Method for controlling a computer with an audio signal

A method for controlling a computer by inputting an analog signal into the computer to control a web browser software application. The analog signal contains a trigger signal which activates proprietary software, and a product identifier. The proprietary software launches the web browser application on the computer, extracts the product identifier, and creates an appended data string by appending server address (URL) routing information to the product identifier information. The appended data string is automatically inserted into the web browser as keystroke data and routed to an advertiser reference server. The appended routing information directs communication to the advertiser reference server which contains a cross-referenced database of advertiser product identifier information and associated advertiser server URLs. The advertiser server URL and a request for product information relevant to the product identifier is returned to the computer web browser where it is automatically redirected to the advertiser server containing the advertiser product information. The advertiser product information is then returned to the computer for display.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention is related to a method of computer control, and particularly 
for automatically directing a web browser application on the computer to 
retrieve and display information in response to an analog signal. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
With the growing numbers of computer users connecting to the "Internet," 
many companies are seeking the substantial commercial opportunities 
presented by such a large user base. For example, one technology which 
exists allows a television ("TV") signal to trigger a computer response in 
which the consumer will be guided to a personalized web page. The source 
of the triggering signal may be a TV, video tape recorder, or radio. For 
example, if a viewer is watching a TV program in which an advertiser 
offers viewer voting, the advertiser may transmit a unique signal within 
the television signal which controls a program known as a "browser" on the 
viewer's computer to automatically display the advertiser's web page. The 
viewer then simply makes a selection which is then transmitted back to the 
advertiser. 
In order to provide the viewer with the capability of responding to a wide 
variety of companies using this technology, a database of company 
information and Uniform Resource Locator ("URL") codes is necessarily 
maintained in the viewer's computer, requiring continuous updates. URLs 
are short strings of data that identify resources on the Internet: 
documents, images, downloadable files, services, electronic mailboxes, and 
other resources. URLs make resources available under a variety of naming 
schemes and access methods such as HTTP, FTP, and Internet mail, 
addressable in the same simple way. URLs reduce the tedium of "login to 
this server, then issue this magic command . . . " down to a single click. 
The Internet uses URLs to specify the location of files on other servers. 
A URL includes the type of resource being accessed (e.g., Web, gopher, 
FTP), the address of the server, and the location of the file. The URL can 
point to any file on any networked computer. Current technology requires 
the viewer to perform periodic updates to obtain the most current URL 
database. This aspect of the current technology is cumbersome since the 
update process requires downloading information to the viewer's computer. 
Moreover, the likelihood for error in performing the update, and the 
necessity of redoing the update in the event of a later computer crash, 
further complicates the process. Additionally, current technologies are 
limited in the number of companies which may be stored in the database. 
This is a significant limitation since worldwide access presented by the 
Internet and the increasing number of companies connecting to perform 
on-line commerce necessitates a large database. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention disclosed and claimed herein comprises a method for 
retrieving information from a storage region having a defined location. A 
program is broadcasted having embedded therein a routing signal having 
routing information contained therein. The routing signal is then 
extracted from the broadcast. Thereafter, a personal computeris controlled 
to allow a user to retrieve the information from a storage region at the 
defined location, which defined location is located with the extracted 
routing information, providing it at the personal computer for use by the 
user.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Referring now to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a block diagram of a system 
for controlling a personal computer ("PC") 112 via an audio tone 
transmitted over a wireless system utilizing a TV. In the embodiment 
illustrated in FIG. 1, there is provided a transmission station 101 and a 
receive station 117 that are connected via a communication link 108. The 
transmission station 101 is comprised of a television program source 104, 
which is operable to generate a program in the form of a broadcast signal 
comprised of video and audio. This is transmitted via conventional 
techniques along channels in the appropriate frequencies. The program 
source is input to a mixing device 106, which mixing device is operable to 
mix in an audio signal. This audio signal is derived from an audio source 
100 which comprises a coded audio signal which is then modulated onto a 
carrier which is combined with the television program source 104. This 
signal combining can be done at the audio level, or it can even be done at 
the RF level in the from of a different carrier. However, the preferred 
method is to merely sum the audio signal from the modulator 102 into the 
audio channel of the program that is generated by the television program 
source 104. The output thereof is provided from the mixing device 106 in 
the form of broadcast signal to an antenna 107, which transmits the 
information over the communication link 108 to an antenna 109 on the 
receive side. 
On the receive side of the system, a conventional receiver 110, such as a 
television is provided. This television provides a speaker output which 
provides the user with an audible signal. This is typically associated 
with the program. However, the receiver 110 in the disclosed embodiment, 
also provides an audio output jack, this being the type RCA jack. This 
jack is utilized to provide an audio output signal on a line 113 which is 
represented by an audio signal 111. This line 113 provides all of the 
audio that is received over the communication link 108 to the PC 112 in 
the audio input port on the PC 112. However, it should be understood that, 
although a direct connection is illustrated from the receiver 110 to the 
PC 112, there actually could be a microphone pickup at the PC 112 which 
could pick the audio signal up. In the disclosed embodiment the audio 
signal generated by the advertiser data input device 100 is audible to the 
human ear and, therefore, can be heard by the user. Therefore, no special 
filters are needed to provide this audio to the PC 112. 
