System and method for supplying supplemental audio information for broadcast television programs

• US 6,209,028 B1
• Filed: 03/21/1997
• Issued: 03/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Inventor Holdings LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Walker Digital LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Sparico, Thomas M., Jorasch, James A., Walker, Jay S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, John W.
• Application Number:
  US08/821,436
• Time in Patent Office: 1,467 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200-7-2, 348/1, 348/2, 348/6, 348/7, 348/10, 348/12, 348/13, 348/473-486, 455/2, 455/3.1, 455/4.1, 455/4.2, 455/5.1, 455/6.1, 455/6.2, 455/6.3, 379/88.05, 379/88.06, 709/217-219
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23113 involving housekeeping operations for stored content, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; snloading stored programs G06F9/445; housekeeping operations in file systems, e.g. deletion policies G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/233 Processing of audio elementary streams monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2387 Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18
• 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 21/25435 involving characteristics of content or additional data, e.g. video resolution or the amount of advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2547 Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4302 Content synchronisation processes, e.g. decoder synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• 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 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6137 involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6187 involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 : involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8547 : involving timestamps for synchronizing content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 : by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An apparatus, method, and program for providing supplemental information related to a broadcast television program. Through a telephone or electronic network interface, a caller can request specific supplemental information related to one or more characters within the broadcast television program. The supplemental information is synchronized to the audio component of the television program so that there is no conflict, and is communicated to the caller via the network interface.

Claims

1. A data processing apparatus for providing supplemental broadcast information, comprising:

a CPU;

a storage device operatively connected to said CPU;

an apparatus, adapted for communicating with said CPU, for receiving a request from a caller over a telephone network for supplemental information related to a broadcast television program and for relaying the request to said CPU; and

a program, stored on the storage device, adapted to be executed by said CPU, for processing the request for supplemental information and for transmitting the requested supplemental information through said apparatus,

wherein the supplemental information comprises audio information recorded on a recording medium, and

wherein said information recorded on the recording medium comprises supplemental dialogue for a character within the broadcast television program.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a playback of said supplemental dialogue does not overlap dialogue spoken by any character within the broadcast television program.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said storage device contains a database to store the supplemental information, and said program stored within said storage device is further adapted to perform maintenance related to said database.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the supplemental information comprises live audio information.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus comprises an IVRU including a plurality of voice messages, and wherein said voice messages are used to communicate to, and obtain information from, the caller.

6. A data processing apparatus for providing supplemental broadcast information, comprising:

a CPU;

a storage device operatively connected to said CPU;

an apparatus, adapted for communicating with said CPU, for receiving a request from a caller over a telephone network for supplemental information related to a broadcast television program and for relaying the request to said CPU; and

a program, stored on the storage device, adapted to be executed by said CPU, for processing the request for supplemental information and for transmitting the requested supplemental information through said apparatus,

wherein the request for supplemental information includes providing selection information and synchronization information.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the synchronization information comprises a time-code;

and

said program is further adapted to update said time-code at predetermined intervals, and to use said time-code to synchronize the supplemental information to an audio component of the broadcast television program.

8. A method for providing entertainment, comprising:

receiving a request from a requester for supplemental information relating to a television program being broadcast at the time of the request;

processing the request for supplemental information;

transmitting the requested supplemental information to the requestor at times when an audio component of the television program and the transmission of the requested supplemental information do not conflict with each other.

9. A system, comprising:

means for broadcasting a television program including an audio component and a video component;

at least one supplemental component for said broadcast television program;

a data processing apparatus including a CPU and a storage device operatively connected to said CPU, said storage device also containing a program, adapted to be executed by said CPU, for receiving a request for said supplemental component, processing the request for said supplemental component, and providing a playback of the requested supplemental component which is time synchronized to said audio component of said broadcast television program.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the broadcast television program is selected from the group consisting of a live broadcast and a prerecorded broadcast.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the playback of the requested supplemental information is transmitted via a telephone network interface.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein said video component of said broadcast television program contains synchronization information and selection information.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the program is further adapted to receive and process said synchronization information.

14. The system according to claim 9, wherein the program is further adapted to receive the request for said supplemental component from a telephone network interface.

15. A method for providing entertainment using a data processing apparatus including a CPU and a storage device operatively connected to the CPU and containing a program adapted to be executed by the CPU for processing a request for supplemental information and providing a playback of the requested supplemental information, said method comprising the steps of:

broadcasting a television program including an audio component and a video component;

receiving a request for the supplemental information related to the television program, where the request includes synchronization information;

processing the request for the supplemental information by having the CPU in the data processing apparatus execute the program;

synchronizing the requested supplemental information to the audio component of the television program using the synchronization information; and

transmitting the requested supplemental information.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the requested supplemental information is live audio information.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the requested supplemental information is prerecorded on a recording medium.

18. The method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of recording on a recording medium the supplemental information.

19. A method for providing visual and audio entertainment, comprising the steps of:

broadcasting a television program including an audio component and a video component;

receiving a request from a requester for supplemental information related to the television program;

processing the request for the supplemental information;

transmitting the requested supplemental information to the requester at times when the audio component of the television program and the playback of the requested supplemental information do not conflict.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising the step of updating a database indicating that the requested supplemental information has been transmitted in said transmitted step.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein the broadcasting step further comprises broadcasting ordering information for the supplemental information.

22. The method according to claim 19, wherein the broadcasting step further comprises broadcasting synchronization information related to the television program.

23. A method according to claim 22, wherein the step of broadcasting the synchronization information further comprises broadcasting a time-code that is updated at predetermined intervals and which is used to synchronize the supplemental information to the television program broadcast in said transmitting step.

24. The method according to claim 22, wherein the step of receiving the request for the supplemental information includes receiving the synchronization information from the requestor.

25. A method for requesting supplemental information related to at least one character within a broadcast television program including an audio component and an video component, comprising the steps of:

viewing the broadcast television program;

requesting supplemental information for the character within the broadcast television program; and

receiving the requested supplemental information for the character synchronized with the audio component of the broadcast television program.

26. A signal containing information for requesting supplemental audio information relating to program information conveyed by the signal, the supplemental audio information not being part of the program information, comprising:

a program including a video signal component and an audio signal component for transmission to at least one display device; and

service information included as part of said video signal component, said service information including a multi-digit code for identifying said program, a telephone number to be dialed for requesting the supplemental audio information and synchronization information for synchronizing the supplemental audio information with the said audio signal component of said program,

wherein said synchronization information is updated at a predetermined interval.

27. A data processing apparatus for providing supplemental information, comprising:

a CPU;

a storage device operatively connected to said CPU;

an apparatus, adapted for communicating with said CPU, for receiving a request from a caller over a telephone network for supplemental information related to a broadcast television program and for relaying the request to said CPU; and

a program, adapted to be executed by said CPU, for processing the request for supplemental information and for transmitting the requested supplemental information through said apparatus,

wherein the supplemental information comprises supplemental dialogue for a character within the broadcast television program.

28. A method comprising the steps of:

broadcasting a television program including an audio component and a video component;

receiving a request for supplemental information related to the television program, wherein the request includes synchronization information;

synchronizing the requested supplemental information to the audio component of the television program using the synchronization information; and

transmitting the requested supplemental information.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the requested supplemental information is live audio information.

30. The method according to claim 28, wherein the requested supplemental information is prerecorded on a recording medium.

31. The method according to claim 28, further comprising the step of recording the supplemental information.