Net
From: Anthony Casella (anthocasel_at_aol.com)
Date: 03/19/04
- Next message: Christine: "Trouble importing mail between computers"
- Previous message: john: "some emails won't open"
- Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ]
Date: Fri, 19 Mar 2004 07:02:45 -0800
Anthony J. Casella
79 Woody Lane
Cushing Maine 04563
Day 1-207-542-4943
Eve1-207-354-0251
E-mail anthocasel@aol.com
May be you can help me? We are looking to pay
your company to provide us a technical service. We are
not selling anything!!!
I have created and patented a concept for
television talk and game shows. At this time I have three
major shows interested in applying my patented Multimedia
Interactive concept to their shows. They are willing to
pay $20,000 to $30,000 a show, and once Multimedia is
implemented and the their show ratings increase, they not
only will sign up for more shows, but several other shows
will follow, which can return hundreds of thousands of
dollars a day to us in revenue.
Multimedia Interactive patent will allow the
show to interview thousands of people for their show from
all walks of life, from any part of the world through
live streaming video without delay via computer. This
will eliminate the use of expensive remote crews to be
sent to several different locations for their
interviewing process, which is very costly.
Multimedia Interactive will also provide them a
means to have individuals participate live on their shows
from several remote locations, also eliminating the cost
of flying guest to their location and costly housing.
At this time overseas talk and game shows are
using just a text message for viewer participation, and
that alone has increased show viewer ship and ratings 25%
to 40%. Imagine how viewer ship and ratings would
increase with live video participation?
By using my Multimedia Interactive concept,
anyone, from anywhere, can participate live on their
favorite talk or game show, with out the travel and
expense; this brings the real meaning to reality
television alive.
We would work with each show establishing a link
to your existing web sight that viewers interested in
appearing, from their home or office could log onto too.
With the prior correct promotion from the show itself,
the numbers would be enormous!
Once logged on to the show link, the viewers
would be asked several questions about prior shows. The
computer would select 2000 of the participants that
answered the most questions correctly. Then the selected
contestants would be given the opportunity to purchase a
small software and video camera package to continue
further with the chance to appear.
When they receive their Video input package,
they would log back on and have a video interaction with
the computer. The ones selected after the video
interaction would then be then interview live by the show
interviewer. When the show selects the final people that
are going to appear, we would send the people appearing
an upgraded package to use for the showing, and then
return that to us, this will give their television
appearance top quality.
We can now give the show the ability to interview
their guest on line from any remote location, and then
have their guest appear live on the show from any remote
location. Eliminating costly remote crews, and the hassle
of transporting and housing their guest for appearance.
This means less cost and hassle for them to
interview guest and have them appear. Most of all, this
Technology will increase their viewer ship and ratings
tremendously.
I know that you have the Technology that we need; it's a
matter of how we get together?
Please e-mail or call me with your thought
Tony Casella
Inventor of several nationally known products
Patent attached
METHODS AND COMPUTER PROGRAM
FOR MULTIMEDIA INTERACTION
CLAIM OF PRIORITY
This application claims the benefit of priority
of United States Provisional Patent Application Serial
No. 60 / 456,013, filed March 19, 2003.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of
entertainment and, in particular, to methods of
facilitating dynamic user input to change the content of
a broadcast television program and to business methods
for expanding subscription bases for network service
providers using such methods.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Television programs, and other forms of modern
mass media, constantly seek to increase viewers and
advertising revenues from their broadcasts. The two
principal ways in which this is accomplished is to
increase the size of the audience to be reached by
advertisers on the program or to target a specific
demographic that is more likely to buy the types of
products advertised by the show.
Current television programs have attempted to increase
audience size by making the show more interesting through
interaction with the audience. In addition, "reality"
television has become a very popular genre, and appears
to become more sought after every day.
The game show genre has, for many years, used the
interesting tactic of providing avenues for audience
member participation in order to increase interest in,
and viewer ship of, the program. At the highest level of
participation, game shows of the past and present have
directly chosen participants from the audience. Examples
of this are "The Price is Right", in which audience
members are invited to "Come on down and be the next
contestant". This ability to be on television and to "win
fabulous prizes" generated interest in attending the
program, and for friends and family members of those
chosen to watch the program as well. However, those
members of the television audience who could not travel
to California to attend the show in person, or who had no
personal interest in a contestant, were unaffected by
this audience participation and were not drawn to watch
the program for this reason. Thus, a large percentage of
people would like to appear cannot as they have neither
the time nor the money to do so.
