Apparatus and method of automatically accessing on-line services in response to broadcast of on-line addresses
First Claim
1. A method for connecting a computer with one or more on-line services providing information corresponding to audio or video programming being broadcasted comprising:
- a) providing a computer located at a first location and an on-line service located at a second location remote to said first location, b) broadcasting from a programming transmitter audio or video programming to one or more audio or video receivers, c) receiving an address identifying said on-line service at an address transmitter from said programming transmitter or from a central office, d) transmitting said address identifying said on-line service from said address transmitter at a third location remote from said first and second locations, said on-line service providing information corresponding with the audio or video programming being broadcast from said programming transmitter at the time said address is transmitted, e) coordinating said step of transmitting to occur simultaneously with said step of broadcasting, independent of user interaction with said on-line service, f) receiving said transmitted address at said computer, and g) automatically accessing said on-line service by said computer using said address identifying said on-line service.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A mMethods and apparatus issystems are provided for connecting adirecting computers to communicate with a data service using electronic addresses in sync with ancorresponding to audio/or video broadcastprogramming content. In one embodiment, Ssimultaneously with the broadcasting of audio/or video programming, an address transmitter transmits an address, such as a URL, identifying an on-linea data service, such as a web site, which contains information about the audio or video programming. ThisThe address is received by a computer and used to automatically access the on-linedata service. Preferably, the process is repeated with different addresses corresponding with different programming. It is also preferred that the addresses be sent via a paging system.Optionally, the computer may be directed to display content of the data service.
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Citations
69 Claims
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1. A method for connecting a computer with one or more on-line services providing information corresponding to audio or video programming being broadcasted comprising:
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a) providing a computer located at a first location and an on-line service located at a second location remote to said first location, b) broadcasting from a programming transmitter audio or video programming to one or more audio or video receivers, c) receiving an address identifying said on-line service at an address transmitter from said programming transmitter or from a central office, d) transmitting said address identifying said on-line service from said address transmitter at a third location remote from said first and second locations, said on-line service providing information corresponding with the audio or video programming being broadcast from said programming transmitter at the time said address is transmitted, e) coordinating said step of transmitting to occur simultaneously with said step of broadcasting, independent of user interaction with said on-line service, f) receiving said transmitted address at said computer, and g) automatically accessing said on-line service by said computer using said address identifying said on-line service. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of for automatically directing computers located at a plurality of different first locations to communicate with an on-line a data service providing information corresponding to audio or video programming being broadcasted, said on-line service being located at a second location remote from said first locations, comprising:
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a) receiving an address identifying said on-line data service at an address transmitter from a programming transmitter or from a central office , b) transmitting said address from said address transmitter at a third location independent of said on-line service to said a plurality of said computers, said third location being remote from said first and second locations and said address identifying said on-line service, whereby said transmitted address is received substantially simultaneously at said plurality of computers, c) broadcasting from said a programming transmitter audio or video information corresponding with said on-line data service, wherein the address identifying said data service is separate from the audio or video information being broadcast, d) coordinating said step of transmitting to occur substantially simultaneously with said step of broadcasting, independent of user interaction with said on-line data service, and e) simultaneously receiving said transmitted address at said plurality of computers, and f) automatically directing at least one of said plurality of computers to accessing said on-line data service by at least some of said plurality of computers using said address identifying said on-line data service, said at least one of said plurality of computers being operable to retrieve and display the information provided by the data service specified by the transmitted address. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 43, 54, 55)
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27. A method of automatically directing computers located at a plurality of different first locations to communicate with an on-line service providing information corresponding to audio or video programming being broadcasted, said on-line service being located at a second location remote from said first locations, comprising:
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a) receiving an address identifying said on-line service at an address transmitter from a programming transmitter or from a central office, b) transmitting said address from said address transmitter at a third location to said plurality of said computers, said third location being remote from said first and second locations and said address identifying the on-line location of said on-line service, c) simultaneously receiving said transmitted address at said plurality of computers, d) broadcasting from said programming transmitter audio or video information corresponding with said on-line service, c) coordinating said step of transmitting to occur simultaneously with said step of broadcasting, independent of user interaction with said on-line service, f) at least one of said computers using said address to automatically access said on-line service, and g) sending response information from said computer to said on-line service after said computer accesses said on-line service. - View Dependent Claims (28, 30, 31, 32)
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33. A method of directing a computer at a first location to automatically communicate with a first on-line service identified by a first address and with a plurality of subsequent on-line services identified by subsequent addresses, said first and subsequent addresses providing information corresponding to audio or video programming being broadcasted, each on-line service being located at a location remote from said first location, said method comprising:
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a) receiving said first and subsequent addresses identifying said on-line services at an address transmitter from a programming transmitter or from a central office, b) transmitting said first address from said address transmitter located remotely from said computer and said on-line services, c) broadcasting from said programming transmitter first audio or video programming corresponding with said first on-line service, d) coordinating with step of transmitting said first address to one or more audio or video receivers to occur simultaneously with said step of broadcasting first audio or video programming, independent of user interaction with said on-line service, e) receiving said first address at said computer, f) transmitting said subsequent addresses from said address transmitter, g) broadcasting from said programming transmitter second audio or video programming corresponding with said plurality of subsequent on-line services, h) coordinating said step of transmitting said subsequent addresses to occur simultaneously with said step of broadcasting second audio or video programming, i) receiving said subsequent addresses at said computer, and j) said computer automatically accessing said first on-line service by using said first address and automatically and continually accessing said plurality of on-line services by using said subsequent addresses.
