Wireless information transfer and interactive television system

• US 8,756,643 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2012
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Joshi, Rajiv V., Joshi, Suchitra R.
• Primary Examiner(s): HUYNH, AN SON PHI
• Application Number:
  US13/460,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20120216235A1
• Time in Patent Office: 778 Days
• Field of Search: 725/64, 725/81, 725109-110, 725/124
• US Class Current: 725/114
• 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 system and method for controlling an interactive media system includes generating, by a first communication system, an information signal and a display signal for display by an electronic medium, transferring the information signal by a wireless signal transfer network, receiving and processing the information signal by a server, providing, by the server, 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 a second communication system, generating, by the second communication system, a return information signal and providing the return information signal to the wireless signal transfer network, and transferring, by the wireless signal transfer network, the return information signal to the first communication system, which generates the display signal for display on the electronic medium.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an interactive media system comprising:

generating, by a first communication unit, an information signal and a display signal for display by a television set, wherein the first communication unit comprises a first 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;

transferring the information signal by a satellite network from the first communication unit to a second communication unit that is connected to a server, the second communication unit being substantially identical to the first communication unit;

transferring the information signal from the second communication unit to the server;

receiving and processing the information signal by the server;

providing, by the server, data included in the information signal over the Internet, wherein the server retrieves return data from the Internet in response to the data including in the information signal and provides the return data to the second communication unit;

generating, by the second communication unit, a return information signal based on the return data and providing the return information signal to the satellite network; and

transferring, by the satellite network, the return information signal to the first communication unit, which generates the display signal for display on the television set,

wherein the first data processing unit comprises;

processing means;

input controlling means, operatively coupled to the processing means and a remote data entry and control means, for receiving data and control information from the remote data entry and control means and providing said data and said control 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 return information signal received by the processing means and the data and the control information from the remote data entry and control means.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling, by the control means, the display of the at least one display signal on the television set.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising indicating, by the first data processing unit, that the return information signal has been received.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating at least one menu-driven window on the television set according to the display signal generated by the first data processing unit.

5. A wireless information signal transfer and interactive media system comprises:

a first communication unit, operatively coupled to a television set displaying a signal, the first communication unit comprising a first 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 satellite signal transfer network, operatively coupled to the first communication unit, for wirelessly transferring signals including the at least one information signal;

a second communication unit, operatively coupled to the satellite signal transfer network, comprising a second transceiver unit and a second data processing unit for receiving and processing the at least one information signal, the second communication unit being substantially identical to the first communication unit;

a server, operatively coupled to the second communication unit, for receiving and processing the at least one information signal and providing data included in the information signal over the Internet, wherein the server retrieves return data from the Internet in response to the data including in the information signal and provides the return data to the second communication unit, the second communication unit generating at least one return information signal based on the return data and providing the at least one return information signal to the satellite signal transfer network, the satellite signal transfer network wirelessly transferring the at least one return information signal to the first communication unit, which generates the at least one display signal for display on the television set; and

a 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,

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 entry and control means and providing said data and said control 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 the control information from the remote data entry and control means.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the satellite signal transfer network includes at least one satellite for transferring signals between the first and second transceiver units.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the first data processing unit comprises indication means for indicating that the at least one return information signal has been received.

8. The system of claim 5, 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.

9. A method for controlling an interactive media system comprising:

generating, by a first communication unit operatively coupled to a television set displaying a signal, at least one information signal, wherein the first communication unit comprises a first transceiver unit and a first data processing unit;

generating, by the first communication unit, at least one display signal for display by the television set;

transferring signals from the first communication unit to a second communication unit, by a satellite signal transfer network operatively coupled to the first communication unit, the signals including the at least one information signal;

receiving, by the second communication unit, the signals via the satellite transfer network;

receiving and processing the at least one information signal by a server, operatively coupled to the second communication unit that is substantially identical to the first communication unit, wherein the second communication unit is operatively coupled to the satellite signal transfer network and comprises a second transceiver unit and a second data processing unit;

providing, by the server, data included in the at least one information signal over the Internet, wherein the server retrieves return data from the Internet in response to the data included in the information signal and provides the return data to the second communication unit;

generating, by the second communication unit, at least one return information signal based on the return data and providing the at least one return information signal to the satellite signal transfer network; and

transferring, by the satellite signal transfer network, the at least one return information signal to the first communication unit, which generates the at least one display signal for display on the television set,

wherein the first data processing unit comprises;

processing means;

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

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising controlling, by the control means, the display of the at least one display signal on the television set.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising indicating, by the first data processing unit, that the at least one return information signal has been received.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising generating at least one menu-driven window on the television set according to the at least one display signal generated by the first data processing unit.