Digital television with subscriber conference overlay

• US 7,880,762 B1
• Filed: 04/30/2008
• Issued: 02/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dennis Fernandez
• Original Assignee: Dennis Fernandez
• Inventors: Hu, Irene, Fernandez, Dennis
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US12/112,377
• Time in Patent Office: 1,007 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1416, 709204-206, 725/143, 725/153, 725/135, 725/123
• US Class Current: 348/14.08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• 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 21/42204 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Digital television system overlays subscriber two-way communication during broadcast program delivery to create virtual audience community. Individual or group billing and advertisement is personalized per DTV receiver program viewing and/or conferencing activity. Subscriber receiver includes camera and other media I/O device for multi-way video conferencing. Participants may be added or removed dynamically during programming or conferencing.

Claims

1. Professional sports broadcast service for virtual audience community comprising steps:

selecting electronically a logical group in a virtual audience to a professional sports broadcast; and

emulating electronically a luxury suite to enable intimate personal conferencing among the selected group;

wherein the selected group comprises a virtual community of mobile wireless digital television subscriber units configured for luxury-suite type or exclusive membership multi-subscriber conferenced viewing of one or more live sports event such that competitive tournament telecast or broadcast to such virtual community is provided via a wireless network as a program through a broadcast channel and data through a network channel, a wireless network controller thereby providing multi-channel access of such mobile wireless digital television subscriber units to such program and data, and coordinates or monitors conferencing activity between such mobile wireless digital television subscriber units accessing a common sports program and data stream via the broadcast and network channels.

2. Controller for professional sports broadcast service for virtual audience community comprising:

means for selecting electronically a logical group in a virtual audience to a professional sports broadcast; and

means for emulating electronically a luxury suite to enable intimate personal conferencing among the selected group;

wherein the selected group comprises a virtual community of mobile wireless digital television subscriber units configured for luxury-suite type or exclusive membership multi-subscriber conferenced viewing of one or more live sports event such that competitive tournament telecast or broadcast to such virtual community is provided via a wireless network as a program through a broadcast channel and data through a network channel, a wireless network controller thereby providing multi-channel access of such mobile wireless digital television subscriber units to such program and data, and coordinates or monitors conferencing activity between such mobile wireless digital television subscriber units accessing a common sports program and data stream via the broadcast and network channels.