Satellite television communication system for audience polling and processing answers

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di) EXPLANATORY STATEMENT (19) NO (ii) 176299 tube B (si) Int Cl⁵ H 04 H 9/00, H 04 N 7/173

NORWAY

The Board of Industrial Justice (21) Application No. 902571. (22) Starting day 11.06.90 (24) Running day 11.06.90 (41) Alm. avail. 14.12.90 (44) Exposure date 28.11.94 (86) Int. Entry date and application number (85) Continuation day (30) Priority 13.06.89, US, 368951

07.08.89, US 390073. (71) Patent Applicant • (72) Inventor. . (74) Agent

TV Answer International Inc, PO Box 309, George Town, Grand Cayman, KY Fernando Morales Garza, Reston, VA, US

Henrik Levkowetz, JK Thorsens Patenbureau AS, Oslo (54) Designation Device for communication with television viewers over long distances using a satellite station (56) Published publications US 4591906, US 4672655 (57) Summary

A network of local polling stations (3) is connected to a central data processing polling center (2) by means of a satellite communication system (1) for real-time one-way or two-way polling surveys, locally, nationally or internationally. Each local station and each response unit (4) can be identified and verified by assigning specific feedback time slots, which are preferably synchronous to a television program transmission containing the questions to be answered by the audience. Wireless transmission of digitally formatted question and answer signals in the form of short high frequency signals at a single frequency provides a narrow band transmission channel. The system can be operated in combination with broadcasting of television programs or cable systems, compensating for the transmission time of the short high frequency signals, so that millions of subscribers can be operated in a single narrow band communication system with transmission over a single satellite communication channel.

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The present invention relates to a device for communicating with television viewers over long distances by means of a satellite station and which can be used e.g. in conducting opinion polls, the device enabling bidirectional communication between different types of equipment units, which are then utilized to send questions to individual response units and to receive responses from them for treatment in remote treatment centers.

Among prior art systems for polling or voting by two-way communication, the system is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,591,906, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated in its entirety to simplify the description of the scope of the present invention and to make it possible for those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and to better clarify the nature and scope of the present invention. Said system allows for responses to be sent by short single high frequency signals from polling stations for television viewers to a central processing station e.g. located at a television station's studio. Specific response time slots identify the responding device and it is compensated for the time the radio signals use to pave the transmission path.

However, in a conventional television network, simple two-way signal bumps cannot be transmitted in real time to the reception areas of many television broadcasters, as there are great difficulties in controlling the exact timing of the response signals, especially when they come essentially simultaneously from a very large number of television viewers. Also, there will not be a possible way to compensate for time delays in transmissions over very long distances. The system according to US patent no. 4 591 906 therefore provides no opportunity for instantaneous communication outside the coverage of a local television station.

U.S. Patent No. 4,672,655 discloses a system which requires a telephone line connection to be established between two subscribers, which thus has to wait to be connected. This system cannot provide instant two-way communication between a polling center and many subscribers located across large geographical areas. Also, only audio signals can be handled.

A system for processing poll responses in a central processing station is described in U.S. Patent No. 4,755,871. This system provides economical time slot control in the answering unit by means of clock synchronization with a television program signal containing a question to the audience.

However, these hitherto known systems have not been able to process responses from a large geographical area, such as an entire nation, e.g. The fifty states of the United States, or internationally from multiple independent countries, or between independent countries, for instant real-time polling over large geographical areas.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a device for communicating with television viewers over long distances by means of a satellite station and which can be used e.g. by conducting polls and making it technically possible for television viewers to instantaneously deliver responses to a common computer center wirelessly. With such a system, it will be possible to return verified results after processing, analysis and identification of audience reactions, to immediately and directly inform the requested audience, either with a broadcast television program or independently, in an operating state for public voting.

A more particular object of this invention is to use short high frequency narrow band communication signals for identification of transponder television stations or the like, with time slot identification being used over larger geographical areas than the areas of the aforementioned U.S. Patent No. 4,591,906, e.g. for polls in a single nation or multiple nations, and with ongoing poll results that are analyzed and verified appropriately.

