Wireless interactive transaction system

• US 6,937,870 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2001
• Issued: 08/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gula Consulting Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Douglas C. Fleming, Elliott H. Drucker, Martin Zivin
• Inventors: Zivin, Martin, Fleming, Douglas C., Drucker, Elliott H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moise, Emmanuel L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEREZ, JULIO R
• Application Number:
  US09/970,614
• Publication Number:
  US 20030069006A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,426 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/456, 455/456.1, 455/2.01, 455/3.02, 455/3.04, 455/462, 455/415, 455/566, 455/553, 455/418, 455/419, 455/550.1, 455/3.05, 455/3.06, 455/414.1, 455/11.1, 455/66.1, 455/67.11, 455/65.1, 455/569.1, 725/9, 725/24
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/31 using in-band signals, e.g. subsonic or cue signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/91 Mobile communication networks for accessing the Internet H04H60/85
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5322 for recording text messages

Abstract

A method and system for enabling automatic or semi-automatic interactive responses to electronic queries using audio-band coded data as the query medium and wireless data communications as the response medium. Typical applications include interactive broadcast advertising in which a coded data query is embedded in a broadcast audio channel and reproduced as an acoustic audio signal in a broadcast receiver. This acoustic signal is then detected by the microphone of a wireless telephone and decoded and processed by the electronic circuitry of said wireless telephone. Upon a pre-determined further action by the user, the decoded and processed query data causes the wireless telephone to transmit a pre-determined message. The pre-determined message includes information which instructs the serving wireless network to properly route the message so that it effectively provides a response to the original query.

Claims

1. A method for performing a wireless interactive transaction using a wireless telephone handset comprising the steps of:

forming a digitally coded query signal which is separate from an audio-band content to be broadcast;

converting said digitally coded query signal into an audio-band query signal;

injecting said audio-band query signal into said audio-band content to produce a combined audio-band signal;

transmitting said combined audio-band signal on an audio channel;

receiving said combined audio-band signal from said audio channel by a device which is separate from the wireless telephone handset;

conveying said received combined audio-band signal from said separate device to said wireless telephone handset;

processing said combined audio-band signal conveyed from said separate device at the wireless telephone handset to reproduce the digitally coded query signal and to decode instructions coded therein when forming said digitally coded query signal; and

controlling said wireless telephone handset to respond to said decoded instructions.

2. The method for performing a wireless interactive transaction according to claim 1, wherein said decoded instructions include a response telephone number and said step of controlling controls said wireless telephone handset to initiate a telephone call to said response telephone number.

3. The method for performing a wireless interactive transaction according to claim 1, wherein said step of controlling controls said wireless telephone handset to respond to said decoded instructions after a predetermined action by a user.

4. The method for performing a wireless interactive transaction according to claim 3, wherein said decoded instructions include user instructions, and said step of controlling controls said wireless telephone handset to display said user instructions and to respond to said decoded instructions when said user responds to said displayed user instructions.

5. The method for performing a wireless interactive transaction according to claim 1, wherein an alerting signal is produced when said combined audio-band signal is conveyed to said wireless telephone handset.

6. The method for performing a wireless interactive transaction according to claim 1, wherein said decoded instructions include instructions to send a pre-determined digital message to a particular destination and said step of controlling controls said wireless telephone handset to send said digital message.

7. The method for performing a wireless interactive transaction according to claim 1, wherein said conveying of said combined audio-band signal to said wireless telephone handset is comprised of the steps of:

producing an acoustic query signal from said received combined audio-band signal; and

detecting and converting to an audio-band signal said acoustic query signal by said wireless telephone handset.

8. The method for performing a wireless interactive transaction according to claim 1, wherein said conveying of said combined audio-band signal to said wireless telephone handset is by an electronic connection.

9. A method for performing a wireless interactive transaction using a wireless telephone handset comprising the steps of:

forming a digitally coded query signal of predetermined length and format and converting said digitally coded query signal into an audio-band query signal by an electronic device;

conveying said audio-band query signal to said wireless telephone handset;

processing said audio-band query signal to decode instructions coded in the digitally coded query signal when forming said digitally coded query signal; and

controlling said wireless telephone handset to respond to said decoded instructions.

10. The method for performing a wireless interactive transaction according to claim 9, wherein said decoded instructions include a response telephone number and said step of controlling controls said wireless telephone handset to initiate a telephone call to said response telephone number.

11. The method for performing a wireless interactive transaction according to claim 9, wherein said step of controlling controls said wireless telephone handset to respond to said decoded instructions after a predetermined action by a user.

12. The method for performing a wireless interactive transaction according to claim 11, wherein said decoded instructions include user instructions, and said step of controlling controls said wireless telephone handset to display said user instructions and to respond to said decoded instructions when said user responds to said displayed user instructions.

