Methods and systems for providing additional service applications in pay television

• US 5,539,450 A
• Filed: 06/21/1993
• Issued: 07/23/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: News Datacom Ltd (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Handelman, Doron
• Primary Examiner(s): Harvey, David E.
• Application Number:
  US08/080,344
• Time in Patent Office: 1,128 Days
• Field of Search: 358/84, 358/85, 358/86, 455/2, 455/3.1, 455/3.2, 455/4.1, 455/4.2, 455/5.1, 455/6.1, 455/6.2, 235/379, 235/380, 235/381, 235/382, 235/383, 364/410-412, 364/401, 364/406, 364/400, 348/6, 348/7, 348/8, 348/10, 348/12, 348/13, 380/10, 380/20
• US Class Current: 725/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/338 using television networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/792 for payment purposes, e.g. monthly subscriptions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• 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 21/4781 Games
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• 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 7/1675 Providing digital key or authorisation information for generation or regeneration of the scrambling sequence pseudo-random number generators in general G06F7/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

A pay television gaming system including a pay television network having a multiplicity of subscriber units each including a television, receiving apparatus for receiving gaming inputs from the multiplicity of subscriber units, transmitting apparatus for transmitting to the multiplicity of subscriber units information relating to gaming results and accounting apparatus for settling gaming debts and winnings via the pay television network. Other services, such as shopping may be provided.

Claims

1. A pay television gaming system comprising:

a pay television network having a multiplicity of subscriber units each including a television;

receiving apparatus for receiving gaming inputs from the multiplicity of subscriber units;

accounting apparatus for maintaining separate accounts for pay television and for gaming, the accounting apparatus including apparatus for employing separate accounting identification codes for pay television and for gaming; and

transmitting apparatus for transmitting to the multiplicity of subscriber units information relating to gaming results and said separate accounting identification codes for pay television and for gaming for settling at least one of gaming debts and gaming winnings via the pay television network.

21. A pay television gaming system according to claim 1 and wherein said subscriber units further comprise:

processor for processing subscriber CATV and gaming accounting data and selections; and

memory for storing at least one of accounting data and subscriber selections.

23. A pay television gaming system according to claim 1 wherein said separate accounting identification codes comprise at least one of separate credit identification codes, separate debit identification codes and separate balance identification codes.

24. A pay television gaming system according to claim 1 and wherein at least part of said multiplicity of subscriber units comprise a transmitter for transmitting said separate accounting identification codes for pay television and for gaming to an accounting facility for settling gaming debts and winnings via the pay television network.

2. A television gaming system comprising:

a television network;

a multiplicity of subscriber units each including a television;

communications apparatus for receiving gaming inputs from the multiplicity of subscriber units;

accounting apparatus for maintaining separate accounts for television and for gaming, the accounting apparatus including apparatus for employing separate accounting identification codes for television and for gaming; and

transmitting apparatus for transmitting to the multiplicity of subscriber units information relating to gaming results and said separate accounting identification codes for television and for gaming for settling at least one of gaming debts and gaming winnings via the communications apparatus.

3. A pay television shopping system comprising:

a pay television network including a central control station and a multiplicity of subscriber units each including a television;

apparatus for transmitting via the pay television network to the multiplicity of subscriber units information relating to shopping opportunities and separate accounting identification codes for pay television and for shopping for settling at least one of shopping debts and shopping credits via the pay television network;

receiving apparatus for receiving shopping inputs from the multiplicity of subscriber units; and

accounting apparatus for maintaining separate accounts for pay television and for shopping, the accounting apparatus including apparatus for employing said separate accounting identification codes for pay television and for shopping.

12. A system according to claim 3 wherein said apparatus for transmitting includes a transmitter for transmission of separate identification codes for at least one of credit, debit and balance.

25. A pay television gaming system according to claim 3 and wherein at least part of said multiplicity of subscriber units comprise a transmitter for transmitting said separate accounting identification codes for pay television and for shopping to an accounting facility for settling shopping debts and credits via said pay television network.