The PC 112 is operable to run programs thereon which typically are stored 
in a program file area 116. These programs can be any type of programs 
such as word processing programs, application programs, etc. In the 
disclosed embodiment, the program that is utilized in the system is what 
is referred to as a "browser." The PC 112 runs a browser program to 
facilitate the access of information on the network, for example, a global 
communication network known as the "Internet" or the World-Wide-Web 
("Web"). The browser is a hypertext-linked application used for accessing 
information. Hypertext is a term used to describe a particular 
organization of information within a data processing system, and its 
presentation to a user. It exploits the computer's ability to link 
together information from a wide variety of sources to provide the user 
with the ability to explore a particular topic. The traditional style of 
presentation used in books employs an organization of the information 
which is imposed upon it by limitations of the medium, namely fixed sized, 
sequential paper pages. Hypertext systems, however, use a large number of 
units of text or other types of data such as image information, graphical 
information, video information, or sound information, which can vary in 
size. A collection of such units of information is termed a hypertext 
document, or where the hypertext documents employ information other than 
text, hypermedia documents. Multimedia communications may use the 
Hypertext Transfer Protocol ("HTTP"), and files or formatted data may use 
the Hypertext Markup Language ("HTML"). This formatting language provides 
for a mingling of text, graphics, sound, video, and hypertext links by 
"tagging" a text document using HTML. Data encoded using HTML is often 
referred to as an "HTML document," an "HTML page," or a "home page." These 
documents and other Internet resources may be accessed across the network 
by means of a network addressing scheme which uses a locator referred to 
as a Uniform Resource Locator ("URL"), for example, 
"http://www.digital.com." 
The Internet is one of the most utilized networks for interconnecting 
distributed computer systems and allows users of these computer systems to 
exchange data all over the world. Connected to the Internet are many 
private networks, for example, corporate or commercial networks. Standard 
protocols, such as the Transport Control Protocol ("TCP") and the Internet 
Protocol ("IP") provide a convenient method for communicating across these 
diverse networks. These protocols dictate how data are formatted and 
communicated. As a characteristic of the Internet, the protocols are 
layered in an IP stack. At higher levels of the IP stack, such as the 
application layer (where HTTP is employed), the user information is more 
readily visible, while at lower levels, such as the network level (where 
TCP/IP are used), the data can merely be observed as packets or a stream 
of rapidly moving digital signals. Superimposed on the Internet is a 
standard protocol interface for accessing Web resources, such servers, 
files, Web pages, mail messages, and the like. One way that Web resources 
can be accessed is by browsers made by Netscape.RTM. and Microsoft 
Internet Explorer.RTM.. 
Referring again now to FIG. 1, the user can load this program with the 
appropriate keystrokes such that a browser window will be displayed on a 
display 118. In one embodiment, the user can run the browser program on 
the PC 112 such that the browser window is displayed on the display 118. 
While watching a preferred program, the user can also view display 118. 
When an audio signal is received by the receiver 110 and the encoded 
information is contained therein that was input thereto by the advertiser, 
the PC 112 will then perform a number of operations. The first operation, 
according to the disclosed embodiment, is to extract the audio information 
within the received audio signal in the form of digital data, and then 
transmit this digital data to a defined location on the global 
communication network via a modem connection 114. This connection will be 
described hereinbelow. This information will be relayed to a proprietary 
location and the instructions sent back to the PC 112 as to the location 
of the advertiser associated with the code, and the PC 112 will then 
effect a communication link to that location such that the user can view 
on the display 118 information that the advertiser, by the fact of putting 
the tone onto the broadcast channel, desires the viewer to view. This 
information can be in the form of interactive programs, data files, etc. 
In one example, when an advertisement appears on the television, the tone 
can be generated and then additional data displayed on the display 118. 
Additionally, a streaming video program could be played on the PC received 
over the network, which streaming video program is actually longer than 
the advertising segment on the broadcast. Another example would be a 
sports game that would broadcast the tone in order to allow a user access 
to information that is not available over the broadcast network, such as 
additional statistics associated with the sports program, etc. 
By utilizing the system described herein with respect to the disclosed 
embodiment of FIG. 1, an advertiser is allowed the ability to control a 
user's PC 112 through the use of tones embedded within a program audio 
signal. As will descried hereinbelow, the disclosed embodiment utilizes 
particular routing information stored in the PC 112 which allows the 
encoded information in the received audio signal to route this information 
to a desired location on the network and then allow other routing 
information to be returned to the PC 112 for control thereof to route the 
PC 112 to the appropriate location associated with that code. 
