Transaction based interactive television system

• US 5,638,113 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 06/10/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: OpenTV, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Multimedia SA (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Lappington, John P., Yamamoto, Wayne Y., Marshall, Susan K., Wilson, Cameron A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harvey, David E.
• Application Number:
  US08/478,243
• Time in Patent Office: 734 Days
• Field of Search: 348/13, 348/12, 348/1, 348/6, 348/10, 348/2, 348/4, 348/460, 348/461, 348/473, 348/474, 348/478, 348/500, 348/476, 455/2, 455/3.1, 455/3.2, 455/4.1, 455/4.2, 455/5.1, 455/6.3
• US Class Current: 725/141
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/338 using television networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/401 Secure communication, e.g. using encryption or authentication
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/403 Connection between platform and handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/409 Data transfer via television network
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/532 using secure communication, e.g. by encryption, authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/02 of the type wherein the student is expected to construct an answer to the question which is presented or wherein the machine gives an answer to the question presented by a student
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/06 of the multiple-choice answer-type, i.e. where a given question is provided with a series of answers and a choice has to be made from the answers
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/30 by a single channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/31 using in-band signals, e.g. subsonic or cue signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/61 for local area broadcast, e.g. instore broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/07 characterised by processes or methods for the generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/80 characterised by transmission among terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/94 Telephonic networks for accessing the Internet H04H60/84
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23 Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 : having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 : Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 : involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 : for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 : for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/854 : Content authoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8545 : for generating interactive applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 : the inserted signal being digital
• 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 7/0888 : Subscription systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/141 : between two video terminals, e.g. videophone telephonic communication systems combined with television receiver for reception of entertainment or information matter H04M11/085
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 : Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

An interactive television system where interactive information is inserted in the vertical blanking interval of a standard television signal or some other appropriate medium. The signal is received and decoded by a settop device which sends the decoder signal, via an infrared signal, to a handheld device. The system includes an interactive program authoring system, and programmer tables in the memory of the handheld device which store data for the various interactive events. This system allows a viewer to enter and exit events at any time without having to wait for information to be downloaded and without losing scores. Furthermore, this system allows many interactive programs to run concurrently over extended periods of time while maintaining cumulative scores in the handheld for each interactive program or series of programs.

Claims

1. An interactive television system, comprising:

a receiver for receiving interactive data;

a processor, in communication with the receiver, for processing the interactive data and presenting transactions based on the interactive data; and

memory, in communication with the processor, for storing data, the memory including a plurality of programmer tables;

wherein each programmer table includes a unique identification number, a game score register, and a cumulative score register.

2. An interactive television system, comprising:

a receiver for receiving interactive data;

a processor, in communication with the receiver, for processing the interactive data and presenting transactions based on the interactive data; and

memory, in communication with the processor, for storing data, the memory including a plurality of programmer tables;

wherein the plurality of programmer tables includes an event specific programmer table, a secured programmer table which is designated as non-updatable and an unsecured programmer table which is designated as updatable.

3. An interactive television system, comprising:

a receiver for receiving interactive data;

a processor, in communication with the receiver, for processing the interactive data and presenting transactions based on the interactive data; and

memory, in communication with the processor, for storing data, the memory including a plurality of programmer tables;

wherein said receiver receives infrared data and translates the infrared data to a format acceptable to the processor.

4. An interactive television system, comprising:

a receiver for receiving interactive data;

a processor, in communication with the receiver, for processing the interactive data and presenting transactions based on the interactive data;

memory, in communication with the processor, for storing data, the memory including a plurality of programmer tables; and

an insertion system for inserting interactive data on to an existing television signal;

wherein the insertion system comprises;

a vbi card, for inserting data on the vertical blanking interval of the existing television signal;

a controller for directing the vbi card; and

an interface between the controller and the vbi card.

5. An interactive presentation system comprising:

means for receiving at a remote location, interactive data in association with a presentation of an event, the interactive data including commands and event specific data;

storage means, having a plurality of programmer tables, for storing data, the plurality of programmer tables including a secured programmer table which is designated as non-updatable, an unsecured programmer table which is designated as updatable and an event programmer table;

means, responsive to the commands and the storage means, for presenting a viewer with a transaction; and

means for updating the storage means based on the commands and the event specific data.

6. A system according to claim 5, wherein each programmer table has a unique identification number that can be assigned to an entity so that only interactive data designated by the entity can be used to update the programmer table.

7. A system according to claim 5, wherein each programmer table includes a plurality of registers.

8. A system according to claim 5, further including a first processor and a second processor, the second processor being a secured processor for handling transactions which do not update programmer tables designated as non-updatable.

9. An interactive presentation system comprising:

a receiver for receiving at a remote location interactive data in association with a presentation of an event, the interactive data including commands and event specific data;

a processor in communication with the receiver, so that the commands direct the microprocessor to present a viewer with an interactive program, the interactive program using the event specific data;

a memory element, in communication with the microprocessor, the memory element including a plurality of programmer tables, each programmer table having a unique identification number;

a keypad, in communication with the microprocessor so that information may be input by a viewer.

10. A system according to claim 9, further including a display.

11. A system according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of programmer tables includes a secured programmer table which is designated as non-updatable, an unsecured programmer table which is designated as updatable and an event programmer table.

12. A system according to claim 9, wherein each programmer table identification number can be assigned to an entity so that only interactive data designated by the entity can be used to update the programmer table.

13. An interactive television system, comprising:

a receiver for receiving interactive data;

a processor, in communication with the receiver, for processing the interactive data and presenting transactions based on the interactive data; and

memory, in communication with the processor, for storing data, the memory including a plurality of programmer tables;

further including a secured processor for handling transactions which do not update programer tables designated as non-up datable.