Method and system for information dissemination using television signals

• US 6,330,334 B1
• Filed: 07/26/2000
• Issued: 12/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Command Audio Corporation
• Inventors: Ryan, John O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory, Bernarr E.
• Application Number:
  US09/625,908
• Time in Patent Office: 503 Days
• Field of Search: 380/237, 380/241, 380/269, 380/270, 380/281, 455/39, 455/42, 455/45, 704/275, 705/35, 705/51
• US Class Current: 380/237
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0071 involving a purchase action
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/102 Programmed access in sequence to addressed parts of tracks of operating record carriers access by moving the head G11B3/08, G11B5/54, G11B7/085, G11B21/022; by moving the record carrier G11B15/005, G11B17/005, by driving of both record carrier and head G11B15/1816
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/40 Arrangements for broadcast specially adapted for accumulation-type receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/23 using cryptography, e.g. encryption, authentication, key distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440236 by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures, audio is converted into text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6112 involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/602 for digital sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/04 Systems for the transmission of one television signal, i.e. both picture and sound, by a single carrier H04N7/084, H04N7/087 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/06 Systems for the simultaneous transmission of one television signal, i.e. both picture and sound, by more than one carrier H04N7/084, H04N7/087 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/081 the additional information signals being transmitted by means of a subcarrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0881 the signal being time-compressed before its insertion and subsequently decompressed at reception
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0882 for the transmission of character code signals, e.g. for teletext circuits for the digital non-picture data signal H04N7/035
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 : Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing

Abstract

A system and method of information dissemination that permits the user to listen to the specific content of information when and where he or she wants to. A radio or television receiver system receives information from an FM subcarrier, a television vertical blanking interval transmission, a television separate audio program transmission or a dedicated channel and stores the transmitted information in a memory. A user interface allows selection from the memory of the stored information via a set of menus controlling a hierarchical database, so as to access particular items of information. Typically the system includes RAM and/or a storage medium such as a digital audio tape,a magneto-optical mini-disk, a magnetic disk or optical disk, sufficient to store information for 10 hours of audio. A decompression device, accepts the accessed compressed digital audio information items which may have been encrypted and transforms them into spoken speech. The user interface is either by voice or a single or multi-position switch allowing scanning through and selection from the menu items. The signal for such a device is generated by converting analog audio signals into a digital audio data stream which may be encrypted. The encrypted digital data stream is compressed and inserted onto the radio or television carrier via an FM Subcarrier, the television vertical interval or the separate audio program channel of a television transmitter. The system is also capable of transmitting alphanumeric data and converting this alphanumeric to a voice form using a speech synthesizer.

Claims

1. A method for receiving and storing audio for subsequent playback, comprising the acts of:

providing a tuner to receive television signals;

receiving the television signals including audio at the tuner, wherein the audio is carried in the vertical blanking interval of the television signals;

storing the received audio in a memory;

associating a designation with the stored audio;

associating a menu selection with the designation;

presenting a menu that includes the menu selection;

using the designation to access the stored audio in response to the menu selection being selected on the menu; and

outputting the accessed audio.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio is digitized.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio is compressed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio is stored as a database.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the menu is included in a set of hierarchical menus.

6. A method for receiving and storing audio for subsequent playback, comprising the acts of:

providing a tuner to receive television signals;

receiving the television signals including audio at the tuner, wherein the audio is carried in an SAP associated with the television signals;

storing the received audio in a memory;

associating a designation with the stored audio;

associating a menu selection with the designation;

presenting a menu that includes the menu selection;

using the designation to access the stored audio in response to the menu selection being selected on the menu; and

outputting the accessed audio.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the audio is digitized.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the audio is compressed.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the audio is stored as a database.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the menu is included in a set of hierarchical menus.

11. A method for receiving and storing audio for subsequent playback, comprising the acts of:

providing a tuner to receive television signals;

receiving the television signals including audio at the tuner, wherein the audio is carried in an FM subcarrier associated with the television signals;

storing the received audio in a memory;

associating a designation with the stored audio;

associating a menu selection with the designation;

presenting a menu that includes the menu selection;

using the designation to access the stored audio in response to the menu selection being selected on the menu; and

outputting the accessed audio.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the audio is digitized.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the audio is compressed.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the audio is stored as a database.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the menu is included in a set of hierarchical menus.

