Method and apparatus for providing additional information about a broadcast

• US 6,577,849 B1
• Filed: 07/31/2000
• Issued: 06/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sibecas, Salvador, Eaton, Eric Thomas, Lamb, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Lee
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Simon
• Application Number:
  US09/630,326
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• Field of Search: 455/3.01, 455/3.02, 455/3.03, 455/3.04, 455/3.05, 455/3.06, 455/412, 455/418-420, 348/14.01, 348/14.02, 348/14.05, 348/563, 348/5.91, 348/734, 348/725, 348/729, 348/552, 340/825.37, 340/7.21, 340/7.43, 340/7.52, 725/81, 725/110
• US Class Current: 455/3.01
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/229 with other provisions not elsewhere provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/93 which locates resources of other pieces of information, e.g. URL [Uniform Resource Locator]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/40 characterised in that additional data relating to the broadcast data are available via a different channel than the broadcast channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/13 Arrangements for device control affected by the broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• 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 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• 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 21/436 Interfacing a local distribution network, e.g. communicating with another STB or one or more peripheral devices inside the home
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 5/38 Transmitter circuitry for the transmission of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 : Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 : Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 : Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 : Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 : Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/023 : with message or information receiving capability

Abstract

A technique is used for providing additional information about a broadcast presentation that allows a user interested in the additional information to acquire it easily, using a selective call device or a television remote control device to easily acquire an information address during the broadcast when a prompt is presented during the broadcast. An advertiser can send the additional information over a wide area radio selective call communication system or can post it at a universal resource locator of a computer network. The information address is used to acquire the additional information. The information address can be stored, selected and deleted in the selective call device or remote control device. The prompt can be disabled or enabled manually or based on location.

Claims

1. A method used in a selective call communication system and in a television broadcast system to provide to a selective call device of the selective call communication system additional information about the contents of a television broadcast, the method comprising the steps of:

in a receiver of the television broadcast system;

receiving a television broadcast that includes a prompt and an information address, the prompt indicating that additional information about the contents of the television broadcast is available, and the information address identifying a location for obtaining the additional information;

presenting the television broadcast;

receiving a request for the information address; and

transmitting the information address in a first SRW signal responsive to the request;

in the selective call device;

receiving and decoding the information address from one of the first or a second SRW signal; and

storing the information address;

in a remote control device;

receiving the first SRW signal;

storing the information address; and

transmitting the information address to the selective call device in the second SRW signal.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising in the selective call device the step of using the information address to receive the additional information in a global message transmitted by the selective call communication system, wherein a protocol position of the global message is identified by the information address.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

in the selective call device,

transmitting the information address to the selective call communication system;

in an infrastructure of the selective call communication system,

using the information address to acquire the additional information; and

transmitting the message that includes the additional information to the selective call device in a selective call message.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the information address is universal resource locator (URL), and the infrastructure of the selective call communication system acquires the additional information from an internet using the URL.

5. The method according to claim 5, wherein the information address is received by the receiver as closed captioned information in an NTSC broadcast signal.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the information address is received by the receiver as ancillary information in an ATSC Digital Television Standard broadcast signal.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the first SRW signal is a Bluetooth signal.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the first SRW signal is an IrDA signal.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein the first SRW signal is an audio signal.

10. The method according to claim 5, wherein the receiver is a television set.

11. The method according to claim 5, wherein the receiver is a cable receiver.

12. The method according to claim 5, wherein the request for the information address comprises a request for presentation of the prompt.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of setting a prompt mode of the receiver to an enabled state in response to receiving the request for presentation of the prompt.

14. The method according to claim 5, wherein the step of presenting the television broadcast further comprises the step of presenting the prompt responsive to the request for presentation of the prompt.

15. A method used in a selective call communication system and in a television broadcast system to provide to a selective call device of the selective call communication system additional information about the contents of a television broadcast, the method comprising the steps of:

in a receiver of the television broadcast system;

receiving a television broadcast that includes a prompt and an information address, the prompt indicating that additional information about the contents of the television broadcast is available, and the information address identifying a location for obtaining the additional information;

presenting the television broadcast;

receiving a request for the information address;

transmitting the information address in a first SRW signal responsive to the request; and

setting a prompt mode of the receiver to one of an enabled state and a disabled state in response to a result of comparing a local channel identification inserted in the television broadcast by a local television broadcaster to a list of local channel identifications stored in the receiver, wherein transmission of the information address occurs only after the prompt mode of the receiver is set to the enabled state.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising a step of setting the prompt mode to one of the enabled and disabled states in response to a command received from the selective call device.

17. A method used in a selective call communication system and in a television broadcast system to provide to a selective call device of the selective call communication system additional information about the contents of a television broadcast, the method comprising the steps of:

in a receiver of the television broadcast system,

receiving a television broadcast that includes a prompt and an information address, the prompt indicating that additional information about the contents of the television broadcast is available, and the information address identifying a location for obtaining the additional information;

presenting the television broadcast;

receiving a request for the information address; and

transmitting the information address in a first SRW signal responsive to the request; and

setting a prompt mode of the receiver to one of an enabled state and a disabled state in response to a location received by a GPS device, wherein transmission of the information address occurs only after the prompt mode of the receiver is set to the enabled state.

18. A method for a television signal receiver to provide additional information about the contents of a television broadcast to a selective call device of a selective call communication system, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a television broadcast that includes a prompt and an information address, the prompt indicating that additional information about the contents of the television broadcast is available and the information address identifying a location for obtaining the additional information;

setting a prompt mode of the television signal receiver to one of an enabled state and a disabled state in response to a command received from the selective call device; and

when the prompt mode is in the enabled state,

presenting the television broadcast including the prompt; and

transmitting the information address to the selective call device in a first short range wireless signal;

in the selective call device;

receiving and decoding the information address from one of the first or a second short range wireless signal; and

storing the information address;

in a remote control device;

receiving the first short range wireless signal;

storing the information address; and

transmitting the information address to the selective call device in the second short range wireless signal.