Method and system for the integrated supply of telematic services and graphic information to user terminals, particularly for advertising purposes

• US 5,036,314 A
• Filed: 01/12/1989
• Issued: 07/30/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Saritel SPA Sarin Telematica
• Original Assignee: Sarin S.S. Ausiliari E Ricerca Informatica
• Inventors: Settembre, Donato, Rossiello, Vincenzo, Urbinati, Francesco, DeSanti, Pierluigi, Barillari, Piero, Galderesi, Mario, Marchi, Carlo A., Natili, Franco
• Primary Examiner(s): Brier, Jeffery A.
• Application Number:
  US07/296,160
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• Field of Search: 340/717, 340/825.06, 340/735, 340/748, 340/790, 379/100, 379/111, 379/112, 379/96, 364/464.01
• US Class Current: 345/2.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/085 using a television receiver, e.g. viewdata system
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/001 specially adapted for transmission via digital wireline networks H04N1/00098 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00122 of text or character information only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/411 for the transmission or storage or reproduction of two-tone pictures, e.g. black and white pictures

Abstract

The user terminals linked to the system are provided with a graphics function capable of generating particular non-elementary image components on the screen of each terminal in dependence on respective input commands. The graphic information is supplied to the user terminals in a manner integrated with the telematic services. The information is supplied after the selection of the preselected command from a command menu, and the formulation, still operating by selection, of the whole requirement, the transmission of which enables the system to produce the graphic advertising insertion associated with the retrieval effected.

The proposed application has been developed for use in the supply of telematic services such as data banks, Electronic Yellow Pages, home banking, electronic mail and the like.

Claims

1. A method for the integrated supply of telematic services and graphic information to user terminals, including the steps of:

providing at least one source of telematic services which generates information messages,

providing a network for linking the user terminals to the source of telematic services, wherein said network enables the transmission of information messages from the source of telematic services to the user terminals;

providing each user terminal with a graphics function for generating non-elementary image components on a screen wherein said non-elementary image components are determined by command messages transmitted through the network int he same way as the information messages,

providing at least one source of graphic information by storing command messages in a data bank,

including within each command message, image component information including component configuration type, size, location, and color,

supplying the graphic information to said user terminals by transmitting sets of command messages and concomitantly therewith transmitting information messages related to the graphic information,

providing at least some of the user terminals with a function for user generation of command message sets, wherein said user generated command message sets produce a graphic message on the screens of user terminals and are completed by said function before transfer to the source of telematic services, and

providing means for storing said user generated command message sets within said at least one graphic information source.

2. A method according to claim 1, including the steps of:

associating at least some of the information messages with respective sets of command messages, each set including command messages which can produce a respective graphic message on the screens of the user terminals, and

supplying the information messages through network while concomitantly supplying the set of command messages associated therewith, wherein said information messages and command messages are transmitted within the same data stream.

3. A method according to claim 1, including the step of displaying the sets of user-generated command messages after their receipt by the storage means provided within the at least one graphic information source.

4. A method according to claim 1, including the step of measuring the duration of the periods for which each user terminal is connected to the network with at least two different counting rates for different telematic or graphic information services.

5. A system for the integrated supply of telematic and graphic information services to user terminals, comprising:

at least one source of telematic services which generates information messages,

a network for connecting the user terminals to the source of telematic services, wherein said network enables the transmission of the information messages,

graphic display means located at each user terminal for generating non-elementary image components on a screen, wherein said non-elementary image components are determined by command messages, transmitted through the network in the same way as the information messages;

at least one source of graphic information containing a data bank of the command messages,

transmission means for the concomitant transmission of the information messages and command messages through the network to the user terminals, wherein each command message includes image component information describing component configuration type, size, location, and color.

user generation means within at least some of the user terminals for local user generation of command message sets, wherein said user generated command message sets produce a graphic message on the screens of user terminals and are completed by said user generation means before transfer to the source of telematic services, and

means for storing said user generated command message sets within said at least one graphic information source.

6. A system according to claim 5, including:

a plurality of link networks for the user terminals, and

a local network for interfacing the link networks with the transmission means.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein the local network has an associated counting unit for measuring the durations of the periods of connection of each user terminal to the network, the counting unit being able to measure the durations of the periods with at least two different counting rates for telematic or graphic information services which are different from each other.

8. A system according to claim 5, including display means associated with the unit for storing the sets of display command messages generated locally by the user.

9. A system according to claim 5, including a charging module which is associated with the unit for storing the sets of display command messages generated locally by the user and can associate a corresponding fee to be charged with each set of command messages generated locally by the user and stored in the unit.

10. A system according to claim 5, including for at least some of the user terminals, receiver means for receiving updating messages generated by the source of telematic services.