System for buying goods and services

A method for remote buying of a product by a viewer or contacting a vendor in response to viewing of a product placement on a television broadcast comprising:

• broadcasting a televised product placement of the product at a date, a time, a channel and city;
• providing for the product placement an identifier representative of the broadcast date, the time, the channel and the city of the original product placement;
• providing software to a multiplicity of digital video recorders and a remote controller adapted to remotely control pre-designated operations of the digital video recorder;
• recording on the digital video recorder the said advertisement identifier, a viewer identifier including the viewer's city and phone number, and time elapsed between the time of the original advertisement broadcast and when the original product placement is played on the digital video recorder;
• actuating a designated buy button on the remote controller to generate a first signal indicative of viewer interest in buying the product and transmitting from the remote controller to the digital video recorder that first signal;
• upon receiving from the remote controller the first signal, generating in the digital video recorder a second signal representative of the time elapsed, the broadcast date, the time, the channel and the city of the product placement broadcast and the viewer identifier;
• transmitting the second signal to a host computer;
• transmitting the third signal to a host computer;
• said host computer determining the product placement from information provided in the third signal and associating a vendor of the product placement with the second signal;
• and
• contacting the vendor and providing to the vendor information product placement and about the viewer.

A communication and data storage method for transfer of data between computers comprising:

• a memory means to store and retrieve television program schedules for a plurality of cities or areas, a memory means to store and query a table of commercials by city, broadcast date-time and channel and product identification, a memory means to store and query a table of product identifications and vendor information;
• whereas the host computer is capable of at least receiving a product or service inquiry message from the viewer's digital video recorder;
• identifying the product desired, based upon the city, broadcast date, time and channel;
• identifying the vendor of the product, transmitting the product or service inquiry and viewer information to the appropriate vendor's computer, keeping records of the viewers, the transactions, the program schedules, and the commercial schedules of sponsors.

A method to determine the identity of a digital video disk (DVD) and the product placement in that DVD comprising:

• a host computer and database containing a table of records containing pixel strings versus DVD identities and product placements in those DVDs and their corresponding elapsed play time of the DVD, and vendors associated with those product placements;
• a DVD player connected to the said digital video recorder providing a television signal, an interface to a television display for viewing the DVD television signal through the digital video recorder, a hand-held remote controller having an interface to the DVD player and to the digital video recorder and which includes a keyboard, memory in the digital video recorder for storing lines of pixels contained in the television signal, a memory means to extract a sample of pixels from a from a video frame, a process to compare samples of pixels;
• whereas the digital video recorder can assemble a signal containing the viewer information, play time and the captured pixels, transmitting the signal to the host computer which then compares the captured pixels to its database to determine the title of the DVD, then using the play time into the video said host computer determining the product placement or advertisement, using this information to determine the vendor and facilitating the communication between the vendor and the viewer.

A method to facilitate user response to print advertisements comprising:

• providing print advertisements that contain an advertisement number uniquely associated with the product advertised;
• a digital video recorder and hand-held remote controller for said digital video recorder;
• whereas the viewer may press the designated capture button and then press number keys on the remote controller of the digital video recorder corresponding to the print advertisement number and then press the designated buy button;
• whereupon the digital video recorder will assemble a signal containing the print advertisement number and viewer information and then transfer that signal to the host computer;
• the said host computer determining the product advertised from information provided in the signal and associating a vendor of the product advertised with the signal;
• and
• contacting the vendor and providing to the vendor information about the product and the viewer.

A method to facilitate purchases, upgrades and/or maintenance of household, commercial or industrial equipment comprising:

• a digital video recorder and hand-held remote controller for said digital video recorder;
• whereas the viewer may press the designated capture button and then press number keys on the remote controller of the digital video recorder corresponding to numbers that appear in printed service items such as owners or service manuals, from parts or assemblies parts, or assemblies for the purchase, upgrade and/or maintenance of household, commercial or industrial equipment and sending this signal to the digital video recorder;
• upon receiving from the remote controller the signal, generating in the digital video recorder a second signal representative of the printed service item and the viewer identifier;
• transmitting the second signal to a host computer;
• the said host computer determining the product or service item from information provided in the second signal and associating a vendor of the product or service associated with the second signal;
• and
• contacting the vendor and providing to the vendor information about the product and the viewer.

A method to facilitate the purchase of items advertised or presented as product placements on an electronically transferred or downloaded entertainment program or content via the digital video recorder remote and digital video recorder or entertainment center or content hub comprising:

• a digital video recorder and hand-held remote controller for said digital video recorder;
• electronically transferred content containing an advertisement of the product or product placement at an elapsed time into the electronically transferred content;
• providing for the original advertisement an original advertisement identifier representative of the elapsed time into the entertainment program and an electronically transferred content identifier;
• when the designated buy key of the remote is actuated in response to a desired purchase of a displayed product, the remote transmits the buy signal to the digital video recorder;
• said digital video recorder upon receiving said signal is able to assemble a second signal containing the entertainment program identification, the product identification information, and the viewer information;
• transmitting the second signal to a host computer;
• the said host computer determining the product or service item from information provided in the second signal and associating a vendor of the product or service associated with the second signal;
• and
• the said host computer contacting the vendor and providing to the vendor information about the product and the viewer.