Wireless information transfer and interactive television system

• US 8,225,363 B1
• Filed: 08/14/1998
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Joshi, Rajiv V., Joshi, Suchitra R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Son P
• Application Number:
  US09/133,960
• Time in Patent Office: 5,086 Days
• Field of Search: 725121-123, 725/64, 725/65, 725/109, 725/68, 725/33, 725/32, 725/110, 725/112, 725/131, 725/151, 725/78, 725/107, 348551-554, 709219-220, 709/245, 345/721, 370/319, 370/353
• US Class Current: 725/109
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47805 Electronic banking banking in general G06Q30/02
• 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 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6193 involving transmission via a satellite arrangements for data linking, networking or transporting, or for controlling an end to end session in a satellite broadcast system H04B7/18526
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/814 comprising emergency warnings arrangements specially adapted for emergency or urgency in broadcast systems H04H20/59; arrangements for providing alarms, notifications, alerts to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A wireless information signal transfer and interactive television system comprises: a first communication unit, operatively coupled to a television set, for generating an information signals and for generating display signals for display on the television set; a remote keyboard device, wirelessly coupled to the first communication unit, for permitting a system user to control display of the display signals on the television set and enter data corresponding to the display of the display signals; a satellite network, operatively coupled to the first communication unit, for wirelessly transferring signals including the information signals; a second communication unit, operatively coupled to the satellite network, for receiving the information signals; and a server, operatively coupled to the second communication unit, for processing the information signals and providing data included in the information signals to a network; wherein the server retrieves return data from the network and provides the return data to the second communication unit, the second communication unit generating return information signals and providing the return information signals to the satellite network, the satellite network wirelessly transferring the return information signals to the first communication unit, which generates the display signals for display on the television set.

Claims

1. A wireless information signal transfer and interactive television system comprises:

at least a first communication system, operatively coupled to a television set, comprising a first RF transceiver unit and a first data processing unit for generating at least one information signal and for generating at least one display signal for display on the television set;

a wireless signal transfer network, operatively coupled to the at least a first communication system, for wirelessly transferring signals including the at least one information signal;

at least a second communication system operatively coupled to the wireless transfer network, comprising a second RF transceiver unit and a second data processing unit for receiving and processing the at least one information signal; and

a server, operatively coupled to the at least a second communication system, for receiving and processing the at least one information signal and providing data included in the information signal to a functional network, wherein the server retrieves return data from the functional network and provides the return data to the at least a second communication system, the at least a second communication system generating at least one return information signal and providing the at least one return information signal to the wireless signal transfer network, the wireless signal transfer network wirelessly transferring the at least one return information signal to the at least a first communication system, which generates the at least one display signal for display on the television set, wherein the at least one information signal and the at least one return information signal are independently transmitted from a television signal.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising remote data entry and control means, wirelessly coupled to the first data processing unit, for permitting a system user to control display of display signals on the television set and enter data corresponding to the display of the display signals.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the remote data entry and control means comprises an alphanumeric keyboard portion.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the alphanumeric keyboard portion is in infrared communication with the first data processing unit.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the remote data entry and control means comprises a speaker phone portion.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the speaker phone portion is in RF communication with the first data processing unit.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless signal transfer network is a satellite network.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the satellite network includes at least one satellite for transferring signals between the first and second RF transceiver units.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the functional network is a wide area information network.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the wide area network includes a mail server.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the functional network is a paging network.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the paging network includes a paging server.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the paging network includes a plurality of pagers.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the functional network is an emergency response network.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the emergency response network includes a server.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the first data processing unit comprises indication means for indicating that the at least one return information signal has been received.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the indicating means is an LED.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one display signal generated by the first data processing unit includes data to generate at least one menu-driven window on the television set.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one menu-driven window includes displayable information relating to e-mail messages.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the first data processing unit generates a message string to be included as part of the at least one information signal containing information entered by the user in the e-mail window.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the functional network is a wide area network haying a mail server and further wherein the server coupled to the at least a second communication system provides the message string to the mail server.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one menu-driven window includes displayable information relating to paging messages.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the at least a first communication system generates a message string to be included as part of the at least one information signal containing information entered by the user in the paging window.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the functional network is a paging network having a paging server and further wherein the server coupled to the at least a second communication system provides the message string to the paging server.

25. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one menu-driven window includes displayable information relating to financial market transactions.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the first data processing unit generates a message string to be included as part of the at least one information signal containing information entered by the user in the financial transaction window.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the functional network is a wide area network and further wherein the server coupled to the at least a second communication system provides the message string to the wide area network.

28. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one menu-driven window includes displayable information relating to emergency messages.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the first data processing unit generates a message string to be included as part of the at least one information signal containing information entered by the user in the emergency message window.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the functional network is an emergency response network having a emergency response server and further wherein the server coupled to the at least a second communication system provides the message string to the emergency response server.

31. The system of claim 1, wherein the first data processing unit comprises:

processing means;

input controlling means, operatively coupled to the processing means and the remote data entry and control means, for receiving data and control information from the remote data and control means and providing said information to the processing means; and

display signal generating means, operatively coupled to the processing means, for generating the at least one display signal for display on the television set, in response to the at least one return information signal received by the processing means and the data and control information from the remote data and control means.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the at least one display signal generated by the display signal generating means is a digital signal and wherein the first data processing unit further comprises digital-to-analog conversion means, operatively coupled to the display signal generating means, for converting the digital display signal to analog form for display on the television set.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the first data processing unit further comprises a signal combiner, operatively coupled between the digital-to-analog conversion means and the television set, for combining the analog display signal with at least another analog signal received from the wireless signal transfer network and providing the combined signals to the television set.

34. A wireless information signal transfer and interactive television system comprises:

a first communication system, operatively coupled to a television set, comprising a first RF transceiver unit and a first data processing unit for generating at least one information signal and for generating and displaying at least one display signal superimposed on a conventional television signal on the television set;

a remote keyboard device, wirelessly coupled to the first data processing unit, for permitting a system user to control display of the at least one display signal on the television set and enter data corresponding to the display of the at least one display signal;

a satellite network, operatively coupled to the first RF transceiver unit, for wirelessly transferring signals including the at least one information signal;

a second communication system, operatively coupled to the satellite network, comprising a second RF transceiver unit and a second data processing unit for receiving and processing the at least one information signal; and

a server, operatively coupled to the second communication system, for processing the at leas one information signal and providing data included in the information signal to a network;

wherein the server retrieves return data from the network and provides the return data to the second communication system, the second communication system generating at least one return information signal and providing the at least one return information signal to the satellite network, the satellite network wirelessly transferring the at least one return information signal to the first communication system, which generates and displays the at least one display signal superimposed on a conventional television signal on the television set, wherein the at least one information signal and the at least one return information signal are independently transmitted from a television signal.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the satellite network includes at least one satellite for transferring signals between the first and second RF transceiver units.

36. The system of claim 34, wherein the network coupled to the serve is a wide area information network.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the wide area information network is the Internet.

38. The system of claim 34, wherein the network coupled to the server is a paging network.

39. The system of claim 34, wherein the network is an emergency response network.

40. The system of claim 34, wherein the first data processing unit comprises indication means for indicating that the at least one return information signal has been received.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the indication means is an LED.

42. The system of claim 34, wherein the at least one display signal generated by the first data processing unit includes data to generate at least one menu driven window on the television set.