Television Computer, Inc.

David Touretzky

Robert Thibadeau

Joseph M Newcomer

Location specific messages or programming are generally broadcast and selectively filtered by user terminals which have encoded one or more arbitrary locations of interest. The area surrounding a user, a remote location, a route to be travelled, or the like may be selected for receipt of local warnings, local commercial messages, and the like. A set-top receiver being a preferably tunable apparatus capable of receiving digital information transmitted by a variety of means. Transmitted messages contain information targeted to geographical groups of users, with location designation coding accompanying location-specific messages. A geographic location selection code is entered into a data processor coupled to the user's receiver to define the user's selected location(s) of interest. The processor receives the information segment and its designation code and compares the designated location to the selected one. Segments where the designated and selected points or areas overlap are processed. e.g., being displayed, stored or used to trigger a warning. The user's selection code is variable and plural locations can be used and prioritized. Preferably, regions are encoded by their boundaries, e.g., in longitude, latitude, altitude or the like, and in absolute or relative coordinates, and shorthand designations can refer to stored definitions of areas. Filtering segments based on message content, prioritizing the messages and additional features can be included. The system is especially useful for distributing local commercial messages, hazard warnings, or the like.

Method of identifying set-top receivers

Location specific messages or programming are generally broadcast and selectively filtered by user terminals which have encoded one or more arbitrary locations of interest. The area surrounding a user, a remote location, a route to be travelled or the like may be selected for receipt of local warnings, local commercial messages and the like. Transmitted messages contain information targeted to geographical groups of users, with location designation coding accompanying location-specific messages. A geographic location selection code is entered into a data processor coupled to the user's receiver to define the user's selected location(s) of interest. The processor receives the information segment and its designation code and compares the designated location to the selected one. Segments where the designated and selected points or areas overlap are processed, e.g., being displayed, stored or used to trigger a warning. The user's selection code is variable and plural locations can be used and prioritized. Preferably, regions are encoded by their boundaries, e.g., in longitude, latitude, altitude or the like, and in absolute or relative coordinates, and shorthand designations can refer to stored definitions of areas. Filtering segments based on message content, prioritizing the messages and additional features can be included. The system is especially useful for distributing local commercial messages, hazard warnings or the like.

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Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America

David Touretzky