Trans World New York, LLC

Actv Inc.

Trans World Entertainment Corporation

Open Tv Corporation

Gregory W Harper

Michael J Freeman

John J Sullivan

Timothy James Davis

Steven E Skiba

David Stowers

In Young Jang

Bruce Wollen

A user-personalized product sampling, recommendation and purchasing system uses customer identification numbers and associated customer profile data to tailor specific product recommendations to a customer at a content sampling station of a retail location. The customer also can use her customer profile to receive the same information from an Internet website of the merchant. In-store sampling stations also may have the capability of checking store inventory and central warehouse inventory and providing recommendations to the customer in accordance with product availability, and optionally may provide the customer with the ability to place product orders directly through the sampling station. The recommendation system also can be used to tailor product recommendations in accordance with a rule-based model and real-time inventory data from a POS database.

User-personalized media sampling, recommendation and purchasing system using real-time inventory database

The present invention provides systems and methods for enabling a customer to sample content and select content for purchasing while the customer is in a retail store. Advantageously, the customer may be given one or more options for the delivery of the content.

Systems and methods for the selection and purchase of digital assets

A product sampling and recommendation system uses customer profile data and/or real-time information from a point-of-sale system to tailor specific product recommendations to a customer using a sampling station.

In one aspect, the invention provides a device for facilitating the acquisition of media assets. In some embodiments, the device includes: a housing; a USB connector projecting outwardly from an end of the housing; a card reader housed in the housing; non-volatile memory housed in the housing and coupled to the USB connector and the card reader; and a barcode disposed on a major surface of the housing, said barcode encoding an identifier that is associated with customer information.

Systems and methods for acquiring media assets

The present invention provides system and methods for facilitating the acquisition of content. In some embodiment, the systems and method enable a user to acquire and store content on a portable device.

Data filling station

Embodiments of the present invention enable a user to acquire an item (e.g., a digital song, digital video, etc.) using one device (e.g., a portable device) and to easily move a copy of the acquired item from the one device to another device so that a user of the other device can play the item.

Digital content distribution systems and methods

Listening and viewing station

An interactive cable television system is disclosed which utilizes a standard cable television distribution network for simultaneously providing a plurality of viewers with an interactive television program comprising a plurality of signals related in time and content. Video signals are transmitted in a digital format, more than one signal being multiplexed onto a data stream on a single channel. The video signals may be compressed for efficiency. A receiver, in conjunction with a signal selector, selects a particular NTSC channel for playback, then selects a particular video signal from the data stream, and decompresses the video signal for playback. Seamless switching between video signals on different channels is provided. An alternative embodiment is disclosed wherein the various signals which comprise the interactive program are switched at the head end rather than at the receiver. The multiple choice control unit selects a desired signal by relaying the multiple choice selections of the user through a relay box back to a remotely located switching station. The switching station routes the correct video signal down the appropriate cable channel for the particular user.

Growing community of inventors

New York, NY, United States of America

Gregory W Harper