Method and apparatus for interactive audience participation at a live spectator event

• US 20020029381A1
• Filed: 05/11/2001
• Published: 03/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interactive Audience Participation, LLC
• Original Assignee: Eric Inselberg
• Inventors: Inselberg, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 6,650,903 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/9
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/409 Data transfer via television network
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0252 based on events or environment, e.g. weather or festivals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/61 for local area broadcast, e.g. instore broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/30 characterised by the use of a return channel, e.g. for collecting users' opinions, for returning broadcast space/time information or for requesting data
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/64 for providing detail information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/90 Wireless transmission systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/00 Network topologies

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for providing interactive audience participation at live spectator events. The method includes providing each spectator with an interactive device that presents a promotional message and includes a user interface, broadcasting audio programming to the spectator through the interactive device, querying the spectators, wherein answers to the querying may be entered by spectators via the user interface of the interactive device, transmitting the answers to a central processor, storing the answers as spectator data, processing the spectator data into results, storing the results of the processing of the spectator data and broadcasting the results of the processing of the spectator data.

Claims

1. A method for interactive audience participation at a live event attended by a plurality of spectators comprising the steps of:

providing each of the spectators with an interactive device, wherein the interactive device presents a promotional message and wherein the interactive device includes a user interface;

querying the spectators, wherein answers to the querying may be entered by spectators via the user interface of the interactive device;

transmitting the answers to a central processor;

storing the answers as spectator data;

processing the spectator data into results;

storing the results of the processing of the spectator data; and

broadcasting the results of the processing of the spectator data.

2. The method of claim 1 further including the step of awarding prizes to at least one selected spectator who has answered the querying.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the steps of querying and transmitting are achieved using wireless communications.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the wireless communications are selected from the group consisting of radio transmissions, microwave transmissions, broadband wireline data transmissions, and satellite transmissions.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of broadcasting the results is achieved using a large screen display.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of broadcasting the results is achieved using the interactive device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of broadcasting the results includes the wireless transmission of data from the central processor to the interactive device for visual display thereon.

8. A hand held device for interactive audience participation at a live spectator event comprising:

a housing including an electronic display opening;

a local microprocessor being mounted within the housing;

a user interface comprising a plurality of keys in electrical communication with the microprocessor for manually entering data to the local microprocessor;

transceiver means in electrical communication with the local microprocessor for transmitting and receiving data to and from the central processor, and

an electronic display in electrical communication with the local microprocessor, the electronic display being mounted within the housing and being visible through the electronic display opening in the housing, and the electronic display being adapted to display data from the microprocessor.

9. The hand held device of claim 8 further including means for presenting a promotional message.

10. The hand held device of claim 8 wherein the device utilizes wireless communications for transmitting and receiving data from the central processor.

11. The hand held device of claim 10 wherein the wireless communications are selected from the group consisting of radio transmissions, microwave transmissions, broadband wireline data transmissions, and satellite transmissions.