US 5,432,542 A · Television receiver location identification

Abstract

Location specific messages or programming are generally broadcast and selectively filtered by user terminals which have encoded one or more arbitrary locations of interest. The area surrounding a user, a remote location, a route to be travelled or the like may be selected for receipt of local warnings, local commercial messages and the like. Transmitted messages contain information targeted to geographical groups of users, with location designation coding accompanying location-specific messages. A geographic location selection code is entered into a data processor coupled to the user's receiver to define the user's selected location(s) of interest. The processor receives the information segment and its designation code and compares the designated location to the selected one. Segments where the designated and selected points or areas overlap are processed, e.g., being displayed, stored or used to trigger a warning. The user's selection code is variable and plural locations can be used and prioritized. Preferably, regions are encoded by their boundaries, e.g., in longitude, latitude, altitude or the like, and in absolute or relative coordinates, and shorthand designations can refer to stored definitions of areas. Filtering segments based on message content, prioritizing the messages and additional features can be included. The system is especially useful for distributing local commercial messages, hazard warnings or the like.

Claims44

Dependent claims

A system for broadcasting and receiving location specific data comprising

a transmitter operable to transmit a succession of information segments containing information of potential interest to subsets of users of the general broadcast system, said transmitter being operable to broadcast generally said information segments;
means for inserting a variable location designation code into at least one of said information segments, whereby the information segments may be associated with at least one of a designated point, area and volume to which the variable location designation code relates;
at least one receiver, operable to decode the successive information segments including the location designation codes thereof, the receiver being coupled to a memory for storing a variable location selection code, identifying at least one of a selected point, area and volume that may overlap said at least one designated point, area and volume for respective said information segments;
wherein the receiver comprises an input means coupled to the memory for loading said location selection code, whereby the location selection code is changeable, means for comparing the location selection code loaded in the memory to the location designation code decoded from the successive information segments, and for identifying an overlap, and means for processing selected ones of the information segments as a function of said overlap.

1 more element

A method for processing location specific data transmitted on a general broadcast system, comprising:

transmitting a succession of information segments containing information of potential interest to subsets of users of the general broadcast system;
transmitting at least one location designation code containing information designating at least a geographical point to which one of said information segments relates, the location designation code being variable and the information segments relating, respectively, to a plurality of different geographical points;
encoding in a data processor at least a point of interest to a user of the general broadcast system, using at least one geographical coordinate which defines at least one location selection code;
receiving the information segments at a receiver coupled to the data processor, and comparing the location selection code with the location designation code via the data processor to determine an overlap thereof, the overlap identifying at least one particular information segment from the succession of information segments as an information segment of interest;
and,
processing the information segment of interest for presentation to the user.

3 more elements

A method for processing location specific data transmitted on a general broadcast system, comprising:

transmitting a succession of information segments containing information of potential interest to subsets of users of the general broadcast system;
transmitting at least one location designation code containing information designating at least a geographical point to which one of said information segments relates;
encoding in a data processor at least a point of interest to a user of the general broadcast system, using at least one geographical coordinate which defines at least one location selection code;
receiving the information segments at a receiver coupled to the data processor, and comparing the location selection code with the location designation code via the data processor to determine an overlap thereof defining at least one particular information segment as an information segment of interest;
and,
processing the information segment of interest for presentation to the user;
and,
operating a position reporting device at least temporarily to determine a code representing a location of the user, and entering said code into the data processor to at least partly define said location selection code.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Television receiver location identification

Life of this patent

Television receiver location identification

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims44