DE19502921A1 - Reproduction of additional information in TV signal - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a television or radio programme signal comprising supplementary data. The supplementary data contain one or a plurality of entry fields into which the user can input characters (numbers, letters and other characters) by means of a suitable device. At a first command from the user, plain text data and optionally graphics data present in the supplementary data last received are reproduced with the entry fields for a given amount of time. The user supplements the data by inputting characters into the entry fields provided for this purpose. In addition, the characters input by the user can if necessary be checked at the receiver end. At a second command from the user, the communication number and product number or selection identification are taken from the supplementary data last stored temporarily and relayed, together with the input characters, to a dialling system (e.g. a modem) where the telecommunication number is if necessary supplemented with an apparatus number which identifies the user and is stored, for example, in a PROM.

Description

The invention relates to a method according to the preamble of Claim 1. Such a method is from broadcasting technology Mitteilungen, Heft 1, 1978 "System for the preparation and insertion of Subtitles according to the English Teletext standard "known.

It is known from the aforementioned literature reference for foreign-language television sound or to insert subtitles into the television picture for the deaf. The overlay Subtitles are temporally correlated with the television picture.

It is also known to present products in television commercials, and on At the end of the commercial, the prices and telephone numbers for each country are separate indicate under which the previously advertised products can be ordered. However, this so-called "teleshopping" has the disadvantage that from TV subscribers must be written down the relevant telephone numbers; the direct connection between the television presentation also suffers of the product and the display of price and telephone number. On top of that the television subscriber, after copying the telephone number, one telephone ordering process, what if many TV subscribers want to order at the same time, a variety of dialing attempts makes necessary.  

To order products that are presented on television or radio, to make it as simple as possible for the television or radio subscriber and at the same time to ensure the legal security required for an order, it is known from German patent application P 44 27 046.1, Additional information, especially in the form of plain text and, if applicable, of Graphic information within the program signal in a temporal correlation transmit its program content and decode it on the receiver side. The Additional information received is received by the recipient for a certain period cached. At a first command from the user, one in the last received additional information contained plain text and possibly graphic information played for a certain period of time. While playing the Plain text and, if applicable, the graphic information is sent to a second command from the User from the last cached additional information one of the Plain text and, if applicable, graphic information assigned to order or Selection information is taken and sent to a dialing exchange (e.g. Modem).

However, the latter method can last for a certain period only one order process for a certain product can be carried out at a time.

The object of the invention is in a method of the beginning mentioned kind a simple order possibility for the user from to enable different products.

This object is achieved by the characterizing features of Claim 1 solved.  

Advantageous refinements and developments of the method according to the invention according to claim 1 result from the subclaims.

The invention is based on the consideration of the television or radio subscriber per At the push of a button to give the possibility of visual or acoustic Presentation of products or services a plain text information to retrieve which by inserting it into the television picture or playback is made visible on a display on the receiver. In particular it is in the plain text information in addition to the information about the product and the price one or more fields in which the user can enter additional information such as B. Size and color, controlled by the receiving device. To order, the participant only needs to use a special one more time Button of his receiver or its remote control, whereupon the Order process is triggered automatically.

The invention is illustrated by means of one in the drawings Embodiment explained in more detail. Show it:

FIG. 1a is a timing diagram for the time sequence of individual TV programs and the individual television programs associated ancillary information;

FIG. 1b is a representation of the data transmitted in the supplementary information and the human readable information input fields;

FIG. 1c is a schematic representation of the selection procedure;

Fig. 2 is a schematic view of a page displayed on a television screen with selection information and a remote control with a 'YES' and a 'Next' button, and

Fig. 3 is a block diagram of a receiver-side device according to the invention for decoding the additional information.

The information necessary for an automatic selection of transmitted pages is transmitted as additional information correlated in time with the television program on teletext pages in a manner similar to subtitles under certain page numbers which are known to the receiving device. For example, as shown in FIG. 1a, the additional information A1 is transmitted with the television signal for the spot S1 and the additional information A2 for the spot S2; The same applies to T. FIG. 1b shows possible contents of the additional information A1, A2 and B from FIG. 1a. For example, the additional information A1 from Spot S1 contains plain text information "To order the dress, please specify your size:" and an input field "**".

If the user presses a special key 'YES' on his remote control ( Fig. 2), for example during the spot S1 of a running advertising program, the associated plain text information "for ordering the dress..." Is displayed in the running program ( Fig. 1b) . The plain text information shows an example of an additional input field for entering the clothing size. In addition, a movable marker, not shown, is automatically positioned by the decoder on the first input option. In addition to the plain text information, the page also contains information about the position, length and, if applicable, value range of the field, the associated product number and the phone number of the provider. If, on the other hand, the user presses the 'YES' key a short time later during the spot S2, the plain text information "for ordering the jeans..." Assigned to the spot S2 and the two input fields for "W" and "L" are reproduced.

Does the user have the required clothing size in the corresponding input field entered, the entry is automatically checked if the Corresponding information about the value range of the relevant field in the Additional information is available. So, to identify the available ones Dress sizes, the range of values for the dress offered, for example ′36, 38, 40, 42 'amount. If the user's input lies within the value range and the user presses the button 'YES' on his remote control again, so the order process is triggered automatically and the hidden product number with a given dress size and a fixed, user-specific Device number to identify the user at the one hidden under the Telephone number of the selected provider (e.g. a credit card organization) transmitted. The provider identifies the customer using the device number, gives address, account details and requested product to one for the Delivery responsible body and regulates the payment or debit, if necessary. However, it is not possible to trigger the order process if you enter the User is outside the assigned value range.

