Interactive event display system for tracking items during events

• US 20070261084A1
• Filed: 05/08/2006
• Published: 11/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Prova Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Prova Group, Inc.
• Inventors: Smith, Emmitt, Lew, Thomas, Dupuy, Victor
• Application Number:
  US11/430,126
• Publication Number:
  US 20070261084A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/86
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4858 for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system for displaying information to allow an observer at an event to obtain event-related data of specific interest, such as a player'"'"'s individual statistics, using a pre-existing event general purpose display, such as a scoreboard, is provided. The system includes an information control system receiving contact information, such as a phone number or web address. The information control system formats the contact information to be compatible with the pre-existing event general purpose display, and provides the contact information to the pre-existing event display to allow the observer seeking the event-related data of specific interest to contact the information control system. A display control system receives the contact information and provides the contact information to the general purpose display. An information interface system establishes a communications channel with the observer, such as by receiving a telephone call from the user and generating audio prompts. The information interface system retrieves requested event-related data of specific interest from a data source, such as based on user-entered responses to the prompts, and formats the requested event-related data of specific interest for transmission to the observer, such as for transmission over the telephone by text-to-speech conversion. The information interface system then transmits the event-related data of specific interest to the observer.

Claims

1. A system for displaying information to allow an observer at an event to obtain event-related data of specific interest using a pre-existing event general purpose display, comprising:

an information control system receiving contact information, formatting the contact information, and providing the contact information to the pre-existing event display to allow the observer seeking the event-related data of specific interest to contact the information control system;

a display control system receiving the contact information and providing the contact information to the general purpose display; and

an information interface system establishing a communications channel with the observer, retrieving requested event-related data of specific interest from a data source, formatting the requested event-related data of specific interest for transmission to the observer, and transmitting the event-related data of specific interest to the observer.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the information interface system comprises a telephone information interface system providing the event-related data of specific interest through one or more audio prompts.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the information interface system comprises an alternate information interface system providing the event-related data of specific interest in response to one or more of the group comprising email messages, instant messages, web browser prompts, and video prompts.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the information interface system further comprises an item information tracking system updating item data in response to data entered by the user in response to the event-related data of specific interest.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the information interface system further comprises an authentication system interface providing item authentication update data in response to data entered by the user in response to the event-related data of specific interest.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the display control system further comprises a media interface system formatting the contact information for each of a plurality of pre-existing event displays.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the display control system further comprises a contact identification system receiving the contact data from a predetermined source and providing the contact data to the display control system.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the display control system further comprises an item identification system receiving the contact identification system, retrieving item identification data from a predetermined source and providing the item identification data to the display control system.

9. A method for displaying information to allow an observer at an event to obtain event-related data of specific interest using a pre-existing event general purpose display, comprising:

receiving a request to display contact information for observers seeking event-related data of specific interest;

selecting a display mechanism of the pre-existing event display;

formatting the contact information for display using the display mechanism of the pre-existing event display;

transmitting the formatted contact information to the display mechanism;

receiving a request from an observer for the event-related data of specific interest;

retrieving the requested event-related data of specific interest from a data source;

formatting the requested event-related data of specific interest for transmission to the user; and

transmitting the requested event-related data of specific interest to the user.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein selecting the display mechanism of the pre-existing event display, formatting the contact information for display using the display mechanism of the pre-existing event display and transmitting the formatted contact information to the display mechanism comprises:

selecting a plurality of display mechanisms of a plurality of pre-existing event displays;

formatting the contact information for display using the plurality of display mechanism of the plurality of pre-existing event displays; and

transmitting the formatted contact information to the plurality of display mechanisms.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein transmitting the formatted contact information to the display mechanism comprises transmitting the formatted contact information to a banner display on a scoreboard.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein transmitting the formatted contact information to the display mechanism comprises transmitting the formatted contact information to a banner display on a television screen.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein receiving a request from an observer for the event-related data of specific interest comprises receiving a response to a telephone audio prompt.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

receiving response data from the user in response to the requested event-related data of specific interest; and

updating a database with the response data.