Systems and methods for characterizing television preference over a wireless network

Abstract

A system for interacting with viewers of television programming includes a television set and a network terminal for each such user. The terminals are connected by the network to an interactive server which maintains a first database of persistent information for each user and a second database of current preference information for each user. The current preference information includes registrations of users as viewing particular programs or as participating in certain activities chronicled in television programs, such as lotteries, polls, and product promotions. According to information in the first and second databases and according to current user requests, the interactive server forwards information to users' terminals, modifies content of all television programming, or modifies content of television programming targeted to certain users or groups of users for selection by those users' cable or satellite set-top boxes.

1 .- 16 . (canceled)  
   
   
       17 . A method for implementing television viewer polling, comprising the steps of: 
 transmitting a television signal from an interactive server to television sets of viewers;    registering, by a viewer, a desire to participate in a poll related to a particular program by sending a registration message from a terminal of the viewer to the interactive server using a communication network;    adding, by the interactive server, a message to the television signal, the message being displayed in the television sets with the particular program and indicating information related to the poll;    answering, by the viewer, the poll and sending the polling answer from the terminal to the interactive server; and    tabulating the results of the poll at the interactive server.    
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising the step of sending, from the interactive server to the terminal of the viewer, a choice display message indicating a menu of polling choices, wherein said step of answering said poll comprises selecting, by the viewer, one of the polling choices and sending the selected polling choice to the interactive server;  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising the step of maintaining, in associated with the interactive server, a first database of viewer information for each viewer including at least one of identification, address information, financial information, general preference information, and demographic information.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising the step of maintaining a second database of registration information for each viewer including registration information indicating current activity and current preference information.  
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein said registration message sent in said step of registering comprises an identification of the viewer, said interactive server determining the viewer information from the first database based on the identification.  
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein an indication of the registration of the viewer as a poll participant is removed from the second database after the poll is completed.  
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein and indication of the registration of the viewer as a poll participant is maintained for a time period after the poll is completed for allowing poll participants to view the results of the poll.  
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the message added to the television signal includes a legend indicating that actual voting has commenced.  
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising the step of transmitting a sales offer related to the particular program to a viewer terminal.  
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the sales offer is based on the demographic information of the viewer associated with the viewer terminal.  
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the sales offer relates to one of clothing worn by a character in the particular program or an item being used by the character in the particular program.  
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising the steps of: 
 entering remarks about the particular program, by the viewer, on the viewer's terminal; and    receiving the remarks at the interactive server and forwarding the remarks to viewer terminals of other viewers registered as viewing the particular program, thereby facilitating chatting among members of a community.    
   
   
       29 . A system for implementing a television viewer poll, comprising: 
 a television transmitter arranged and dimensioned for broadcasting a program to a plurality of television sets associated with a plurality of viewers;    an interactive server connected to said television transmitter for forwarding a television signal of the program to the television transmitter and connected to communication network for communicating with viewer terminals of viewers associated with respective television sets, said interactive server comprising means for conducting a poll related to the program, including means for receiving registration messages from terminals of participating viewers desiring to participate in the poll, sending a message with the television signal so that the message is displayed on the television sets with the program and indicates information related to the polls, and receiving results of the poll from the terminals of participating viewers and tabulating the results of the poll at the interactive server.    
   
   
       30 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein said interactive server further comprises means for sending a choice display message indicating polling choices to the terminals of the participating viewers, said means for receiving results comprises receiving a selected polling choice from the terminals of participating viewers.  
   
   
       31 . The system of  claim 29 , further comprising a first database including viewer information for each viewer of a plurality of viewers, the information including at least one of identification, address information, financial information, general preference information, and demographic information.  
   
   
       32 . The system of  claim 29 , further comprising a second database including registration information for each of the participating viewers including registration information indicating current activity and current preference information.  
   
   
       33 . The system of  claim 32 , wherein the registration messages received from the terminals of the participating viewers each comprise an identification of the respective participating viewer, said interactive server comprising means for determining the viewer information of the participating viewer from the first database based on the identification.  
   
   
       34 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein the message added to the television signal includes a legend indicating that actual voting has commenced.  
   
   
       35 . The system of  claim 31 , wherein said interactive server further comprises means for transmitting a sales offer related to the particular program to the terminal of a participating viewer.  
   
   
       36 . The system of  claim 35 , wherein the sales offer is based on the demographic information of the participating viewer.  
   
   
       37 . The system of  claim 35 , wherein the sales offer relates to one of clothing worn by a character in the particular program or an item being used by the character in the particular program.  
   
   
       38 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein said interactive server further comprises means for receiving remarks from a terminal of a participating viewer and forwarding the remarks to terminals of other participating viewers registered as viewing the particular program, thereby facilitating chatting among members of a community.  
   
   
       39 . An interactive server connected to a television transmitter for forwarding a television signal of the program to the television transmitter and connected to communication network for communicating with viewer terminals of viewers associated with respective television sets receiving the program, said interactive server comprising means for conducting a poll related to the program, including means for receiving registration messages from terminals of participating viewers desiring to participate in the poll, sending a message with the television signal so that the message is displayed on the television sets with the program and indicates information related to the polls, and receiving results of the poll from the terminals of the participating viewers and tabulating the results of the poll at the interactive server.  
   
   
       40 . The interactive server of  claim 39 , further comprising means for sending a choice display message indicating polling choices to the terminals of the participating viewers,  
   
   
       41 . The interactive server of  claim 39 , further comprising a first database including viewer information for each viewer of a plurality of viewers, the information including at least one of identification, address information, financial information, general preference information, and demographic information.  
   
   
       42 . The interactive server of  claim 41 , further comprising a second database including registration information for each of the participating viewers including registration information indicating current activity and current preference information.  
   
   
       43 . The interactive server of  claim 41 , wherein the registration messages received from the terminals of the participating viewers each comprise an identification of the respective participating viewer, said interactive server comprising means for determining the viewer information of the participating viewer from the first database based on the identification.  
   
   
       44 . The interactive server of  claim 39 , wherein the message added to the television signal includes a legend indicating that actual voting has commenced.  
   
   
       45 . The interactive server of  claim 40 , further comprising means for transmitting a sales offer related to the particular program to a terminal of a participating viewer.  
   
   
       46 . The interactive server of  claim 45 , wherein the sales offer is based on the demographic information of the participating viewer.  
   
   
       47 . The interactive server of  claim 45 , wherein the sales offer relates to one of clothing worn by a character in the particular program or an item being used by the character in the particular program.  
   
   
       48 . The interactive server of  claim 39 , further comprising means for receiving remarks from a terminal of a participating viewer and forwarding the remarks to terminals of other participating viewers registered as viewing the particular program, thereby facilitating chatting among members of a community.