Method and apparatus for interaction with broadcast content based upon position

• US 6,801,779 B1
• Filed: 03/21/2001
• Issued: 10/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Liebenow, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, CONGVAN
• Application Number:
  US09/813,578
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456, 455/405, 455/414, 455/99, 455/456.1, 455/67.11, 455/457, 455/515, 455/115.1, 455/115.2, 455/115.3, 342/357.01, 342/357.02, 342/357.06, 342/357.07, 342/357.08, 342/357.09, 342/357.1, 342/357.11, 342/357.12, 342/357.13, 342/357.14, 342/357.15
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/26 Arrangements for switching distribution systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/64 for providing detail information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a system and method of interacting with broadcast content based upon position. By providing a method and apparatus suitable for interacting with broadcast content based upon position, a user has a dynamic and flexible way of interacting with broadcast content. A method for determining availability of broadcast content to a broadcast content receiver may include determining position of a broadcast content receiver. The broadcast content receiver is suitable for obtaining broadcast content. A broadcast data is queried by the broadcast content receiver for broadcast transmittal data corresponding to the determined position of the broadcast content receiver. The broadcast database includes broadcast transmittal data including broadcast content access data suitable for enabling the broadcast content receiver to access broadcast content and broadcast location data suitable for enabling the broadcast content receiver to determine location accessibility of the broadcast content from a broadcast transmitter.

Claims

1. A method for determining availability of broadcast content to a broadcast content receiver, comprising:

determining a position of a broadcast content receiver, the broadcast content receiver suitable for obtaining broadcast content;

querying a broadcast database accessible by the broadcast content receiver for broadcast transmittal data corresponding to the determined position of the broadcast content receiver, the broadcast database including broadcast transmittal data including broadcast content access data suitable for enabling the broadcast content receiver to access broadcast content and broadcast location data suitable for enabling the broadcast content receiver to determine location accessibility of the broadcast content from a broadcast transmitter; and

wherein the broadcast content receiver is a television receiver.

2. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising accessing a broadcast transmitter by a broadcast content receiver based upon the broadcast transmittal data to receive broadcast content.

3. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the broadcast content receiver is at a first location, the broadcast content receiver accesses a first broadcast transmitter and wherein the broadcast content receiver is moved to a second location, the broadcast content receiver accesses a second broadcast transmitter.

4. The method as described in claim 3, wherein the broadcast content receiver is at the second location, the first broadcast transmitter is inaccessible to the broadcast content receiver.

5. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the broadcast content receiver accesses a first broadcast transmitter, when the first broadcast transmitter is inaccessible to the broadcast content receiver, querying the broadcast database for a second broadcast transmitter.

6. The method as described in claim 5, wherein the second broadcast transmitter is queried based upon at least one of content characteristic data and usage data of the broadcast content receiver.

7. The method as described in claim 1, wherein determining location of the broadcast content receiver includes utilizing a global positioning system.

8. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the broadcast database further includes content characteristic data of content broadcast by a broadcast transmitter.

9. The method as described in claim 1, where in the content characteristic data includes at least one of content type, style and available item of content.

10. The method as described in claim 1, wherein content is not accessible by a broadcast content receiver from a broadcast transmitter, accessing a network to obtain content.

11. The method as described in claim 10, wherein an item of content accessible by a broadcast content receiver when at a first location is no longer accessible to the content receiver when at a second location and the item of content is not available to the content receiver from a broadcast transmitter, a network is accessed by the broadcast content receiver to obtain the item of content.

12. The method as described in claim 11, wherein the item of content obtained from the network is output by the broadcast content receiver at a temporal portion of the item of content corresponding to a temporal portion of the item of content as received from the broadcast content receiver at the first location.

13. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising setting a preset corresponding to the broadcast content access data.

14. A method for determining availability of broadcast content to a broadcast content receiver, comprising:

determining a position of a broadcast content receiver, the broadcast content receiver suitable for obtaining broadcast content;

querying a broadcast database accessible by the broadcast content receiver for broadcast transmittal data corresponding to the determined position of the broadcast content receiver, the broadcast database including broadcast transmittal data including broadcast content access data suitable for enabling the broadcast content receiver to access broadcast content and broadcast location data suitable for enabling the broadcast content receiver to determine location accessibility of the broadcast content from a broadcast transmitter; and

wherein the broadcast database is accessible to the broadcast content receiver by at least one of being stored locally to the broadcast content receiver and accessible over a network.