Referring now to FIG. 2, there is illustrated a computer 204, similar to 
computer 112, connected to display information on display 118. The 
computer 204 comprises an internal audio or "sound" card 206 for receiving 
the transmitted audio signal through receive antenna 109 and receiver 110. 
The sound card 206 typically contains analog-to-digital circuitry for 
converting the analog audio signal into a digital signal. The digital 
signal may then be more easily manipulated by software programs. The 
receiver 110 separates the audio signal from the video signal. A special 
trigger signal located within the transmitted advertiser audio signal 
triggers proprietary software running on the computer 204 which launches a 
communication application, in this particular embodiment, the web browser 
application located on the PC 204. Coded advertiser information contained 
within the audio signal is then extracted and appended with the address of 
a proprietary server located on the communication network. The remote 
server address is in the form of a URL. This appended data, in addition to 
other control codes, is inserted directly into the web browser application 
for automatic routing to the communication network. The web browser 
running on PC 204, and communicating to the network with a through an 
internal modem 208, in this embodiment, transmits the advertiser 
information to the remote server. The remote server cross-references the 
advertiser product information to the address of the advertiser server 
located on the network. The address of the advertiser server is routed 
back through the PC 204 web browser to the advertiser server. The 
advertiser product information is returned to PC 204 to be presented to 
the viewer on display 118. In this particular embodiment, the particular 
advertiser product information displayed is contained within the 
advertiser's web page 212. As mentioned above, the audio signal is audible 
to the human ear. Therefore the audio signal, as emitted from the TV 
speakers, may be input to the sound card 206 via a microphone. 
Furthermore, the audio signal need not be a real-time broadcast, but may 
be on video tapes, CDs, DVD, or other media which may be displayed at a 
later date. With the imminent implementation of high definition digital 
television, the audio signal output from the TV may also be digital. 
Therefore, direct input into a sound card for A/D purposes may not be 
necessary, but alternative interfacing techniques to accommodate 
digital-to-digital signal formats would apply. 
Referring now to FIG. 3, there is illustrated a source PC 302, similar to 
PCs 204 and 112, connected to a global communication network 306 through 
an interface 304. In this embodiment, the audio signal 111 is received by 
PC 302 through its sound card 206. The audio signal 111 comprises a 
trigger signal which triggers proprietary software into launching a web 
browser application residing on the PC 302. The audio signal 111 also 
comprises advertiser product information which is extracted and appended 
with URL information of an Advertiser Reference Server ("ARS") 308. The 
ARS 308 is a system disposed on the network that is defined as the 
location to which data in the audio signal 111 is to be routed. As such, 
data in the audio signal 111 will always be routed to the ARS 308, since a 
URL is unique on the network system. Connected to the ARS 308 is a 
database 310 of product codes and associated manufacturer URLs. The 
database 310 undergoes a continual update process which is transparent to 
the user. As companies sign-on, e.g., subscribe, to this technology, 
manufacturer and product information is added to the database 310 without 
interrupting operation of the source PC 302 with frequent updates. When 
the advertiser server address URL is obtained from the ARS database 310, 
it and the request for the particular advertiser product information is 
automatically routed back through the web browser on PC 302, over to the 
respective advertiser server for retrieval of the advertiser product 
information to the PC 302. It should be noted that although the disclosed 
invention discusses a global communication network, the system is also 
applicable to LANs, WANs, and peer-to-peer network configurations. It 
should be noted that the disclosed architecture is not limited to a single 
source PC 302, but may comprise a plurality of source PCs, e.g., PC 300 
and PC 303. Moreover, a plurality of ARS 308 systems and advertiser 
servers 312 may be implemented, e.g., ARS 314, and advertiser server A 
316, respectively. 
The information transactions, in general, which occur between the networked 
systems of this embodiment, over the communication network, are the 
following. The web browser running on source PC 302 transmits a message 
packet to the ARS 308 over Path "A." The ARS 308 decodes the message 
packet and performs a cross-reference function with product information 
extracted from the received message packet to obtain the address of an 
advertiser server 312. A new message packet is assembled comprising the 
advertiser server 312 address, and sent back to the source PC 302 over 
Path "B." A "handoff" operation is performed whereby the source PC 302 
browser simply reroutes the information on to the advertiser server 312 
over Path "C," with the appropriate source and destination address 
appended. The advertiser server 312 receives and decodes the message 
packet. The request-for-advertiser-product-information is extracted and 
the advertiser 312 retrieves the requested information from its database 
for transmission back to the source PC 302 over Path "D." The source PC 
302 then processes the information, i.e., for display to the viewer. The 
optional Path "E" is discussed hereinbelow. It should be noted that the 
disclosed methods are not limited to only browser communication 
applications, but may accommodate, with sufficient modifications by one 
skilled in the art, other communication applications used to transmit 
information over the Internet or communication network. 
