Information distribution and processing system

• US 7,181,758 B1
• Filed: 12/19/2002
• Issued: 02/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Online News Link LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Data Innovation LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Inventors: Chan, Hark C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cumming; William D.
• Application Number:
  US10/322,624
• Time in Patent Office: 1,524 Days
• Field of Search: 725/110, 725/105, 725/66, 725/109, 455/3.1, 455/150.1, 709/219, 713/193, 713/189
• US Class Current: 725/110
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• 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 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• 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 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• 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 information distribution and processing system contains a sender and a plurality of processing units. The sender delivers a set of digital data, without receiving a request signal, to the plurality of processor units. The set of digital data contains a first set of displayable data, a second set of displayable data, at least one non-displayable symbol, and at least one linking reference associated with the second set of displayable data. If desired, a user can select the second set of displayable data. The associated linking reference is sent to a database. The database contains additional information. The associated linking reference is used by the database to search for the additional information, and returns the requested information to the user.

Claims

1. An information distribution system for distributing information to users in separate locations, said system being associated with at least one receiving station and a plurality of receiving devices each located in one of said separate locations, each of said receiving devices connecting to a display device that can display said information, said system comprising:

a remote site containing a first set of digital data; and

a sender sending, at a time determined by said sender, a second set of digital data to said at least one receiving station for transmission to at least one of said plurality of receiving devices, said second set of digital data comprising a first set of displayable data, a second set of displayable data, another set of data designating a presence of said second set of displayable data, and a first linkage reference associated with said second set of displayable data and with said first set of digital data;

wherein said at least one of said receiving devices causes said display device to display said first set of displayable data in a first way and said second set of displayable data in a second way, extracts at least a portion of said first linkage reference in response to a selection of said second set of displayable data by a user, and sends said at least a portion of said first linkage reference to said remote site.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said second set of digital data comprises video data.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said second set of digital data comprises a game.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said second set of digital data comprises electronic mail.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said second set of digital data comprises additional set of data for indicating a presence of said first linkage reference.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein said second set of digital data comprises at least one formatting code.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said sender comprises a transmitter transmitting said second set of digital data using radio frequency signals.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said radio frequency signals are television frequency signals.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein said sender sends an alert signal prior to sending said second set of digital data.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said second set of digital data comprises video data.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein said second set of digital data comprises a game.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein said second set of digital data comprises electronic mail.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein said second set of digital data comprises additional set of data for indicating a presence of said first linkage reference.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein said sender comprises a transmitter transmitting said second set of digital data using radio frequency signals.

15. The system of claim 4 wherein said radio frequency signals are television frequency signals.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein said remote site contains a third set of digital data, wherein said first set of digital data comprises a second linkage reference associated with said third set of digital data.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein said second set of digital data comprises video data.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein said second set of digital data comprises a game.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein said second set of digital data comprises electronic mail.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein said second set of digital data comprises additional set of data for indicating a presence of said first linkage reference.

21. The system of claim 16 wherein said sender sends said second set of digital data using radio frequency signals.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein said radio frequency signals are television frequency signals.