WO2005122526A1

WO2005122526A1 - Interactive mobile on-line visual information and entertainment service

Info

Publication number: WO2005122526A1
Application number: PCT/IB2005/050483
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ozgur Suner
Original assignee: SUNER DIZAYN REKLAMCILIK YAPIMCILIK ILETISIM HIZMETLERI VE TICARET Ltd SIRKETI
Current assignee: SUNER DIZAYN REKLAMCILIK YAPIMCILIK ILETISIM HIZMETLERI VE TICARET Ltd SIRKETI
Priority date: 2004-06-10
Filing date: 2005-02-07
Publication date: 2005-12-22
Anticipated expiration: 2006-12-10
Also published as: TR200606995T1

Abstract

This invention relates to a method of providing interactive, mobile, on-line, visual, information and entertainment service (Interactive Mobile On-line Visual Information and Entertainment Services: IN-MOVIES). For this purpose, the user accesses to a broadcast provided by a service or a contents provider over a mobile communications network. This broadcast is on pre-determined subjects and comprises live or pre-recorded, vocal or silent, motion pictures. The user, gains access to this broadcast through his/her mobile communication device, e.g. mobile phone, and gains information, acquires education, benefits from consultancy, entertains, does business/shopping, etc., by choosing among said images, and by providing oral, visual and/or written interaction with the said motion pictures and/or the person on the broadcast, within the framework of a protocol determined by the service or the contents provider or depending on his/her own preferences.

Description

Description INTERACTIVE MOBILE ON-LINE VISUAL INFORMATION AND ENTERTAINMENT SERVICE

[001] Technical Field

[002] This invention relates to a method of providing interactive, mobile, on-line, visual, information and entertainment service (Interactive Mobile On-line Visual Information and Entertainment Services: IN-MOVIES). For this purpose, the user accesses to a broadcast provided by a service or a contents provider over a mobile communications network. This broadcast is on pre-determined subjects and comprises live or prerecorded, vocal or silent, motion pictures. The user, gains access to this broadcast through his/her mobile communication device, e.g. mobile phone, and gains information, acquires education, benefits from consultancy, entertains, does business/ shopping, etc., by choosing among said images, and by providing oral, visual and/or written interaction with the said motion pictures and/or the person on the broadcast, within the framework of a protocol determined by the service or the contents provider or depending on his/her own preferences.

[003] Prior Art

[004] Currently, it is possible to transfer to mobile phones the data comprising vocal, text, motion or fixed pictures (video or picture). With the development of these capabilities, a wide variety is observed in the services provided by service or content providers.

[005] As it is known, television and radio broadcasts can be received by some mobile phones. Similarly, video pictures of a live concert can also be received. By utilizing similar technologies, it is also possible to watch lectures given in schools and in universities or watch pre-recorded lecture videos. Moreover, it is also possible to receive a transmission sent from the so-called region in order to gain information about its traffic and weather conditions. These kinds of embodiments are disclosed in the WO03019900 patent application.

[006] However, for the mobile communication means, the user who wants to carry out videoconferencing and receive consultancies interactively as a service of a service or a content provider is not possible in any one of the examples disclosed herein. Presently, these kinds of conversations and consultancy services can be performed only in an audio-interactive way, by calling specific numbers or by listening passively to prerecorded voice records. However, these services do not satisfy the user.

[007] Brief Description of the Invention

[008] The object of the invention is to enable the user to establish communication with the service or content provider's visual-vocal broadcast service interactively by using his/her mobile communication device.

[009] What is intended with the expression "broadcast" is the transmission of a program, which is pre-determined by means of cameras and/or players, which are placed at specific positions, an image included in a protocol and optionally a voice.

[010] The term "mobile communication device" is used to cover all devices such as mobile phones, communicators, pocket computers, mobile video phones etc.

[011] The "user" is the person who gains access to the broadcast by using a mobile communication device.

[012] Any explanation, information, education, conversation (on meeting a famous person, friendship, partisanship, sexuality etc.), entertainment (stand-up, talk show, concert, theater, music programs, dance, contests etc.), consultancy (in law, health, finance, investment, real estate, commerce etc.) which are performed in front of a camera or which are played on a player constitutes the content of the broadcast.