Another particular object of this invention is, by means of satellite communication, to produce a real time wireless processing system for polling over long distances and where the responses of individual television receivers, or similar response devices, can be identified, verified and analyzed for real-time processing of the reactions from the asked audience.

Thus, with the present invention there is provided a device of the kind mentioned in the introduction, which according to the invention has a special feature that it comprises a network which, by means of a satellite station for transmitting television programs, creates instantaneous wireless two-way calls between at least one transmitting station for transmission. television programs and a group of geographically dispersed television receiving stations, the network comprising:

- a center for processing the reactions of the public, which is in wireless connection with said satellite station; iron-sighted-take-answer units and, using the satellite station, wirelessly communicate signals in both directions between the receiving units and the treatment center for the reactions of the public,

- multiple television receiver station units for audience reactions coupled for bidirectional wireless signal transmission between the television receiver units and their respective intermediate stations, creating a two-way, wireless treatment network for audience reactions between the television receiver units and the audience response processing center, - equipment for controlling communication, and designed to handle instantaneous calls from audience reaction units in the local areas over the satellite station to the audience response center.

By means of satellite communication, the present invention thus enables wireless transmission over long distances of directly connected signals for polling questions and responses.

In the event that local areas, such as cities covered by wireless TV transmitters or separate television cable sewers, have a polling station question and answer station to derive and process local information, and to communicate with other local areas or a central geographic area treatment center, a set of local intermediate stations eg. communicate with a family of response units operating according to the principle of short high frequency signals according to US Patent No. 4,591,906. Questions and answers from e.g. the immediate area around a television transmitter is then communicated, processed and verified with the opportunity to distinguish and identify each response unit among the audience. In this case, the intermediate stations communicate over intermediate satellite communication channels with a central data center which receives the logical signals for e.g. to merge them into a response result for the entire nation. The data center can also address questions addressed to the local polling stations in individual time slots that identify each of the response units, typically represented by television sets. Further verification, formatting, repetition and storage of responses, as well as real-time feedback of response data to the polling public, takes place at the data center, which is typically a national or international processing station. The local response units are interoperable wherever they are located, with cable systems, video systems and television signals with radio frequency from local transmitters. These response units are preferably controlled by wireless remote control units utilizing infrared communication connections. Frequency synthesizing equipment where the answering machine is located keeps the price of the answering device low while accurately controlling the identity timeout and system synchronization. The propagation time of the radio waves is taken into account in the system to give the individual response unit accurate identity through the allocation of synchronous time slots.

Similarly, the satellite station can communicate individually with scattered or concentrated television receiver stations and a remote data processing center.

The questions and answers are digitized in local data processors for synchronous system transmission and for satellite communication purposes. They are broadcast on a single narrow-band radio frequency transmission channel. In the system, real-time clock signals are included with the questions, so that the real-time responses are identified for verification with respect to responses that could contain incorrect responses from video machine signals or signals being re-broadcast from the location of the response unit.

Typical applications for this system are national and international opinion polls, queries about weather conditions as well as market and price surveys or other financial data processing. The system can also be used for training purposes such as upon graduation from a network of colleges or other schools, or for billing and accounting purposes regarding receipt of specific programs. The system is unique in that data is collected from several localities by means of satellite transmission channels, so that public surveys for a large request area, which are suitable for national or international surveys, are produced by real-time processing, and enable the continuous dissemination of responses back to it. asked the audience.

Further aspects of the invention include placing questions in a television image in the form of a menu, so that a remote control unit can place a cursor on the selected menu entry without interruption of the program and with ease for the operator, as well as accurate and uncomplicated. A remote control unit that emits infrared light and is designed with gun grips, a one-finger joystick and trigger for this purpose, can then be incorporated into the local television set equipment along with a simplified control unit providing other benefits. Thus, e.g. program channel selection among locally available channels is measured based on visual designation on a menu, without hunting or switching between channels, and in a format that does not require language skills or lookup for local station's channel number. The same system can be utilized e.g. to order from local shops and restuarants.

