Broadcast response system

• US 8,688,028 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2013
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: StratosAudio, Inc.
• Original Assignee: StratosAudio, Inc.
• Inventors: Christensen, Kelly M., Thomas, Barry D., Smyth, Thomas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): AKINYEMI, AJIBOLA A
• Application Number:
  US13/889,176
• Publication Number:
  US 20130309960A1
• Time in Patent Office: 329 Days
• Field of Search: 455/3.06
• US Class Current: 455/3.06
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0605 Supply or demand aggregation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/30 by a single channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/34 using an out-of-band subcarrier signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/93 which locates resources of other pieces of information, e.g. URL [Uniform Resource Locator]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/13 radio data system/radio broadcast data system [RDS/RBDS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/30 characterised by the use of a return channel, e.g. for collecting users' opinions, for returning broadcast space/time information or for requesting data
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/37 via a different channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/61 Arrangements for services using the result of monitoring, identification or recognition covered by groups H04H60/29-H04H60/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/63 for services of sales data processing systems or methods specially adapted for electronic commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/74 using programme related information, e.g. title, composer or interpreter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 : Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 : for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• 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 21/26258 : for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/274 : Storing end-user multimedia data in response to end-user request , e.g. network recorder
• 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 21/6118 : involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6181 : involving transmission via a mobile phone network arrangements for providing broadcast or conference services to substation in data switching networks in combination with wireless systems H04L12/189; wireless uplink channel access H04W74/004
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 : comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A broadcast response system provides, e.g., a radio broadcast listener with the ability to obtain media content such as music or speech while listening to the radio. The user can respond to items in the radio broadcast such as advertisements, fund raising drives, or interactive listener polls during the broadcast. Data such as song title and artist, author or publisher and the IP address for the location where the digital version of the content is stored, can be transmitted using, e.g., the RBDS/RDS data stream. A reference number representing song title and artist, author or publisher and the IP address for the location where the digital version of the content is stored can also be employed for ease of implementation. This reference number can reside in a lookup table to be accessed by broadcast response server.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a communications device to receive a media broadcast comprising at least one identifiable broadcast segment as part of a broadcast stream, the method comprising:

configuring the communications device to receive the broadcast stream comprising a plurality of broadcast segments, wherein the plurality of broadcast segments comprises the at least one identifiable broadcast segment;

configuring the communications device to receive a data stream associated with the broadcast stream;

configuring at least one computer processor of the communications device to extract from the data stream data that enables a unique identification of the at least one identifiable broadcast segment from the plurality of broadcast segments;

configuring the at least one computer processor of the communications device to determine an identification of the broadcast stream;

configuring an electronic memory of the communications device to store the identification of the broadcast stream and the data that enables the unique identification of the at least one identifiable broadcast segment;

configuring the communications device to present the at least one identifiable broadcast segment;

configuring the communications device to detect an input selection corresponding to the at least one identifiable broadcast segment;

configuring the communications device to obtain an identity of a responder associated with the input selection;

configuring the communications device to create a data packet enabling the unique identification of the at least one identifiable broadcast segment, the data packet comprising at least one of the following;

an identification of the identity of the responder, the identification of the broadcast stream, the data that enables the unique identification of the at least one identifiable broadcast segment; and

configuring the communications device to communicate the data packet to a server in response to the detection of the input selection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication of the data packet to the server is accomplished by at least one of the following:

communicating wirelessly, communicating using a wired connection, communicating over the internet, communicating using a removable memory storage device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the association of the data stream with the broadcast stream is at least one of the following:

the data stream is frequency multiplexed with the broadcast stream, the data stream is time multiplexed with the broadcast stream, the data stream is transmitted independently from the broadcast stream, the data stream is encoded in the broadcast stream.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identity of the responder identifies at least one of the following:

an identification of the communications device, an identification of a user of the communication device, an identification of a billing account, an identification of account details, an identification of a phone number, an identification number.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second instance of the at least one identifiable broadcast segment from the broadcast stream containing the plurality of broadcast segments; and

extracting from the data stream a second data that enables a unique identification of the second instance of the at least one identifiable broadcast segment, whereby the second data that enables the unique identification of the second instance of the identifiable broadcast segment is discrete from the data that enables unique identification of the at least one identifiable broadcast segment.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the server identifies a specific instance of the at least one identifiable broadcast segment using the data that enables the unique identification of the at least one identifiable broadcast segment and a database comprising information about the at least one identifiable broadcast segment.