With the method according to the invention, the duration of the individual Telecommunications connections kept low when ordering and the The supplier's computer system is relieved because the customer has to make the necessary entries  (= User) are pre-checked by the device according to the invention.

Furthermore, the method according to the invention is not only a simplified one Ordering products possible. For example, solutions for Prize entries entered in a 'solution form' and directly for evaluation be sent. In addition, the input fields for demoscopic Surveys or polls of radio and television participants used will. For this purpose, selection information with associated information is provided in the individual pages Transfer input fields, a selection identification and a phone number.

FIG. 2 shows an example of an anonymous survey, is in demand in the example according to the most popular politician. In this case, the value range for these input fields can be specified with 'AZ'. The individual letters are entered, for example, using a coding table (a = 10, b = 11, c = 12, etc.) or by automatically changing the letters as long as a specific button on the remote control is pressed by the user. A selection process is similar to an order process; there is only no transmission of the device number to identify the user.

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a receiving device according to the invention installed in a television set. The received television signal with the page information and the (subtitle) additional information is fed to a teletext decoder 1 , which detects those pages from the incoming page information that are requested by a controller 2 . Furthermore, the teletext decoder 1 examines the television signal for additional information such. B. as subtitles in time correlation to the program content of the television signal.

If error-free additional information is determined by the teletext decoder 1 , it is temporarily stored in a RAM memory 3 , a message to the controller 2 and a corresponding display for the user, for example by corresponding signaling on the front of the television set or by a Logogram generated by the teletext decoder and displayed as an RGB signal on the screen together with the selected program in a corner of the screen.

If the viewer presses a "YES" key ( FIG. 2) which is assigned to the receiving device and which can be arranged on the remote control of the television set, a corresponding control signal "YES" is transmitted to the controller 2 . The controller then causes the teletext decoder 1 to read out the last cached additional information from the RAM memory 3 and the plain text and possibly graphic information contained in the additional information with the input field (s) ( FIG. 1b) on the screen the television set or a display in a suitable manner.

In addition to the plain text and graphic information for the user, the additional information contains hidden information about the number of input fields with their assigned positions, lengths and, if applicable, value ranges, a movable marking being automatically set to the first position of the first input field. For this purpose, the controller 2 requests the information contained in the additional information, evaluates it and issues corresponding commands for positioning the marking on the teletext decoder 1 . The user now has the option, for example, by pressing the corresponding number key on his remote control to gradually occupy the individual positions of the input fields and by pressing a key 'Next' to select the next position of an input field or the following input field. The individual keystrokes are processed by the controller 2 , possibly compared with the permitted value range and forwarded to the teletext decoder, which makes the corresponding entries and markings.

If the 'YES' key is pressed a second time by the user, the telecommunication number is transferred to a modem 4 from the additional information stored in RAM 3 and a dialing process is triggered. A telecommunication or telephone line leads from the modem 4 from the receiving device according to the invention to the telephone connection of the user. Once the connection has been established with the selected subscriber, the product number for the desired product, together with the characters entered and a device number for identifying the user, are transmitted for an order process and are read out from a PROM memory 5 . If, on the other hand, the additional information contains a selection identification number, no device number is transmitted to the selected subscriber; the anonymity of the user is guaranteed.

The successful establishment of the connection is signaled by the modem 4 to the controller 2 , which in turn sends a corresponding message to the teletext decoder 1 for display on the screen. In addition, a corresponding display on an associated LED display or on the television with an integrated receiving device is conceivable.

Instead of a television transmission of the additional information and their Fading into a television picture, it is just as possible to display the additional information in to transmit a radio program signal and on a display on Play radio receiver. Particularly suitable for this because of the large size Transmission capacity a digital radio program signal. But comes into consideration also an analog radio broadcast provided with RDS (radio data system) signal Program signal (FM and AM signal) because the RDS signal has not yet been assigned Has identifiers which are used for the additional information according to the invention can be.

Claims (5)

1. A method for reproducing additional information contained in a television or radio program signal, in particular in the form of plain text and possibly graphic information, which is transmitted within the program signal in a time correlation to its program content and decoded by the receiver, and for a certain duration are temporarily stored, with a first command from the user from the last received additional information, the plain text and possibly graphic information present there for a certain period of time is displayed on a screen or display, characterized in that the plain text and possibly graphic information is one or contains several input fields in which the user can enter digits and possibly letters and other characters with a suitable receiver device and that after the characters have been entered on a second command from the user from the last cached additional information tion is taken from the plain text and possibly graphic information associated with the order or selection information and together with the characters entered to a dialing device (e.g. B. Modem) is forwarded. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that in the cached additional information Information about the number that Positions and the length of the input fields are included and that automatically marks the first position of the first field in a suitable manner is that after the user has entered a character, the next position is marked and so on. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in the cached additional information Information about the Range of values of each input field are included and that a check of the character (s) entered on the recipient side becomes whether the entered character within the respectively specified Value range. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the order information, a product identifier and a tele communication number, possibly in coded form, and that the Dialing switch a dialing operation according to the Carries out telecommunication number and with established tele communication link the product identifier together with the entered characters and a user ID to the called Participant transmits. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the selection information a selection identification and a Contains telecommunications number, possibly in coded form, and that the  Dialing switch a dialing operation according to the Carries out telecommunication number and with established tele communication link, the selection identification and that transmits the entered character (s) to the called subscriber.