Two channel communication system using RDS datastream broadcasting

Abstract

Aspects of the invention comprise a digital mobile terminal system for accessing mobile internet services including a VHF/AM/FM radio receiver and a subsystem that handles interfaces and interactions between the digital mobile terminal and a radio network via a digital (e.g., RDS) data stream, interfaces and interactions between the digital mobile terminal and a mobile internet services platform, and interfaces and interactions between the digital mobile terminal and a user seeking to access and interact with mobile internet services. The present invention also comprises a radio broadcasting server platform for transmitting an RDS data stream including a subsystem that handles interfaces and interaction between the radio broadcasting server platform and a radio network via the digital (e.g., RDS) data stream and interfaces and interactions between the radio broadcasting server platform and a mobile internet services platform.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An apparatus comprising:
 a radio receiver integrated in said apparatus, said radio receiver configured to receive a radio broadcast; and 
 a processor to execute computer readable instructions stored in a memory, said computer readable instructions performing the steps ofone or more circuits, the one or more circuits configured to cause the apparatus to:
 capturingcapture a digital data stream transmitted as part of the radio broadcast, wherein a service link information is embedded within said digital data stream;   storingstore said service linkinformation in a memory buffer;   displaying information relating todisplay said service linkinformation on a display of said apparatus; and   removingremove said service information from said displaymemory buffer upon expiration of a predefined period of time,   
 wherein said service link information includes information an address usable by said apparatus to interact with a mobile service platform corresponding to said service link information. 
 
     
     
       2. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said service link information comprises service description information relating to an Internet URL. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said service link information comprises service description information relating to a WAP link an SMS number. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said service link information comprises service description information relating to an email address. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said service link information comprises service description information relating to a telephone number. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said computer readable instructions further comprise instructions to perform the steps of one or more circuits including software are further configured to cause the apparatus to:
 acceptingaccept a user request to initiate a service session based on said service link, based on service description information included in said digital data streamselection of the address displayed on the display; and 
 establishingestablish a connection between said apparatus and said mobile service platform in response to the user selection of the address. 
 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein said computer readable instructions further comprise instructions to perform the step of requesting one or more circuits including software are further configured to cause the apparatus to request content from said mobile service platform upon said establishment of the connection between said apparatus and said mobile service platform. 
     
     
       8. A computer non-transitory readable medium encoded with instructions capable of being executed by a computer for receiving service link data information via a digital data stream, said instructions, when executed by the computer cause the computer to:
 capturingcapture the digital data stream transmitted as part of a radio broadcast, 
 detecting adetect said service linkinformation embedded within said digital data stream; 
 storingstore said service linkinformation in a memory buffer; 
 displaying information relating todisplay said service linkinformation on a display of a digital radio terminal performing said method; and 
 removingremove said service information from said displaymemory buffer upon expiration of a predefined period of time, 
 wherein said service link information includes information for providing an address usable by said digital radio terminal sufficient information to initiate contact with a mobile service platform corresponding to said service link information. 
 
     
     
       9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 8 , wherein said service link information comprises an Internet URL. 
     
     
       10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 8 , wherein said service link information comprises a WAP link an SMS number. 
     
     
       11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 8 , wherein said service link information comprises an email address. 
     
     
       12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 8 , wherein said service link information comprises a telephone number. 
     
     
       13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 8 , wherein said instructions further comprise, when executed by the computer, further cause the computer to:
 acceptingaccept a user request to initiate a service session based on said service linkselection of the address displayed on the display; and 
 based onin response to the accepting step, establishingestablish a connection between said digital radio terminal and said mobile service platform. 
 
     
     
       14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 13 , wherein said method further comprises requesting said instructions, when executed by the computer, further cause the computer to request content from said mobile service platform upon said establishment of the connection between said digital radio terminal and said mobile service platform. 
     
     
       15. A method comprising:
 capturing a digital data stream transmitted as part of a radio broadcast, 
 detecting a service link information embedded within said digital data stream; 
 storing said service link information in a memory buffer of a mobile terminal; 
 displaying information relating to said service link information on a display of the mobile terminal performing said method; and 
 removing said service information from said display memory buffer upon expiration of a predefined period of time, 
 wherein said service link information includes information for providing an address usable by said mobile terminal sufficient information to initiate contact with a mobile service platform corresponding to said service link information. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15 , wherein said service link information comprises an Internet URL. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 15 , wherein said service link information comprises a WAP link an SMS number. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 15 , wherein said service link information comprises an email address. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 15 , wherein said service link information comprises a telephone number. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 15 , further comprising the steps of:
 accepting a user request to initiate a service session based on said service link selection of the address displayed on the display; and 
 based onin response to the accepting step, establishing a connection between said digital radiomobile terminal and said mobile service platform. 
 
