Interactive television system for implementing electronic polling or providing user-requested services based on identification of users or of remote control apparatuses which are employed by respective users to communicate with the system
First Claim
1. An interactive television system comprising a center apparatus, a plurality of terminal apparatuses, a plurality of display apparatus and a plurality of remote control apparatuses, said terminal apparatuses being respectively configured for bidirectional data communication with said center apparatus via a digital data communication network and each configured for receiving data by a wireless communication link from at least a corresponding one of said remote control apparatuses and for sending, to a corresponding one of said display apparatuses, data supplied thereto from said center apparatus;
- whereineach said remote control apparatus comprises means for input of message data by a user, means for storing a predetermined remote control apparatus identifier, means for reading out and attaching at least said remote control apparatus identifier to said user message data to form a message data set, and means for sending said message data set via said wireless communication link to said terminal apparatus,each said terminal apparatus comprises means for storing a predetermined terminal apparatus identifier, means for receiving a message data set which is sent from a remote control apparatus, and means for sending said message data set to said center apparatus via said data communication network and means for receiving data sent from said center apparatus via said data communication network and for supplying at least a part of said received data to a corresponding one of said display apparatuses in a form suitable for display thereby,said center apparatus comprising means for storing data which relate each of said remote control apparatus identifiers to the terminal apparatus identifier of a corresponding one of said terminal apparatuses, means for receiving said message data set sent from a terminal apparatus, means for extracting said remote control apparatus identifier and said user message data from said message data set, means for generating resultant data in response to said user message data, and means for sending said resultant data via said network to the terminal apparatus having a terminal apparatus identifier which corresponds to the remote control apparatus identifier contained in said received message data set.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An interactive television system which can provide services such as entertainment programs to users or conduct electronic polls of users, formed of a central computer installation, a plurality of terminal apparatuses each bidirectionally communicating with the central computer installation via a CATV network and each providing video/audio inputs to a display apparatus, with each of the terminal apparatuses being linked to one or more remote control apparatuses whereby users can request services or participate in polling, and in which any message data such as a service request which is issued by a remote control apparatus is automatically accompanied by identifier information, read out from a memory of the remote control apparatus, for identifying that remote control apparatus, and may also be accompanied by personal information concerning a registered user of the remote control apparatus. User recognition can be implemented by an arrangement such as a plug-in IC card interface section or fingerprint recognition section, for enabling restriction of each remote control apparatus to use by only a specific registered user, or to enable only a specific registered user to access certain services.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. An interactive television system comprising a center apparatus, a plurality of terminal apparatuses, a plurality of display apparatus and a plurality of remote control apparatuses, said terminal apparatuses being respectively configured for bidirectional data communication with said center apparatus via a digital data communication network and each configured for receiving data by a wireless communication link from at least a corresponding one of said remote control apparatuses and for sending, to a corresponding one of said display apparatuses, data supplied thereto from said center apparatus;
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wherein each said remote control apparatus comprises means for input of message data by a user, means for storing a predetermined remote control apparatus identifier, means for reading out and attaching at least said remote control apparatus identifier to said user message data to form a message data set, and means for sending said message data set via said wireless communication link to said terminal apparatus, each said terminal apparatus comprises means for storing a predetermined terminal apparatus identifier, means for receiving a message data set which is sent from a remote control apparatus, and means for sending said message data set to said center apparatus via said data communication network and means for receiving data sent from said center apparatus via said data communication network and for supplying at least a part of said received data to a corresponding one of said display apparatuses in a form suitable for display thereby, said center apparatus comprising means for storing data which relate each of said remote control apparatus identifiers to the terminal apparatus identifier of a corresponding one of said terminal apparatuses, means for receiving said message data set sent from a terminal apparatus, means for extracting said remote control apparatus identifier and said user message data from said message data set, means for generating resultant data in response to said user message data, and means for sending said resultant data via said network to the terminal apparatus having a terminal apparatus identifier which corresponds to the remote control apparatus identifier contained in said received message data set. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An interactive television system comprising a center apparatus, a plurality of terminal apparatuses, a plurality of display apparatus and a plurality of remote control apparatuses, said center apparatus including means for selectively providing data of a plurality of services, each of said terminal apparatuses being configured for bidirectional data communication with said center apparatus via a digital data communication network, and configured for receiving data by a wireless communication link from at least a corresponding one of said remote control apparatuses and for sending, to a corresponding one of said display apparatus, service data which are supplied thereto from said center apparatus;