Further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of an embodiment of a device according to the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals are used to facilitate comparison between the elements of the invention. various figures in the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a satellite communication system for polling, according to the invention,

Fig. 2 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a data processing center according to the invention, for sending questions to the audience and receiving audience reactions from a number of locally located systems, e.g. from the audience of urban TV viewers, e.g. to produce response data for audiences around the nation,

Fig. 3 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a local interstitial equipment according to the invention, for operation of the questions and answers of the local area audience,

Figures 4 and 5 are block diagrams of embodiments of response units according to this invention, typically comprised of television sets around a local television transmitter equipped with equipment for processing audience reactions;

Fig. 6 is a block diagram of a general system embodiment of a control system for a television set;

Fig. 7 is a block diagram of some frequency converter elements in an embodiment of an audience response unit according to the invention;

Fig. 8 is a waveform diagram showing the features of the operation of a staging equipment according to the invention;

Fig. 9 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the data processing circuits in a receiving station providing automatic channel selection by means of a remote controlled cursor placement unit, and

Fig. 10 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a control system in a receiver station with channel selection from a picture screen menu by means of a remote controlled cursor control unit.

Fig. 1 shows a general system overview of the organization of a satellite communication system for use in polling over a large geographical area, which is given here as an exemplary embodiment. Over conventional communication channel connections and by means of directional antennas IA, 2F and 3A, a satellite station 1 receives and repeats or transmits data in both directions between the polling data center 2 and a local intermediate station 3. In this way, the location of the polling data center is not limited, and it can e.g. be a national or international polling center which communicates with a set of intermediate stations 3 which cover local areas and which are typically located in rows of cells throughout the relevant area covered by the data center 2.

The opinion poll questions and responses are sent out and received centrally in the data center 2 for verification, processing, formatting, storage and, if desired, real-time re-transmission to the requested audience. The questions are thus transmitted from the data center to the local intermediate stations via the antenna 2F to the satellite antenna IA and then to the local station antenna 3A. These questions are preferably designed as part of a television picture, but may also constitute an independent opinion polling system completely separate from the broadcasting of television programs.

The local substations, e.g. those located at a particular location then handle the questions and answers locally on a single narrow-band frequency channel, such as e.g. 218 MHz, in the form of short high frequency signals inserted in time slots that uniquely identify the different response units 4 processed in a local audience family for billing, identification and verification purposes. The reaction from the audience is then sent back in real time via satellite station 1 to the central data center 2, being processed and verified both in the local intermediate station 3 and the data center 2, where polling data from the entire system's coverage area can be analyzed and formatted. The satellite antennas 2F and 3A are directionally determined from the relevant locations so that a system is created whereby local, responsive intermediate stations 3, which are spread apart, can be coordinated and administered from a single central data and control center 2.

An operator 2B, or a corresponding automated equipment, in the data center 2 shown in FIG. 2, a question (?), Which may be associated with a television image on a television receiver 2A's screen, converts into a synchronously clocked digital signal designed for processing in a polling system of the same type as that of US Patent No. 4 591 906. In a semi-automatic system of the type shown, e.g. the operator, by means of a personal computer 2C, the digital interrogation data which is transmitted via a modem 2D, a transmitter 2E and the directional antenna 2F over a transmission connection to the satellite station 1, and then to all response units which look at the satellite station 1 through the directional antenna 3A, as the satellite station communicates with a number of intermediate stations

3. The answering units answer the question by utilizing a particular time slot calculated for each unit, in the same way as in the system described in U.S. Patent No. 4,591,906.

Similarly, the responses from the satellite communication connection, and verified at the local interstations, are received by a receiver 2G to be passed through a modem 2H ​​and a computer 21 to be formatted, and e.g. be printed on a printer 2J. As indicated by the connection 2K, the answers can also be included in the outgoing television picture so that the asked audience can enjoy watching them directly.