13. The method for performing a wireless interactive transaction according to claim 9, wherein an alerting signal is produced when said audio-band query signal is conveyed to said wireless telephone handset.

14. The method for performing a wireless interactive transaction according to claim 9, wherein said decoded instructions include instructions to send a pre-determined digital message to a particular destination and said step of controlling controls said wireless telephone handset to send said digital message.

15. The method for performing a wireless interactive transaction according to claim 9, wherein said conveying of said audio-band query signal to said wireless telephone handset is comprised of the steps of:

producing an acoustic query signal from said audio-band query signal; and

detecting and converting to an audio-band signal said acoustic query signal by said wireless telephone handset.

16. The method for performing a wireless interactive transaction according to claim 9, wherein said conveying of said audio-band query signal to said wireless telephone handset is by an electronic connection.

17. A system for performing a wireless interactive transaction using a wireless telephone handset, comprising:

an interface for forming a digitally coded query signal which is separate from an audio-band content to be broadcast and converting said digitally coded query signal into an audio-band query signal;

a subsystem for injecting said audio-band query signal into said audio-band content to produce a combined audio-band signal;

a transmitter for transmitting said combined audio-band signal on an audio channel;

a receiver for receiving said combined audio-band signal from said audio channel by a device which is separate from the wireless telephone handset;

a device for conveying said received combined audio-band signal from said separate device to said wireless telephone handset; and

a microcomputer included in said wireless telephone handset for processing said combined audio-band signal conveyed from said separate device to reproduce the digitally coded query signal and to decode instructions coded therein when forming said digitally coded query signal and for controlling said wireless telephone handset to respond to said decoded instructions.

18. The system for performing a wireless interactive transaction according to claim 17, wherein said decoded instructions include a response telephone number and said microcomputer controls said wireless telephone handset to initiate a telephone call to said response telephone number.

19. The system for performing a wireless interactive transaction according to claim 17, wherein said microcomputer controls said wireless telephone handset to respond to said decoded instructions after a predetermined action by a user.

20. The system for performing a wireless interactive transaction according to claim 19, wherein said decoded instructions include user instructions, and said microcomputer controls said wireless telephone handset to display said user instructions and to respond to said decoded instructions when said user responds to said displayed user instructions.

21. The system for performing a wireless interactive transaction according to claim 17, wherein an alerting signal is produced when said combined audio-band query signal is conveyed to said wireless telephone handset.

22. The system for performing a wireless interactive transaction according to claim 17, wherein said decoded instructions include instructions to send a pre-determined digital message to a particular destination and said microcomputer controls said wireless telephone handset to send said digital message.

23. The system for performing a wireless interactive transaction according to claim 17, wherein said device for conveying said combined audio-band query signal to said wireless telephone handset produces an acoustic query signal from said received combined audio-band query signal, and said wireless telephone handset detects and converts to an audio-band signal said acoustic query signal.

24. The system for performing a wireless interactive transaction according to claim 17, wherein said device for conveying said combined audio-band signal to said wireless telephone handset is an electronic connection.

25. A system for performing a wireless interactive transaction using a wireless telephone handset, comprising:

an interface for forming a digitally coded query signal of predetermined length and format and converting said digitally coded query signal into an audio-band query signal;

a device for conveying said audio-band query signal to said wireless telephone handset; and

a microcomputer included in said wireless telephone handset for processing said audio-band query signal to decode instructions coded in the digitally coded query signal when forming said digitally coded query signal and for controlling said wireless telephone handset to respond to said decoded instructions.

26. The system for performing a wireless interactive transaction according to claim 25, wherein said decoded instructions include a response telephone number and said microcomputer controls said wireless telephone handset to initiate a telephone call to said response telephone number.

27. The system for performing a wireless interactive transaction according to claim 25, wherein said microcomputer controls said wireless telephone handset to respond to said decoded instructions after a predetermined action by a user.

28. The system for performing a wireless interactive transaction according to claim 27, wherein said decoded instructions include user instructions, and said microcomputer controls said wireless telephone handset to display said user instructions and to respond to said decoded instructions when said user responds to said displayed user instructions.

29. The system for performing a wireless interactive transaction according to claim 25, wherein an alerting signal is produced when said audio-band query signal is conveyed to said wireless telephone handset.

30. The system for performing a wireless interactive transaction according to claim 25, wherein said decoded instructions include instructions to send a pre-determined digital message to a particular destination and said microcomputer controls said wireless telephone handset to send said digital message.

31. The system for performing a wireless interactive transaction according to claim 25, wherein said device for conveying said audio-band query signal to said wireless telephone handset produces an acoustic query signal from said audio-band query signal and said wireless telephone handset detects and converts to an audio-band signal said acoustic query signal.

32. The system for performing a wireless interactive transaction according to claim 25, wherein said device for conveying said audio-band query signal to said wireless telephone handset is an electronic connection.