Referring now to FIG. 4a, the message packet 400 sent from the source PC 
302 to ARS 308 via Path "A" comprises several fields. One field comprises 
the URL of the ARS 308 which indicates where the message packet is to be 
sent. Another field comprises the advertiser product code or other 
information derived from the audio signal 111, and any additional overhead 
information required for a given transaction. The product code provides a 
link to the address of the advertiser server 312, located in the database 
310. Yet another field comprises the network address of the source PC 302. 
In general, network transmissions are effected in packets of information, 
each packet providing a destination address, a source address, and data. 
These packets vary depending upon the network transmission protocol 
utilized for communication. Although the protocols utilized in the 
disclosed embodiment are of a conventional protocol suite commonly known 
as TCP/IP, it should be understood that any protocols providing the 
similar basic functions can be used, with the primary requirement that a 
browser can forward the routing information to the desired URL in response 
to keystrokes being input to a PC. However, it should be understood that 
any protocol can be used, with the primary requirement that a browser can 
forward the product information to the desired URL in response to 
keystrokes being input to a PC. Within the context of this disclosure, 
"message packet" shall refer to and comprise the destination URL, product 
information, and source address, even though more than a single packet 
must be transmitted to effect such a transmission. 
Upon receipt of the message packet 400 from source PC 302, ARS 308 
processes the information in accordance with instructions embedded in the 
overhead information. The ARS 308 specifically will extract the product 
code information from the received packet 400 and, once extracted, will 
then decode this product code information. Once decoded, this information 
is then compared with data contained within the ARS advertiser database 
310 to determine if there is a "hit." If there is no "hit" indicating a 
match, then information is returned to the browser indicating such. If 
there is a "hit," a packet 402 is assembled which comprises the address of 
the source PC 302, and information instructing the source PC 302 as to how 
to access, directly in a "handoff" operation, another location on the 
network, that of an advertiser server 312. This type of construction is 
relatively conventional with browsers such as Netscape.RTM. and Microsoft 
Internet Explorer.RTM. and, rather than displaying information from the 
ARS 308, the source PC 302 can then access the advertiser server 312. The 
ARS 308 transmits the packet 402 back to source PC 302 over Path "B." 
Referring now to FIG. 4b, the message packet 402 comprises the address of 
the source PC 302, the URL of the advertiser server 312 embedded within 
instructional code, and the URL of the ARS 308. 
Upon receipt of the message packet 402 by the source PC 302, the message 
packet 402 is disassembled to obtain pertinent routing information for 
assembly of a new message packet 404. The web browser running on source PC 
302 is now directed to obtain, over Path "C," the product information 
relevant to the particular advertiser server 312 location information 
embedded in message packet 404. Referring now to FIG. 4c, the message 
packet 404 for this transaction comprises the URL of the advertiser server 
312, the request-for-product-information data, and the address of the 
source PC 302. 
Upon receipt of the message packet 404 from source PC 302, advertiser 
server 312 disassembles the message packet 404 to obtain the 
request-for-product-information data. The advertiser server 312 then 
retrieves the particular product information from its database, and 
transmits it over Path "D" back to the source PC 302. Referring now to 
FIG. 4d, the message packet 406 for this particular transaction comprises 
the address of the source PC 302, the requested information, and the URL 
of the advertiser server 312. 
Optionally, the ARS 308 may make a direct request for product information 
over Path "E" to advertiser server 312. In this mode, the ARS 308 sends 
information to the advertiser server 312 instructing it to contact the 
source PC 302. This, however, is unconventional and requires more complex 
software control. The message packet 408 for this transaction is 
illustrated in FIG. 4e, which comprises the URL of the advertiser server 
312, the request-for-product-information data, and the address of the 
source PC 302. Since product information is not being returned to the ARS 
308, but directly to the source PC 302, the message packet 408 requires 
the return address to be that of the source PC 302. The product 
information is then passed directly to PC 302 over Path "D." 
Referring now to FIG. 5, the method for detecting and obtaining product 
information is as follows. In decision block 500, a proprietary 
application running resident on a source computer PC 302 (similar to PC 
204) monitors the audio input for a special trigger signal. Upon detection 
of the trigger signal, data following the trigger signal is decoded for 
further processing, in function block 502. In function block 504, the data 
is buffered for further manipulation. In decision block 506, a 
determination is made as to whether the data can be properly 
authenticated. If not, program flow continues through the "N" signal to 
function block 520 where the data is discarded. In function block 522, the 
program then signals for a retransmission of the data. The system then 
waits for the next trigger signal, in decision block 500. If properly 
authenticated in decision block 506, program flow continues through the 
"Y" signal path where the data is then used to launch the web browser 
application, as indicated in function block 508. In function block 510, 
the web browser receives the URL data, which is then automatically routed 
through the computer modem 208 to the network interface 304 and ultimately 
to the network 306. In function block 514, the ARS 308 responds by 
returning the URL of advertiser server 312 to the PC 302. 
In function block 516, the web browser running on the source PC 302, 
receives the advertiser URL information from the ARS 308, and transmits 
the URL for the product file to the advertiser server 312. In block 518, 
the advertiser server 312 responds by sending the product information to 
the source PC 302 for processing. 
The user may obtain the benefits of this architecture by simply downloading 
the proprietary software over the network. Other methods for obtaining the 
software are well-known; for example, by CD, diskette, or pre-loaded hard 
drives. 
Referring now to FIG. 6, there is illustrated a flowchart of the process 
the ARS 308 may undergo when receiving the message packet 400 from the 
source PC 302. In decision block 600, the ARS 308 checks for the receipt 
of the message packet 400. If a message packet 400 is not received, 
program flow moves along the "N" path to continue waiting for the message. 
If the message packet 400 is received, program flow continues along path 
"Y" for message processing. Upon receipt of the message packet 400, in 
function block 602, the ARS 308 decodes the message packet 400. The 
product code is then extracted independently in function block 604 in 
preparation for matching the product code with the appropriate advertiser 
server address located in the database 310. In function block 606, the 
product code is then used with a look-up table to retrieve the advertiser 
server 312 URL of the respective product information contained in the 
audio signal data. In function block 608, the ARS 308 then assembles 
message packet 402 for transmission back to the source PC 302. Function 
block 610 indicates the process of sending the message packet 402 back to 
the source PC 302 over Path "B." 
Referring now to FIG. 7, there is illustrated a flowchart of the 
interactive processes between the source PC 302 and the advertiser server 
312. In function block 700, the source PC 302 receives the message packet 
402 back from the ARS 308 and begins to decode the packet 402. In function 
block 702, the URL of the advertiser product information is extracted from 
the message packet 402 and saved for insertion into the message packet 404 
to the advertiser server 312. The message packet 404 is then assembled and 
sent by the source PC 302 over Path "C" to the advertiser server 312, n 
function block 704. While the source PC 302 waits, in function block 706, 
the advertiser server 312 receives the message packet 404 from the source 
PC 302, in function block 708, and disassembles it. The product 
information location is then extracted from the message packet 404 in 
function block 710. The particular product information is retrieved from 
the advertiser server 312 database for transmission back to the source PC 
302. In function block 712, the product information is assembled into 
message packet 406 and then transmitted back to the source PC 302 over 
Path "D." Returning to the source PC 302 in function block 714, the 
advertiser product information contained in the message packet 406 
received from the advertiser server 312, is then extracted and processed 
in function block 716. 
Referring now to FIG. 8, after receipt of a trigger signal, a web browser 
application on a source PC 302 is automatically launched and computer 
display 800 presents a browser page 802. Proprietary software running on 
the source PC 302 processes the audio signal data after being digitized 
through the sound card 206. The software appropriately prepares the data 
for insertion directly into the web browser by extracting the product 
information code and appending keystroke data to this information. First, 
a URL page 804 is opened in response to a Ctrl-O command added by the 
proprietary software as the first character string. Opening URL page 804 
automatically positions the cursor in a field 806 where additional 
keystroke data following the Ctrl-O command will be inserted. After URL 
page 804 is opened, the hypertext protocol preamble http:// is inserted 
into the field 806. Next, URL information associated with the location of 
the ARS 308 is inserted into field 806. Following the ARS 308 URL data are 
the characters /? to allow entry of variables immediately following the /? 
characters. In this embodiment, the variable following is the product 
information code received in the audio signal. The product code 
information also provides the cross-reference information for obtaining 
the advertiser URL from the ARS database 310. Next, a carriage return is 
added to send the URL/product data and close the window 804. After the 
message packet 400 is transmitted to the ARS 308 from the source PC 302, 
transactions from the ARS 308, to the source PC 302, to the advertiser 
server 312, and back to the source PC 302, occur quickly and are 
transparent to the viewer. At this point, the next information the viewer 
sees is the product information which was received from the advertiser 
server 312. 
Referring now to FIG. 9, there is illustrated a block diagram of a more 
simplified embodiment. In this embodiment, a video source 902 is provided 
which is operable to provide an audio output on an audio cable 901 which 
provides routing information referred to by reference numeral 904. The 
routing information 904 is basically information contained within the 
audio signal. This is an encoded or embedded signal. The important aspect 
of the routing information 904 is that it is automatically output in 
realtime as a function of the broadcast of the video program received over 
the video source 902. Therefore, whenever the program is being broadcast 
in realtime to the user 908, the routing information 904 will be output 
whenever the producer of the video desires it to be produced. It should be 
understood that the box 902 representing the video source could be any 
type of media that will result in the routing information being output. 
This could be a cassette player, a DVD player, an audio cassette, a CD ROM 
or any such media. It is only important that this is a program that the 
producer develops which the user 908 watches in a continuous or a 
streaming manner. Embedded within that program, at a desired point 
selected by the producer, the routing information 904 is output. 
