held in
order of cue-up time.
[0075] In an envisaged extension to the system, sufficient memory
is provided that PAD items for a number of <medium, channel>
pairs may be accumulated, not merely the currently selected pair,
allowing for information to be instantly available even when the
user skips to a new <medium, channel> pair. The device may
keep a record of the most commonly accessed <medium, channel>
pairs in non-volatile RAM 609, to help decide upon which PAD items
to record.
[0076] Each inbound message carries a timestamp which is set at
transmission; this allows the real time clock 626 to be accurately
maintained in synchronisation by the processor. When the device is
used for the first time, messages for any <medium, channel>
pair are accepted, in order to quickly acquire an accurate
timestamp to initialise the real time clock 626; however, said
messages are not retained or displayed unless they do match the
current pair.
[0077] In another envisaged extension to the system, PAD items
contain additional descriptive information--metadata--which allows
them to be selectively retained and displayed according to the
profile of each particular user. This profile, which may be held in
the non-volatile RAM 609, may be used to match PAD to users on
criteria such as age, sex, geographical location, and so on.
[0078] In yet another envisaged extension to the system, the
profiles of users are held, and may to some extent be generated, at
the central processing site (420 in FIG. 3). These profiles, stored
in the user database (410 in FIG. 3) are matched against
metadata-tagged PAD items in the PAD database (408 in FIG. 3). A
matching list of users is compiled, and this information (in the
form of unique user ids) is appended to the appropriate PAD items
prior to transmission. Upon reception at a device, the currently
active user id is matched against the said list of users, and only
those PAD items which do match are retained and displayed.
[0079] Special control messages may also be used, which will force
the message corresponding to a specified PADUID to be flushed from
the memory of receiving devices, or undergo modification of various
types, including change of cue-up time.
[0080] The cue point for each PAD item is also specified as a real
time point, with an optional special case of `display immediately`
which may be relevant in certain circumstances. The system does not
require that PAD items be transmitted from the control centre in
the order that they are to be displayed, since this is controlled
by the aforementioned cue-up point.
[0081] The microprocessor 607 is responsible for initiating a
display routine for each PAD item as its cue-up point is reached by
the real time clock 626. It will detect such an event either
through the use of an interrupt created by the real time clock 626,
or by continuous polling. The former mechanism is to be preferred
where possible. It may also invoke additional output systems 621 to
attract the user's attention to the new display data. In the
preferred embodiment of the current invention, such additional
output systems will include a piezoelectric buzzer, and a flashing
LED. The user may disable these systems if so desired.
[0082] The display routine executes the program unit associated
with the appropriate PAD item. (In this sense, we may regard the
display data as being an object, on which a `display` method is
invoked.) This program unit may make use of a set of core library
routines stored in either or both of the ROM 610 and non-volatile
RAM 609, to assist its operation. The microprocessor executes
display routines using a pre-emptive strategy, to prevent the
device becoming locked up due to an endless loop bug in such a
routine. The watchdog timer 629 will reset the microprocessor
should a bug in the display routine (or some other problem) cause
the system to lock up.
[0083] To actually generate a display on the device, the display
routine of the active PAD item may call various utility library
routines, which cause the microprocessor 607 to issue commands to
the display system 605. This system contains a display controller
620, responsible for translating the high-level commands sent from
the microprocessor 607 into whatever low level display control
signals may be required by the actual display system involved 606.
In the preferred embodiment of the current invention, the display
is rendered as a multi-line pixel-addressed LCD screen.
[0084] Other library routines available to an executing display
routine provide (inter alia) read and write access to the various
memory stores (608, 609 and 610) of the device, allow data to be
passed to the input controller 611 via the bus 624, and allow
messages to be sent back to the main control centre (and so,
possibly, to a sponsoring party, a broadcaster, or otherwise). This
latter functionality causes information to be sent to the radio
data transmitter 602 of the radio transceiver system 603, having
first passed through the message security system 627. According to
the preferred embodiment of the current invention, this will
involve providing at least a checksum for non-critical outgoing
messages, and public-key encryption for critical messages, together
with a message digest generated using a special key which makes
use, in cyclical series, of a unique list of values held within the
non-volatile RAM 609 of the device installed at manufacture and
modifiable at later times. Messages are sent from the device using
radio emissions 619.
