System and method for providing service of sending real time electronic information to selected individual viewers of transmitted video or computerized signals

• US 6,301,619 B1
• Filed: 03/02/1999
• Issued: 10/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lone Star Targeted Advertising, LLC (Bradley David Liddle)
• Original Assignee: Oplus Technologies Ltd. (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Segman, Yosef
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr., William C.
• Application Number:
  US09/260,035
• Time in Patent Office: 952 Days
• Field of Search: 709/231, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/206, 345/327, 345/328, 348/7, 348/10, 348/12, 348/13, 348/468, 710/163, 705/26, 705/27, 705/10, 725/2, 725/9, 725/20, 725/106, 725/91, 725/105, 725/110, 725/112, 725/115, 725/46
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• 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

Abstract

A system and method for providing service of sending real time electronic information to selected individual viewers of transmitted video or computerized signals. The system of individual features five main areas of components: (1) viewer, (2) viewer display device such as a television, including an electronic device featuring signal recognition and signal decoding capabilities critical to implementation of the system, (3) service center, (4) providers of video or computerized signals, and (5) sender. The method for implementing the system of the invention features five principle steps: (1) initialization of system, (2) activation of system by sender of electronic information, (3) viewer reception, recognition and decoding of a transmitted compound video or computerized signal, featuring (i) the regularly transmitted video or computerized signal, (ii) subset viewer attribute information, (iii) encoded sender requested electronic information, and (iv) formatting of sender requested electronic information, (4) display of sender requested electronic information, formatted in a subwindow of display device of viewer television and (5) viewer response, in real time, back to provider, according to a fully interactive information system. This invention gives providers or senders of electronic information to effectively target, monitor, record, and service selected individual viewers of video or computerized signals, during real time, whereby such a system and method are based on obtaining results with high accuracy, and which are cost effective to implement.

Claims

1. A system for a sender sending real time electronic information to a viewer of transmitted video signals, the system comprising:

(a) viewer attribute information related to the viewer;

(b) an electronic device included with and in communication with a television belonging to the viewer for receiving and storing said viewer attribute information input into said electronic device by the viewer;

(c) sender requested electronic information of the sender to be transmitted by request of the sender to the viewer, said sender requested electronic information of the sender is included with a non-viewer provided subset of said viewer attribute information related to the viewer;

(d) a service center for communicating to a television station provider of the transmitted video signals encoding instructions to form encoded sender requested electronic information of the sender, said television provider of the transmitted video signals transmits a compound video signal including said non-viewer provided subset of viewer attribute information and said encoded sender requested electronic information of the sender to said electronic device included with and in communication with said television belonging to the viewer, said electronic device makes a decision selected from the group consisting of accepting said encoded sender requested electronic information of the sender and not accepting said encoded sender requested electronic information of the sender, said decision of accepting said encoded sender requested electronic information is made by recognizing said non-viewer provided sheet subset of said viewer attribute information, and said electronic device decodes said encoded sender requested electronic information of the sender to form decoded sender requested electronic information of the sender; and

(e) a subwindow within said television of the viewer for displaying said decoded sender requested electronic information of the sender to the viewer.

2. The system claim 1, wherein said electronic device included with and in communication with said television belonging to the viewer includes a central processing unit, a memory unit, and a software package.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said viewer attribute information is selected from the group consisting of name of the viewer, location of the viewer, identification number of said television belonging to the viewer, identification number of said electronic device included with and in communication with said television belonging to viewer, activities, lifestyle, likes, dislikes, habits, hobbies, interests, pleasures, requests, and specific needs of the viewer.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said electronic device included with and in communication with said television belonging to the viewer is used to format said decoded sender requested electronic information of the sender for display in said subwindow within said television belonging to the viewer.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said television station provider of the transmitted video signals for transmitting said encoded sender requested electronic information of the sender to said electronic device included with and in communication with said television belonging to the viewer also performs functions of an internet service provider.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein physical location of said electronic device included with and in communication with said television belonging to viewer is selected from the group consisting of inside said television belonging to the viewer and outside of said television belonging to the viewer.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the sender of said sender requested electronic information represents a plurality of senders of said sender requested electronic information viewer.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said service center also performs functions of said television station provider of the transmitted video signals for transmitting said encoded sender requested electronic information of the sender to said electronic device included with and in communication with said television belonging to the viewer.

9. A method for a sender sending real time electronic information to a viewer of transmitted video signals, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing viewer attribute information related to the viewer;

(b) receiving and storing said viewer attribute information by an electronic device included with an in communication with a television belonging to the viewer, said viewer attribute information input into said electronic device by the viewer;

(c) providing sender requested electronic information of the sender to be transmitted by request of the sender to the viewer, said sender requested electronic information of the sender is included with a non-viewer provided subset of said viewer attribute information related to the viewer;

(d) providing a service center for communicating to a television station provider of the transmitted video signals encoding instructions to form encoded sender requested electronic information of the sender;

(e) transmitting a compound video signal including said non-viewer provided subset of viewer attribute information and said encoded sender requested electronic information of the sender by said television station provider of the transmitted video signals to said electronic device included with and in communication with said television belonging to the viewer;

(f) making a decision selected from the group consisting of accepting said encoded sender requested electronic information of the sender and not accepting said encoded sender requested electronic information of the sender by said electronic device included with and in communication with said television belonging to the viewer, whereby said decision by said electronic device accepting said encoded sender requested electronic information the sender is made by recognizing said non-viewer provided subset of said viewer attribute information;

(g) decoding said encoded sender requested electronic information of the sender by said electronic device included with and in communication with said television belonging to the viewer to form decoded sender requested electronic information of the sender;

(h) formatting said decoded sender requested electronic information of the sender by said electronic device included with and in communication with said television belonging to the viewer to form formatted decoded sender requested electronic information of the sender;

(i) opening up of a subwindow within said television belonging to the viewer; and

(j) displaying said formatted decoder sender requested electronic information of the sender within said subwindow within said television belonging to the viewer.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein physical location of said electronic device included with and in communication with said television belonging to the viewer is selected from the group consisting of inside said television belonging to the viewer and outside of said television belonging to the viewer.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said service center also performs functions of said television station provider of the transmitted video signals for transmitting said encoded sender requested electronic information of the sender to said electronic device included with and in communication with said television belonging to the viewer.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said viewer attribute information is selected from the group consisting of name of viewer, location of the viewer, identification number of said television belonging to the viewer, identification number of said electronic device included with and in communication with said television belonging to the viewer, activities, lifestyle, likes, dislikes, habits, hobbies, interests, pleasures, requests, and specific needs of the viewer.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the sender of said sender requested electronic information represents a plurality of senders and sender requested electronic information to the viewer.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein said electronic device included with and in communication with said television belonging to the viewer includes a central processing unit, a memory unit, and a software package.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein said television station provider of the transmitted video signal for transmitting said encoded sender requested electronic information of the sender to said electronic device included with and in communication with said television belonging to the viewer also performs functions of an internet service provider.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the viewer of said sender requested electronic information of the sender replies back to said television station provider of the transmitted video signals.