[013] This broadcast can be open to public or it can only be for the view of a person or a group. According to the functions of his/her mobile communication device, the user can establish written, vocal or visual communication with the person in transmission. In this way, the broadcast is performed interactively with the user.

[014] All these can be provided by a service or content provider directly over a service provider's communication network for users for free of charge or in return of a certain fee This fee could also be paid to the service provider by the content provider.

[015] Detailed Description of the Invention

[016] The network wherein the method which is realized in order to attain the objects of this invention is applied has been illustrated in the attached drawings, wherein;

[017] Figure 1 - is a schematic view of a network wherein the method which is the subject of the invention is applied.

[018] The components in the figures have each been numbered corresponding the following: 1. Network 2. Communication device 3. Service/content provider 4. Camera 5. Player

[019] The invention realized is applied in a network (1) comprising at least one camera (4) and/or a player (5) which are positioned at least in one position, a service/content provider (3) which receives the broadcast of the said camera/s and which transfers it to the users as a service, and communication means (2) which enable the users to reach the said service provider.

[020] The said communication means (2) comprises at least one screen, also, preferably a key pad, a microphone, a speaker, a camera and other similar parts. The screen can be a touchscreen. The said communication means (2) comprises various services of the service provider (3) and has an access capability by means of a receiver and a transmitter present inside its structure.

[021] By means of the cameras (4) used in the method, which is the subject of the invention, shooting is conducted with a celebrity, actor/actress, lecturer, an expert of a specific subject, a teacher or a consultant depending on the content of the broadcast. This broadcast can be completely or partially live. When there is a need to support the broadcast by pre-recorded images, the said images are incorporated in the broadcast by means of players (5). The said players (5) can be any device (tape recorder, CD player, DVD player) which can play recorder devices such as audio-video tape, CD, DVD or a computer which can play registration files with an appropriate format (mp3, mpeg, avi, vd.).

[022] On the other hand, it is also possible for the broadcast to be constituted entirely of pre-recorded video images. The user, by means of a communication device, can roam inside a series of pre-determined and branched images. For example, when the user selects an option from a certain number of options present at the beginning, he/she will come across another set of options and will proceed once again by choosing from these options. In this embodiment, the player (5) needs to be controlled by a person or an automatic control unit.

[023] The broadcast can be used from its own network by the service provider (3). In order to provide such a service, any one of the communication technologies such as GSM™ (Global System for Mobile Communications), 3G™ (3^rd generation), GPRS (General Packet Radio System), EGPRS (Enhanced GPRS), W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access), HSCSD (high Speed Circuit Switched Data), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems) EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evaluation) etc. These technologies should have the capability to transfer images simultaneously to the user by means of streaming and to transmit user data comprising written texts, sounds and images to the person in front of the camera or to the person/control unit who/which controls the player. Permissions such as determining the number of people that could connect to the broadcast, the time and the duration of the connection, whether to send user's written, vocal, or image data to the person online during connection, and whether or not to establish communication between users when there are plurality of users, should be determined by a protocol defined by the service or the content provider.

[024] The method, which is the subject of the invention, utilized in order to provide an interactive, mobile, online, visual, informative, and entertainment services and which is applied in a network having basic principles as described above comprises the following steps: - providing a broadcast comprising live or pre-recorded, vocal or silent, motion images with a pre-determined theme that are transmitted, within a specific protocol, by a service or a content provider over a mobile communication service provider, - The user receives the said broadcast by means of his/her mobile communication device such as, a mobile phone. - The user selects an image among motion images and/or communicating and interacting with the person online verbally or in writing depending on his/her own preferences within the framework of the service or the content provider, - And in this way, the user carries out activities such as gaining information, education and benefiting from consultancy, entertainment, commerce/ shopping etc.

[025] The user has several different options to benefit from a such service. One of these options is to reach the desired service by making specific selections from a ready made menu present in the communication device (2). This menu can be installed during or after production. The user can roam inside the menu and select the broadcast he/she desires by using the keypad or by giving vocal commands. After this, the broadcast can be seen on the mobile communication device's screen.

