Wide area real-time T-V audience polling system with local area stations linked by satellite
First Claim
1. An audience response communication system, comprising in combination, a communication satellite,a plurality of local area audience response stations each communicating with a family of response units in the local area of the respective response stations to process live audience response questions and answers,a central audience response processing station for communicating with the said plurality of audience response stations to provide audience response data from a plurality of local areas, andsatellite communication means providing communication channels employing the satellite for sending question signals from the central audience response processing station to the local audience response stations and receiving audience response signals derived from the local area response stations and transmitting such audience response signals to the central processing station.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A network of local area audience response systems is coupled together at a central audience response processing station by means of a satellite communication system for real time audience response analysis, nationally or internationally. Each local area station and each response unit may be identified and verified by allocation of specific time slots for response, preferable synchronously related to a TV picture program transmission carrying the audience questions to be answered. Wireless transmission of the question and answer signals in digital format of beeps of a single frequency keep transmission channels narrow. The system may be operated in conjunction with TV broadcasting or independently.
221 Citations
52 Claims
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1. An audience response communication system, comprising in combination, a communication satellite,
a plurality of local area audience response stations each communicating with a family of response units in the local area of the respective response stations to process live audience response questions and answers, a central audience response processing station for communicating with the said plurality of audience response stations to provide audience response data from a plurality of local areas, and satellite communication means providing communication channels employing the satellite for sending question signals from the central audience response processing station to the local audience response stations and receiving audience response signals derived from the local area response stations and transmitting such audience response signals to the central processing station.
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26. An audience response communication system, comprising in combination, a communication satellite,
a plurality of local area audience response stations each communicating with a family of response units in the local area of the respective response stations to process live audience response questions and answers, a central audience response processing station for communicating with the said plurality of audience response stations to provide audience response data from a plurality of local areas, satellite communication means providing communication channels employing the satellite for sending question signals from the central audience response processing station to the local audience response stations and receiving audience response signals derived from the local area response stations and transmitting such audience response signals to the central processing station, wherein the response units further comprise, multiple channel TV receivers, means for isolating audience response communication in a specified TV signal channel processed by the TV receivers, means for confining other TV signals for processing by the TV receiver into other TV channels than said specified TV channel, and response means located at the response unit site operable to communicate with the TV receiver for control of channel selections therein and to process audience response signals in an answering device for transmission to the respective local area response stations.
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28. An audience response communication system, comprising in combination, a communication satellite,
a plurality of local area audience response stations each communicating with a family of response units in the local area of the respective response stations to process live audience response questions and answers, a central audience response processing station for communicating with the said plurality of audience response stations to provide audience response data from a plurality of local areas, satellite communication means providing communication channels employing the satellite for sending question signals from the central audience response processing station to the local audience response stations and receiving audience response signals derived from the local area response stations and transmitting such audience response signals to the central processing station, wherein said local stations include radio transmission and reception means for communicating with their respective response units, and means for adjusting the power output of the transmission means in the local station inversely dependent on the received signal.
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29. An audience response communication system, comprising in combination, a communication satellite,
a plurality of local area audience response stations each communicating with a family of response units in the local area of the respective response stations to process live audience response questions and answers, a central audience response processing station for communicating with the said plurality of audience response stations to provide audience response data from a plurality of local areas, satellite communication means providing communication channels employing the satellite for sending question signals from the central audience response processing station to the local audience response stations and receiving audience response signals derived from the local area response stations and transmitting such audience response signals to the central processing station, transmission means in said central processing station for incorporating questions into TV picture programs communicated over said communication channels, said response units further comprising, means for deriving response unit timing control signals from the TV picture programs incorporating the questions, and means for adjusting output frequency of a transmitter in the response unit, by counting the received frequency in a predetermined period of time and comparing with the transmitter output frequency.
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30. The method of processing real time audience response analysis from a plurality of local areas distributed over an extensive area comprising the steps of:
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providing a set of local area question and answer processing audience response units and a local area response unit processing station communicating with the audience response units to determine local area audience response, providing a central audience response data processing station for processing the audience response from all the local area stations, and providing a satellite communication system between said central station and the local area stations with means for processing audience responses over said extensive area in real time. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32)
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33. A network for processing audience response signals between audience response units located in a plurality of local regions extended over a comprehensive region encompassing the local regions, comprising in combination,
digital communication means and equipment including, a central data processing station, a satellite station digital processing communication channel coupled from the central data processing center to a plurality of local area repeater stations, all including means to process and communicate bidirectionally between the respective stations live audience question and answer data, and a family of local response units with digital communication means for communicating with each respective repeater station, each having means for processing digital signals to receive questions and answers from other stations and response units in the network.
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45. A satellite communication station coupled by a communication channel link in said satellite station with a network of local response units distributed over a wide geographic area having audience response processing equipment for processing audience response communications over said link between different local response units in said network,
means for transmitting TV communications over said link to the response units, said local response units comprising a multiple channel TV receiver connected for operation from the TV communications, an answering device at the TV receiver site, and response means located at the response units operable to communicate with the TV receiver for control of channel selections therein and to process audience response signals from said answering device for transmission to local response units of said network.
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46. A satellite communication station coupled by a communication channel link in said satellite station with a network of local response units distributed over a wide geographic area having audience response processing equipment for communicating with a TV receiver for control of channel selection and for processing audience response communications over said link between different local response units in said network,
said local response units comprising an answering device and a TV receiver, and IR wireless communication means from the answering device to the TV receiver for displaying audience response communications on the TV receiver.
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47. A satellite communication station coupled by a communication channel link in said satellite station with a network of local response units distributed over a wide geographic area having audience response processing equipment for processing audience response communications over said link between different local response units in said network,
means for carrying audience responses on a predetermined carrier frequency over the link, means for synchronously operating the local response units with the carrier frequency, means for transmitting the audience response communications from the local response units at a predetermined transmission frequency, and means for synchronizing the transmission frequency with the carrier frequency in response to a count of the carrier frequency over a predetermined period.
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49. A satellite network of local response units connected in a communication network through a communication channel at a satellite transceiver station having an audience response processing link coupled for receiving and retransmitting audience response signals between response units in said network,
wherein the processing link receives and retransmits the audience response signals as a part of a TV program communication received by a TV receiver at response unit sites, and response means at the response unit sites for communicating with the TV receiver for control of channel selections therein and to process audience response signals for transmission to other response units.
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51. A satellite network of local response units connected in a communication network through a communication channel at a satellite transceiver station having an audience response processing link coupled for receiving and retransmitting audience response signals between response units in said network, and
means for retransmitting the response signals at a retransmitted frequency synchronized with a frequency upon which the signals are received on said link by means of counting the received frequency in a predetermined period of time and comparing with the retransmitted frequency.
Specification