Wireless Information Transfer and Interactive Television System

• US 20120216235A1
• Filed: 04/30/2012
• Published: 08/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Joshi, Rajiv V., Joshi, Suchitra R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,756,643 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47805 Electronic banking banking in general G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6193 involving transmission via a satellite arrangements for data linking, networking or transporting, or for controlling an end to end session in a satellite broadcast system H04B7/18526
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/814 comprising emergency warnings arrangements specially adapted for emergency or urgency in broadcast systems H04H20/59; arrangements for providing alarms, notifications, alerts to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system and method for controlling an interactive media system includes generating, by a first communication system, an information signal and a display signal for display by an electronic medium, transferring the information signal by a wireless signal transfer network, receiving and processing the information signal by a server, providing, by the server, data included in the information signal to a functional network, wherein the server retrieves return data from the functional network and provides the return data to a second communication system, generating, by the second communication system, a return information signal and providing the return information signal to the wireless signal transfer network, and transferring, by the wireless signal transfer network, the return information signal to the first communication system, which generates the display signal for display on the electronic medium.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an interactive media system comprising:

generating, by a first communication system, an information signal and a display signal for display by an electronic medium;

transferring the information signal by a wireless signal transfer network from the first communication system to a server;

receiving and processing the information signal by the server;

providing, by the server, data included in the information signal to a functional network, wherein the server retrieves return data from the functional network in response to the data including in the information signal and provides the return data to a second communication system;

generating, by the second communication system, a return information signal in response to the return data and providing the return information signal to the wireless signal transfer network; and

transferring, by the wireless signal transfer network, the return information signal to the first communication system, which generates the display signal for display on the electronic medium.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling, by a control means, the display of the at least one display signal on the electronic medium.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising indicating, by the first data processing unit, that the return information signal has been received.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating at least one menu-driven window on the electronic medium according to the display signal generated by the first data processing unit.

5. A wireless information signal transfer and interactive media system comprises:

a first communication system, operatively coupled to an electronic medium configured to display a signal, the first communication system comprising a first transceiver unit and a first data processing unit for generating at least one information signal and for generating at least one display signal for display on the electronic medium;

a wireless signal transfer network, operatively coupled to the first communication system, for wirelessly transferring signals including the at least one information signal;

a second communication system operatively coupled to the wireless transfer network, comprising a second transceiver unit and a second data processing unit for receiving and processing the at least one information signal; and

a server, operatively coupled to the second communication system, for receiving and processing the at least one information signal and providing data included in the information signal to a functional network, wherein the server retrieves return data from the functional network and provides the return data to the second communication system, the second communication system generating at least one return information signal and providing the at least one return information signal to the wireless signal transfer network, the wireless signal transfer network wirelessly transferring the at least one return information signal to the first communication system, which generates the at least one display signal for display on the electronic medium.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising remote data entry and control means, wirelessly coupled to the first data processing unit, for permitting a system user to control display of display signals on the electronic medium and enter data corresponding to the display of the display signals.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the wireless signal transfer network is a satellite network.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the satellite network includes at least one satellite for transferring signals between the first and second transceiver units.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the functional network is a wide area information network.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein the functional network is an emergency response network.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the emergency response network includes a server.

12. The system of claim 5, wherein the first data processing unit comprises indication means for indicating that the at least one return information signal has been received.

13. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one display signal generated by the first data processing unit includes data to generate at least one menu-driven window on the electronic medium.

14. The system of claim 5, wherein the first data processing unit comprises:

processing means;

input controlling means, operatively coupled to the processing means and the remote data entry and control means, for receiving data and control information from the remote data and control means and providing said information to the processing means; and

display signal generating means, operatively coupled to the processing means, for generating the at least one display signal for display on the electronic medium, in response to the at least one return information signal received by the processing means and the data and control information from the remote data and control means.

15. A method for controlling an interactive media system comprising:

generating, by a first communication system operatively coupled to an electronic medium configured to display a signal, at least one information signal, wherein the first communication system comprises a first transceiver unit and a first data processing unit;

generating, by the first communication system, at least one display signal for display by the electronic medium;

transferring signals, by a wireless signal transfer network operatively coupled to the first communication system, the signals including the at least one information signal;

receiving and processing the at least one information signal by a server, operatively coupled to a second communication system, wherein the second communication system is operatively coupled to the wireless transfer network and comprises a second transceiver unit and a second data processing unit;

providing, by the server, data included in the information signal to a functional network, wherein the server retrieves return data from the functional network and provides the return data to the second communication system;

generating, by the second communication system, at least one return information signal and providing the at least one return information signal to the wireless signal transfer network; and

transferring, by the wireless signal transfer network, the at least one return information signal to the first communication system, which generates the at least one display signal for display on the electronic medium.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising controlling, by a control means, the display of the at least one display signal on the electronic medium.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising indicating, by the first data processing unit, that the at least one return information signal has been received.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising generating at least one menu-driven window on the electronic medium according to the at least one display signal generated by the first data processing unit.