Other television programs have used audience
participation as a means for judging or assisting the
contestants. Example of such programs are "America's
Funniest Home Videos" in which the audience votes on the
best video of the show, and "Who Wants to Be a
Millionaire", where the contestant can "ask the audience"
to provide an answer to a question. Again, the audience
appeal for these shows was limited to those people who
traveled to the studio where the program was taped.
Therefore, the appeal to home viewers was unaffected by
the audience's participation in the outcome and was
limited to the audience in the studio.
Recently, telephone-television program hybrids, which
encourage text message voting, have become extremely
popular in Europe. News programs encourage text comments.
Game shows allow phone competitions between viewers.
Music shows take requests by text messaging. Further,
many programs show messages related to the program.
Fusing television programs with telephone functions has
resulted in increased profits of both industries.
However, these programs are not without their
shortcomings. Text messaging, and its use in television,
is not a new concept. For example, one version of text
message use is shown in U.S. patent 5,537,143, which
describes an Interactive Communication System that solves
the problem of enabling a participant to participate in a
broadcast program event by using a dual-tone telephone.
The broadcast program event may be viewed on a television
receiver simultaneously with other participants, while
the computer is driven by a plurality of DTMF receivers.
The participant gains access to a DTMF receiver through a
conventional telephone circuit terminating at a local
telephone exchange (LTE). The participant is prompted by
the program event to enter responses into the computer
through the DTMF receiver by pressing keys on the keypad.
The DTMF receiver has a digital character output. A
microprocessor processes the output and sends it to a
main memory when enabled by associated logic. Viewer
identification software associates the responses with the
participant and a time stamp is attached. Criteria
software sorts and evaluates the responses according to
criteria instructions. Judging software selects a winner
according to judging instructions. Winner(s) selection
software supplies winner identification for announcement
by the transmitting station. The broadcast program event
may include commercial messages offering incentives to
purchase merchandise and services or include offers of
prizes to the participant.
While the programs noted above allow a user to
participate in a broadcast program event, the
participation is fairly limited. Interaction can never
truly be dynamic due to the cumbersome nature of text
messaging, and without live personal input and
appearance. Pressing buttons to communicate dynamically
is highly artificial, and effective communication demands
at least a human audio component. However, to provide
full dynamic interaction, a broadcast should provide a
viewer visual and audible component that does not require
the viewer to focus attention away from the action to
read messages. Finally, it is noted that viewing one's
text message on the screen does not provide the same
impetus for audience participation as having one's "live"
interacting digital or video picture and voice on a
program, and this format certainly does not encourage
friends and family members to watch. Accordingly, the
inventor believes that the appeal of these programs will
soon wane.
The telephone is no longer the sole method of
instantaneous communication. In this current
telecommunication age, massive documents, images, audio
tracks, and movies may be transferred via the Internet
with complete disregard for distance. While distance is
non- factor, speed typically constrains most systems. The
largest barrier to uninhibited communication is the speed
at which data can be transferred. This awaiting market
has compelled electronics giants to develop faster
communication components, which now allow a user visual
as well as audio communication over transfer lines; i.e.
telephone/DSL lines and/or cable lines/or satellite.
However, this enhanced functionality has not yet been
fully exploited by the entertainment industry.
U.S. patent number 6,240,555 describes an interactive
entertainment system that
enables presentation of supplemental interactive content
alongside traditional broadcast video
prams, such as television shows and movies. The programs
are broadcast in a conventional 15
manner. The supplemental content is supplied as part of
the same program signa l over the
broadcast network, or separately over another
distribution network. A viewer's computing
unit is located at the viewer's home to present the
program and supplemental content to a
viewer. When the viewer tunes to a particular channel,
the viewer's computing unit consults
an electronic programming guide (EPG) to determine if the
present program carried on the 20
channel is interactive. If it is, the viewer's computing
unit launches a browser. The browser
uses a target specification stored in the EPG to activate
a target resource containing the
supplemental content for enhancing the broadcast program,
downloads the data from the
5
target resource, and displays the supplemental content
concurrently with the video content
program.