15. The method as described in claim 14, wherein the network includes a wireless network.

16. A method for determining availability of broadcast content to a broadcast content receiver, comprising:

determining a position of a broadcast content receiver, the broadcast content receiver suitable for obtaining broadcast content;

querying a broadcast database accessible by the broadcast content receiver for broadcast transmittal data corresponding to the determined position of the broadcast content receiver, the broadcast database including broadcast transmittal data including broadcast content access data suitable for enabling the broadcast content receiver to access broadcast content and broadcast location data suitable for enabling the broadcast content receiver to determine location accessibility of the broadcast content from a broadcast transmitter;

storing usage data of the broadcast content receiver, the usage data suitable for identifying at least one broadcast transmitter accessed by the broadcast content receiver and at least one location of the broadcast content receiver when accessing the broadcast transmitter; and

wherein the broadcast content receiver is a television receiver.

17. The method as described in claim 16, wherein the broadcast content receiver utilizes the stored usage data to access the broadcast transmitter indicated by the storage usage data when the broadcast content receiver is at least one of generally located at the location indicated by the stored usage data and able to access the broadcast transmitter as indicated by location data.

18. A broadcast content receiver suitable for receiving broadcast content based upon position, comprising:

a position determiner, the position determiner suitable for determining position of the broadcast content receiver;

a broadcast content accessor, the broadcast content accessor suitable for accessing content from a broadcast transmitter;

a processor suitable for performing a program of instructions coupled to the position determiner and the broadcast content accessor, wherein the program of instruction configures the broadcast content receiver to query a broadcast database accessible to the processor, the broadcast database including broadcast transmittal data including broadcast content access data suitable for enabling the broadcast content accessor to access a broadcast transmitter and broadcast location data suitable for enabling the processor to determine location accessibility of broadcast content from a broadcast transmitter; and

wherein the broadcast content receiver is a television receiver.

19. The broadcast content receiver as described in claim 18, wherein the broadcast content accessor accesses a broadcast transmitter based upon the broadcast transmittal data to receive broadcast content.

20. The broadcast content receiver as described in claim 18, wherein the broadcast content receiver is at a first location the broadcast accessor accesses a first broadcast transmitter and wherein the broadcast content receiver is at a second location the broadcast accessor accesses a second broadcast transmitter.

21. The broadcast content receiver as described in claim 20, wherein the broadcast content receiver is at the second location, the first broadcast transmitter is inaccessible to the broadcast content receiver.

22. The broadcast content receiver as described in claim 18, wherein the broadcast content accessor accesses a first broadcast transmitter, when the first broadcast transmitter is inaccessible to the broadcast content receiver, the processor queries the broadcast database for a second broadcast transmitter.

23. The broadcast content receiver as described in claim 22, wherein the second broadcast transmitter is queried based upon at least one of content characteristic data and usage data of the broadcast content receiver.

24. The broadcast content receiver as described in claim 18, wherein the position determiner is a global positioning system.

25. The broadcast content receiver as described in claim 18, wherein the broadcast database further includes content characteristic data of content broadcast by a broadcast transmitter.

26. The broadcast content receiver as described in claim 25, wherein the content characteristic data includes at least one of content type, style and available item of content.

27. The broadcast content receiver as described in claim 18, wherein content is not accessible by a broadcast content accessor from a broadcast transmitter, accessing a network to obtain content.

28. The broadcast content receiver as described in claim 27, wherein an item of content accessible by a broadcast content accessor when at a first location is no longer accessible to the content receiver when at a second location and the item of content is not available to the content receiver from a broadcast transmitter, a network is accessed by the broadcast content receiver to obtain the item of content.

29. The broadcast content receiver as described in claim 28, wherein the item of content obtained from the network is output at a temporal portion of the item of content corresponding to a temporal portion of the item of content as received from the broadcast content receiver at the first location.

30. The broadcast content receiver as described in claim 18, wherein a preset is set based on the broadcast transmittal data, the preset suitable for enabling a broadcast content accessor to access a broadcast transmitter based upon the broadcast content access data.