[026] A second option from which the user can benefit is to receive automatically a specific broadcast regularly at an appropriate date and time interval by subscribing to this service. For example, the user who views each day a broadcast can receive this said broadcast everyday at the same time in his/her communication device by subscribing to this service instead of having have to call or send a message to the same number each day.

[027] Thirdly, the user can benefit from the option of calling a specific number (XXX XXX, AAAA, etc.) in order to benefit from the service.

[028] A fourth way for the user to benefiting from the service whenever he/she desires is. to send a message (SMS; MMS) containing certain codes to a specific number (XXX XXX, AAAA, vb).

[029] With the ways described above, the user is given the freedom of usage, payment, location and time.

[030] It is possible for a single user to connect to a broadcast and it is also possible for one or more users to connect to the same broadcast at the same time. Single or multiple user options has to be present in the protocol related to the broadcast. In this case, the users are informed that other users are also connected to the broadcast by a vocal, written or visual warning. Each user can allow other users to see his/her personal information and if he/she does allow others then he/she can also see others' personal in- formation. An access to this information can be achieved by means of a menu. [031] It is possible to exchange files such as texts, pictures, videos etc. over the network between the user connected to the broadcast and the system. [032] When more than one user gains access to the broadcast, it is possible for each of them to communicate with the person online one by one or all at once. The users who are connected (online) to the broadcast simultaneously can also transfer written, vocal or visual data to each other. [033] Industrial Application of the Invention

[034] The IN-MOVIES method, which is the subject of the invention, can be applied in the industry in several different ways. [035] The service or the content provider classifies the content under various headings and presents them to the users in a menu. A possible menu is as shown below: 1. Consultancy 1. Law 1. Public Law 1. Penalty 2. Constitution 3. Government

2. Private Law 1. Debts 2. Trade 3. Competition 4. Inheritance 5. Civil 6. Intellectual Property 7. Property

3. Health 1. Gynecology 2. Psychology 3. Pediatrics 4. Oncology 5. Cardiology 6. Neurology 7. Neurochirurgy 8. Gastroenterology 9. Orthopedics 10. Diet 11. First Aid

Finance/Investment 1. Stock Exchange 2. Foreign Exchange 3. Immovables

Arts 1. Music 2. Poetry 3. Literature

6. General 1. Consultancy Lines of Companies 2. Information Lines of Local and National Administration 3. Encyclopedic Information

7. Friendship/Chat Lines 1. Chat with celebrities 2. Private chats 3. Matchmaking chats 4. Chats related with hobbies

1. Stamp Collection

[036] ii. Bird Watching

[037] iii. Mountaineering 1. Education 1. Primary Education 2. High School Education

1. Mathematics

[038] ii. Philosophy

[039] iii. Physics

[040] iv. Biology

[041] vi. History

[042] vii. Literature 1. University 1. Engineering

[043] ii. Economics/Management

[044] iii. Education 1. Education for the impaired 1. Hearing impaired 2. Talking impaired 3. Language lessons 1. English 2. French 3. German 4. Chinese 5. Customer Services 1. Banks 2. Car Repair 3. Shopping

[045] Among the lines above, the main aim of the ones located under the consultancy heading is to provide visual and interactive services to the users. Image is a factor which ensures conveying information and emotions in a much better and proper way and which minimizes misunderstandings.

[046] For example, the user who needs information regarding divorce matters, first enters "law" heading in a menu, then "private law", and later the subheading related with "civil law"; and s/he finally connects to an online lawyer. The live image ofthe lawyer reaches the user's mobile phone. If the user's phone has a camera and if the user doesn't have any objections for his/her image being sent either, a mutually visual conversation with the lawyer is realized. The user sends his/her question in a written and/ or verbal way and receives the answer from the lawyer visually and verbally. If necessary, during the connection, documents such as power of attorney are sent mutually over the mobile communications network. Thus, by means of IN-MOVIES, gaining information and benefiting from consultancy services is ensured.

[047] A similar embodiment can be arranged as below:

[048] A. The user enters IN-MOVIES by means of a mobile communication device.