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wherein each said remote control apparatus comprises means operable by a user for inputting service request data to request a specific one of said services, means for storing a predetermined remote control apparatus identifier, means for storing predetermined user-specifying data which is specific to an individual user, means for storing a predetermined user identifier which is specific to said individual user, means for input of user-specifying data by a user, means for comparing said input user-specifying data with said stored user-specifying data to achieve recognition of said specific individual user, means functioning when said recognition has been achieved, in response to input of said service request data, for reading out said user identifier and said remote control apparatus identifier and for attaching said user identifier and said remote control apparatus identifier to said service request data to form a message data set, and functioning, when said recognition has not been achieved, to attach said remote control apparatus identifier to said service request data to form a message data set, and means for sending said message data set via said wireless communication link to said terminal apparatus; wherein each said terminal apparatus comprises means for receiving a message data set sent from a remote control apparatus, and means for sending said message data set to said center apparatus via said data communication network; and wherein said center apparatus further comprises means for storing information which relates each of said remote control apparatus identifiers to the terminal apparatus identifier of the corresponding one of the terminal apparatuses, means for receiving respective ones of said message data sets from said terminal apparatuses sent via said network, means for extracting said remote control apparatus identifier and said service request data from each said message data set, means for extracting said user identifier from each said message data set which contains said user identifier, means for storing user status data designating at least one of said user identifiers as as that of a registered user, means for storing service status data designating at least one of said plurality of services as being a restricted service, available only to registered users, means responsive to receiving a message data set which contains a user identifier for Judging, based on said user status data, said service status data and said user identifier, whether a service specified by the service request data of said message data set is a restricted service which is available to the requesting user corresponding to the user identifier of said message data set, or is a service which is available to all users, and means functioning when it is judged that said service specified by the service request data of a message data set is available to said user, for providing the corresponding service data and sending said service data via said network to the terminal apparatus having a terminal apparatus identifier which corresponds to the remote control apparatus identifier contained in said received message data set. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. An interactive television system comprising a center apparatus, a plurality of terminal apparatuses, a plurality of display apparatus and a plurality of remote control apparatuses, said center apparatus including means for selectively provide data of a plurality of services, each of said terminal apparatuses being configured for bidirectional data communication with said center apparatus via a digital data communication network, and configured for receiving data by a wireless communication link from at least a corresponding one of said remote control apparatuses and for sending, to a corresponding one of said display apparatus, service data which are supplied thereto from said center apparatus;
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wherein each said remote control apparatus comprises means for storing a predetermined remote control apparatus identifier, means operable by a user for inputting service request data to request a specific one of said services, means for reading out and attaching said remote control apparatus identifier to said service request data to form a message data set, and means for sending said message data set via said wireless communication link to said terminal apparatus, wherein each said terminal apparatus comprises means for storing a predetermined terminal apparatus identifier, means for receiving a message data set sent from a remote control apparatus, means for reading out and attaching said terminal apparatus identifier to said message data set to form a message data set, and means for sending said message data set to said center apparatus via said data communication network, and wherein said center apparatus further comprises means for storing information which relates each of said remote control apparatus identifiers to the terminal apparatus identifier of the corresponding one of the terminal apparatuses, means for receiving respective ones of said message data sets from said terminal apparatuses sent via said network, means for extracting said remote control apparatus identifier and said service request data from each said message data set, means for storing service status data designating at least one of said plurality of services as being a restricted service, available only to users of registered remote control apparatuses, means for storing information specifiying identifiers of registered remote control apparatuses, means for judging, based on said service status data, information specifying registered remote control apparatuses, and the remote control apparatus identifier contained in a received message data set, whether a service specified by the service request data of said message data set is a restricted service which is available to the user of the remote control apparatus having said remote control apparatus identifier, or is a service which is available to all users, and means functioning when it is judged that said service specified by the service request data of a message data set is available to said user, for providing the corresponding service data and sending said service data via said network to the terminal apparatus having a terminal apparatus identifier corresponding to said remote control apparatus identifier which is contained in said received message data set.