The audio information is then routed to a PC 906, which is similar to the 
PC 112 in FIG. 1. A user 908 is interfaced with the PC to receive 
information thereof, the PC 906 having associated therewith a display (not 
shown). The PC 906 is interfaced with a network 910, similar to the 
network 306 in FIG. 3. This network 910 has multiple nodes thereon, one of 
which is the PC 906, and another of which is represented by a network node 
912 which represents remote information. The object of the present 
embodiment is to access remote information for display to the user 908 by 
the act of transmitting from the video program in block 902 the routing 
information 904. This routing information 904 is utilized to allow the PC 
906 which has a network "browser" running thereon to "fetch" the remote 
information at the node 912 over the network 910 for display to the user 
908. This routing information 904 is in the form of an embedded code 
within the audio signal, as was described hereinabove. 
Referring now to FIG. 10, there is illustrated a more detailed block 
diagram of the embodiment of FIG. 9. In this embodiment, the PC 906 is 
split up into a couple of nodes, a first PC 1002 and a second PC 1004. The 
PC 1002 resides at the node associated with the user 908, and the PC 1004 
resides at another node. The PC 1004 represents the ARS 308 of FIG. 3. The 
PC 1004 has a database 1006 associated therewith, which is basically the 
advertiser database 310. Therefore, there are three nodes on the network 
910 necessary to implement the disclosed embodiment, the PC 1002, the PC 
1004 and the remote information node 912. The routing information 904 is 
utilized by the PC 1002 for routing to the PC 1004 to determine the 
location of the remote information node 912 on the network 910. This is 
returned to the PC 1002 and a connection made directly with the remote 
information node 912 and the information retrieved therefrom to the user 
908. The routing information 904 basically constitutes primary routing 
information. 
Referring now to FIG. 11, there is illustrated a diagrammatic view of how 
the network packet is formed for sending the primary routing information 
to the PC 1004. In general, the primary routing information occupies a 
single field which primary routing information is then assembled into a 
data packet with the secondary routing information for transfer to the 
network 910. This is described hereinabove in detail. 
Referring now to FIG. 12, there is illustrated an alternate embodiment to 
that of FIG. 9. In this embodiment, the video source 902 has associated 
therewith an optical region 1202, which optical region 1202 has disposed 
therein an embedded video code. This embedded video code could be 
relatively complex or as simple as a grid of dark and white regions, each 
region in the grid able to have a dark color for a logic "1" or a white 
region for a logic "0." This will allow a digital value to be disposed 
within the optical region 1202. A sensor 1204 can then be provided for 
sensing this video code. In the example above, this would merely require 
an array of optical detectors, one for each region in the grid to 
determine whether this is a logic "1" or a logic "0" state. One of the 
sensed video is then output to the PC 906 for processing thereof to 
determine the information contained therein, which information contained 
therein constitutes the primary routing information 904. Thereafter, it is 
processed as described hereinabove with reference to FIG. 9. 
Referring now to FIG. 13, there is illustrated a block diagram for an 
embodiment wherein a user's profile can be forwarded to the original 
subscriber or manufacturer. The PC 906 has associated therewith a profile 
database 1302, which profile database 1302 is operable to store a profile 
of the user 908. This profile is created when the program, after initial 
installation, requests profile information to be input in order to 
activate the program. In addition to the profile, there is also a unique 
ID that is provided to the user 908 in association with the browser 
program that runs on the PC 906. This is stored in a storage location 
represented by a block 1304. This ID 1304 is accessible by a remote 
location as a "cookie" which is information that is stored in the PC 906 
in an accessible location, which accessible location is actually 
accessible by the remote program running on a remote node. 
The ARS 308, which basically constitutes the PC 1004 of FIG. 10, is 
operable to have associated therewith a profile database 1308, which 
profile database 1308 is operable to store profiles for all of the users. 
The profile database 1308 is a combination of the stored in profile 
database 1302 for all of the PCs 906 that are attachable to the system. 
This is to be distinguished from information stored in the database 310, 
the advertiser's database, which contains intermediate destination tables. 
When the routing information in the primary routing information 904 is 
forwarded to the ARS 308 and extracted from the original data packet, the 
look-up procedure described hereinabove can then be performed to determine 
where this information is to be routed. The profile database 1302 is then 
utilized for each transaction, wherein each transaction in the form of the 
routing information received from the primary routing information 904 is 
compared to the destination tables 310 to determine what manufacturer it 
is associated with. The associated ID 1304 that is transmitted along with 
the routing information in primary routing information 904 is then 
compared with the profile database 1308 to determine if a profile 
associated therewith is available. This information is stored in a 
transaction database 1310 such that, at a later time, for each routing 
code received in the form of the information in primary routing 
information 904, there will associated therewith the IDs 1304 of each of 
the PCs 906. The associated profiles in database 1308, which are stored in 
association with IDs 1304, can then be assembled and transmitted to a 
subscriber as referenced by a subscriber node 1312 on the network 910. The 
ARS 308 can do this in two modes, a realtime mode or a non-realtime mode. 