[049] B. The user sees the menu options in his/her mobile communication device.

[050] C. The user enters the heading Law located in the menu options.

[051] D. The user reaches private law from the Law heading.

[052] E. The user enters the inheritance section from the private law sub-heading.

[053] F. The user connects visually and vocally to an expert on inheritance and sees and hears the expert. [054] G. If the protocol and the user himself/herself approves it, the image and/or the voice and/or text of the user reaches the expert and an interactive communication between the two is established.

[055] H. The user directs his/her questions to the expert and the expert answers the questions in return and in this a way a dialog develops.

[056] I. After the user's questions are answered the connection is aborted.

[057] In another embodiment, the user selects among the heading Florist from the Business (shopping) options in the menu. The user sees and hears in his/her mobile phone the person in charge of sales. The user establishes a written and verbal communication with the florist. The florist prepares bouquet of flowers according to user's preferences. The user buys the flowers and sends them to the desired address. During these processes visual, vocal, written consultancy, informative, interactive and shopping activities are performed. In accordance with the characteristic of the sales, the seller has a chance to see the buyer as well. For example, if the user wants to by make-up materials from another business menu, the expert in charge might need to see the skin color and other properties of the user.

[058] A similar embodiment can also be used for health. For example, the user who has a wound on his/her hand will enter the heading "health". The user will either watch a series of pre-recorded films related with his/her own situation or could directly connect to a doctor. If the doctor is able to receive the user's visual images then he/she can direct the user visually and vocally. The user can convey his/her problems to the doctor easily as if in a real inspection. In this way, the two parts can establish an interactive connection with each other and data transfer is realized. Consultancy services, in this case, realized in visual and in a vocal manner.

[059] The method, which is the subject of the invention, enables giving and receiving education without the limitation of place and time. The lessons and courses can be viewed from another part of the country or world by means of this system. The user can establish a single or double sided image and vocal connection. The lesson/information can be given to the user without the limitation of place. And the user can, when he is allowed to, direct his/her questions to the instructor. In this way, exchange of information and interaction is realized. In order top facilitate the user understanding of the subject pre-recorded images can be broadcasted during education.

[060] Conversation with a celebrity can be either live or composed of pre-recorded clips. Women can establish connection with men and homosexuals and/or men can establish connection with woman and homosexuals in single or mutually visual manner. The users can install their short clips and pictures for the view of people he/she desires in chat lines which established for matchmaking. Or, by means of mutual live images they use matchmaking lines. By forming a pool it is possible to reach the accumulated information and images herein and also mutual visual and vocal conversation is realized. These lines ensure an interactive communication. A service of this kind can be described as below:

[061] A. The user selects IN-MOVIES by using his/her Mobile Communication device or he/she reaches this service by calling a number.

[062] B. The menu options can be seen on the screen of the mobile communication device.

[063] C. The user enters Matchmaking/Chat heading in the menu.

[064] D. The user can reach private chat subheading from the matchmaking/chat heading.

[065] E. The user can gain access to a broadcast depending on his/her preference by making appropriate selections from the private chat subheading.

[066] F. The user, in this way, connects to the person online.

[067] G. This Connection is both visual and vocal and the user is able to see and hear the person who is also online and if the protocol allows it the user can also send his/her image, texts and voice to the person in the broadcast.

[068] H. The user can establish interaction (communication) with the person in charge visually and/or vocally and/or in writing with the permission of the service provider and/or content provider and/or the user.

[069] I. The user chats with the person in charge.

[070] K. The connection can be aborted when either of the two wants to end the conversation.

[071] In another embodiment, a scenario composed of a series of pre-recorded video images is provided to the users. These images are put into view one after the other depending on the commands of the users. For example, the user who selects a road in a junction, enters a yellow, red or blue room depending on the road that he/she selected. In each room there may be a person (celebrity or not) with whom the user can chat or another pre-recorded image. The user who makes the right selection reaches a chat with a celebrity as a prize and the other users who select other roads reaches clips or pre-recorded images. In this way, chats can be more entertaining by incorporating a game format therein.

