Information distribution and processing system

• US 7,840,176 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2006
• Issued: 11/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Online News Link LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Email Link Corporation (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Inventors: Chan, Hark C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cumming; William D
• Application Number:
  US11/644,492
• Publication Number:
  US 20070107031A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,432 Days
• Field of Search: 455/3.01, 370/328, 370/338, 340/7.29, 709/206, 709/219, 725/38, 725/66, 725/110, 725/105
• US Class Current: 455/3.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• 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 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An information distribution and processing system contains a sender and a plurality of processing units. The sender delivers a set of digital data, without receiving a request signal, to the plurality of processor units. The set of digital data contains a first set of displayable data, a second set of displayable data, at least one non-displayable symbol, and at least one linking reference associated with the second set of displayable data. If desired, a user can select the second set of displayable data. The associated linking reference is sent to a database. The database contains additional information. The associated linking reference is used by the data to search for the additional information, and returns the requested information to the user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sending an electronic mail from a computer to a receiving device in a remote site, the electronic mail comprising a first set of digital data displayable on a display and a second set of digital data not shown in the electronic mail, the first set of digital data including a first set of displayable data and a second set of displayable data, the second set of digital data including a first set of characters contiguous to the second set of displayable data, the second set of digital data comprising at least one link associated with at least a portion of the second set of displayable data and a second set of characters contiguous to the at least one link and designating a presence of the at least one link, the first and second sets of characters recognizable by a processor of the receiving device and not shown in the electronic mail;

receiving at least a portion of the at least one link from the receiving device by a data storage device away from the remote site, the data storage device storing a third set of digital data; and

retrieving, after the receiving at least a portion of the at least one link from the receiving device, at least a portion of the third set of digital data stored in the data storage device and delivering the at least a portion of the third set of digital data to the receiving device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising encrypting at least one of the first set of digital data and the third set of digital data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving data by the computer from the receiving device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising periodically updating the third set of digital data.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising formatting the at least a portion of the second set of displayable data associated with the at least one link to have a first format and formatting the first set of displayable data to have a second format different than the first format.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting to the receiving device the at least a portion of the third set of digital data retrieved from the data storage device with at least another link associated with a fourth set of digital data.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising formatting the at least a portion of the third set of digital data associated with the at least another link to have a first format and formatting the first set of displayable data to have a second format different than the first format.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising embedding the at least one link in the first set of digital data.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising wirelessly sending the electronic mail from the computer to the receiving device.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving at least a portion of the at least one link from the receiving device includes receiving the at least a portion of the at least one link by a database.

10. A method comprising:

sending an electronic mail from a computer to a receiving device in a remote site, the electronic mail comprising a first set of digital data displayable on a display and a second set of digital data not shown in the electronic mail, the second set of digital data comprising at least one link associated with at least a portion of the set of digital data and a first set of characters contiguous to the at least one link and designating a presence of the at least one link to a processor of the receiving device;

receiving at least a portion of the at least one link from the receiving device, by a data storage device where a third set of digital data is stored; and

retrieving, after the receiving the at least a portion of the at least one link from the receiving device, at least a portion of the third set of digital data from the data storage device, the at least a portion of the third set of digital data retrieved from the data storage device including at least another link associated with a fourth set of digital data.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising encrypting at least one of the first set of digital data and the third set of digital data.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising formatting the at least a portion of the first set of digital data associated with the at least one link to have a first format and formatting a second portion of the first set of digital data not associated with the at least one link to have a second format different from the first format.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising embedding the at least one link in the first set of digital data.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the sending an electronic mail includes sending the second set of digital data further comprising a second set of characters contiguous to the at least a portion of the first set of digital data and recognizable by the processor of the receiving device.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the receiving at least a portion of the at least one link from the receiving device includes receiving the at least a portion of the at least one link by a database.