     
     
       21. The method of  claim 20 , further comprising the step of requesting content from said mobile service platform upon said establishment of the connection between said mobile terminal and said mobile service platform. 
     
     
       22. A mobile terminal, comprising:
 a processor controlling overall operation of the mobile terminal; 
 an integrated radio receiver configured to receive a radio broadcast, said radio broadcast including an audio portion and a Radio Data Stream (RDS) portion, said RDS portion embedding text data corresponding to a contemporarily transmitted audio portion of the radio broadcast; and 
 memory storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by the processor,one or more circuits, the one or more circuits configured to cause the mobile terminal to perform a method comprising:  storingstore in a first memory buffer a first text value received as part of the RDS portion;   responsive to a user request received at the mobile terminal, retrieving retrieve the first text value from the first memory buffer and displaying display the first text value on a display of said mobile terminal; and   removingremove said first text value from said displayfirst memory buffer upon expiration of a predefined period of time,   
 wherein said first text value provides said mobile terminal sufficient information to initiate interaction with a mobile service platform corresponding to said first text value. 
 
     
     
       23. The mobile terminal of  claim 22 , wherein said first text value comprises an Internet URL. 
     
     
       24. The mobile terminal of  claim 22 , wherein said first text value comprises a WAP link an SMS number. 
     
     
       25. The mobile terminal of  claim 22 , wherein said first text value comprises an email address. 
     
     
       26. The mobile terminal of  claim 22 , wherein said first text value comprises a telephone number. 
     
     
       27. The mobile terminal of  claim 22 , wherein the computer readable instructions further comprising the step of one or more circuits are further configured to cause the mobile terminal to, responsive to a user request to initiate a service session based on the first text value, establishing establish a connection between said mobile terminal and said mobile service platform. 
     
     
       28. The mobile terminal of  claim 27 , wherein the computer readable instructions further comprising the step of requesting one or more circuits are further configured to cause the mobile terminal to request content from said mobile service platform upon establishment of the connection between said mobile terminal and said mobile service platform. 
     
     
       29. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said one or more circuits are further configured to cause the apparatus to interact with the mobile service platform. 
     
     
       30. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, said instructions, when executed by the computer, further cause the computer to interact with the mobile service platform. 
     
     
       31. The method of claim 15, further comprising said mobile terminal interacting with the mobile service platform. 
     
     
       32. The mobile terminal of claim 22, wherein the one or more circuits are further configured to cause the mobile terminal to interact with the mobile service platform. 
     
     
       33. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the digital data stream is a Radio Data Stream. 
     
     
       34. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the digital data stream is a Radio Data Stream. 
     
     
       35. The method of claim 15, the digital data stream is a Radio Data Stream. 
     
     
       36. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more circuits are further configured to cause the apparatus to display a list of addresses included in the service information, each of the addresses being usable by said apparatus to interact with a different respective mobile service. 
     
     
       37. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed by the computer, further cause the computer to display a list of addresses included in the service information, each of the addresses being usable by said digital radio terminal to interact with a different respective mobile service. 
     
     
       38. The method of claim 15, further comprising displaying a list of addresses included in the service information, each of the addresses being usable by said mobile terminal to interact with a different respective mobile service. 
     
     
       39. The mobile terminal of claim 22, wherein the one or more circuits are further configured to cause the mobile terminal to, responsive to the user request, display a list of text strings received as part of the RDS portion, each of the text strings providing said mobile terminal information to initiate interaction with a different respective mobile service corresponding to said text string. 
     
     
       40. The apparatus of claim 36,
 wherein each of the addresses have associated therewith different respective service settings stored in the memory; and   wherein the one or more circuits are further configured to, in response to a user selection of one of the addresses in the displayed list, configure the apparatus with the stored respective service settings associated with the selected address.   
     
     
       41. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 37,
 wherein each of the addresses have associated therewith different respective service settings stored in the memory; and   wherein the instructions, when executed by the computer, further cause the computer to, in response to a user selection of one of the addresses in the displayed list, configure the digital radio terminal with the stored respective service settings associated with the selected address.   
     
     
       42. The method of claim 38,
 wherein each of the addresses have associated therewith different respective service settings stored in the memory; and   wherein the method further comprises, in response to a user selection of one of the addresses in the displayed list, configuring the mobile terminal with the stored respective service settings associated with the selected address.   
     
     
       43. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein each of the addresses in the displayed list are usable by the apparatus to interact with a different type of mobile service, and wherein at least one of the different types of mobile services is a web based type of service.