[0085] Routines will also exist to allow the display routine to
receive information back from the appropriate main control centre
in response to a message sent; this cyclical process may continue
for as long as necessary. Using further library routines, a display
routine may notify the system that the user's interaction has
reached a logical ending point, which will allow the PAD item to be
flushed if required.
[0086] Turning now to FIG. 6, we can see an alternative embodiment
of the current invention in which an adaptor unit 701, providing
the facilities of the interactive set of controls (3 on FIG. 1)
found on the preferred embodiment discussed earlier, can fit over a
user's existing remote control unit 704. The "host" handset 704
contains, inter alia, an infra-red transmitter 703, which emits
control signals 705 in response to user input. The adaptor unit 701
is so designed that the emitted signals 705 are passed through and
permitted to emit from window 702 as signals 706. However, the
device 701 also contains an infra-red receiver, which samples the
signal 705, allowing the unit to identify the control signal which
is being sent. When the control signal represents a command to
change the current <medium, channel> pair, the device 701
switches its PAD display and reception accordingly. The adaptor and
host handset are shown in "exploded" form in FIG. 6; in normal use
they would be joined together 706.
[0087] Turning now to FIG. 1, we can see the controls that would
commonly be present on an embodiment of the remote control handset
1 according to the present invention.
[0088] The handset controls are split into two major groups. The
first set 2 contains controls that are commonly found on
conventional remote control devices, and the second set 3 contains
controls specific to the interactive and innovative features of the
current invention. Commands generated by the device are sent
through as infra-red code sequences through the window 17.
[0089] Keypad 4 allows for the selection of channels as desired on
the current broadcast receiver device, which in turn may be chosen
using the keys 8. Controls 5 allow cycling through channels, and
level-set controls 6 provide a means to adjust volume, brightness
etc. Finally, there is a subset of other controls 7 which perform
various functions, such as turning the target broadcast receiver on
and off, muting the device, and so on.
[0090] In the set of interactive controls 3, we have a multi-line,
pixel addressed LCD display 14 on which display data may be shown.
Controls 13 and 15 may be exercised to invoke options shown on the
screen, at the bottom and sides respectively. For example, in the
configuration shown in FIG. 1, pressing the third triangular button
from the left would cause the number of items ordered to increment
by 1.
[0091] Users may traverse through the set of display data in memory
using the forward and back keys 12. Newly displayed PAD items may
be announced through the use of a piezoelectric buzzer 11 and a
flashing LED 10. The `lock` button 16, if pressed, removes
purchasing authority from the handset until the user re-enters his
or her PIN code. The `Buy Now!` button 9 acts as a confirmation
button for the current screen. Where no entry has been made on a
screen, pressing button 9 will select the default values, if
any.
[0092] Pressing some combination of keys (such as any two of 15,
for example) will bring up a main, master menu allowing navigation
to various subscreens.
[0093] FIG. 4 illustrates a simple example of an embodiment of the
handset remote control device 502 of the present invention in use.
Broadcast receiver 501 is displaying a television programme--"The
Tool Show"--and as the presenter starts to demonstrate the use of
good drilling technique 503, the handset 502 displays a
programme-related offer 504 for the drill that the presenter is
using. The PAD item corresponding to this offer will have been
downloaded to the device from the relevant central processing
station 420 (FIG. 3) at some point previously, and cued up at the
appropriate point for display by the mechanisms rehearsed
above.
[0094] In order that a better understanding of some of the uses of
the handset remote control device of the present invention may be
appreciated, some exemplary displays from one embodiment shall now
be considered, with reference to FIGS. 2A through 2L. These
displays are intended as illustration only and should not be
interpreted as limiting the invention.
