Wink Communications Inc.

Wink Communication

Brian P Dougherty

Eric E Del Sesto

Allan C Thygesen

Michael Capuano

C Leo Meier

In a broadcasting system, an electronic program guide (EPG) is used to determine what broadcast program is on a given channel at a given time in a given location. With the particular determined broadcast program as an input, timing offset objects defining interactive content related to the determined broadcast program can be retrieved from a timing offsets database. Each timing offset object specifies a time from the beginning of the program, an act to perform at the time, and a reference to interactive content on which to perform the act at the time. With the reference to the interactive content as an input, an interactive application or other interactive content can be retrieved from an interactive content database. The EPG, the timing offsets database, and the interactive content database may be located logically or physically together or separately, and they may be cached locally or referenced from an external source.

Using the electronic program guide to synchronize interactivity with broadcast programs

A system and method provide a generalized reminder system in an interactive broadcast environment, that enables a viewer to quickly establish reminders for both broadcast events and non-broadcast events, and have such reminders displayed at an appropriate future time. The system includes a broadcast that broadcasts programs, such as television programs and commercial advertisements, and interactive applications associated with various such programs. The interactive applications include reminder interactive applications which have reminder data which describe a future time for displaying a reminder and a description of the event for which the reminder is desired. The broadcast programs and reminder interactive applications are received in broadcast receiver which displays the programs. A viewer viewing a program signals the broadcast receiver to establish a reminder for an event related to the program. The broadcast receiver stores the reminder data from the reminder interactive application, and initiates a timer that expires at the desired future time. When the timer expires, the broadcast receiver displays the event description for the reminder. Reminders may be established and displayed for both broadcast events and non-broadcasts events, as the description of the event is contained in the reminder data.

Reminder system for broadcast and non-broadcast events based on broadcast interactive applications

A method and apparatus routes user information including confidential information and other information to a vendor in a secure manner without requiring the user to transmit information in a secure manner. The user provides a user identifier and information including confidential information to a response collector, who relates the user identifier to the user information. The response collector may verify the information to protect against fraud. An information provider provides an application identifier and vendor routing information to a response collector, who relates the vendor routing information to the application identifier. The application identifier corresponding to the vendor is broadcast to the user via an interactive information system application, and the interactive information system sends the application identifier, a user identifier and other response information to a response collector as directed by the user and the interactive information system application. The response collector may then route the user's information and other response information to the vendor according to the vendor routing information. The user may send anonymous responses in the same manner without sending the user identifier to the response collector.

Method and apparatus for routing confidential information

A method and apparatus identifies a tuned frequency or other information about a broadcaster or an interactive information system application using a description of the broadcaster or application, allowing an interactive information system to be easily controlled without requiring an information provider to identify a tuned frequency or other information. An information provider broadcasts broadcaster information to a reception component, and the reception component may identify the desired tuned frequency or other information using this broadcaster information. This allows interactive information system applications to locate a desired frequency or other information without requiring knowledge of information specific to each geographic or other boundary.

Method and apparatus for providing and receiving broadcaster information

A method and apparatus allows an information provider to broadcast a graphical interactive information system application to a user even using a low-bandwidth transport such as the VBI. A compact protocol encapsulates graphical information using definitions of graphical objects and resources. A scripting and command language is also highly compact. A reception component receives the compact protocol and displays and operates a complete graphical interactive information system application.

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Lafayette, CA, United States of America

Brian P Dougherty