Typical transmitter / receiver equipment for the local intermediate stations is shown in FIG. 3, wherein signals (queries) received from the satellite by the antenna 3A are processed in a receiver 3B, a modem 3C, a computer 3D and a local high frequency transmitter 3E transmitted from an antenna 3F at 218 MHz. In this transmission mode, a transmit / receive transceiver 3G is set for transmission, i.e. in position A. The transmitter's 3G reception rest position at position B allows a receiver 3H to receive verification and processing responses in a computer 31, a modem 3J and a transmitter 3K communicating with the satellite connection for data transmission. Summary or total audience reaction can be inferred in computer 31 and e.g. verified. Satellite-based discriminator equipment can separate transmission from different local interstations, preventing interference or interference, or e.g. enable simultaneous transmissions in separate frequency bands. All local intermediate stations communicating over the satellite station in the same narrow frequency band preferably use short narrow band high frequency signals of the type previously mentioned. Thus, all local intermediate stations can be identified and the time slots controlled during communication with the central data station in a manner described in U.S. Patent No. 4,591,906. In particular, the compensation for the propagation time of the signals will prevent errors and substantially expand the number of individual stations that can be handled in a system, and which can literally reach e.g. millions of subscribers.

A simplified response unit is shown in FIG. 4, wherein a remote control unit 4D, which operates synchronously with a television apparatus 4C and by means of a reply device 4B can produce a response for transmitting on a 218 MHz high frequency channel for short high frequency signals from the response unit's transmitting antenna 4A to the local intermediate station.

In the response unit shown in FIG. 5, the response device 5B may operate independently of the signal format of a television program and isolate its own television channel by e.g. to apply the frequency to the channel

4, which can then be mixed with other channels in a conventional split device 5E to provide a suitable display on the screen of the television set 5F. In this way, the system is compatible with the control of cable television converters, local high frequency signals received over an antenna 5C as well as video machines (VCR - Video Cassette Recorder) 5D, all of which can work as usual on channel 3.

The responses are preferably generated by an infrared (IR) wireless remote control unit 5G which controls the response device 5B to produce a short high frequency response signal for transmission from an antenna 5A of the 218 MHz channel to the local intermediate station.

Notice the format of the menu located on the screen of the television set 5F as well as the cursor, which is in the form of an X and which can be placed by the remote control unit 5G at the desired response option for delivering the user's response. Thus, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, a remote control cursor control unit is utilized which encourages audience participation without inconvenience to the user, who does not have to turn away from the image on the screen. As shown in FIG. 6 preferably the remote control unit 5G is in the form of a gun barrel which is directed more or less directly to the IR receiver 5BH near the screen, so that the cursor can be moved by means of a joystick to a menu entry selected by means of a trigger switch.

A preferred embodiment of a response unit located at the local television subscriber is shown in FIG. 6. An antenna 5A receives information from the local intermediate station, or satellite station, and by means of a transmit / receive switch 5BA, a receiver 5BB which receives incoming signals for use in a microprocessor 5BC retains the signals in its memory. If the data contains a real-time question, the microprocessor 5BC is programmed to read the infrared receiver 5BH and, by means of a pulse transmitter 5BF, transmit short high frequency response signals over said turn 5BA to the intermediate station, where the audience reactions are transmitted to the central data center.

With regard to television broadcast time information, which is sent to the receiver 5BB or received from the infrared receiver 5BH and stored in the microprocessor 5BC memory, a text generator 5BD and a channel 4 modulator 5BE display suitable information for the viewer on the television screen and set the equipment for receiving the corresponding response from the viewer remote control unit controlled by the microprocessor 5BC. Using the infrared transmitter 5BG of the answering device, the remote control unit 5G may also serve to control channel changes in the television set and to control the video machine or any other local equipment unit associated with the equipment of the subscriber, and responding to infrared light.

Note also that the menu shown in fig. 6 shown on the television receiver's 5F screen represents nine available channels using their logo instead of a randomly assigned channel number which may vary from place to place and must be looked up in a list of channels that are not in the television set. In this embodiment of the invention, the cursor control scheme enables channel selection in the same way as when answering questions displayed in menu format on the television screen. Thus, the channel that is selected from the cursor position is automatically switched on when the remote control unit 5G pull is operated in the selected cursor position in the menu.

In FIG. 7, both the transmitter 5BF and the receiver 5BB are shown in detail. They are arranged to control the power of signals received with varying strength and to control the pulse time slots by synthesizing the received signal as a reference frequency, in the same manner as described in U.S. Patent No. 4,755,971. As shown by the waveforms of FIG. 8, the incoming high frequency signal 8A from the local intermediate station is processed in a filter 7A which removes all interference signals. By means of a circuit which automatically regulates the gain, an amplifier 7B generates a standard level signal and is supplied to a mixer 7C. Using a filter 7D and an AM detector 7E, a signal 8B is generated for use in the microprocessor 5BC.