This patent discloses a mode for a viewer to experience a
program in greater depth,
but this experience is purely supplemental. Trivia,
games, or behind-the-scenes content might
make for great entertainment, yet the viewer wields no
control over the original program 5
content or the opportunity to appear on the program.
Interaction here relates to the
supplemental material, not to the primary material, i.e.
the program itself, and the user's
identity is not merged into the broadcast. Further, this
patent requires the viewer to again
draw attention away from the action to read the
supplemental data. Finally, the viewer is a
viewer and does not give "live" input. 10
Other patents disclose methods for real-time competition
between program viewers.
For example, U.S. patent 6,193,610 describes an
interactive apparatus and method that allows
participants to compete in an interactive game, such as a
contest or sporting event, occurring
in real time, or as a taped broadcast of a real time
event. The event with which the participant
may interact is broadcast live, or previously taped but
not aired. At home, participants can 15
play along with the broadcast on a real time basis as a
previously taped segment of the
television show is aired. Interactive play may be
accomplished by access to an on- line version
of the game, while the corresponding game show airs live,
or is rebroadcast to the participant
for the first time on television.
As was the case with the other attempts at interactivity,
the interactive play recited in 20
the above-mentioned patent is supplemental in nature and
viewer input does not affect
program content in any recognizable fashion. Further,
there is no visual or audio interaction
between the players, except in each viewer's realm of
fantasy as the characters are not real.
6
U.S. patent 6,447,396 describes an interactive computer
game with a television
broadcast, a central control establishes a large virtual
environment in which viewers
participate with characters either controlled or designed
by them. Each user can directly
control or influence characters within an "active region"
which encompasses part of the
virtual environment that is much less than the total
environment. The broadcast portion of the 5
system also has an active region, at least a portion of
which is shown on a broadcast television
show. The locations of the active regions are controlled
by the central control. In accordance
with one embodiment, the central control moves the active
regions of selected users so that
these active regions coincide or overlap the broadcast
active region. The selected users are
then allowed to control characters that appear on the
broadcast television show. In accordance 10
with another embodiment, the central control may
transport characters created by a user from
the user's active region to the broadcast active region
by means of a virtual "portal."
While the interactive play recited in the above-
mentioned patent is not supplemental in
nature and the input recognizably effects program
content, the visual component is not that of
the viewer. Instead, the viewer acts a virtual puppeteer
that manipulates an imaginary 15
character. Audience members want to see themselves on
television, not fantasy depictions
that happen to depend on their input.
Other concepts to fuse the Internet with television
programming have also been
patented. For example, U.S. patent number 6,431,985,
issued August 13, 2002, describes an
evaluation system for the fairness about the judgment of
referees and the management of 20
coaching staffs in a sports game via Internet and
providing data thereof. The data of the
judgments of referees who control games, coaching staff
management, and scenes of doubtful
fairness are stored in an additional database to be
transmitted in real time when information is
7
requested from each terminal, game management records of
the referees and the coaching
staffs are continuously monitored, evaluation result
values about the fairness and pertinence
of the records are stored as data.
While this patent allows a user to interact with a
television program, the user's
contribution is purely trivial. The program does not
recognize the data in an effort to interact 5
with the user and neither the user's identity nor
likeness or digital "live" image is projected
into the program. Rather, this patent merely delivers a
forum to express an opinion.
Therefore there is a need for a method that will increase
advertising revenues
generated by a broadcast and, therefore, a need to
enhance the viewership of a broadcast by
allowing viewers from anywhere in the world to be chosen
to appear live digitally on the 10
broadcast in substantially real time and offer input
regarding program content.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a method for multimedia
interaction between viewers at
home, or at any other remote location, and a broadcaster,
in which the digital image and
voice, or video, of at least one viewer appears on the
television or cable program via internet 15
carrier and in which the viewer is able to participate
and give immediate direct input and
reactions to the program. In addition, the present
invention includes a computer program
product for executing the method for multimedia
interaction, and a method for attracting
additional subscribers to network service providers
through use of this method.
