Interactive media system and telecomputing method using telephone keypad signalling
First Claim
1. An interactive television and telecomputer system comprising:
- (a) at least one user installation including a telephone station with DTMF keyboard means for controlling movement of a pointer on a video display means, and telephone station being co-located with a video receiving and displaying means, said DTMF keyboard means being configured to output signals indicative of pointer movement along an x-axis, a y-axis and at least two axes diagonal to said x and y axes using a dual element set (DES) protocol;
(b) DTMF protocol conversion means for converting said DES protocol, said DTMF protocol conversion means being remotely located from said user installation and connected thereto through a switched telecommunications network (STN);
(c) a graphic user interface (GUI) program computer means for generating real time continuous audiovisual data output resulting from user interaction from said GUI program computer means via said keyboard means and said DTMF protocol conversion means;
(d) video encoding means for encoding the output of said GUI program computer means into video signals;
(e) transmission means for transmitting said video signals over at least one channel of a video transmission system (VTS) in real time to said video receiving and displaying means at said user installation.
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Abstract
Telephone DTMF keypad signalling is converted to a unique user input protocol in conjunction with interactive media and telecomputing network systems to permit one or more participants to provide directional, triggering, and other input to computer or computer controlled systems with telephone keypads or like devices as if using a computer system mouse, joystick, keyboard, or similar input device. Such utilization of readily available push-button telephones as a participant'"'"'s computer input device, permits user interaction with computer generated, influenced, or controlled video programming, databases, and applications providing visual feedback over a video network.
329 Citations
31 Claims
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1. An interactive television and telecomputer system comprising:
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(a) at least one user installation including a telephone station with DTMF keyboard means for controlling movement of a pointer on a video display means, and telephone station being co-located with a video receiving and displaying means, said DTMF keyboard means being configured to output signals indicative of pointer movement along an x-axis, a y-axis and at least two axes diagonal to said x and y axes using a dual element set (DES) protocol; (b) DTMF protocol conversion means for converting said DES protocol, said DTMF protocol conversion means being remotely located from said user installation and connected thereto through a switched telecommunications network (STN); (c) a graphic user interface (GUI) program computer means for generating real time continuous audiovisual data output resulting from user interaction from said GUI program computer means via said keyboard means and said DTMF protocol conversion means; (d) video encoding means for encoding the output of said GUI program computer means into video signals; (e) transmission means for transmitting said video signals over at least one channel of a video transmission system (VTS) in real time to said video receiving and displaying means at said user installation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An interactive television and telecomputer system comprising:
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(a) at least one user installation including a telephone station with DTMF keyboard means for controlling movement of a pointer on a video display means, said telephone station being co-located with a video receiving and displaying means, said DTMF keyboard means being configured to output signals indicative of pointer movement and to output trigger signals indicative of command functions using dual element set (DES) protocol; (b) DTMF protocol conversion means for converting said DES protocol;
said DTMF protocol conversion means being remotely located from said user station and connected thereto through a switched telecommunication network (STN), said DTMF protocol conversion means further comprising means for storing a previously received trigger signal from said keyboard means to simulate simultaneous receipt of both directional information and command information;(c) a graphic user interface (GUI) program computer means for generating real time continuous audiovisual data output resulting from user interaction with said GUI program computer means via said DTMF keyboard means and said DTMF protocol conversion means; (d) video encoding means for encoding the output of said GUI program computer means into video signals; (e) transmission means for transmitting said video signals over at least one channel of a video transmission system in real time to said video receiving and displaying means at said user installation. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. An interactive television and telecomputer system comprising:
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(a) at least one user installation including a telephone station with DTMF keyboard means for controlling movement of a pointer on a video display means, said telephone station being co-located with a video receiving and displaying means, said DTMF keyboard means being configured to output signals indicative of pointer movement and to output trigger signals indicative of command functions using dual element set (DES) protocol; (b) DTMF protocol conversion means for converting said DES protocol, said DTMF protocol conversion means being remotely located from said user station and connected thereto through a switched telecommunications network (STN); (c) a graphic user interface (GUI) program computer means for generating real time continuous audiovisual data output resulting from user interaction with said GUI program computer means via said keyboard means and said DTMF protocol conversion means; (d) video encoding means for encoding the output of said GUI program computer means into video signals, said video encoding means further comprising genlocking means for overlaying a first video image generated in response to said output signals from said DTMF keyboard means onto a second video image; (e) transmission means for transmitting video signals representative of said overload first and second video images over at least one channel of a video transmission system in real time to said video receiving and displaying means at said user installation. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A method of operating an interactive television and telecomputer system, wherein said system includes a user installation having a telephone station with DTMF keyboard means and video display means, DTMF protocol conversion means located separately from said user installation and connected thereto through a switched telecommunication network (STN), graphic user interface (GUI) program computer means for generating real time audiovisual data output, video encoding means for encoding the output of said GUI program computer means into video signals, and transmission means for transmitting said video signals over at least one channel of a video transmission system in real time to said video receiving and displaying means at said user installation, said method comprising the following steps:
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(a) using said DTMF keyboard means to generate output signals indicative of pointer movement along an x-axis, a y-axis and at least two axes diagonal to said x and y axes; (b) sending said output signals from said DTMF keyboard means to a DTMF protocol conversion means through said STN; (c) converting said output signals from said keyboard means to a dual element set (DES) protocol compatible with a GUI format; (d) generating real time continuous audiovisual data output from said GUI program computer based upon an output from said protocol converter; (e) mixing said output of said GUI program computer means in said video encoding means with signals from at least one other video source; (f) transmitting said output of said video encoder over a video transmission system to said video receiving and displaying means at said user installation. - View Dependent Claims (31)
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Specification