Cordless phone back link for interactive television system
US5898919A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 14, 1997 |
| Grant date | Apr 27, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 14, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04M1/2478
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system for communicating information from a television viewer to a central site includes a remote control unit for sending command signals from the viewer to a television or video cassette recorder (VCR). Circuitry integral with the television or VCR accepts the command signals from the remote control unit and interprets the signals to form a viewer command, such as a purchase command, to be communicated to the central site. The circuitry automatically sends dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF) tone signals representing the command over a radio frequency (RF) link to a cordless telephone base unit, which is connected to the central site by a public switched telephone network. The cordless telephone base unit initiates a telephone call to the central site and communicates the DTMF tone signals received from the DTMF circuitry in the television or VCR to the central site. The television or VCR receives a television signal and extracts information related to a product or pay-per-view (PPV) event being advertised on a television program from the vertical blanking interval of the television signal. This information includes the telephone number of the central site used for making the telep…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.