METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING INFORMATION ABOUT AN AUDIO ELEMENT

• US 20080271087A1
• Filed: 07/14/2008
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Digital Network Shopping, LLC
• Original Assignee: Digital Network Shopping, LLC
• Inventors: Robinson, Maryse, Thomas, John G.
• Application Number:
  US12/172,404
• Publication Number:
  US 20080271087A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/61
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV

Abstract

Disclosed herein, in various embodiments, are methods and apparatus incorporating, among other things, the concept of using, in particular but without limitation, traditionally non-commercial programming as a medium for selling products or services on-line, and again in particular over the Internet. Using this concept, for example, an audio element identified in a broadcast can be made identifiable by a user of the broadcast, and thereby enabling a user to determine the source, location, or other information about the audio element. Using this concept, for example, a user viewing a soap opera is able to use a device to electronically select an audio element identified in the broadcast. In turn, information about the audio can be displayed to the user, including purchase information. Using this particular concept of the invention, traditionally non-commercial programming can be efficiently used to indirectly advertise goods or services and offer them for sale on-line.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying an audio element of a broadcast;

storing digital information about the audio element;

providing an audio selection element to a user; and

in response to the user selecting the audio selection element, delivering the stored digital information about the audio element to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio selection element is provided as a portion of the broadcast.

3. The method of claim 1, including delivering the broadcast to the user, the broadcast including the identified audio element;

and wherein the audio selection element is provided to the user as the identified audio element is delivered to the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcast includes an audiovisual broadcast, and wherein the audio selection element includes an on-screen element.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcast includes an audio broadcast, and wherein the audio selection element includes an audio selection button.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital information includes at least a portion of the audio element.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital information includes information referred to by the audio element.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the information referred to by the audio element includes purchase information for a product or service referred to by the audio element.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital information is stored during the editing process of the broadcast.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital information is stored after the broadcast is recorded, but before the delivery of the broadcast.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital information is stored before the broadcast is recorded.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcast is stored in a digital format for delivery to the user, and the digital information is stored as part of the digital broadcast data.

13. A system comprising:

a processor coupled to a broadcast device, the processor configured to;

(a) store digital information about an audio element identified in a broadcast;

(b) provide to the broadcast device an audio selection element; and

(c) deliver to the broadcast device at least some of the stored digital information; and

a computer program operating on the broadcast device to deliver at least a portion of the stored digital information to a user in response to a user selecting the audio selection element from the broadcast device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the audio selection element is provided as a portion of the broadcast.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the broadcast device is configured deliver the broadcast to the user, the broadcast including the identified audio element;

and wherein the broadcast device is configured to provide the audio selection element to the user as the identified audio element is delivered to the user.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the broadcast includes an audiovisual broadcast, and wherein the audio selection element includes an on-screen element.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the broadcast includes an audio broadcast, and wherein the audio selection element includes an audio selection button.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the digital information includes at least a portion of the audio element.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the digital information includes information referred to by the audio element.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the information referred to by the audio element includes purchase information for a product or service referred to by the audio element.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to store the digital information during the editing process of the broadcast.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to store the digital information after the broadcast is recorded, but before the broadcast is delivered.

23. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to store the digital information before the broadcast is recorded.

24. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to store the broadcast in a digital format for delivery to the user, and to store the digital information as part of the digital broadcast data.

25. A system comprising:

a broadcast device configured to;

(a) receive digital information about an audio element identified in a broadcast; and

(b) provide an audio selection element to a user; and

a computer program operating on the broadcast device to deliver at least a portion of the received digital information to the user in response to the user selecting the audio selection element from the broadcast device.

26. A method comprising:

identifying at least one scene of motion picture programming;

obtaining, from the motion picture programming, a still image having the scene;

obtaining audio content associated with the scene;

storing the still image on a server connected to a network;

storing the audio content on a server connected to a network;

storing digital information about at least one of the scene or the audio content on the server;

displaying the scene to a user, wherein the scene is delivered from the server to a viewing device, wherein the viewing device includes an input device;

in response to viewing the still image, the user using the input device to point to the scene; and

in response to the user pointing to the scene, displaying the stored digital information about at least one of the scene or the audio content to the user, wherein the digital information is delivered from the server to the viewing device.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the identifying the at least one scene of the motion picture programming includes identifying at least one element in the at least one scene, wherein the obtaining the still image having the scene includes obtaining a still image having the at least one element, wherein the obtaining audio content associated with the scene includes obtaining audio content associated with the at least one element, wherein the storing the digital information includes storing digital information about at least one of the element or the audio content, wherein the displaying the scene to a user includes displaying the at least one element, wherein the user using the input device to point to the scene includes the user using the input device to point to the at least one element, and wherein the displaying the stored digital information includes displaying the stored digital information about at least one of the element or the audio content to the user.

28. A method, comprising:

identifying an element to be promoted within at least a scene of a motion picture program;

associating digital information about the element with a segment of audio content of included in the scene of the motion picture program;

delivering the motion picture program to a display device, wherein the display device has an associated interactive input device, and wherein the input device allows a user to select the segment of audio content within the motion picture program; and

retrieving associated digital information when the user selects the segment of audio content associated with the element to be promoted.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the digital information is retrieved from one or more computers over one or more networks.

30. The method of claim 28, including storing the digital information about the element on one or more computers connected to at least one network.