For gain and frequency control purposes, the AM detector 7E also generates signals with automatically controlled gain and frequency to fine tune the voltage controlled oscillator 7F and to control the gain of the amplifiers 7B and '7P. In a mixer 7H, then the locally controlled or synthesized frequency from the oscillator 7F is again mixed with the incoming signal 8A and amplified in an amplifier 7G before processing in a counter 7J for counting the number of oscillations. This counter 7J, and also another counter 7K, is deleted each time signal 8B goes back to zero.

The counter 7K counts the oscillations of a voltage controlled oscillator 7N, and the count is applied to a microcontroller 7L which, by means of a digital-to-analog converter 7M, regulates the transmit frequency of the voltage controlled oscillator by comparing the counts of the two counters. Only when the counts are equal can the microcontroller transmit a pulse 8C of radio frequency using a flip-flop 70 and a power amplifier 7P whose output signal is filtered in a narrowband filter 7Q. In this way, the outgoing short high frequency signal to the local intermediate station is carefully regulated in terms of frequency and amplitude.

The signal 8A coming from the satellite preferably contains a coded real-time clock signal interposed by the data center's computer together with a question so that the microprocessor 5BC in the answering device, or the computer 31 at the local intermediate station, can verify the real-time conditions by comparing question and response times within a clock portion.

The block diagram of FIG. 9 shows in greater detail the interoperable features made available by means of the marker management technique unique to this, produced by the invention subscriber selection system for use in polling in a wireless transmission network, as set forth herein, or in a corresponding wired network. The block 27 of FIG. 9 shows in greater detail the answering device of FIG. 6 and so that it can be considered in relation to the radio transmission system for polling disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,591,905.

A transmitter 30 for transmitting short high frequency signals thus provides an output signal to the central polling center for indicating the identity of the subscriber 31 and the menu selection made by the IR detector 32 of the remote control unit, which in turn manipulates the cursor position. The clock data is synchronously linked to the horizontal and vertical synchronization signals of the television by means of a suitable programming of a microprocessor with the program signals coming in on line 33 to which the local station 37 is tuned and which is output from a data detector 36.

In that the microprocessor e.g. counting the sync signals and clock pulses in the picture frame displayed, it is also clock transmitter for marker 39 which, by means of a high frequency attenuator 40, is simply inserted as visible in the image displayed on the television screen, thereby providing an immediate contrast at the cursor position in line with the video content of the image, making the cursor position visible regardless of the image format. The channel selection, which is a common feature of the device shown in FIG. 6, is obtained in accordance with the prior art of the microprocessor 35 together with a channel selector 41, after the pictorial indicators are decoded and converted into corresponding cable or network channel numbers.

The present invention has thus provided a method for selecting a channel according to which a television set at a local station in a polling network can be tuned to a program channel by providing on the television receiver screen a picture menu with several options in the form of non-numeric video. emblems each indicating one of a number of available channel choices (fig. 5), and by moving a cursor with a manually operated remote control tool around the screen to one of the menu options to identify a selected option and thereby automatically tune the selected channel. Voice polling and channel selection are both performed in response to moving a cursor to one of many menu selections that appear on the television screen.

The network system's cooperation with the local television receiver apparatus is shown in the block diagram in FIG. 10, where program channels are controlled by means of a program channel source 45 in a network such as a cable or wireless subscription system, a satellite source or a corresponding multi-station broadcast network located in a particular area. A poll processing device 46, which either operates in conjunction with the network system or is independent, is connected over a connection 47 to the program source 45 for dialing and synchronizing the response signals, and over another connection 48 to a voice emitter and relay 92 for receiving the voices and the subscriber channel setting signals or menu-based payments on purchases that require subscriber confirmation, which is derived from the cursor / menu selection process described here. Various data processing functions are available so that channel setting habits, direct response to requests etc. can be analyzed and reported, and so that subscription and purchase obligations can be invoiced, etc. Other functions, except some of those relating to forwarding by intermediate stations, may be performed by equipment in the subscriber's local television receiver system which may thus comprise a cable converter 49 if it is necessary to convert an assigned number of a channel to a television frequency, f. ex. for channel 3, and which is set by channel selector 55.

