Importance

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Abstract

A system supplying information associated with a broadcast television program to a consumer such that said consumer perceives the associated data as the result of two way interactivity with external sources of data such as online services or the Internet. The system includes equipment for inserting the associated data into the vertical blanking interval of the television signal on the supplier side of the system. On the receiving side, the system includes a personal computer capable of receiving the television program and storing the associated data locally. The consumer may then interact with the stored associated data in an apparently two way interactive manner. Additional interactivity may be achieved by adding an actual two way communication channel to the personal computer so that online services or the Internet may be accessed. This two way communication channel is made particularly effective if the associated data contains pointers to locations in the online services or the Internet which are particularly relevant to the television program.

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First Claim