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29. An interactive television system comprising a center apparatus, a plurality of terminal apparatuses, a plurality of display apparatus and a plurality of remote control apparatuses, said center apparatus including means for selectively provide data of a plurality of services, each of said terminal apparatuses being configured for bidirectional data communication with said center apparatus via a digital data communication network, and configured for receiving data by a wireless communication link from at least a corresponding one of said remote control apparatuses and for sending, to a corresponding one of said display apparatus, service data which are supplied thereto from said center apparatus;
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wherein each said remote control apparatus comprises means for storing a predetermined remote control apparatus identifier, means operable by a user for inputting service request data to request a specific one of said services, means for reading out and attaching said remote control apparatus identifier to said service request data to form a message data set, and means for sending said message data set via said wireless communication link to said terminal apparatus; wherein each said terminal apparatus comprises means for storing a predetermined terminal apparatus identifier, means for receiving a message data set sent from a remote control apparatus, means for storing service status data designating at least one of said plurality of services as being a restricted service, available only to users of registered remote control apparatuses, means for storing information specifiying respective identifiers of registered remote control apparatuses, means for judging, based on said service status data, information specifying identifiers of registered remote control apparatuses, and the remote control apparatus identifier contained in said received message data set, whether a service specified by the service request data of said message data set is a restricted service which is available to the user of the remote control apparatus having said remote control apparatus identifier, or is a service which is available to all users, and means functioning when it is judged that said service specified by the service request data of said message data set is available to said user, for sending said message data set to said center apparatus via said data communication network; and wherein said center apparatus further comprises means for storing information which relates each of said remote control apparatus identifiers to the terminal apparatus identifier of the corresponding one of the terminal apparatuses, means for receiving respective ones of said message data sets from said terminal apparatuses sent via said network, and means for extracting said remote control apparatus identifier and said service request data from each said received message data set, providing the corresponding service data, and sending said service data via said network to the terminal apparatus having a terminal apparatus identifier corresponding to said remote control apparatus identifier which is contained in said received message data set.
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30. An interactive television system comprising a center apparatus, a plurality of terminal apparatuses, a plurality of display apparatuses and a plurality of remote control apparatuses, said center apparatus including means for selectively provide data of a plurality of services, each of said terminal apparatuses being configured for bidirectional data communication with said center apparatus via a digital data communication network, and configured for receiving data by a wireless communication link from at least a corresponding one of said remote control apparatuses and for sending, to a corresponding one of said display apparatuses, service data which are supplied thereto from said center apparatus;
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wherein each said remote control apparatus comprises means for storing a predetermined remote control apparatus identifier, means operable by a user for inputting service request data to request a specific one of said services, means for reading out and attaching said remote control apparatus identifier to said service request data to form a message data set, and means for sending said message data set via said wireless communication link to said terminal apparatus; wherein each said terminal apparatus comprises means for receiving a message data set sent from a remote control apparatus, and means for sending said message data set to said center apparatus via said data communication network; wherein said center apparatus comprises means for storing information which relates each of said remote control apparatus identifiers to the terminal apparatus identifier of the corresponding one of the terminal apparatuses, means for receiving respective ones of said message data sets from said terminal apparatuses sent via said network, means for extracting said remote control apparatus identifier and said service request data from each said message data set, means for storing service status data designating at least one of said plurality of services as being a restricted service, available only to users of registered remote control apparatuses, means functioning, when said service status data indicates that a service specified in a received message data set is a restricted service, for combining a restriction code within service data corresponding to said specified service and sending resultant combined data via said network to the terminal apparatus corresponding to the terminal apparatus identifier which is contained in said message data set, and functioning, when said service status data indicates that said specified service is not a restricted service, for providing said service data corresponding to the specified service and sending said service data directly via said network to the terminal apparatus having a terminal apparatus identifier corresponding to said remote control apparatus identifier which is contained in said received message data set; wherein each said terminal apparatus further comprises means for receiving service data which have been sent by said center apparatus via said network in response to a message data set, means for detecting that said received service data includes said restriction code, means for storing remote control apparatus status information specifying at least one remote control apparatus identifier as the identifier of a registered remote control apparatus, means for operating on said remote control apparatus status information and the remote control apparatus identifier contained in said message data set, for judging whether said message data set has been issued by a registered remote control apparatus, and means functioning when said received service data includes said restriction code and said message data set is judged to be a registered remote control apparatus, or when said received service data does not include said restriction code, for supplying said service data to be displayed by said corresponding display apparatus, and otherwise for inhibiting displaying of said service data by said display apparatus.
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Specification