WO1997035428A1

WO1997035428A1 - Television or radio programme signal comprising supplementary data

Info

Publication number: WO1997035428A1
Application number: PCT/IB1996/000232
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gerhard Eitz; Ralph Von Vignau
Original assignee: Philips Electronics N.V.; Institut für Rundfunktechnik GmbH
Priority date: 1995-01-31
Filing date: 1996-03-18
Publication date: 1997-09-25

Abstract

The supplementary data received are stored temporarily for a given amount of time at the receiver end. At a first command from the user, plain text data and optionally graphics data present in the supplementary data last received are displayed. If selection data are available, the user uses a variable marking system to select the desired telephone connection from those displayed. At a second command from the user, the telecommunication number associated with the desired telephone connection is taken from the supplementary data and relayed to a dialling arrangement (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

TV or Hörfurüc program signal with additional information.

The invention relates to a method according to the preamble of claim 1. Such a method is known from "Rundfunkchnik Mitteilungen", Issue 1, 1978 "System for editing and inserting subtitles according to the English Teletext standard".

It is known from the above-mentioned reference to insert subtitles into the television picture in the case of foreign-language television sound or for the deaf. The subtitles shown are temporally correlated with the television picture.

It is also known to present products in television commercials and, at the end of the commercial, the prices and telephone numbers for each country separately

I indicate under which the previously advertised products can be ordered. However, this so-called "teleshopping" has the disadvantage that the telephone numbers in question must be recorded by the television subscriber; In addition, the direct connection between the television presentation of the product and the display of price and telephone number suffers. If many TV participants want to order at the same time, a large number of dialing attempts is required. In order to make the ordering of products that are presented on television or hortunk as easy as possible for television or radio station participants, it is known from German patent application P 44 27 046 1 to provide additional information, in particular in the form of plain text and, if necessary, of graphic information to be transmitted within the program signal in time correlation to its program content and decoded on the receiver side. The additional information received is temporarily stored on the receiver side for a certain period of time. At a first command from the user, a clear text contained in the last received additional information and o ggof 'graphic information for a a certain period of time is reproduced During the reproduction of the plain text and, if applicable, the graphic information, a second command from the user turns the recently cached additional information into an order or selection information associated with the plain text and possibly graphic information n removed and forwarded to a dialing device (eg modem).

With the last-mentioned method, however, only one ordering process for a specific product can be carried out during a certain duration.

The object of the invention is to enable a telephone connection with the program provider or the order acceptance of a mail order company to be made as simple as possible for the user in a method of the type mentioned at the outset.

This object is achieved by the characterizing features of claim 1. Advantageous refinements and developments of the method according to the invention result from the subclaims

The invention is based on the consideration of giving the television or radio station subscriber the possibility of calling up clarity information in the visual or acoustic presentation of products or services by pressing a special button on his receiver or his remote control, which information can be obtained by inserting it into the television picture or Playback is made visible on a display on the receiver. In particular, the clarity information is more detailed information about products which the subscriber can order by phone call. To initiate an order process, the subscriber only needs to press the special button on his receiver or his remote control once more, whereupon the telecommunication number assigned to the provider of the desired product is dialed automatically. The successful establishment of the telecommunication connection is indicated to the user by plain text information. It is also possible that after the connection has been established, the user is shown expanded plain text information, for example "please speak" or "you speak to Ms Moser, order entry".

The invention is explained in more detail using an exemplary embodiment shown in the drawings. Show it:

Fig. La is a time diagram for the chronological succession of individual

Television contributions and the additional information associated with the individual television contributions; Fig. Lb shows a representation of those transmitted in the additional information

Plain text information and telecommunications number:

Fig. Lc is a schematic representation of the selection process:

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

Fig. 3 em block diagram emer receiver-side device after the

Invention for decoding the additional information.

The information necessary for an automatic selection of a telecommunication device is time-correlated as additional information to the television program on teletext pages, similar to subtitles sent under certain page numbers that are known to the receiving device. Thus, as shown in FIG. 1 a, the additional information A I is transmitted with the television signal for the spot S 1 and the additional information A2 for the spot S2; The same applies to T.

Fig. Lb shows possible contents of the additional information A l. A2 and B from Fig. La. For example, the additional information AI from Spot S l contains plain text information "Call: order acceptance department store AA (technology)" and a telecommunication number "130-1234-1" for department store AA. If the user of the receiving device presses a special button YES on his remote control (FIG. 2), for example, during the spot S 1 of an advertising program, the associated clarity information "Ruten an ana department store AA (Technik)" is displayed in the running program (FIG. Lb ) If, on the other hand, the user presses the 'YES' button a short time later during spot S2, the clarity information assigned to spot S2 "Call to department store AA (facility)" is displayed

If the user wants to establish the reproduced telecommunications connection, he presses the 'YES' button on his remote control again, whereupon the partial communication number contained in the relevant additional information is transmitted to a modem which leads to a telephone connection of the user and automatically triggers the dialing process (Fig I c) Once the connection has been established with the selected provider, clear text and, if applicable, graphic information is reproduced on the user's screen or display, which signals the establishment of the connection and is permanently stored by the recipient (for example, 'Connection established, please lift the handset') ) The user can then pick up the phone and notify the provider of his order directly.