The conventional channel selector 50 of the television receiver 10 is intended for US default setting on channels 2 to 12 and, for purposes of the invention, can be set to channels 3 and 4 for, as indicated by the dotted IR line 57, by means of a manual operable remote control unit 56, and in a manner well known to subscriber type or the like, control the programs available to the channel selector 55. Thus, if it is desired to supplement the cursor / menu channel options, the keypad 58 can be used in the usual way to control the channel selection among the options available in the network by identifying the desired channel with its number. The remote control unit 56 may also, by means of the buttons 58, control peripheral equipment, such as video devices, directly and in the usual manner now known in this field.

However, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the remote control unit 56 is provided with means for producing and placing a marker on the television screen 11, to make a selection in a menu with the cursor's location or voice. The control device is preferably comprised of a joystick device of the type well known in the video game industry for forming and moving a marker or figure, as well as for features of a game such as a firing a rocket by means of a trigger switch when the rocket and the cursor are in the same position, and with the preferred gun firing configuration shown in FIG. 6. The control device therefore has a tuning switch 60 and analog control means 61, 62 respectively. X and Y direction which when moving the joystick moves the cursor around on the television screen 11. Such control devices are usually controlled by means such as a horizontal synchronization pulse counter 65 which is reset for each frame of the vertical synchronization pulse in the television receiver 10 and responds to the analog control 62 thereby setting a counter value for clocking the position of the cursor in vertical direction. Likewise, a chain of clock pulses from an oscillator 66 together with a horizontal counter 67, reset by horizontal synchronization pulses, can create a clockwise position in the horizontal direction in the television screen on the screen.

11. Thus, an output pulse on an indicated conductor 68 will be clocked so that the cursor is placed in the desired raster position in the television image. In accordance with the present invention, the pulse simply attenuates the signal forming the video representation on the television screen 11 so that the cursor (Fig. 9) becomes visible. Therefore, an attenuator 70 is inserted into the signal supply line 71 of the high frequency or video portion of the receiver 10.

The remote control unit 56 can further call up a channel selection menu with operating mode as described in connection with FIG. 6, and represented here with a block 75. With a suitable code transformation, and when the cursor's tempo is known on conductor 68, in this case, the voting of conductor 77 causes the selected channel to be tuned in channel selector 55 in direct response to the voting, and without manipulating the channel selector 50 or the buttons 58 on the remote control 56. Therefore, as previously described, channel selection can be made from a general picture menu on screen 11 without any reference to, or any need to look up, channel number in the subscriber system network. When a voting is present and a coordinated code for the cursor position is found on conductor 79 of the OG circuit 83, an identifier 83 will decode the local channel menu and operate the channel selector 55. OR circuit 81 permits channel selection either over the numeric entry path via conductor 83, which is common to remote control unit 56, or over the menu path provided here. By default, the menu (fig. 6) with the available channels can be displayed on screen 11 when the appliance is switched on.

The cursor control feature facilitates polling polls that have questions with multiple answer options embedded in a menu format superimposed on a television program displayed on screen 11, as shown in FIG. 5, and as in FIG. 10 is represented by a block 90 which, together with an AND circuit 91 and a black marker and transmission system 92, in accordance with the coordinated cursor beat on conductor 79, provides for converting the voting of conductor 77 to polling signals on conductor 48, The transfer system 92 is preferably a system such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. 4 591 906, but which is arranged for wireless transmission to a polling station 46 within the range of television signal communication relative to said system. However, whether wired or wireless subscriber systems, or equivalent systems, there are other systems now well known for transmitting audience reactions to polling centers.

It is therefore clear that this invention advances the state of the art by providing a simple to operate polling system that can be operated in real time both nationally and internationally using satellite communication channels that collect signals from a set of local polling stations and intermediate stations for association in a central data processing center. The news features which are believed to be descriptive of the invention's scope and scope are thus specifically stated in the appended claims.