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34. A method of for directing a computer to automatically access information related to audio or video programming simultaneously with the audio or video programming being broadcast from one or more programming transmitters comprising:
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a) receiving an address identifying said on-line a data service at an address transmitter from said programming transmitters or from a central office , b) transmitting said address identifying said on-line location of said on-line data service from a paging system the address transmitter, whereby said address is received at said computer, wherein the address identifying said data service is separate from the audio or video programming being broadcast, c) coordinating said step of transmitting to occur substantially simultaneously with the broadcasting of the audio or video programming, and d) receiving said address at said computer, directing said computer to automatically accessing information related to said audio or video programming from said on-line data service by said computer using said address, said computer being operable to retrieve and display the information from said data service specified by the address, and e) receiving information related to said radio or television programming at said computer . - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47, 56, 57)
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35. A system for automatically connecting a computer with multiple on-line data services providing information corresponding to audio or video programming being broadcasted transmitted comprising:
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a) an audio or video programming broadcaster transmitter, b) an address transmitter for receiving an addresses identifying said on-line data services from a programming transmitter of from a central office and for transmitting on-line locations said addresses of said on-line data services, wherein the addresses identifying said data services are separate from the audio or video programming being transmitted, c) a computer connectable to multiple on-line data services, wherein said computer is operable to retrieve and display information provided by the data services specified by the addresses, and d) a receiver connectable to said computer for receiving transmissions of different addresses from said address transmitter via a communications channel identifying said on-line locations addresses of said on-line data services, said address transmitter sending said addresses substantially simultaneously with the audio or video programming being broadcast by said broadcaster transmitted and said on-line data services containing information corresponding with said programming. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 42, 48, 49, 50, 51, 58, 59)
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39. A method for automatically directing a plurality of computers located at a plurality of different first locations to communicate with a web site and display content of the web site, said web site being located at a second location remote from said first locations, comprising:
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receiving an Internet address identifying the web site at an address transmitter located at a third location remote from said first and second locations;
transmitting the Internet address from the address transmitter to said plurality of computers, whereby said Internet address is received at said plurality of computers substantially simultaneously;
broadcasting audio or video information corresponding to said web site substantially simultaneously with the transmitting, independent of user interaction with the web site, wherein the Internet address identifying the web site is separate from the audio or video information being broadcasted;
automatically directing at least one of said plurality of computers to communicate with said web site using said Internet address identifying said web site, said at least one of said plurality of computers operable to retrieve the content of said web site; and
causing the display of content from said web site on a display operably connected to said at least one of said plurality of computers. - View Dependent Claims (60, 61)
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40. A system for receiving video programming content and an address identifying a data service, wherein the address identifying the data service is received at an address transmitter, and wherein the data service provides information associated with the video programming content, comprising:
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a television receiver, operable to receive the video programming content which is broadcast;
a display connected to the television receiver, the display operable to display the video programming content;
a computer operable to receive the address identifying the data service from the address transmitter which transmits the address, wherein the transmitting of the address is coordinated to occur substantially simultaneously with the broadcasting of the video programming content, independent of user interaction with the data service, wherein the address is separate from the video programming content, wherein the computer automatically connects to the data service associated with the video programming content using the address identifying the data service, the computer being operable to retrieve and cause the display of information provided by the data service specified by the address. - View Dependent Claims (62, 63)
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41. A method for receiving video programming content and an address identifying a data service associated with the video programming content, and for connecting to the data service, wherein the address identifying the data service is received at an address transmitter, the method comprising:
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receiving the video programming content, which is broadcast, at a television receiver;
displaying the video programming content on a television display;
receiving the address, which is transmitted from the address transmitter, at a computer, wherein the address is separate from the video programming content, wherein the transmitting of the address is coordinated to occur substantially simultaneously with the broadcasting of the video programming content, independent of user interaction with the data service;
automatically connecting to the data service associated with the video programming content using the address identifying the data service; and
retrieving information provided by the data service at the computer, the computer being operable to cause the display of the information provided by the data service specified by the address. - View Dependent Claims (64, 65)
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52. A system for receiving video programming content and an address identifying a data service, wherein the address identifying the data service is received at an address transmitter, and wherein the data service provides information associated with the video programming content, comprising:
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a receiver, operable to receive the video programming content which is broadcast;
the receiver also being operable to cause a display of the video programming content;
a computer operable to receive the address identifying the data service from the address transmitter which transmits the address, wherein the transmitting of the address is coordinated to occur substantially simultaneously with the broadcasting of the video programming content, independent of user interaction with the data service, wherein the address is separate from the video programming content, wherein the computer automatically connects to the data service associated with the video programming content using the address identifying the data service; and
wherein the computer is operable to retrieve and cause a display of the information provided by the data service specified by the address. - View Dependent Claims (66, 67)
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53. A method for receiving video programming content and an address identifying a data service associated with the video programming content, and for connecting to the data service, wherein the address identifying the data service is received at an address transmitter, the method comprising:
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receiving the video programming content, which is broadcast, at a receiver;
causing a display of the video programming content on a display;
receiving the address, which is transmitted from the address transmitter, at a computer, wherein the address is separate from the video programming content, wherein the transmitting of the address is coordinated to occur substantially simultaneously with the broadcasting of the video programming content, independent of user interaction with the data service;
automatically connecting to the data service associated with the video programming content using the address identifying the data service; and
retrieving information provided by the data service at the computer, wherein the computer is operable to cause a display of the information provided by the data service. - View Dependent Claims (68, 69)
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Specification