[0095] FIG. 2A illustrates the offer screen of the example from
FIG. 4, after some interaction. Line 101 contains a brief
description of the product, and line 103 gives pricing information.
Indicia 102 shows that there are currently 3 PAD items in memory
for the current <medium, channel> pair, of which the
currently displayed item is the second. Lines 104 give brief
information about the current order and the total cost of that
order if actually purchased. Below this are indicators of the
functions for the variant selector buttons below (13 on FIG. 1).
The `BUY` button 105 will initiate a purchase (similar to pressing
the `BUY NOW!` button, 9 on FIG. 1). The `INFO` button 106 will
bring up a screen giving further information about the offered
product. The variable function buttons corresponding to the `+1`
and `-1` labels (107 and 108, respectively) increase and decrease
the number of units of the product ordered.
[0096] If the user opts to buy, then the screen of FIG. 2C is
shown, which contains a request to confirm the transaction 114, a
selection of credit and/or debit cards 113 to choose from (chosen
by pressing one of the side variable function buttons, 15 on FIG.
1), and the option to cancel the transaction 117. Selecting a
credit card will bring up a 'successful order` screen, not shown
here.
[0097] The screen of FIG. 2B is an example of an offer of
information, which might be timed to run alongside an advertisement
appearing on the complementary primary broadcast. Here, the user is
prompted 109, 111, 112 to press the third from left bottom variable
function button (13 on FIG. 1), which will cause a message to be
sent back to the sponsor, who will then have the details necessary
to send the user an information pack about the product 110.
Pressing the `BUY NOW!` button (9 on FIG. 1) will also have this
effect, since it selects the default action on each screen. Once
again, we see that the PAD item displayed is one of several 102 (in
this case, the last of 4).
[0098] Another use of the system is for interactive voting on
broadcast content, and FIG. 2D shows how the display might look
when this feature is in use. Here, the user is prompted 116 to
enter his/her vote for one of the acts 115 (in a talent show, for
example), by pressing one of the side variable function buttons (15
on FIG. 1).
[0099] FIG. 2E illustrates a simple channel guide for the currently
selected <medium, channel> pair. A short listing of
programmes for the current pair, together with start times, is
given 216. A cursor 203 may be scrolled up and down the list using
the bottom variable function buttons (13 on FIG. 1) corresponding
to 206 and 205 respectively; and it is possible to have a list
longer than the screen of which a window is displayed during
scrolling, in the familiar manner. Indicia 201 shows the programme
currently being broadcast. The current time 202 is shown, along
with an indication of the current <medium, channel> pair 215
(in this case, the third channel on a television tuner is
selected). The currently selected programme may have further
information available about it, in which case label 204 will
appear, and the bottom variable function button corresponding to it
(from 13 on FIG. 1) may be pressed.
[0100] If this is done, a screen such as illustrated in FIG. 2F is
displayed. In this instance, information about the selected
programme is given 207, and, where this is longer than the screen,
the user may scroll up and down through it using the bottom
variable function buttons corresponding to labels 209 and 210,
respectively. (Note that, in all cases of scrolling, the bottom
line containing the function labels remains static). The current
time 102 is also shown.
[0101] FIG. 2G illustrates how the system may be used as a betting
terminal, where the details of the event so bet upon may be
broadcast on the currently selected <medium, channel> pair.
Here, a simple horse racing screen is shown. The user is prompted
to select place a bet and told of the time available so to do 212.
Various horses 211 may be selected by pressing the appropriate side
variable function button (15 on FIG. 1). Note that this is a
simplified example, and in reality, such a system would deal with
setting the wager, displaying more information, including a larger
number of potential candidates, etc.
[0102] When the handset is locked for purchase, by pressing the
`LOCK` button (16 on FIG. 1) or otherwise, the screen shown is FIG.
2H is displayed when a purchase is attempted. Here, the user is
prompted 213 to enter a four-digit PIN 214, which will unlock the
device. The device may be set to automatically lock if unused for
more than a certain period of time. The PIN will be entered using
the keypad (4 on FIG. 1).
[0103] If the handset is powered down or left unused for a
significant period of time, it will revert to a mode in which the
user identity must be set, as illustrated in FIG. 2K. Here, the
handset has three users within a household 308, Mary, Mike, and
Robert. The user is prompted to select his or her identity 309 by
pressing the corresponding side variable function button (15 in
FIG. 1). Once a user is selected, screen 2H may be displayed for
verification. The handset device may utilise a capacitative switch
to detect handling and initiate the power on cycle.
[0104] In FIG. 7A, we see an alternative embodiment of the current
invention, in which no remote control functionality is present.
Here, a portable device 801, providing the facilities of the
interactive set of controls (3 on FIG. 1) found on the preferred
embodiment discussed earlier, and which may also provide
conventional pager functionality, contains a microphone 802 by
which it continuously monitors its surrounding audio environment.
Under normal viewing or listening circumstances, the audio input
803 to microphone 802 will contain a large component due to the
programme currently being broadcast on the current <medium,
channel> pair.
[0105] Having taken a series of audio observations across a short
time window, the device performs a sliding match against a set of
audio "fingerprints" (which are in turn received periodically from
the appropriate central processing station (420 in FIG. 3) via
radio link). The matching may use any of the value-series
comparison metrics as are known in the art, such as least
difference squared summation. If this process yields a unique match
to a "fingerprint" of a <medium, channel> pair with
sufficient confidence, then that pair will be used to control the
current display and acceptance of PAD by the device.
[0106] FIG. 7B shows another alternative embodiment of the current
invention, in which a portable device 804, similar in most respects
to the device of FIG. 7A just considered, requires user input to
select the current <medium, channel> pair. The user may cause
the device to show display 811, in which s/he is prompted to enter
the currently selected medium 809 and channel 810. To perform this
selection, the user may move the selection cursors using the
variable function buttons corresponding to the "medium" up and down
and "channel" up and down labels (805, 806, 808 and 807
respectively). The selected pair is subsequently used to control
the display and acceptance of PAD by the device, but does not cause
the emission of control signals to a broadcast receiver.
[0107] The system may be used with a number of different types of
broadcast receiver, and FIG. 2I shows the sort of display that
might be shown to accompany radio broadcasts. Details of the
current station are shown 301, and an indication of the receiver
type 312.
[0108] Brief details of the currently playing song, together with
the current time, are given 303. As before, a number of PAD items
may be held in memory, and the position of the currently displayed
item is shown 302. By pressing the bottom variant function key (13
in FIG. 1) corresponding to the `INFO` label 304, the user may
bring up another screen with more information about the current
track (not shown here). Pressing the button corresponding to the
`BUY` label 305, or pressing the `BUY NOW!` button (9 on FIG. 1)
will initiate a purchase of the album or single currently playing.
In this case, the user will be prompted with further confirmation
screens (not shown in detail here).
[0109] FIGS. 2J and 2L are given to illustrate some other potential
uses of the device, less directly connected with
programme-associated material. In FIG. 2J the user is prompted 306
to enter a package tracking code 307 (as used by some document and
parcel delivery companies),which may then initiate a remote query
to display to the user the current location of the specified
package (using screens not shown). Similarly, FIG. 2L illustrates a
`shop from home` usage, in which the user is prompted 310 to enter
a joint product/vendor identification code 311. This will initiate
a remote query to display information about the product so
identified, in a manner similar to that used by PAD product offers
(as shown in FIG. 2A, for example); if this is successful the user
may initiate a purchase, as with the PAD example discussed
previously. In both cases, the details would be entered via the
keypad (4 in FIG. 1).
[0110] Although illustrative embodiments of the present invention
have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying
drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited
to those precise embodiments and that changes and modifications may
be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the
scope and spirit of the invention.
[0111] Moreover, any application or patent cited herein should be
considered to be incorporated by reference as to any subject matter
deemed essential to the present disclosure.
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