Cellular repeater stations in a wireless audience response system for satellite communication

• US 5,223,923 A
• Filed: 07/26/1991
• Issued: 06/29/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TV Answer Inc.
• Original Assignee: TV Answer Inc.
• Inventors: Morales-Garza, Fernando
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): URBAN, EDWARD F
• Application Number:
  US07/741,250
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• Field of Search: 358/84, 455/2, 455/4, 455/5, 455/6, 455/10, 455/12, 455/4.1, 455/4.2, 455/5.1, 455/6.1, 455/12.1, 370/95.1
• US Class Current: 725/66
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/18 Arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/33 by plural channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/90 Wireless transmission systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47805 Electronic banking banking in general G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/03 Subscription systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0882 for the transmission of character code signals, e.g. for teletext circuits for the digital non-picture data signal H04N7/035
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0884 for the transmission of additional display-information, e.g. menu for programme or channel selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

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.

Claims

1. The method of processing real time audience response analysis from a plurality of local areas distributed over an extensive area comprising the steps of:

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,

providing a satellite communication system between said central station and the local area station with means for processing audience responses over said extensive area in real time, and

distributing said plurality of local area stations throughout a national network of audience response stations.

2. A wireless audience response satellite communication system coupling for intercommunication at least two stations of which one is a local area repeater station, which comprises in combination:

local area subscriber station control means for receiving and processing r-f audience participation signals from a family of local audience response units,

bi-directional r-f transmission means for relaying received and processed data from said local audience response units modulated on a carrier frequency to a satellite station by means of a directional antenna directed toward said satellite station for audience response communications in said system,

TV program transmission facilities for sending video programming materials as a part of a TV picture to said local audience response units containing queries to be responded to by the audience at said local response units;

a local source at the repeater stations for distributing TV signals containing said programming materials to the family of audience response units,

means for incorporating into TV signals distributed to the family of local response units said queries to be answered by the viewing audience at the local response units, and

means for incorporating said queries in at least one location visible on a video screen raster synchronously timed with the TV signals to provide a menu format with synchronously positioned answer locations as a format for soliciting synchronously timed audience responses.

3. A wireless audience response satellite communication system coupling for intercommunication between at least two stations of which one is a local area repeater station, which comprises in combination:

local area subscriber station control means for receiving and processing r-f audience participation signals from a family of local audience response units,

bi-directional r-f transmission means for relaying the received and processed audience participation signals modulated on a carrier frequency to and from said local audience response units to a satellite station by means of a directional antenna directed from the repeater station toward said satellite station for processing audience response communications in said system,

means for receiving remote audience response signals from said satellite station superimposed upon said carrier frequency,

means for retransmitting received said audience participation signals from said local audience to said satellite station on said carrier frequency, and

means for synchronizing the carrier frequency with synchronizing signals received from said satellite station.

4. The repeater station of claim 3 further comprising audience response analysis means, means for transmitting analyzed audience response data back to the local audience response units, and means for transmitting analyzed audience response data from a first subscriber station through said satellite station to a remote subscriber station.

5. The repeater station of claim 3 wherein said means for retransmitting participation signals from audience response units further comprises means for relaying live real time audience responses from said family of local response units.

6. The repeater station of claim 3 wherein said subscriber station control means further comprises bi-directional communication means for a carrier frequency of the order of 218 MHz coupled with said local audience response units in said family to exchange data.

7. The repeater station of claim 3 wherein said audience participation response signals from the local audience to the satellite station comprise beeps of a 218 MHz carrier frequency.

8. The repeater station of claim 3 wherein the local station control means further comprises a narrow band single frequency transmission channel for communicating separately from TV programming.