Enhanced radio graphic data system

• US 6,404,408 B1
• Filed: 01/05/2000
• Issued: 06/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xylon LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: SurferNETWORK.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Emerson, Harry E. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Shalwala, Bipin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Said, Mansour M.
• Application Number:
  US09/478,023
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• Field of Search: 345/2.1, 345/2.3, 345/1.2, 345/1.3, 345/736, 345/740, 345/24, 370/345, 370/485, 370/495, 370/749, 370/474, 370/498, 370/71, 370/73, 370/76, 370/77, 370/496, 370/307, 370/343, 370/480, 370/486, 370/487, 370/528, 455/351, 455/347, 375/260, 375/369, 381/2-4
• US Class Current: 345/2.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/34 using an out-of-band subcarrier signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/13 radio data system/radio broadcast data system [RDS/RBDS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/07 characterised by processes or methods for the generation

Abstract

An enhanced radio graphic data system comprises an FM receiver, RDS demodulator and decoder, display, microprocessor and memory. The system incorporates a protocol enhancement of RDS involving the redefinition of several bits within the B-block. An accompanying arrangement utilizes data in the C- and D-Blocks to create message streams containing the text data to be presented along with associated formatting instructions.

Claims

1. A method for encoding color graphics and text messages for display on a color graphic screen into a commercial radio transmission, comprising the steps of:

a) storing into memory a text message and graphics bits, said graphics bits indicating the size, style, and color of said text message;

b) generating a subcarrier of the carrier frequency of said radio transmission;

c) segmenting said text message into text segments and along with said graphics bits into blocks of binary data;

d) assembling said blocks into groups of four blocks each, said groups comprising a data stream for transmission;

e) encoding said groups with control bits, said control bits indicating the beginning and end of said text segments, and the number and location in the data stream of said text segments that comprise a complete message;

f) modulating said subcarrier with said data stream; and

g) transmitting said modulated subcarrier as part of said carrier frequency for receipt and display on a radio receiver.

2. A method for encoding color graphics and text messages for display on a color graphic screen into a commercial radio transmission, comprising the steps of:

a) storing into memory a text message and graphics bits, said graphics bits indicating the size, style, and color of said text message;

b) generating a subcarrier of the carrier frequency of said radio transmission;

c) segmenting said text message into text segments and along with said graphics bits into blocks of binary data;

d) assembling said blocks into groups of four blocks each, said groups comprising a data stream for transmission;

e) said groups further defining applications;

f) creating within said applications two types of information elements, one type controlling the message flow of screen display information to be transmitted, the other transmitting the actual screen display information;

g) said message flow application enumerating individual of entire messages to be displayed, and indicating the beginning and the end of each such entire message;

h) said message flow application further enumerating individual message segments within an entire message, and indicating the beginning and the end of each such message segment;

i) said message flow application further identifying the nature of the data contained in each of said message segments;

j) modulating said subcarrier with said data stream; and

k) transmitting said modulated subcarrier as part of said carrier frequency for receipt and display on a radio receiver.

3. A commercial radio band transmission and receiving system for audio signal, text and graphic data, comprising:

a) a generating means for generating a carrier wave at a first predetermined frequency and a subcarrier wave at a second predetermined frequency;

b) an encoding means for coding said text and graphic data, and control data into groups of binary information, said graphic data comprising instructions for creating color graphic display of said text, said control data identifying the beginning and end of a message comprised of said text, message verification, and message blocks extending over multiple data groups;

c) a first modulation means for encoding said subcarrier with said text data generating an encoded subcarrier;

d) a scheduling means for scheduling the encoding of said subcarrier wave at predetermined intervals;

e) a summing means for adding said audio signal and encoded subcarrier thereby generating a summed signal;

f) a second modulation means for en coding said carrier wave with said summed signal thereby generating a modulated carrier wave containing both audio signal and text data;

g) a transmission means for transmitting the modulated carrier wave;

h) a receiving means for receiving said modulated carrier wave;

i) a decoding means for decoding said audio signal and said text and graphic data from said modulated carrier wave;

j) a storage means for storing decoded text and graphic data;

k) a display means for interpreting and displaying color images and text messages;

l) a processing means for drawing color images and text messages from said text and graphic data; and

m) an audio signal playing means.