System and method for ordering and delivering media content

• US 20020049037A1
• Filed: 09/13/2001
• Published: 04/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: StratosAudio, Inc.
• Original Assignee: StratosAudio, Inc.
• Inventors: Christensen, Kelly M., Smyth, Thomas J., Thomas, Barry D.
• Granted Patent: US 6,957,041 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/3.06
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0605 Supply or demand aggregation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/30 by a single channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/34 using an out-of-band subcarrier signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/93 which locates resources of other pieces of information, e.g. URL [Uniform Resource Locator]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/13 radio data system/radio broadcast data system [RDS/RBDS]
• 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 2201/37 via a different channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/61 Arrangements for services using the result of monitoring, identification or recognition covered by groups H04H60/29-H04H60/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/63 for services of sales data processing systems or methods specially adapted for electronic commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/74 using programme related information, e.g. title, composer or interpreter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 : Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 : for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 : Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 : for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/274 : Storing end-user multimedia data in response to end-user request , e.g. network recorder
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 : Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 : End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 : for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 : involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6181 : involving transmission via a mobile phone network arrangements for providing broadcast or conference services to substation in data switching networks in combination with wireless systems H04L12/189; wireless uplink channel access H04W74/004
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 : comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An Automatic Purchase System (APS) provides a radio broadcast listener with the ability to conveniently purchase media content such as music or speech while listening to the radio. The user can respond to items in the radio broadcast such as advertisements, fund raising drives such as those conducted by public radio, or interactive listener polls during the broadcast. Data such as song title and artist, author or publisher and the IP address for the location where the digital version of the content is stored, can be transmitted using the RBDS/RDS data stream. A reference number representing song title and artist, author or publisher and the IP address for the location where the digital version of the content is stored can also be employed for ease of implementation. This reference number can reside in a lookup table to be accessed by the APS server software on a Data Server located at the broadcast site, a remote site or both for purposes of redundancy. Transmission of purchase requests from a Technology Enabled Radio (TER) is provided via wireless transmission, or by accessing the Internet using a personal computer or through a cellular or wireless phone.

Claims

1. A system for performing a transaction based on data provided as part of a broadcast signal, comprising:

a broadcast receiver circuit that extracts a RBDS data signal from a broadcast channel, said broadcast channel comprising an audio stream and a RBDS data stream that identifies program material in the audio stream;

a display capable of displaying information corresponding to the data signal;

a user input control that allows a user to select a transaction from the displayed information; and

an output device that provides a transaction request comprising an identity of a user and an identification of the selected transaction, said transaction request being provided to a response authentication system.

2. The system as in claim 1, wherein the displayed information identifies a media file available for purchase.

3. The system as in claim 2, further comprising an input to receive the purchased audio.

4. The system as in claim 3, wherein the input is a wireless network connection.

5. The system as in claim 1, wherein the output device is a removable memory device.

6. The system as in claim 1, wherein the output device is a serial data port.

7. The system as in claim 1, wherein the output device is a parallel data port.

8. The system as in claim 1, wherein the output device is a wireless transmitter.

9. A system for responding to a data stream sent in combination with a media stream on a radio broadcast signal, comprising:

a broadcast receiver circuit that detects the radio broadcast signal and extracts a data signal from the data stream, at least a portion of the data signal configured to identify program content in said media stream;

memory for storing the data signal;

a display for displaying information corresponding to the data signal;

a user input control that allows a user to initiate a purchase request corresponding to the data signal;

a transmitter that transmits the purchase request to a response authentication system; and

a media download device for receiving media corresponding to said purchase request over a communications network.

10. The system as in claim 9, wherein said user input control is a button.

11. The system as in claim 9, wherein said user input control is a voice command device.

12. The system as in claim 9, wherein the data stream conforms to the Radio Broadcast Data System Standard.

13. The system as in claim 9, wherein the data stream conforms to the Radio Data Service Standard.

14. The system as in claim 9, wherein the transmitter uses a wireless connection.

15. The system as in claim 9, wherein the transmitter uses an interface with a computer.

17. The system as in claim 16, wherein a completed order results in a download of a file corresponding to the specified data stream.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the data stream identifier code is extracted from identification information stored on a compact disc.

16. A response authentication system for processing requests sent in response to a data stream embedded within a broadcast radio signal, comprising:

a database that contains customer information;

a database that correlates a data stream identifier code with a location of the data stream on a communications network;

a server that correlates the receipt of a request for a specified data stream with information contained in the data stream location database, the request generated by user response to the broadcast radio signal having a program portion and a data portion, said data portion identifying said program portion; and

an order fulfillment server that receives communication of customer information.

19. A method of providing a response to a data stream embedded within a broadcast channel, comprising the steps of:

extracting a digital data signal from a radio broadcast signal that comprises a modulated digital signal stream and a modulated analog signal stream;

demodulating the modulated analog signal stream and playing the demodulated analog signal stream;

displaying the digital data in a format that allows a user to identify and scroll through the contents of the digital data signal; and

transmitting a selection chosen from the displayed digital data by the user.

20. A method of receiving responses to an audio broadcast, comprising:

broadcasting a signal comprising an audio signal and an accompanying identifying data signal, where the data signal identifies the audio signal, wherein the data signal is broadcast in a format that allows a receiver to display to a user information about the audio signal;

receiving a response from a user that identifies the user and the audio signal that the user is responding to;

verifying the user identification and the availability of the audio signal; and

acting on the user response.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said acting on the user response comprises sending a media file.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein said acting on the user response comprises transacting a donation.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein said acting on the user response comprises sending a plurality of media files

24. A system for performing a transaction based on data provided as part of a broadcast signal, comprising:

a broadcast receiver circuit that extracts a data signal from a broadcast signal, said broadcast signal comprising an audio stream, a video stream and a data stream;

a display driver capable of displaying on a television screen information corresponding to the data signal;

a user input control that allows a user to select a transaction from the displayed information;

an output device that provides a transaction request comprising an identity of a user and an identification of the selected transaction, said transaction request being provided to a response authentication system.

25. A system for performing a transaction based on data provided as part of a broadcast signal, comprising:

a broadcast receiver circuit that extracts a data signal from a broadcast radio-frequency signal, said broadcast signal comprising an audio stream and a data stream;

a user input control that allows a user to initiate a transaction based on the audio stream content;

an output device that provides a transaction request comprising an identity of a user and an identification of the selected transaction, said transaction request being provided to a response authentication system.

26. A system for performing a transaction based on data provided as part of a broadcast radio-frequency signal, comprising:

a means for extracting a data signal from a broadcast channel, said broadcast channel comprising an audio stream and a data stream that identifies program material in the audio stream;

a means for displaying information corresponding to the data signal;

a means for allowing a user to select a transaction from the displayed information;

a means for requesting a transaction, said transaction request comprising an identity of a user and an identification of the selected transaction, said transaction request being provided to a response authentication system.