The method for multimedia interaction includes the steps
of establishing a 20
communication link between a plurality of viewers and
broadcaster and choosing at least one
viewer to appear on a broadcast. Once chosen, the viewer
or viewer receives video and/or
digital picture and audio information from the
broadcaster via a network, preferably the
8
Internet, and transmits video and/or digital picture and
audio information back to the
broadcaster. At least a portion of the video information
transmitted to the broadcaster is
included in the broadcast. The broadcast is then
transmitted to at least the plurality of viewers
from which the chosen viewer or viewers were chosen.
In the preferred method, a network administrator provides
a broadband 5
communications link between the viewers and the
broadcaster, and assists in the choice of the
viewer or viewers who will participate in the broadcast.
In the preferred embodiment, this
assistance includes a certification that the viewer's
hardware will provide a sufficiently clear
"live" image to the broadcaster. As used herein, the
term "live image" is defined as an image
that has the appearance of being "in-person", and
includes videotaped, digitally captured 10
and/or directly broadcasted images, whether broadcasted
in real time or on time delay. In
some embodiments, the network administrator will choose
particular viewers based upon
prior actions, such as frequent viewing of the program or
patronage of sponsors. In still
others, the network administrator provides a pool of
potential viewers for the broadcaster to
interview and choose from. Viewers can be interviewed by
using the same process, which 15
will enable viewer participation and activity prior to
the show without the large cost the shows
have expended in the past.
The preferred type of broadcast for the method is a game
show type broadcast, in
which the viewer may win cash or other prizes. However,
the method is readily adaptable to
other program formats, such as news, where the ability to
choose from viewers worldwide is 20
advantageous.
In one embodiment, the method is adapted for use in
interactive gaming, in which
viewers may appear on a real time broadcast of a game of
chance and wager, along with other
9
viewers, on this game of chance, participating live from
home with the same effectiveness as
a contestant in the studio.
In other embodiments, a plurality of viewers are be
chosen to "direct" the action
taking place in a scene, with each appearing on screen
and choosing a particular direction for
the action to take. 5
The method for multimedia interaction of the present
invention is readily adapted for
execution by a computer program product. In its most
basic form, the program product
includes program means for establishing a communication
link between a plurality of viewers
and broadcaster, program means for choosing at least one
viewer to appear on a broadcast,
program means for sending and receiving digital image and
audio information n between a 10
broadcaster and a chosen viewer, and means for
transmitting the resulting broadcast to at least
the plurality of viewers from which the chosen viewer or
viewers were chosen.
The present invention also includes the use of the method
for multimedia interaction
of the present invention as part of a method for
increasing network subscriber-ship practiced
by the network service providers. The method for
increasing network subscriber-ship 15
includes the steps of obtaining a right to provide
participants to a broadcaster of a program
and informing potential viewers of the ability to
participate in broadcasts of the program by
subscribing to the network. The network provider then
performs the method for method for
multimedia interaction by establishing a communication
link between a plurality of viewers
and broadcaster and choosing at least one viewer to
appear on a broadcast, transmitting image 20
and audio information between the viewer and broadcaster,
and transmitting the broadcast to
at least the plurality of viewers from which the chosen
viewer or viewers were chosen.
10
Using the methods of the present invention, a person can
be transported to any
television show location to appear and participate as if
they were really in the studio. This
gives the television show the opportunity to have
individuals from any part of the world
interact with their show at any time. In addition, it
provides show producers with a means to
not only interview individuals, but to allow for
inexpensive auditions of contestants prior to 5
actually appearing in person on the show.
Therefore, it is an aspect of the invention to provide a
method for increasing the
advertising revenues generated by a broadcast.
It is a further aspect of the invention to provide a
method for increasing subscriptions
to a network service provider. 10
It is a further aspect of the invention to provide a
method that enhances the viewership
of a broadcast.
It is a further aspect of the invention to provide a
method that provides incentives for
viewers to watch and/or patronize the broadcast's
sponsors.
It is a further aspect of the invention to provide a
method that allows viewers from 15
anywhere in the world to be chosen to participate "live"
from a remote location.
