Signal processing apparatus and methods

An interactive method for information delivery at an interactive mass medium program output apparatus, said interactive mass medium program output apparatus including an input device to receive input from a subscriber, an output device for outputting information, a transmitter for communicating information to a remote station, and a receiver for receiving a signal from said remote station, said interactive mass medium program output apparatus together with said remote station and a plurality of transmitter stations comprising a network, said method comprising the steps of:

• outputting from said output device mass medium programming including or explaining at least one subscriber specific datum;
• prompting input with respect to said mass medium programming from said subscriber during said outputting;
• receiving a reply from said subscriber at said input device in response to said prompting;
• communicating said reply to a remote station, wherein said reply is processed to formulate or assemble a signal effective at said intermediate mass medium program output apparatus to generate and deliver subscriber specific budget;
• receiving, at said interactive mass medium program output apparatus, said signal;
• and
• generating said subscriber specific budget at said apparatus and delivering said budget at said output device of said apparatus on the basis of said signal.

A method of processing signals at a receiver station based on at least one of a broadcast and a cablecast transmission including:

• receiving in said at least one of a broadcast and a cablecast transmission information content and at least one control signal with respect to budgeting at said receiver station, said information content including a first projected datum, said first projected datum designating at least one of a product and a service and being a first projection of a price or a quantity;
• storing said first projected datum in a computer at said receiver station;
• storing subscriber resource data at said computer at said receiver station, said resource data including at least two of the group of:
• (1) one of an equipment and a real estate datum;
• (2) a labor datum;
• and
• (3) a financial datum;
• generating a budget by processing data stored in said computer in response to said at least one control signal, said data stored in said computer including said first projected datum and said subscriber resource data, said budget including a second projected datum and at least two of the group of:
• (1) an income datum;
• (2) an expense datum;
• and
• (3) a profit datum;
• said second projected datum designating said at least one of a product and a service and being a second projection of said price or quantity;
• and
• transmitting said second projected datum from said receiver station to a data collection station.

A method of controlling at least one of a plurality of receiver stations each of which includes one of a broadcast and a cablecast signal receiver, at least one processor, a signal detector , said signal detector adapted to receive signals from one of a broadcast and a cablecast signal , and said processor programmed to respond to signals from said detector, and said method of controlling comprising the steps of:

• receiving at one of a broadcast and a cablecast transmitter station a broadcast or cablecast transmission with information content including a first projected datum designating at least one of a product and a service and being a first projection of a price or a quantity;
• transferring said broadcast or cable cast transmission to a transmitter at said transmitter station;
• receiving at said transmitter station an instruct signal that causes said at least one processor at said at least one of a plurality of receiver stations to generate a budget by processing said first projected datum and subscriber resource data stored at said at least one processor, wherein said subscriber resource data including at least two of the group of (1) one of an equipment and a real estate datum, (2) a labor datum, and (3) a financial datum;
• said generated budget including a second projected datum and at least two of the group of (1) an income datum, (2) an expense datum, and (3) a profit datum;
• and said second projected datum designating said at least one of a product and a service and being a second projection of said price or quantity;
• transferring said instruct signal to said transmitter at said transmitter station;
• receiving at least one first control signal at said transmitter station, said at least one first control signal identifying at least one specific receiver station to which said instruct signal is addressed;
• broadcasting or cablecasting said instruct signal and said broadcast or cablecast transmission to said at least one of a plurality of receiver stations in accordance with said at least one first control signal, and
• receiving said second projected datum from said at least one of a plurality of receiver stations at a data collection station.

A method of processing signals at a receiver station based on at least one transmission from one of a broadcast transmitter and a cablecast transmitter including:

• receiving in said at least one transmission from said one of a broadcast transmitter and a cablecast transmitter information content and at least one control signal in respect of budgeting at said receiver station, said information content describing at least one of a resource product and a service;
• storing subscriber resource data at a computer at said receiver station, said subscriber resource data including at least one of the group consisting of:
• (a) an equipment datum;
• (b) a real estate datum;
• and
• (c) a labor datum;
• generating a value datum using said computer at said receiver station by processing said information content and said stored subscriber resource data in response to said at least one control signal, said value datum being a projected value in respect of said at least one of a resource product and a service;
• storing said value datum in said computer;
• and
• delivering to a subscriber said received information content and said value datum.

A method of communicating mass medium program material to at least one receiver station, said at least one receiver station including one of a broadcast mass medium programming receiver and a cablecast mass medium programming receiver, an output device, a control signal detector, a processor operably connected to said output device , and with each said at least one receiver station adapted to detect and respond to at least one instruct signal, said method comprising the steps of:

• receiving at a transmitter station mass medium programming to be transmitted and delivering said mass medium programming to an origination transmitter at said transmitter station;
• receiving and storing said at least one instruct signal at said transmitter station;
• transferring said at least one instruct signal to said origination transmitter;
• transmitting from said transmitter station an information transmission including said mass medium programming including or explaining at least one subscriber specific datum and said at least one instruct signal to said at least one receiver station;
• receiving a reply from said at least one receiver station, where said reply is received from a subscriber at said at least one receiver station in response to a prompt for input with respect to said mass medium programming during output of said mass medium programming from said output device;
• processing said reply to formulate or assemble a control signal effective at said receiver station to generate and deliver subscriber specific budget data;
• and
• transmitting said control signal to said receiver station.

A method of delivering at least one of a receiver specific budget and a master budget to a video receiver station including:

• receiving at least one information transmission at said video receiver station, said at least one information transmission including generally applicable budget information and a plurality of budgeting control signals, at least one of said plurality of budgeting control signals being received from at least one remote transmitter station, said generally applicable budget information including:
• (1) at least a portion of said at least one of a receiver specific budget and a master budget;
• and
• (2) video to serve as a basis on which to present said at least a portion of said at least one of a receiver specific budget and a master budget;
• storing at least a portion of said generally applicable budget information and said plurality of budgeting control signals at said video receiver station;
• outputting said video at a video monitor;
• selecting, at said video receiver station, budget data to output by processing said generally applicable budget information in accordance with a first of said plurality of budgeting control signals;
• outputting said selected budget data in a series of time periods of specific relevance to said selected budget data in response to a second of said plurality of budgeting control signals;
• and
• producing said at least a portion of said at least one of a receiver specific budget and a master budget at a specific location of said video at said video monitor during a first of said series of time periods of specific relevance.

A method of delivering at least one of a receiver specific budget and a master budget to a graphic receiver station including:

• receiving at least one information transmission at said graphic receiver station, said at least one information transmission including generally applicable budget information and a plurality of budgeting control signals, at least one of said plurality of budgeting control signals being received from at least one remote transmitter station, said generally applicable budget information including:
• (1) at least a portion of said at least one of a receiver specific budget and a master budget;
• and
• (2) at least a portion of a graphic image to serve as a basis on which to present said at least a portion of a receiver specific budget and a master budget;
• storing at least a portion of said generally applicable budget information and said plurality of budgeting control signals at said graphic receiver station;
• outputting said at least a portion of said graphic image at a graphic output device;
• selecting, at said graphic receiver station, budget data to output by processing said generally applicable budget information in accordance with a first of said plurality of budgeting control signals;
• outputting said selected budget data during at least one time period of specific relevance to said selected budget data in response to a second of said budgeting control signals;
• and
• outputting said at least a portion of said at least one of a receiver specific budget and a master budget at said graphic display device based on a reference point and a scalar dimension.