EP0402809A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Satellite television communication system for audience polling and processing answers
Assignee: TV ANSWER INTERNATIONAL Inc
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Filing: 1990-06-09
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2010-06-09
Abstract
Abstract A network of local area audience response stations is coupled together with a central audience response data processing center by means of a satellite communication system for real time single or bi-directional audience response analysis, locally, nationally or internationally. Each local area station and each response unit may be identified and verified by allocation of specific time slots for response, preferable synchronously related to a TV picture program transmission carrying the audience questions to be answered. Wireless transmission of the question and answer signals in digital format of beeps of a single frequency keep transmission channels narrow. The system may be operated in conjunction with TV broadcasting or cable systems in which the transmission time of the beep transmissions are compensated for so that millions of subscribers may be processed in a simple narrow band communication system for processing over a single satellite communication channel
Inventors
- 👤 Fernando Morales Garza
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 07:37
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N7/00; H04N7/16; H04N7/173; H04N7/17309; H04H; H04H20/00; H04H20/38; H04H60/00; H04H60/29; H04H60/33; H04N21/00; H04N21/20; H04N21/25; H04N21/254; H04N21/2543; H04N21/40; H04N21/47; H04N21/472; H04N21/4722; H04N21/478; H04N21/47805; H04N21/80; H04N21/81; H04N21/812; H04N7/025; H04N7/03; H04N7/08; H04N7/087; H04N7/088; H04N7/0882; H04N7/0884; H04H20/65; H04H20/71; H04H20/74
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 28
Claim 1
Independent Claim
80 words
An audience response communication system having a plurality of local area audience response stations with an audience response television receiver station coupled into an audience response processing system for sending inquiries to television receivers at the audience response stations and a data processing center for processing responses returned from the local audience response stations in answer to said inquiries, characterized in that a satellite station processes audience response communications between the local audience response stations and the data processing center.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
80 words
An audience response communication system having a plurality of local area audience response stations with an audience response television receiver station coupled into an audience response processing system for sending inquiries to television receivers at the audience response stations and a data processing center for processing responses returned from the local audience response stations in answer to said inquiries, characterized in that a satellite station processes audience response communications between the local audience response stations and the data processing center.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
36 words
The audience response system defined in Claim 1 further characterized in that the system processes a plurality of local areas by means of a central polling studio connected via the satellite station to the local areas.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
71 words
The audience response system defined in Claim 1 further characterized in that said inquiries are transmitted on a television picture to identify at least one answer position located on a television picture screen, and the television receivers are provided with remote control means for audience response by moving a cursor position on the television picture screen to an answer position and transmitting an answer comprising the location of the cursor position.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
48 words
The audience response system defined in Claim 3 further characterized in that the remote control means for moving the cursor position comprises a hand gun shaped instrument with a joystick control operable by one finger to move the cursor and with a trigger operable to transmit an answer.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
51 words
The audience response system defined in Claim 3 further characterized in that the remote control means comprises a selection system for presenting multiple choice menus on the television picture screen and registering a choice from the menus by means of the location of the cursor position with the remote control unit.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
51 words
The audience response system defined in Claim 5 further characterized in that said selection system comprises means for presenting a menu representing a selection of television channels available to the television receiver, and means for automatically tuning in a television station identified by a cursor position on the television channel menu.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
41 words
The audience response system defined in Claim 3 further characterized in that means is provided for timing the cursor position within the television picture format and visibly presenting the cursor by momentary attenuation of the video signal formulating a television picture.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
122 words
The audience response system defined in Claim 1 further characterized by: a plurality of local area audience response stations each communicating with a family of response units in the local area of the respective response stations to process audience response questions and answers, a remotely located central audience response processing station for communicating with the said plurality of audience response stations to provide audience response data from a plurality of local areas by means of said satellite station via means providing communication channels employing the satellite for sending question signals from the central audience response processing station to the local audience response stations and receiving audience response signals derived from the local area response stations and transmitted to the central processing station.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
50 words
The system defined in Claim 1 further characterized in that said satellite station further comprises two way communication means for processing audience questions from the data processing station to the local stations and audience responses from the audience response stations to the central station on a single satellite communication channel.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
26 words
The system defined in Claim 9 further characterized in that said satellite communicaition means comprises digital processing means and the questions and answers comprise digital signals.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
39 words
The system defined in Claim 1 further characterized in that said audience response inquiries are transmitted on menus accompanying a TV picture, and audience response units at the television receiver stations make a menu selection to register a vote.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
54 words
The system defined in Claim 1 further characterized in that said local audience response stations comprise a plurality of local area data centers processing responses from a plurality of audience response receiver stations via multiplexed radio transmission and reception with the data processing center at a location for processing the local area response stations.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
25 words
The system defined in Claim 12 further characterized in that said local data centers all transmit to the satellite station on a single frequency band.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
37 words
The system defined in Claim 12 further characterized in that each of the local area data centers is identified by a synchronously located transmission time slot for transmitting beeps of said single frequency to the central station.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
59 words
The system defined in Claim 14 further characterized in that the plurality of local data centers communicate to their respective family of local audience response stations on a narrow frequency band channel for transmitting rf beeps of a controlled single frequency as digital information between the local area data centers and their respective families of local audience response stations.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
42 words
The system defined in Claim 1 further characterized in that parabolic directional antennas are provided at the central data processing center and the plurality of local audience response stations directed at the satellite for communication on a specified satellite communication channel frequency.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
56 words
The system defined in Claim 1 further characterized by means at the central data processing center for transmitting inquiry menus on a television picture frame to all the local area stations and for receiving responses from all the local area stations with real-time responses synchronized with television picture menu locations to produce instantaneous audience response surveys.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
27 words
The system defined in Claim 1 further characterized by means to retransmit current processed audience response results back to an audience being polled over said communication channels.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
31 words
The system defined in Claim 1 further characterized by local area audience response stations with local computer means for processing and verification of audience response signals presented on live television pictures.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
48 words
The system defined in Claim 1 further characterized by local area audience response stations having text generator format means for producing menu text formats on the television receiver picture screen and means for selection on menu options by way of positioning a cursor on a selected menu position.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
46 words
The system defined in Claim 1 further characterized by a plurality of local area audience response stations communicating responses through said satellite communication channels by means of beep digital signals of a single frequency timed in time slots for identifying each of the local area stations.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
28 words
The system defined in Claim 21 further characterized by means for compensating for travel time of signal transmissions of said time slots in the audience response communications system.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
47 words
The system of Claim 1 further characterized by means located in the local area of the local audience response stations for generating a TV picture format for presentation at local audience response stations on a TV receiver picture screen incorporating therein to an inquiry to be answered.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
33 words
The system of Claim 1 further characterized by means in the local audience response stations for deriving response unit timing control signals from received TV picture programs incorporating a multiple choice selection menu.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
57 words
The system of Claim 1 further characterized by means for processing questions and answers at the local area audience response stations between said response units and said data processing center as digital beep pulses, means for receiving and transmitting said pulses and gain control means for standardizing pulse amplitudes received by and transmitted from the response units.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
55 words
The system of Claim 1 further characterized by a transmitter in the local audience response stations for transmitting a beep at a predetermined frequency, and means for adjusting output frequency of the transmitter in the response unit by counting the received frequency in a predetermied period of time and comparing with the transmitter output frequency.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
40 words
The system of Claim 1 further characterized by a network of local area audience response stations coupled together to communicate with a central data processing center by means of a satellite communication system for real time bidirectional audience response analysis.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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