It is a further aspect of the invention to provide a
method that allows remote viewers
to appear on the broadcast in substantially real time.
It is a further aspect of the invention to provide a
method that is readily adapted for
execution by a computer program product. 20
It is a further aspect of the invention to provide a
method that allows remote viewers
to play, and/or wager on, a game that is broadcast to
other viewers.
11
It is a further aspect of the invention to provide a
method that allows network
providers to increase their number of subscribers.
It is still a further aspect of the invention to provide
a method that allows network
providers to provide customized content to its
subscribers.
These aspects of the invention are not meant to be
exclusive and other features, 5
aspects, and advantages of the present invention will be
readily apparent to those of ordinary
skill in the art when read in conjunction with the
following description, appended claims and
accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the preferred network
arrangement for performing 10
the method.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the program blocks of
the computer program
product of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the steps of one
embodiment of the method for
increasing subscribers to a network. 15
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As noted above, the method for multimedia interaction
includes the steps of
establishing a communication link between a plurality of
viewers and broadcaster and
choosing at least one viewer to appear on a broadcast.
Once chosen, the viewer or viewers
receives digital image and audio information, preferably
via the Internet, from the broadcaster 20
and transmits live digital image and audio information
back to the broadcaster. This can be
recorded or used live, whichever the show prefers. At
least a portion of the video information
12
transmitted to the broadcaster is included in the
broadcast, which is then transmitted to at least
the plurality of viewers from which the chosen viewer or
viewers were chosen.
As shown in FIG. 1, in the preferred method the viewers
20 establish a
communication link to the broadcaster 18 via a virtual
private network 10, in which only
subscribers to the network have access. The preferred
communications link between the 5
viewer 20 and the network administrator 16 is a broadband
link 12, such as a cable or DSL
modem link. This is preferred in order to insure that the
video transmitted and received from
the chosen viewer will appear to be substantially "real
time", without the delays and poor
image quality that are attendant to dial-up connections.
However, it is understood that
compression software technology is advancing rapidly and
that video data may, eventually, be 10
sufficiently compressed to allow dial-up connections to
provide similar results to those of
conventional broadband communications links. Accordingly,
the method should not be so
limited. It is likewise recognized that satellite
communications could be utilized, although the
cost and availability of this means makes it non-
preferred at this time.
In this preferred embodiment, the network administrator
16 checks the hardware 15
performance of the chosen viewer 20 prior to finalizing
its choice in order to determine
whether the viewer's video hardware is sufficient to
allow for substantially real time
transmission of video data to and from the viewer 20 if
chosen to participate in the broadcast.
In the preferred method, this is accomplished by checking
the hardware performance of all
viewers 20 at login and only allowing conforming viewers
to be chosen. In still others, the 20
network administrator 16 will provide the user with
specific hardware that is required to
participate, and only viewers with this hardware will be
allowed to be chosen.
13
The manner in which viewers 20 are chosen may take many
forms. In some
embodiments, viewers 20 are chosen at random by the
network administrator 16. In others, a
small number of viewers 20 are chosen as candidates and
are subsequently interviewed by the
broadcaster 18, who then makes the final choice of who
participate in the program.
In the preferred embodiment, a candidate, or pool of
candidates, is chosen from all 5
viewers based upon their prior viewership of the
broadcast, with those who have watched
more frequently have a greater chance of being chosen to
participate than those who are
merely casual viewers of the broadcast. This method is
preferred as it provides viewers with
an added incentive to watch the program frequently,
whether or not they have been chosen to
participate. However, other methods of weighting may also
be employed. For example, 10
preference could be given to those viewers who had
patronized sponsors of the program
during past broadcasts. In such an embodiment, viewers
would be encouraged to click on
banner advertisements before, during or after broadcasts,
in order to earn points toward
participating in a future broadcast. By generating more
clicks-through to the advertisers, the
advertisers will experience a quantifiable increase in
exposure and, consequently, the value of 15
each advertisement will likewise be increased. In still
others, viewers are chosen by logging
onto a website, selecting a show, and answering questions
are about the show and episodes.