On the other hand, if the receiving device detects control information in the associated additional information. Before the signaling of the establishment of the connection, a user-specific device number for identifying the user is transmitted to the selected provider. The provider identifies the ordering party (= user) based on the device number, reports confirmation information back to the user, and then another. The plain text and, if applicable, graphic information received by the recipient signals to the user that the check has been carried out and the connections have been established

In addition, once the user has been identified, it is possible to transmit appropriate plain text and, if applicable, graphic information to the user and display it on his display or screen (for example, 'Here is the order acceptance department store AA. Hello. You speak to Ms. Maier ')

The method according to the invention is an ideal supplement for tele-shopping. For example, the user can be easily connected to the order acceptance of a mail order company - inspired by an advertising spot. The provider also has the option of verifying the identity of the user and of transferring plain text and possibly graphic information directly to the user and displaying it on a screen or display.

With the described method, the telecommunication numbers for participants in different types can be transmitted in the additional information. For this purpose, the telecommunications room (s) for a country are summarized and given a special group identifier. Only the telecommunication number (s) that correspond to the group identifier permanently stored in the receiving device are then taken into account in the receiving device.

Furthermore, with the method according to the invention it is possible to have a user select a telecommunication ion connection from a plurality. Fig. 2 shows an example. If the user presses a special key ^' YES ^{' on} his remote control, the associated clarification information "Who do you want to make a call with? Mr. Sack, Ms. Klose. Maria", three special oval characters to identify selection positions and "Selection with 'Next' - confirm with 'YES'"on a screen. A movable marker, not shown, is positioned by the receiving device on the first selection option. In addition, the additional information contains, as hidden information, the positions and telecommunication numbers belonging to the different selection options. If the user presses the "Next" button, he can select the person you want to talk to and trigger the associated dialing process by pressing the 'YES' button a second time.

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a receiving device according to the invention installed in a television set. The received TV signa! With the serial formats and the (subtitle) additional information, a teletext decoder 1 is supplied, 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, e.g. are transmitted as subtitles in a 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 Logosram generated by the teletext decoder and as an RGB signal appears on the screen 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 control then causes the teletext decoder 1 to read out the last cached additional information from the RAM memory 3 and to reproduce the plain text and possibly graphic information (FIG. 1b) contained in the additional information in a suitable manner as viewer information on the television screen.

In addition to the plain text and graphic information for the user, the additional information conceals one or more telecom communication numbers with assigned positions for the movable marking. If the additional information contains several telecommunication numbers π, a movable marker is automatically set to the position of the first selection option. For this purpose, the controller 2 requests the information contained in the relevant additional information, evaluates it and issues appropriate commands for the position of the marking to the teletext decoder 1. The user can now press all of the listed options one after the other by pressing a 'Next' key to mark and select it.

If the 'YES' key is pressed a second time by the user, the telecommunications room selected with the marking is transferred to a modem 4 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. If the connection is established with the selected subscriber, if there is control information in the additional information, a device number for identification of the user is transmitted, which is read out from a PROM memory 5. If, on the other hand, the additional information does not contain any control information, 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 its insertion into a television picture, it is just as possible to transmit the additional information in a radio program signal and to display it on a display on the radio receiver. A digital radio program signal is particularly suitable for this because of the large transmission capacity. However, an analog radio program signal (FM and AM signal) provided with an RDS (radio data system) signal also comes into consideration, since the RDS signal still has unassigned identifications which are used for the additional information according to the invention can be.

Claims

Claims:

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 is temporarily stored for a certain period , with a first command from the user from the last temporarily stored additional information, the plain text and possibly graphic information available there is reproduced on a screen or display, characterized in that information on a telecommunication number is taken from the last temporarily stored additional information and that on a second command from the user, a dialing switching device carries out a dialing operation in accordance with the specified telecommunication number and that the establishment of the telecommunication connection has the effect user is indicated by plain text information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that information about one or more telecommunication numbers with associated group identifiers (eg country codes) is contained in the cached additional information and that a dialing operation is carried out with the telecommunication number on a second command from the user, the Group identifier matches a group identifier of the receiving device, which is permanently stored on the receiver side.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the cached additional information contains information about several telecommunications numbers with associated positions for assigned plain text and possibly graphic information, which are reproduced on a screen or display, that automatically the Clear position and possibly graphic information assigned to the first position is marked in a suitable manner, and that the user selects the desired telecommunication number on the basis of the assigned clear text and possibly graphic information and, on a second command from the user, a dialing operation is carried out in accordance with the selected telecommunication number.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that in the cached additional information, in addition to the information about one or more telecommunication numbers, a control information is included that on a second command from the user a dialing operation with the telecommunication number contained in the last stored additional information is carried out that a user-specific device number is transmitted to the called subscriber when a telecommunication connection is established and that after checking the user-specific device number, confirmation of the call by the called subscriber is reproduced by the user by means of corresponding plain text and possibly graphic information.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that when the telecommunication connection is established, further clear text information transmitted by the called subscriber is reproduced by the user.

6. Arrangement 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 received and decoded within the program signal in a time correlation to its program content, and is temporarily stored for a certain period, in response to a first command from the user, the clear text and possibly graphic information available there is reproduced on a screen or display from the last cached additional information, characterized in that the arrangement contains means for extracting information about a telecommunication number from the last cached additional information , and to carry out a dialing operation in accordance with the specified telecommunication number on a second command from the user by means of a dialing switching device.

7. TV or radio program signal with additional information contained therein, in particular in the form of plain text and possibly graphic information, which are inserted within the program signal in a time correlation to its program content, characterized in that the additional information contains information about a Contains telecommunication number.