31. A broadcast content receiver suitable for receiving broadcast content based upon position, comprising:

a position determiner, the position determiner suitable for determining position of the broadcast content receiver;

a broadcast content accessor, the broadcast content accessor suitable for accessing content from a broadcast transmitter;

a processor suitable for performing a program of instructions coupled to the position determiner and the broadcast content accessor, wherein the program of instruction configures the broadcast content receiver to query a broadcast database accessible to the processor, the broadcast database including broadcast transmittal data including broadcast content access data suitable for enabling the broadcast content accessor to access a broadcast transmitter and broadcast location data suitable for enabling the processor to determine location accessibility of broadcast content from a broadcast transmitter; and

wherein the broadcast database is accessible to the processor by at least one of stored locally and accessible over a network.

32. The broadcast content receiver as described in claim 31, wherein the network includes a wireless network.

33. A broadcast content receiver suitable for receiving broadcast content based upon position, comprising:

a position determiner, the position determiner suitable for determining position of the broadcast content receiver;

a broadcast content accessor, the broadcast content accessor suitable for accessing content from a broadcast transmitter;

a processor suitable for performing a program of instructions coupled to the position determiner and the broadcast content accessor, wherein the program of instruction configures the broadcast content receiver to query a broadcast database accessible to the processor, the broadcast database including broadcast transmittal data including broadcast content access data suitable for enabling the broadcast content accessor to access a broadcast transmitter and broadcast location data suitable for enabling the processor to determine location accessibility of broadcast content from a broadcast transmitter;

storage suitable for storing usage data of the broadcast content receiver, the usage data suitable for identifying at least one broadcast transmitter accessed by the broadcast content receiver and at least one location of the broadcast content receiver when accessing the broadcast transmitter; and

wherein the broadcast content receiver is a television receiver.

34. The broadcast content receiver as described in claim 33, wherein the processor utilizes the stored usage data to instruct the broadcast content accessor to access the broadcast transmitter indicated by the stored usage data when the broadcast content receiver is at least one of generally located at the location indicated by the stored usage data an able to access the broadcast transmitter as indicated by location data as indicated by the position determiner.

35. A broadcast content receiver suitable for receiving broadcast content based upon position, comprising:

means for determining a position, the position determining means suitable for determining position of the broadcast content receiver;

means for accessing broadcast content, the broadcast content accessing means suitable for accessing content from a broadcast transmitter;

wherein a broadcast database is queried, the broadcast database including broadcast transmittal data including broadcast content access data suitable for enabling the broadcast content accessing means to access a broadcast transmitter and broadcast location data suitable for determining location accessibility of broadcast content from a broadcast transmitter; and

wherein the broadcast content receiver is a television receiver.

36. The broadcast content receiver as described in claim 35, wherein the broadcast content receiver accesses a first broadcast transmitter, when the broadcast content receiver is inaccessible to the broadcast content receiver, querying the broadcast database for a second broadcast transmitter.

37. The broadcast content receiver as described in claim 36, wherein the second broadcast transmitter is queried based upon at least one of content characteristic data and usage data of the broadcast content receiver.

38. The broadcast content receiver as described in claim 35, further comprising means for storing usage data of the broadcast content receiver, the usage data suitable for identifying at least one broadcast transmitter accessed by the broadcast content receiver and at least one location of the broadcast content receiver when accessing the broadcast transmitter.

39. The broadcast content receiver as described in claim 38, wherein the broadcast content receiver utilizes the stored usage data to access the broadcast transmitter indicated by the storage usage data when the broadcast content receiver is at least one of generally located at the location indicated by the stored usage data and able to access the broadcast transmitter as indicated by location data.

40. The broadcast content receiver as described in claim 35, wherein the broadcast database further includes content characteristic data of content broadcast by a broadcast transmitter.

41. The broadcast content receiver as described in claim 35, where in the content characteristic data includes at least one of content type, style and available item of content.

42. The broadcast content receiver as described in claim 35, wherein a preset is set based on the broadcast transmittal data, the preset suitable for enabling a broadcast content accessor to access a broadcast transmitter based upon the broadcast content access data.

43. A broadcast content receiver suitable for receiving broadcast content based upon position, comprising:

means for determining a position, the position determining means suitable for determining position of the broadcast content receiver;

means for accessing broadcast content, the broadcast content accessing means suitable for accessing content from a broadcast transmitter;

wherein a broadcast database is queried, the broadcast database including broadcast transmittal data including broadcast content access data suitable for enabling the broadcast content accessing means to access a broadcast transmitter and broadcast location data suitable for determining location accessibility of broadcast content from a broadcast transmitter; and

wherein the broadcast database is accessible to the processor by at least one of stored locally and accessible over a network.

44. The broadcast content receiver as described in claim 43, wherein the network includes a wireless network.