The people that get the most answers correct will win a
chance to appear on the sho w, or to
obtain an "audition". In this way, viewers must watch
almost every show in order to have an
opportunity to be selected. 20
In some embodiments, there will be a website specially
designed for interactive
television, and the individual will log on to and tell
the show that they are interested in
appearing on the show. The website then will put them
through a sequence of events that they
14
will have to follow and this will determine if the person
has what it takes to appear. The
website will also explain what is needed for hardware,
and that the software can be
downloaded by the Internet provider for a fee or free,
whatever the provider is offering.
Hardware can also be rented or purchased to make
participating easy. Website digital
imaging via computer cam is become much better than it
has in the past and can be fine lined 5
enough by the Internet provider to produce pictures of
adequate quality.
The method of the present invention is ideally suited for
use with broadcasts of the
game show genre, in which viewers compete for money or
other prizes. These types of
broadcasts are preferred, as they have proven ratings
appeal, even absent the direct audience
participation. Further, they will tend to draw additional
viewers who are interested in winning 10
the money or prizes to be awarded to participants. A wide
variety of game show formats
could benefit from the inclusion of remote viewer
participation. For example, trivia type
games, such as "Jeopardy" or "The Hollywood Squares"
would be especially effective, with
viewers pitting wits with each other and/or celebrity
participants. However, other formats
may likewise be adapted, and any show that has
contestants and/or and audience is amendable 15
to participation by a viewer using the method.
Further, because of the far reach of today's networks,
and even further reach of future
networks, this method could likewise have great impact on
the field of news broadcasts,
which could enlist viewers from around the world to
provide insight into current events. In
this method, each viewer is a virtual "correspondent",
able to be accessed and questioned 20
about issues and events in their area. For example,
viewers from one country could provide
insight into the mood of the people in the face of an
impending war, while vie wers from other
countries could explain their approval of, or opposition
to, military action. However, this is
15
but a single example, while the variety of options for
viewer interaction in news broadcasts is
nearly limitless.
Finally, the inventor envisions that the method of the
present invention may be used in
connection with programs in which alternative scenarios
may be played out. For example, a
plurality of viewers could be chosen to "direct" the
action taking place in a scene, with each 5
appearing on screen and choosing a particular direction
for the action to take. This
embodiment is easily implemented using the same
techniques used to provide alternative
endings and scenes in DVD-ROM titles such as "The Lord of
the Rings: The Fellowship of
the Ring", "The Matrix" and others.
As noted above, the method for multimedia interaction of
the present invention is 10
readily adapted for execution by a computer program
product. As shown in FIG. 2, the
program product includes program means 100 for
establishing a communication link between
a plurality of viewers and broadcaster, program means 110
for choosing at least one viewer to
appear on a broadcast, program means 120 for sending and
receiving video information
between a broadcaster and a chosen viewer, and program
means130 for transmitting the 15
resulting broadcast to at least the plurality of viewers
from which the chosen viewer or
viewers were chosen.
Beyond the increases in viewership to be expected through
the provision of such
interactivity, the inventor likewise recognizes that the
method provides a great business
opportunity for the providers of network services.
Accordingly, the inventor envisions that 20
the method for multimedia interaction of the present
invention will become part of a method
for increasing network subscribership practiced by the
network service providers.
16
As shown in FIG. 3, the method for increasing network
subscribership includes the
step of obtaining a right to provide participants 200 to
a broadcaster of a program and
informing potential viewers 210 of the ability to
participate in broadcasts of the program by
subscribing to the network. The network provider then
performs the method for method for
multimedia interaction by establishing a communication
link 220 between a plurality of 5
viewers and broadcaster and choosing at least one viewer
230 to appear on a broadcast,
sending and receiving video information 240 between the
viewer and broadcaster, and
transmitting the broadcast 250 to at least the plurality
of viewers from which the chosen
viewer or viewers were chosen.
In some embodiments of this method, the network provider
will obtain the right to 10
provide participants to a program by virtue of its
likewise being the broadcaster of the
program. In this manner, providers such as AOL or MSN
could have their own interactive
broadcast areas in which subscribers could participate in
broadcasts viewed by other
subscribers to the network. By excluding non-subscribers,
these large providers can provide
added incentive for potential vie wers to subscribe,
above what could be obtained through a 15
lower cost provider, such as Juno or NetZero, and both
increase subscribership and the cost of
each subscription.
