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Tiered subscription broadcast system

  • US 8,627,354 B2
  • Filed: 12/16/2005
  • Issued: 01/07/2014
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2004
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A broadcast system comprising:

  • one or more transmitters which transmit one or more signals, such that said one or more signals, combined if more than one, comprise;

    program content for one or more complete programs, wherein each complete program can include advertising and is playable at a receiver in unmodified form;

    substitution content that can include substitution advertising and/or advertising-free substitution program content; and

    receiver commands including receiver commands directed at specific receivers or classes of receivers; and

    a plurality of receivers, including a first receiver, a second receiver, and a third receiver, each respective receiver configured to;

    demodulate a respective portion of said program content; and

    create a respective output program,wherein each respective receiver of said first and second receivers is further configured to;

    demodulate a respective portion of said substitution content;

    store a portion of said substitution content;

    demodulate a portion of said receiver commands; and

    replace, in response to at least one of said receiver commands, a respective selected non-null portion of said demodulated program content with a respective selected non-null portion of said substitution content stored in the respective receiver to form said respective output program containing a respective replacement portion of substitution content,wherein said third receiver is not configured to carry out said replacing in response to one or more receiver commands,such that said first, second, and third receivers create a first output program, a second output program, and a third output program respectively when simultaneously tuned to be receiving a particular program of said program content, such that said first, second, and third output programs can be different, and such that said third output program comprises said particular program of said complete programs without any substitution content, including any advertising included in said particular program,wherein at least one of A and B is true,A being that in the case said first receiver is operating at a first tier, and said second receiver is operating at a second tier lower than said first tier, as a result of one or more different respective receiver commands directed to said first and second receivers, said first output program includes less advertising than said second output program when said first and second receivers are simultaneously tuned to be receiving the particular program, andB being that at least one of said receiver commands that cause said replacing is targeted to one or more particular receivers according to one or more demographic characteristics such that said first and second output programs can be different as a result of at least one of said one or more demographic characteristics being different for said first and second receivers when said first and second receivers are simultaneously tuned to be receiving the particular program.

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