System for communication using a broadcast audio signal
OwnerRobert Shermaninventor
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Abstract
This invention involves a system of communicating information using audio signals. In one embodiment, the information is encoded in touch tones on the sound track of a television game show. The information relates to the action of the show, and is broadcast in-band with the audio portion of the show. The show, and thus the information encoded in its audio portion, is received by an ordinary home television. A device for playing a game "listens" to the television speaker and decodes the information. The device allows home viewers to play a game based on the action of the show. The touchtones are substantially indiscernible to humans because they are quieter than most of the audio portion of the show, they are very brief, and they are masked by the show's usual sound effects.
Claims20
A device for playing a game, comprising:
- a microphone capable of receiving information from a communication receiver;
- a touch tone decoder electrically coupled to said microphone;
- a processing unit electrically coupled to said decoder;
- input means for a player of said game to input a response to a broadcast program, electrically coupled to said processing unit;
- and
- display means for displaying scoring information relevant to said response, electrically coupled to said processing unit.
Apparatus comprising
- means for receiving, from the audio output emanating from a speaker of an ordinary communication receiver of the class comprising television and radio receivers, a broadcast signal comprising (a) a program signal and (b) time-varying information encoded with said program signal in a manner so as to be substantially indiscernible to humans observing said output;
- means for detecting said time-varying information in said broadcast signal;
- and
- decoding means for decoding said information to achieve decoded information.
Apparatus for playing a game comprising
- means for receiving, from the audio output emanating from a speaker of an ordinary communication receiver of the class comprising television and radio receivers, a broadcast signal comprising (a) a program signal and (b) time-varying information encoded in-band in said broadcast signal with said program signal in a manner so as to be substantially indiscernible to humans observing said output, said time-varying information being useful for participation in said game;
- means for detecting said time-varying information in said broadcast signal;
- and
- means, electrically coupled to said means for detecting, for decoding said encoded information to achieve decoded information.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.