Information distribution and processing system

• US 20070107031A1
• Filed: 12/22/2006
• Published: 05/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/1994
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Online News Link LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Data Innovation LLC (Acacia Research Corporation), TechSearch LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Inventors: Chan, Hark
• Granted Patent: US 7,840,176 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/110
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• 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 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An information distribution and processing system contains a sender and a plurality of processing units. The sender delivers a set of digital data, without receiving a request signal, to the plurality of processor units. The set of digital data contains a first set of displayable data, a second set of displayable data, at least one non-displayable symbol, and at least one linking reference associated with the second set of displayable data. If desired, a user can select the second set of displayable data. The associated linking reference is sent to a database. The database contains additional information. The associated linking reference is used by the data to search for the additional information, and returns the requested information to the user.

Claims

1. An information distribution system for distributing information to users in separate locations, said system comprising:

a plurality of receiving devices for receiving at least a portion of the information, at least two of said receiving devices being in separate locations;

a plurality of display devices each being in communication with at least one of said receiving devices, said display devices adapted to display the information received by said receiving devices; and

a remote site including a processor, a first set of digital data representing a first portion of the information, and a second set of digital data representing a second portion of the information, said processor being in communication with said receiving devices to deliver said first set of digital data and said second set of digital data to said receiving devices, said processor being programmed to send, at a predetermined time, said first set of digital data to said receiving devices, said processor being programmed to send said second set of digital data to a respective one of said receiving devices only in response to a request from said respective one of said receiving devices;

said receiving devices receiving said first set of digital data and displaying said first set of digital data on said display devices, said receiving devices sending a request to said processor to extract at least one portion of said second set of digital data in response to a selection of at least one portion of said first set of digital data by one of the users and displaying said extracted at least one portion of said second set of digital data on said display devices.

2. The information distribution system of claim 1, wherein selection of at least a portion of said first set of digital data by a user of one of said receiving devices results in said remote site sending said second set of digital data to one of said receiving devices.

3. The information distribution system of claim 1, wherein said first set of digital data includes at least one linkage reference to at least said second set of digital data.

4. The information distribution system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said first set of digital data is highlighted on said display devices to attract a user'"'"'s attention.

5. The information distribution system of claim 1, wherein said second set of digital data includes at least one linkage reference.

6. The information system of claim 1, wherein said receiving devices are adapted to store said first set of digital data after said first set of digital data is received from said remote site.

7. The information distribution system of claim 1, wherein said information comprises multimedia data.

8. The information distribution system of claim 1, wherein said information comprises electronic mail.

9. The information distribution system of claim 1, wherein said information comprises electronic news.

10. The information distribution system of claim 1, wherein said first set of digital data comprises at least one header describing at least a portion of said information.

11. The information distribution system of claim 1, wherein said first set of digital data is in a searchable format.

12. The information distribution system of claim 1, wherein said first set of digital data is encrypted and wherein each of said receiving devices comprises a key for decrypting said encrypted data.

13. The information distribution system of claim 1, wherein said first set of digital data comprises a first sub-set of displayable data, a second sub-set of displayable data, a sub-set of hidden data indicating a presence of said second sub-set of displayable data, and a linkage reference associated with said second sub-set of displayable data.

14. The information distribution system of claim 1, wherein said remote site is in wireless communication with said receiving devices.

15. The information distribution system of claim 1, wherein said remote site is in wired communication with said receiving devices.

16. The information distribution system of claim 1, wherein said remote site communicates with said receiving devices via television frequency signals.

17. The information distribution system of claim 1, further comprising a telephone.

18. The information distribution system of claim 1, further comprising a bidirectional communication channel between said remote site and said receiving devices.

19. A method for distributing information from a processor in one location to at least one receiving device at a separate location, the receiving device being in communication with a display device adapted to display the information received by the receiving device, the method comprising the steps of:

distributing at least a first set of digital data representing a first portion of the information from the processor to the at least one receiving device, the first set of digital data including at least one linkage reference to a second set of digital data representing a second portion of the information;

displaying the first set of digital data on the at least one display device;

selecting at least one portion of the first set of digital data associated with the linkage reference;

delivering the second set of digital data from the processor to the at least one receiving device as a result of the selection of the at least one portion of the first set of digital data associated with the linkage reference; and

displaying the second set of digital data on the at least one display device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of displaying the first set of digital data includes highlighting of at least a portion of the first set of digital data on the display device to attract a user'"'"'s attention.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of including at least one linkage reference with the second set of digital data.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of distributing the first set of digital data includes storing the first set of digital data on the receiving device.

23. The information method of claim 19, wherein the information comprises multimedia data.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the information comprises electronic mail.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the information comprises electronic news.

26. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of providing the first set of digital data with at least one header describing at least a portion of the information.

27. The method of claim 19, wherein the first set of digital data is in a searchable format.

28. The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of encrypting the first set of digital data and providing the at least one receiving device with a key for decrypting the encrypted data.

29. The method of claim 19, wherein the first set of digital data comprises a first sub-set of displayable data, a second sub-set of displayable data, a sub-set of hidden data indicating a presence of the second sub-set of displayable data, and a linkage reference associated with the second sub-set of displayable data.

30. The method of claim 19, wherein the steps of distributing and delivering include communication of the processor and the at least one receiving device via at least one wireless connection.

31. The method of claim 19, wherein the steps of distributing and delivering include communication of the processor and the at least one receiving device via at least one wired connection.

32. The method of claim 19, wherein the steps of distributing and delivering include communication of the processor and the at least one receiving device via at least one television frequency signal.

33. The method of claim 19, wherein the steps of distributing and delivering include communication of the processor and the at least one receiving device via at least one bidirectional channel.

34. The method of claim 19, wherein the steps of delivering and distributing include a telephone communication link.