Patent ID: 8250596
Filing Date: 2012-08-21
Classification: H04H

Abstract:
1. A method for providing a reward as an incentive for a monitored person to be an audience member of at least one program being performed by reproduction equipment, comprising the steps of: providing a programming signal for broadcasting the program with a programming signal source; encoding said programming signal with code signals, such that a preset number of said code signals occur within a given period of time, to produce an output signal; broadcasting the output signal; receiving the broadcast output signal at a site where the monitored person is located, and detecting the code signals therein; recognizing the detected code signals only if a signal manually-actuated by the monitored person is received within a predetermined time period, wherein a plurality of the detected code signals are recognized in response to a single said signal manually-actuated by the monitored person being received within the predetermined time period; determining a total count of said code signals recognized while the monitored person is an audience member of the at least one program; comparing the total count of recognized code signals with predetermined reward issuance criteria; and issuing a reward when the reward issuance criteria are met by the total count of recognized code signals.