4. A pay television gaming system comprising:

a pay television network having a central control station and a multiplicity of subscriber units each including a television;

receiving apparatus for receiving gaming inputs from the multiplicity of subscriber units;

accounting apparatus for maintaining separate accounts for pay television and for gaming, the accounting apparatus including apparatus for employing separate accounting identification codes for pay television and for gaming; and

transmitting apparatus for transmitting live to the multiplicity of subscriber units information relating to gaming results and said separate accounting identification codes for pay television and for gaming for settling at least one of gaming debts and gaming winnings via the pay television network.

5. A pay television gaming method including the steps of:

providing a pay television network having a central control station and a multiplicity of subscriber units each including a television;

receiving gaming inputs from the multiplicity of subscriber units;

maintaining separate accounts for pay television and for gaming, including employing separate accounting identification codes for pay television and for gaming;

transmitting to the multiplicity of subscriber units information relating to gaming results and said separate accounting identification codes for pay television and for gaming; and

settling gaming debts and winnings via the pay television network by employing said separate accounting identification codes.

9. A method according to claim 5 and being operable without requiring any voice interaction between the subscriber and an operator.

10. A pay television gaming method according to claim 5 and further comprising the steps of:

providing a menu of available statistical data relating to previous games and to participants in games; and

receiving from subscribers selections of desired statistical data.

11. A method according to claim 5 and wherein gaming programs may be received by the subscribers from a source other than a television network, such as a computer or video cassette.

13. A method according to claim 5 and wherein said settling step comprises transmission of profit distribution codes which direct credit to a credit maintaining facility.

14. A pay television gaming method according to claim 5 and wherein said providing step also comprises the step of providing information to said multiplicity of subscriber units which continuously indicates the time remaining for gambling in a game.

15. A pay television gaming method according to claim 5 and wherein said receiving step includes communication of gambling selections to a gaming management facility along communication facilities by employing communication identification codes which initiate communication at preselected times.

16. A pay television gaming method according to claim 15 and wherein said communication identification codes are selected by a user and are associated with differing tariff rates.

17. A pay television gaming method according to claim 5 and also comprising the steps of:

providing a menu of available gaming suppliers; and

receiving from subscribers selections of desired gaming suppliers.

18. A pay television gaming method according to claim 17 wherein said selections of gaming suppliers are obtained by employing supplier identification codes which are used to distinguish between different suppliers.

19. A pay television gaming method according to claim 5 and also comprising the steps of:

providing a menu of available payment options; and

receiving from subscribers selections of desired payment options.

20. A pay television gaming method according to claim 19 wherein said selections of payment options are obtained by employing payment option identification codes which are used to distinguish between at least one of different options of payment and different tariffs.

22. A pay television gaming system according to claim 19 wherein said memory further comprise a smart card.

6. A television gaming method including the steps of:

providing a television network having a central control station and a multiplicity of subscriber units each including a television;

receiving gaming inputs from the multiplicity of subscriber units;

maintaining separate accounts for television and for gaming, including employing separate accounting identification codes for television and for gaming;

transmitting to the multiplicity of subscriber units information relating to gaming results and said separate accounting identification codes for television and for gaming; and

settling gaming debts and winnings via communications apparatus by employing said separate accounting identification codes.

7. A pay television shopping method including the steps of:

providing a pay television network including a central control station and a multiplicity of subscriber units each including a television;

providing via the pay television network to the multiplicity of subscriber units information relating to shopping opportunities and separate accounting identification codes for pay television and for shopping;

receiving shopping inputs from the multiplicity of subscriber units;

maintaining separate accounts for pay television and for shopping, including employing said separate accounting identification codes for pay television and for shopping; and

settling at least one of shopping debts and shopping credits via the pay television network by employing said separate accounting identification codes.

8. A pay television gaming method including the steps of:

providing a pay television network having a central control station and a multiplicity of subscriber units each including a television;

receiving gaming inputs from the multiplicity of subscriber units;

maintaining separate accounts for pay television and for gaming, including employing separate accounting identification codes for pay television and for gaming;

transmitting live to the multiplicity of subscriber units via said pay television network information relating to gaming results and said separate accounting identification codes for pay television and for gaming; and

settling gaming debts and winnings via the pay television network by employing said separate accounting identification codes for pay television and for gaming transmitted to said subscriber units.