It is understood that the broadcasts to be provided are
not necessarily television
broadcasts, but rather could be webcasts or closed
circuit broadcasts that are only accessible
through the network. For example, in one embodiment, the
broadcast is a casino or lottery 20
game broadcast, run by a state lottery commission,
licensed casino, or the like, which is
broadcast on a closed circuit television network. In this
embodiment, the network chooses
17
viewers for inclusion in broadcasts over the network and
allows all viewers to wager upon the
outcome of the game being played.
This system could be readily adapted for use over the
web, with viewers residing in a
particular state being allowed to access the state
lottery website and play the game along with
others from that state in real time. For example, the
state could have a "virtual Keno" parlor 5
in which players wager from their computers and view
others playing the game over the
Internet.
It is envisioned that such a system would be ideal for
use in hotels, which would have
televisions equipped with the necessary video hardware to
provide the desired level of real
time communication to allow viewers to play casino or
lottery games from the comfort and 10
safety of their hotel rooms. In one such embodiment, the
viewer would set up an account with
the network provider from which wagers could be made, and
would either enter to be chosen
for broadcast, or decline to be chosen and simply view
and play the game simultaneously with
the chosen viewer. In some embodiments, multiple viewers
may be chosen to play a game,
such as poker, and the non-chosen viewers will be allowed
to wager on the outcome. For 15
example, the wager could involve choosing a winner prior
to dealing the cards, or
alternatively, by independently wagering based upon
access to only a chosen player's hand.
In others, such as roulette, craps, or the like, the
viewer is allowed to choose numbers and
view other players, and the roulette wheel or craps
table, in the same manner as if they were
present on the floor of the casino. 20
More important than any tentative profit picture for Int
ernet providers or networks, the
interactive television method of the present invention
bring television out of the dark ages and
into the 21st century. By transporting a person's live
image from any location to a television
18
show, the actual outlook of any television show can be
changed. The instant outside
participation by one or more people from different walks
of live throughout the country as
well as the world provides cross-cultural opportunities
that do not currently exist.
Game shows, diet shows, children shows, and a large
number of different shows could
be affected by being able to have interactive "live"
input from their viewing audience. For 5
example, a person is participating in "The Price is
Right" live from his porch in Florida as if
he is in the studio; selecting numbers and ringing bells
though a computer as if he or she was
right in the studio like the on-site contestants are. Bob
Barker says "come on down", well,
now people can come on down not just from the audience,
but all over the world! In addition,
health shows or fitness shows can now put, via
interactive TV, any of their audience on their 10
show at any time to give verification of the product or
package they are selling. If you stop
and think of any show on television that has contestant
or viewer participation in any way by
phone, you have found shows that need the interactive
television methods described herein!
Although the present invention has been described in
considerable detail with
reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other
versions would be readily apparent to 15
those of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, the spirit
and scope of the appended claims should
not be limited to the description of the preferred
versions contained herein.
19
What is claimed is:
1. A method for multimedia interaction between a
broadcaster and a viewing
audience comprising the steps of:
establishing a digital communication link between a
plurality of viewers and said
broadcaster; 5
selecting at least one participant from said plurality of
viewers to appear on a
broadcast;
transmitting digital information having both image
content and audio content between
said participant and said broadcaster; and
incorporating at least a portion of said digital
information in said broadcast. 10
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said transmitting step
comprises transmitting said
digital information over a publicly accessible computer
network.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein said establishing step
comprises establishing a
digital communication link through a limited-access
virtual private computer network.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of
recording at least a portion of 15
said digital information for broadcast at a later point
in time.
5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of
broadcasting said at least a
portion of said digital information in substantially real
time.
6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of
performing an analysis of
said digital communication link between a plurality of
viewers and said broadcaster prior to 20
said selecting step.
20
7. The method of claim 6 wherein said selecting step
comprises the step of selecting
optimum viewers based upon a result of said analysis of
said digital communication link
between a plurality of viewers and said broadcaster.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein said selecting step
further comprises the step of
selecting optimum viewers based on compatibility with
hardware maintained by said 5
broadcaster.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein said selecting step
comprises randomly selecting
said at least one participant.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein said selecting step
comprises the steps of creating
a potential participant group based upon specific
selection criteria and selecting said at least 10
one participant from said potential participant group.
11. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of
tracking viewership of
each broadcast by each of said plurality of viewers, and
wherein said step of creating a
potential participant group comprises the step of
creating a potential participant group based
upon viewership of prior broadcasts by each of said
plurality of viewers. 15
12. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of
tracking patronization of
sponsors of each broadcast by each of said plurality of
viewers, and wherein said step of
creating a potential participant group comprises the step
of creating a potential participant
group based upon prior patronization of said sponsors.
13. The method of claim 10 further comprising the steps
of asking each of said 20
plurality of viewers questions about prior broadcasts and
compiling answers to said questions,
and wherein said step of creating a potential participant
group comprises the step of creating a
potential participant group based upon a result of said
compiling step.
21
14. The method of claim 13 wherein said step of asking
each of said plurality of
viewers questions about prior broadcasts comprises the
step of displaying said questions on an
Internet website and wherein said compiling step
comprises the step of receiving answer data
transmitted from said Internet website.
15. The method of claim 1 wherein said incorporating step
comprises the steps of 5
displaying said digital information on said broadcast and
modifying said broadcast based
upon said at least a portion of said digital information.
16. The method of claim 1 wherein said broadcast is one
of a news broadcast and a
game broadcast.
17. A computer program product for multimedia interaction
between a broadcaster 10
and a plurality of viewers, said computer program product
comprising:
program means for establishing a communication link
between said plurality of
viewers and said broadcaster;
program means for choosing at least one viewer to appear
as a participant on a
broadcast; 15
program means for sending and receiving digital image and
audio information
between said broadcaster and a chosen viewer; and
means for transmitting said broadcast to at least the
plurality of viewers from which
the chosen viewer or viewers were chosen.
18. A method for increasing a number of subscribers to a
computer network, said 20
method comprising the steps of:
obtaining an exclusive right to provide participants to a
broadcast of a program;
22
informing a plurality of potential participants of an
ability to participate in said
broadcast of said program by subscribing to said computer
network;
establishing a digital communication link through said
computer network between a
plurality of subscribers and said broadcaster;
selecting at least one partic ipant from said plurality
of subscribers to participate on 5
said broadcast of said program;
transmitting digital information having both image
content and audio content between
a chosen participant and said broadcaster; and
incorporating at least a portion of said digital
information into said broadcast.
19. The method of claim 18 wherein said computer network
is a casino computer 10
network, wherein said program is a interactive gambling
program broadcast on a closed
circuit television network in a casino.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein said potential
participants are gamblers and
wherein said network is adapted to allow both
participants and non-participants to gamble
remotely therethrough. 15
23
ABSTRACT
A method for multimedia interaction between viewers and a
broadcaster, a
computer program product for executing the method for
multimedia interaction, and a
method for attracting additional subscribers to network
service providers through use of
this method. The method for multimedia interaction
includes the steps of establishing a 5
communication link between a plurality of viewers and
broadcaster and choosing at least
one viewer to appear on a broadcast. Once chosen, the
viewer or viewer receives digital
image and audio, or video, information from the
broadcaster and transmits digital image
and audio, or video, information back to the broadcaster.
At least a portion of the video
information transmitted to the broadcaster is included in
the broadcast, which is then 10
transmitted to at least the plurality of viewers from
which the chosen viewer or viewers
were chosen via digital picture with live information via
Internet.
24
Network
Admin.
Viewer 1
Viewer 2
Viewer 3
Viewer x
Broadcaster
12
14
16
18
20
FIG. 1
10
25
400
means for transmitting the resulting broadcast
100
means for establishing a communication link
200
means for choosing at least one viewer
300
means for sending and receiving video information
FIG. 2
26
250
transmitting the resulting broadcast
220
establishing a communication link
230
choosing at least one viewer
240
sending and receiving video information
200
Obtaining a right to provide participants
210
informing potential viewers
FIG. 3
.
- Next message: Christine: "Trouble importing mail between computers"
- Previous message: john: "some emails won't open"
- Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ]
Relevant Pages
|