7. A method for interactively operating a communications device that receives a media broadcast comprising a broadcast stream, the broadcast stream comprising a plurality of broadcast segments, the method comprising:

receiving the broadcast stream comprising the plurality of broadcast segments, wherein the plurality of broadcast segments comprises at least one specific broadcast segment;

receiving a data stream associated with the broadcast stream;

extracting from the data stream identifying data that enables a unique identification of the at least one specific broadcast segment of the plurality of broadcast segments;

storing in an electronic memory the identifying data;

presenting the plurality of broadcast segments, including the at least one specific broadcast segment;

presenting, subsequent to the presentation of the at least one specific broadcast segment, a list comprising a first reference to the at least one specific broadcast segment and at least a second reference to at least one additional broadcast segment of the plurality of broadcast segments of the broadcast stream; and

detecting an input selection corresponding to the at least one specific broadcast segment subsequent to the presentation of the list, whereby the input selection initiates at least one of the following results;

creation and communication of a data packet to a server, the data packet comprising at least the identifying data that enables unique identification of the specific broadcast segment, presentation of information about the at least one specific broadcast segment, storing a tag associated with the at least one specific broadcast segment, a purchase related to the at least one specific broadcast segment, obtaining data identifying the broadcast stream, a vote associated with the at least one specific broadcast segment, responding to an offer associated with the at least one specific broadcast segment.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the association of the data stream with the broadcast stream is at least one of the following:

the data stream is frequency multiplexed with the broadcast stream, the data stream is time multiplexed with the broadcast stream, the data stream is transmitted independently from the broadcast stream, the data stream is encoded in the broadcast stream.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising obtaining the identification of a responder associated with the input selection, wherein the identity of the responder identifies at least one of the following:

an identification of the communications device, an identification of a user of the communication device, an identification of a billing account, an identification of account details, an identification of a phone number, an identification number.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the communication of the data packet to the server is accomplished by at least one of the following:

communicating wirelessly, communicating using a wired connection, communicating over the internet, communicating using a removable memory storage device.

11. A method for correlating media content identifying data with at least one broadcast segment received by a communication device, the method comprising:

receiving a broadcast stream comprising the at least one broadcast segment and associated media content;

receiving a data stream associated with the broadcast stream, the data stream comprising, at a minimum, the media content identifying data, wherein the media content identifying data comprises at least one element;

extracting the media content identifying data from the data stream, associating each media content identifying data element with at least one of a plurality of media content;

storing in an electronic memory of the communication device, at a minimum, media content identifying data elements into identifying data aggregates, each identifying data aggregate associated with at least one of the plurality of media content and the at least one broadcast segment, wherein the at least one broadcast segment is corollary to the at least one of the plurality of media content; and

providing for presentation of at least a portion of the data elements stored in the electronic memory of the communication device, whereby the providing provides selective outputting, using an interface, of at least one of the following;

the media content identifying data, the media content, the corollary broadcast segment, a temporal position of the corollary broadcast segment of the broadcast stream.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the receiving, storing, aggregating, correlating operations are performed in conjunction with a database system which contains at least one of the identifying data aggregates.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the receiving, storing, aggregating, correlating operations are performed externally to a database system which contains at least one of the data aggregates.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the receiving, storing, aggregating, correlating operations are accessible by at least one of the following:

a response authentication system, a broadcaster, an advertiser, a content provider, a wireless carrier, a web portal, a third party database.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the association of the data stream with the broadcast stream is at least one of the following:

the data stream is frequency multiplexed with the broadcast stream, the data stream is time multiplexed with the broadcast stream, the data stream is transmitted independently from the broadcast stream, the data stream is encoded in the broadcast stream.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the data stream further comprises data that enables a unique identification of the at least one broadcast segment.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

selecting the at least one broadcast segment;

preparing a data packet comprising at least one of the media content identifying elements; and

communicating the data packet to a server.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising detecting a selection input associated with the presentation of the stored data.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising creating and communicating a data packet to a server responsive to the selection input detection.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the communication of the data packet to the server is accomplished by at least one of the following:

communicating wirelessly, communicating using a wired connection, communicating over the internet, communicating using a removable memory storage device.