Data communication system and method

• US 20020178020A1
• Filed: 07/26/2001
• Published: 11/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Andreas Simon, Axel Jerabeck, Oswald Von Richthofen
• Original Assignee: Andreas Simon, Axel Jerabeck, Oswald Von Richthofen
• Inventors: Simon, Andreas, Jerabek, Axel
• Application Number:
  US09/915,646
• Publication Number:
  US 20020178020A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/332 using wireless networks, e.g. cellular phone networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/338 using television networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/46 Computing the game score
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/61 using advertising information
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/80 Special adaptations for executing a specific game genre or game mode
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/409 Data transfer via television network
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5506 using advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/61 Score computation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8064 Quiz
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/1739 the upstream communication being transmitted via a separate link, e.g. telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42684 : Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 : for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 : Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 : Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 : for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence

Abstract

A data communication system includes output devices, input devices allocated to users, and at least one host computer, wherein identical information is output at the output devices, the host computer transmits to the output devices further information allocated to the identical information, and data relating to the further information and input into the input devices are transmitted to the host computer. In this system, the host computer selects, in response to the data received from the input devices, one of the users or a subset of users, and transmits a selected message to the one user or subset of users.

Claims

1. A data communication system comprising:

a plurality of output devices;

a plurality of input devices allocated to a plurality of users of the system; and

at least one host computer, wherein identical information is output at the output devices, and the host computer transmits to the output devices further information allocated to the identical information, data relating to the further information and input into the plurality of input devices are transmitted to the host computer, and wherein the host computer selects, in response to the data received from the plurality of input devices, one or a subset of users and transmits a selected message to the selected user or subset of users.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the identical information is advertising information allocated to a particular product or service.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the further information allocated to the identical information is questions directed to the user or subset of users of the respective input devices.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the further information allocated to the identical information is one or more questions directed to the user or subset of users of the respective input device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the host computer selects a user whose answers to the questions correspond to a set of reference answers stored in the host computer.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the set of reference answers is determined from answers given by the plurality of users.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the set of reference answers is determined on the basis of a frequency of individual answers given by the plurality of users.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein answers contained in the set of reference answers correspond to answers selected by a particular one of the plurality of users.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least 1,000 input devices; and

at least 1,000 output devices.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the identical information is transmitted from a master station.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of input devices are mobile phones.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of output devices are mobile phones.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of output devices are television sets.

14. A data communication method, the method comprising:

outputting identical information to a plurality of output devices;

transmitting from a host computer further information associated with the identical information to the plurality of output devices; and

providing a plurality of input devices allocated to a plurality of different users such that data relating to the further information and input into the respective input devices are transmitted to the host computer, and the host computer selects, in reaction to the data received from the input devices, one or a subset of the plurality of users and transmits a selected message to the one user or subset of selected users.