Method and apparatus for interactive audience participation at a live entertainment event

• US 8,131,279 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2010
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Interactive Audience Participation, LLC
• Original Assignee: Inselberg Interactive LLC
• Inventors: Inselberg, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelin, Jean
• Application Number:
  US12/927,580
• Publication Number:
  US 20110189942A1
• Time in Patent Office: 474 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.2, 455/414.1, 455/466, 455 301- 306, 455/517, 455/575.6, 463 36- 42, 434/350, 434/362, 434/323, 434/322, 273/460, 705/10, 705/14, 705/27, 705/29, 725/24, 725/32, 725/74, 725/86
• US Class Current: 455/417
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/409 Data transfer via television network
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0252 based on events or environment, e.g. weather or festivals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/61 for local area broadcast, e.g. instore broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/30 characterised by the use of a return channel, e.g. for collecting users' opinions, for returning broadcast space/time information or for requesting data
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/64 for providing detail information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/90 Wireless transmission systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/00 Network topologies

Abstract

The present invention relates to methods and systems for providing interactive audience participation at live entertainment events. The method includes providing audience members with an interactive device that presents a promotional message and includes a user interface, broadcasting audio programming to the audience member through the interactive device, querying the audience members, wherein answers to the querying may be entered by the audience member via the user interface of the interactive device, transmitting the answers to a central processor, storing the answers as audience data, processing the audience data into results, storing the results of the processing of the audience data and broadcasting the results of the processing of the audience data.

Claims

1. A system for enabling interactive participation by audience members attending a live entertainment event at an expansive outdoor/indoor venue and employing a wireless interactive device having capability (i) to receive and transmit messages, (ii) accept input via a user interface, and (iii) display messages on an electronic display, the system comprising:

a wireless communication system configured to transmit and receive messages with the interactive device;

a means for presenting the audience members with an opportunity to respond to at least one request for interaction with responses entered through the user interface and transmitted by the interactive device;

a means for receiving the responses at a central processing station or distributed processing stations;

a means for storing the received responses as audience data;

a central processor configured to receive and process the audience data into results; and

wherein the expansive outdoor/indoor venue is selected from the group consisting of stadiums, arenas, race tracks, golf courses, and theme parks.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the expansive outdoor/indoor venue is a venue where a purchase can be made.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for disseminating least one promotional message of a sponsor to the audience members through the electronic display.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising means for providing the results to the sponsor.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the presenting means comprises a device other than the interactive device and which is perceptible to audience members in the expansive outdoor/indoor venue.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the presenting means comprises a stadium monitor system visible to audience members in the expansive outdoor/indoor venue.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for providing audio transmission of audible programming to the interactive devices.

8. A method for enabling interactive audience participation at a live entertainment event at an expansive outdoor/indoor venue attended by a plurality of participating audience members employing a hand-held, wireless interactive device that includes a user interface, the method comprising the steps of:

presenting an opportunity for interaction to the participating audience members;

receiving responses to the opportunity for interaction entered by the participating audience members via the user interface of the interactive device;

transmitting the responses to a central processor;

processing the responses into results; and

broadcasting the results to the plurality of participating audience members attending the live entertainment event; and

wherein the expansive outdoor/indoor venue is selected from the group consisting of stadiums, arenas, race tracks, golf courses, and theme parks.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the expansive outdoor/indoor venue is a venue where a purchase can be made.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of presenting a promotional message to each participating audience member.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the promotional message is transmitted wirelessly to the interactive device and is presented to the participating audience member either visually or aurally.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of awarding a prize to at least one selected audience member who has responded.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the wireless device employs a form of wireless communications selected from the group consisting of radio transmissions, microwave transmissions, broadband wireless data transmissions, and satellite transmissions.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the answers are received at distributed processing stations and thereafter transmitted to the central processor.

15. A method for interactive audience participation at a live entertainment event at an expansive outdoor/indoor venue attended by audience members, a plurality of whom have a wireless interactive device including a user interface, the method comprising the steps of:

presenting at least one promotional message from a sponsor;

presenting an opportunity for interaction to the audience members;

receiving responses to the opportunity for interaction entered via the user interface of the interactive device;

transmitting the responses to a processor;

processing the responses into results; and

providing the results to the sponsor;

wherein the expansive outdoor/indoor venue is selected from the group consisting of stadiums, arenas, race tracks, golf courses, and theme parks.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the expansive outdoor/indoor venue is a location where a purchase can be made.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of broadcasting the results to the audience members attending the live entertainment event.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of electronically delivering a prize to at least one selected audience member who has responded to the opportunity for interaction.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of presenting an opportunity for interaction comprises use of a large screen display.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of presenting an opportunity for interaction comprises use of a device other than the interactive device.