16. A method for receiving and storing audio for subsequent playback, comprising the acts of:

providing a tuner to receive television signals;

receiving the television signals including audio at the tuner;

storing the received audio in a memory, wherein the audio is stored as a database;

associating a designation with the stored audio;

associating a menu selection with the designation;

presenting a menu that includes the menu selection;

using the designation to access the stored audio in response to the menu selection being selected on the menu; and

outputting the accessed audio.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the audio is digitized.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the audio is compressed.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the menu is included in a set of hierarchical menus.

20. A method for receiving and storing audio for subsequent playback, comprising the acts of:

providing a tuner to receive television signals;

receiving the television signals including audio at the tuner, wherein the audio is carried in an audio or video portion of the television signals;

storing the received audio in a memory;

associating a designation with the stored audio;

associating a menu selection with the designation;

presenting a menu that includes the menu selection;

using the designation to access the stored audio in response to the menu selection being selected on the menu; and

outputting the accessed audio.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the audio is digitized.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the audio is compressed.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the audio is stored as a database.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the menu is included in a set of hierarchical menus.

25. A receiver comprising:

a television tuner;

a controller coupled to the television tuner and which provides audio from a signal received at the television tuner, wherein the audio is carried in the vertical blanking interval of television signals received at the tuner;

a memory coupled to the controller and which stores the audio;

a user interface coupled to the controller and which provides a menu; and

an audio output device coupled to the controller and which outputs the stored audio in response to a selection from the menu, wherein the stored audio has a designation associated with the menu.

26. The receiver of claim 25, wherein the audio is digitized.

27. The receiver of claim 25, wherein the audio is compressed.

28. The receiver of claim 25, wherein the audio is stored as a database.

29. The receiver of claim 25, wherein the menu is included in a set of hierarchical menus.

30. A receiver comprising:

a television tuner;

a controller coupled to the television tuner and which provides audio from a signal received at the television tuner, wherein the audio is carried in an SAP associated with television signals received at the tuner;

a memory coupled to the controller and which stores the audio;

a user interface coupled to the controller and which provides a menu; and

an audio output device coupled to the controller and which outputs the stored audio in response to a selection from the menu, wherein the stored audio has a designation associated with the menu.

31. The receiver of claim 30, wherein the audio is digitized.

32. The receiver of claim 30, wherein the audio is compressed.

33. The receiver of claim 30, wherein the audio is stored as a database.

34. The receiver of claim 30, wherein the menu is included in a set of hierarchical menus.

35. A receiver comprising:

a television tuner;

a controller coupled to the television tuner and which provides audio from a signal received at the television tuner, wherein the audio is carried in an FM subcarrier associated with television signals received at the tuner;

a memory coupled to the controller and which stores the audio;

a user interface coupled to the controller and which provides a menu; and

an audio output device coupled to the controller and which outputs the stored audio in response to a selection from the menu, wherein the stored audio has a designation associated with the menu.

36. The receiver of claim 35, wherein the audio is digitized.

37. The receiver of claim 35, wherein the audio is compressed.

38. The receiver of claim 35, wherein the audio is stored as a database.

39. The receiver of claim 35, wherein the menu is included in a set of hierarchical menus.

40. A receiver comprising:

a television tuner;

a controller coupled to the television tuner and which provides audio from a signal received at the television tuner;

a memory coupled to the controller and which stores the audio, wherein the audio is stored as a database;

a user interface coupled to the controller and which provides a menu; and

an audio output device coupled to the controller and which outputs the stored audio in response to a selection from the menu, wherein the stored audio has a designation associated with the menu.

41. The receiver of claim 40, wherein the audio is digitized.

42. The receiver of claim 40, wherein the audio is compressed.

43. The receiver of claim 40, wherein the menu is included in a set of hierarchical menus.

44. A receiver comprising:

a television tuner;

a controller coupled to the television tuner and which provides audio from a signal received at the television tuner, wherein the audio is carried in an audio or video portion of television signals received at the tuner;

a memory coupled to the controller and which stores the audio;

a user interface coupled to the controller and which provides a menu; and

an audio output device coupled to the controller and which outputs the stored audio in response to a selection from the menu, wherein the stored audio has a designation associated with the menu.

45. The receiver of claim 44, wherein the audio is digitized.

46. The receiver of claim 44, wherein the audio is compressed.

47. The receiver of claim 44, wherein the audio is stored as a database.

48. The receiver of claim 44, wherein the menu is included in a set of hierarchical menus.