[072] It is possible for those skilled in the art to develop various embodiments of the method which is the subject ofthe invention and the afore-mentioned examples are provided solely to make the invention more clear. The invention cannot be limited with these examples and it is, by principle, as described in the claims.

Claims

[001] A method which is applied in a network comprising at least one camera (4) which is placed at least in one position and/or a player (5), a service/content provider (3) which receives the said camera's broadcast and which presents it to the users as a service and communication devices (2) which enable the users to reach the said service; which is used as a interactive, mobile, online, visual, information and entertainment service (Interactive Mobile Online Visual Information and Entertainment Service: IN-MOVIES); and which comprises the following step: providing a broadcast comprising live or pre-recorded, vocal or silent, motion images with a pre-determined theme that are transmitted, within a specific protocol, by a service or a content provider over a mobile communication service provider; the user receives the said broadcast by means of his/her mobile communication device such as, a mobile phone; the user selects an image among motion images and/or communicating and interacting with the person online verbally or in writing depending on his/her own preferences within the framework of the service or the content provider; and in this way, the user carries out activities such as gaining information, education and benefiting from consultancy, entertainment, commerce/shopping etc.

[002] A method comprising devices such as at least one screen, also, preferably a keypad, a microphone, a speaker, a camera etc. and characterized in that the said method is applied in a network comprising a communication device (2) which is capable of access to various services of the service provider (3) by means of the receivers and transmitters inside its body.

[003] A method as defined in any of the claims above characterized in that the shooting is conducted with a celebrity, an actor/actress, a lecturer, an expert of a certain subject, a teacher or a consultant depending on the content of the broadcast.

[004] A method as defined in Claim 3 characterized by a partially or a completely live broadcast.

[005] A method as defined in any of the claims above characterized with a player (5) selected from a group comprising any device (tape recorder, CD player, DVD player) which can play recorder devices such as audio-video tape, CD, DVD and a computer which can play registration files with an appropriate format (mp3, mpeg, avi, vd.).

[006] A method as defined in any of the claims above characterized in that the broadcasted images are composed completely of pre-recorded video images and the user being able to roam inside a series of pre-determined and branched images. [007] A method as defined in any of the claims above characterized with a protocol which is determined by the service or the content provider and which defines permissions such as determining the number of people that could connect to the broadcast, the time and duration of the connection, whether to send user's written, vocal, or image data to the person online during connection, and whether or not to establish communication between users when there are a plurality of users.

[008] A method as defined in any of the Claims 1 to 7 characterized in that the user is able gain access to the service by making certain selections from a menu present inside his/her communication device (2).

[009] A method as defined in Claim 8 characterized with a menu installed inside the communication device during its production.

[010] A method as defined in Claim 8 characterized with a menu installed inside the communication device after its production.

[011] A method as defined in Claims 8, 9 or 10 characterized in that the user is able to roam inside the menu by using the keypad of his/her communication device or by giving vocal commands and being able to select a broadcast depending on his/ her own preference.

[012] A method as defined in any of the Claims 1 to 7 characterized in that the user is able to receive automatically in his/her communication device a certain type of broadcast regularly at a convenient time and date interval by subscribing to IN- MOVIES.

[013] A method as defined in any of the Claims 1 to 7 characterized in that the user is able to gain access to the service by calling a number (XXX XXX, AAAA, etc.) designated for IN-MOVIES.

[014] A method as defined in any of the Claims 1 to 7 characterized in that the user is able to gain access to the broadcast he/she desire by sending a text message (SMS; MMS) containing certain codes to a specific number (XXX XXX, AAAA, etc.) designated for IN-MOVIES.

[015] A method as defined in any of the Claims 1 to 14 characterized in that only a single user connecting to a broadcast each time.

[016] A method as define in any of the Claims 1 to 14 characterized in that more than one users connecting simultaneously to a broadcast.

[017] A method as defined in Claim 16 characterized in that the users are informed that other users are also connected to the broadcast by a vocal, written or visual warning.

[018] A method as defined in Claims 16 or 17 characterized in that each user can allow his her information to be seen by other users. A method as defined in any of the claims above characterized by the exchange of files such as texts, pictures, videos etc. over the network between the user connected to the broadcast and the system.