In a realtime mode, each time a PC 906 accesses the advertiser database 
310, that user's profile information is uploaded to the subscriber node 
1312. At the same time, billing information is generated for that 
subscriber 1312 which is stored in a billing database 1316. Therefore, the 
ARS 308 has the ability to inform the subscriber 1312 of each transaction, 
bill for those transactions, and also provide to the subscriber 1312 
profile information regarding who is accessing the particular product 
advertisement having associated therewith the routing information field 
904 for a particular routing code as described hereinabove. This 
information, once assembled, can then be transmitted to the subscriber 
1312 and also be reflected in billing information and stored in the 
billing information database 1316. 
Referring now to FIG. 14, there is illustrated a flowchart depicting the 
operation for storing the profile for the user. The program is initiated 
in a block 1402 and then proceeds to a function block 1404, wherein the 
system will prompt for the profile upon initiation of the system. This 
initiation is a function that is set to activate whenever the user 
initially loads the software that he or she is provided. The purpose for 
this is to create, in addition to the setup information, a user profile. 
Once the user is prompted for this, then the program will flow to a 
decision block 1406 to determine whether the user provides basic or 
detailed information. This is selectable by the user. If selecting basic, 
the program will flow to a function block 1408 wherein the user will enter 
basic information such as name and serial number and possibly an address. 
However, to provide some incentive to the user to enter more information, 
the original prompt in function block 1404 would have offers for such 
things as coupons, discounts, etc, if the user will enter additional 
information. If the user selects this option, the program from the 
decision block 1406 to a function block 1410. In the function block 1410, 
the user is prompted to enter specific information such as job, income 
level, general family history, demographic information and more. There can 
be any amount of information collected in this particular function block. 
Once all of the information is collected, in either the basic mode or the 
more specific mode, the program will then flow to a function block 1412 
where this information is stored locally. The program then flows to a 
decision block 1414 to then go on-line to the host or the ARS 308. In 
general, the user is prompted to determine whether he or she wants to send 
this information to the host at the present time or to send it later. If 
he or she selects the "later" option, the program will flow to a function 
block 1415 to prompt the user at a later time to send the information. In 
the disclosed embodiment, the user will not be able to utilize the 
software until the profile information is sent to the host. Therefore, the 
user may have to activate this at a later time in order to connect with 
the host. 
If the user has selected the option to upload the profile information to 
the host, the program will flow to the function block 1416 to initiate the 
connect process and then to a decision block 1418 to determine if the 
connection has been made. If not, the program will flow along a "N" path 
to a time to decision block 1420 which will time to an error block 1422 or 
back to the input of the connect decision block 1418. The program, once 
connected, will then flow along a "Y" path from decision block 1418 to a 
function block 1428 to send the profile information with the ID of the 
computer or user to the host. The ID is basically, as described 
hereinabove, a "cookie" in the computer which is accessed by the program 
when transmitting to the host. The program will then flow to a function 
block 1430 to activate the program such that it, at later time, can 
operate without requiring all of the set up information. In general, all 
of the operation of this flowchart is performed with a "wizard" which 
steps the user through the setup process. Once complete, the program will 
flow to a Done block 1432. 
Referring now to FIG. 15, there is illustrated a flowchart depicting the 
operation of the host when receiving a transaction. The program is 
initiated at a start block 1502 and then proceeds to decision block 1504, 
wherein it is determined whether the system has received a routing 
request, i.e., the routing information 904 in the form of a tone, etc., 
embedded in the audio signal as described hereinabove with respect to FIG. 
9. The program will loop back around to the input of decision block 1504 
until the routing request has been received. At this time, the program 
will flow along the "Y" path to a function block 1506 to receive the 
primary routing information and the user ID. Essentially, this primary 
routing information is extracted from the audio tone, in addition to the 
user ID. The program then flows to a function block 1508 to look up the 
manufacturer URL that corresponds to the received primary routing 
information and then return the necessary command information to the 
originating PC 108 in order to allow that PC to connect to the destination 
associated with the primary routing information. Thereafter, the program 
will flow to a function block 1510 to update the transaction database 1310 
for the current transaction. In general, the routing information 904 will 
be stored as a single field with the associated IDs. The profile database, 
as described hereinabove, has associated therewith detailed profiles of 
each user on the system that has activated their software in association 
with their ID. Since the ID was sent in association with the routing 
information, what is stored in the transaction database is the routing 
code, in association with all of the IDs transmitted to the system in 
association with that particular routing code. Once this transaction 
database has been updated, as described hereinabove, the transactions can 
be transferred back to the subscriber at node 312 with the detailed 
profile information from the profile database 1308. 
The profile information can be transmitted back to the subscriber or 
manufacturer in the node 312 in realtime or non-realtime. A decision block 
1512 is provided for this, which determines if the delivery is realtime. 
If realtime, the program will flow along a "Y" path to a function block 
1514 wherein the information will be immediately forwarded to the 
manufacturer or subscriber. The program will then flow to a function block 
1516 wherein the billing for that particular manufacturer or subscriber 
will be updated in the billing database 1316. The program will then flow 
into an End block 1518. If it was non-realtime, the program moves along 
the "N" path to a function block 1520 wherein it is set for a later 
delivery and it is accrued in the transaction database. In any event, the 
transaction database will accrue all information associated with a 
particular routing code. 
With a realtime transaction, it is possible for a manufacturer to place an 
ad in a magazine or to place a product on a shelf at a particular time. 
The manufacturer can thereafter monitor the times when either the ads are 
or the products are purchased. Of course, they must be scanned into a 
computer which will provide some delay. However, the manufacturer can gain 
a very current view of how a product is moving. For example, if a cola 
manufacturer were to provide a promotional advertisement on, for example, 
television, indicating that a new cola was going to be placed on the shelf 
and that the first 1000 purchasers, for example, scanning their code into 
the network would receive some benefit, such as a chance to win a trip to 
some famous resort in Florida or some other incentive, the manufacturer 
would have a very good idea as to how well the advertisement was received. 
Further, the advertiser would know where the receptive markets were. If 
this advertiser, for example, had placed the television advertisement in 
ten cities and received overwhelming response from one city, but very poor 
response from another city, he would then have some inclination to believe 
that either one poor response city was not a good market or that the 
advertising medium he had chosen was very poor. Since the advertiser can 
obtain a relatively instant response and also content with that response 
as to the demographics of the responder, very important information can be 
obtained in a relatively short time. 
It should be noted that the disclosed embodiment is not limited to a single 
source PC 302, but may encompass a large number of source computers 
connected over a global communication network. Additionally, the 
embodiment is not limited to a single ARS 308 or a single advertiser 
server 312, but may include a plurality of ARS and advertiser systems, 
indicated by the addition of ARS 314 and advertiser server A 316, 
respectively. It should also be noted that this embodiment is not limited 
only to global communication networks, but also may be used with LAN, WAN, 
and peer-to-peer configurations. 
It should also be noted that the disclosed embodiment is not limited to a 
personal computer, but is also applicable to, for example, a Network 
Computer ("NetPC"), a scaled-down version of the PC, or any system which 
accommodates user interaction and interfaces to information resources. 
One typical application of the above noted technique is for providing a 
triggering event during a program, such as a sport event. In a first 
example, this may be generated by an advertiser. One could imagine that, 
due to the cost of advertisements in a high profile sports program, there 
is a desire to utilize this time widely. If, for example, an advertiser 
contracted for 15 seconds worth of advertising time, they could insert 
within their program a tone containing the routing information. This 
routing information can then be output to the user's PC which will cause 
the user's PC to, via the network, obtain information from a remote 
location typically controlled by the advertiser. This could be in the form 
of an advertisement of a length longer than that contracted for. Further, 
this could be an interactive type of advertisement. An important aspect to 
the type of interaction between the actual broadcast program with the 
embedded routing information and the manufacturer's site is the fact that 
there is provided in the information as to the user's PC and a profile of 
the user themselves. Therefore, an advertiser can actually gain realtime 
information as to the number of individuals that are watching their 
particular advertisement and also information as to the background of 
those individuals, demographic information, etc. This can be a very 
valuable asset to an advertiser. 
In another example, the producer of the program, whether it be an on-air 
program, a program embedded in a video tape, CD-ROM, DVD, or a cassette, 
can allow the user to automatically access additional information that is 
not displayed on the screen. For example, in a sporting event, various 
statistics can be provided to the user from a remote location, merely by 
the viewer watching the program. When these statistics are provided, the 
advertiser can be provided with demographic information and background 
information regarding the user. This can be important when, for example, 
the user may record a sports program. If the manufacturer sees that this 
program routing code is being output from some device at a later time than 
the actual broadcast itself, this allows the advertisers to actually see 
that their program is still being used and also what type of individual is 
using it. Alternatively, the broadcaster could determine the same and 
actually bill the advertiser an additional sum for a later broadcast. This 
is all due to the fact that the routing information automatically, through 
a PC and a network, will provide an indication to the advertiser for other 
intermediary regarding the time at which the actual information was 
broadcast. 
The different type of medium that can be utilized with the above embodiment 
are such things as advertisements, which are discussed hereinabove, 
contests, games, news programs, education, coupon promotional programs, 
demonstration media (demos), photographs, all of which can be broadcast on 
a private site or a public site. This all will provide the ability to 
allow realtime interface with the network and the remote location for 
obtaining the routed information and also allow for realtime billing and 
accounting. 
Although the preferred embodiment has been described in detail, it should 
be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be 
made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention 
as defined by the appended claims.