Prior art

Analysis of Prior Art for U.S. Patent No. 7,793,332

This analysis details the prior art cited during the prosecution of U.S. Patent No. 7,793,332. Each reference is examined for its potential to anticipate the patent's claims under 35 U.S.C. § 102. The information is based on the patent's file history and the content of the cited documents.

The examiner's citations on the face of the patent are categorized as "Cited by Examiner." These references were considered during the examination process and determined not to invalidate the claims as granted. The potential for anticipation is assessed against the key independent claims (1, 13, 20, 26, and 37) previously summarized.

Cited by Examiner

1. U.S. Patent No. 4,025,851: "Broadcast Signal Identification System"

   • Full Citation: Haselwood, D. et al., U.S. Patent No. 4,025,851, issued May 24, 1977. Filed May 20, 1975.
   • Brief Description: This patent describes a system for embedding an identification code into a television signal's video portion. The code, which can identify the program, broadcast station, and time of transmission, is inserted into a single line within the vertical blanking interval. A monitoring device at a remote location can then detect and decode this information for program verification and audience measurement.
   • Potential Anticipation: This reference is relevant to the concept of embedding data in a television signal.
     • Claim 13: Partially addresses the concept of receiving a TV signal with embedded digital control signals. However, it focuses on identification for monitoring purposes, not on controlling a separate apparatus in synchronization with the program.
     • Claim 20 & 26: Discloses embedding and detecting digital information but does not teach the decryption of this information to create a human-perceptible message for display or to control a local apparatus as claimed. The primary purpose is passive monitoring.

2. U.S. Patent No. 4,264,925: "Special Effects and Control System for a Plurality of Television Programs"

   • Full Citation: Freeman, M. H. et al., U.S. Patent No. 4,264,925, issued April 28, 1981. Filed June 29, 1978.
   • Brief Description: This patent details a system that transmits multiple, related video signals simultaneously over different channels. A special subscriber terminal allows the user to switch between these channels to view different camera angles of an event or select different program versions. It also describes generating a composite display with picture-in-picture effects.
   • Potential Anticipation: This reference relates to enhancing a broadcast with multiple video streams but relies on user-initiated manual selection.
     • Claim 1 & 37: Fails to anticipate these claims as it does not involve processing a user-specific database to generate and combine personalized information with the broadcast. The content variations are pre-produced and broadcast to all users.
     • Claim 13 & 26: Does not teach the use of embedded control signals to automatically operate a separate apparatus; instead, it requires direct manual control by the user to switch between channels.

3. U.S. Patent No. 4,337,480: "Apparatus for Interconnecting a Television Receiver with a Plurality of Video Signal Sources"

   • Full Citation: Bourassin, J. et al., U.S. Patent No. 4,337,480, issued June 29, 1982. Filed Feb. 11, 1980.
   • Brief Description: This patent describes a switching system for connecting multiple television peripheral units (like a VCR, video game console, or teletext decoder) to a single television receiver. The system allows a user to select which peripheral's output is displayed on the TV screen and supports features like superimposing an image from one source onto another.
   • Potential Anticipation: The relevance is in managing multiple signal sources for a single display.
     • Claim 13 & 26: Does not disclose control signals embedded in a broadcast transmission that automatically operate these peripherals. The control is local, typically initiated by the user interacting with the switching device. The patent is about local signal management, not broadcast-based automation.

4. U.S. Patent No. 4,381,522: "Viewer-Controlled Television Programming System"

   • Full Citation: Lambert, J., U.S. Patent No. 4,381,522, issued Apr. 26, 1983. Filed Aug. 29, 1980.
   • Brief Description: This system allows cable television viewers to influence program scheduling. Viewers can call a central computer to vote for programs they wish to see. The computer then compiles these requests to generate a schedule and automatically controls video players at the cable headend to broadcast the most-requested programs at designated times.
   • Potential Anticipation: This reference involves a level of user-influenced programming but lacks the core elements of the '332 patent's claims.
     • Claim 1 & 37: This system does not create personalized presentations at the user's location. The result of user input is a single, uniform broadcast schedule for all subscribers. It does not process a local, user-specific database.
     • Claim 13, 20 & 26: The control signals are generated at the headend to control headend equipment (the video players). It does not teach embedding control signals into the broadcast to control equipment at the individual subscriber's premises.

5. U.S. Patent No. 4,547,804: "System and Method for Verifying Broadcast of Television Commercials"

   • Full Citation: Greenberg, D., U.S. Patent No. 4,547,804, issued Oct. 15, 1985. Filed Apr. 20, 1981.
   • Brief Description: Describes a method for automatically monitoring television channels to verify that specific commercials have been broadcast. A monitor at a remote site sequentially tunes to different channels, captures frames of the video, and compares them against a library of stored commercials to confirm their broadcast.
   • Potential Anticipation: Similar to Haselwood ('851), this patent focuses on monitoring and verification, not user-side control or personalization.
     • Claim 1, 13, 20, 26, 37: The system is for remote monitoring of broadcast content. It does not disclose embedding signals for controlling user-side equipment, processing local user data, or creating personalized presentations.

6. U.S. Patent No. 4,694,490: "System and method for remote control of a plurality of receiver stations"

   • Full Citation: Harvey, J. C. et al., U.S. Patent No. 4,694,490, issued Sep. 15, 1987. Filed Nov. 3, 1981.
   • Brief Description: This patent, from the same inventors, is a parent to the '332 patent and describes a system where a broadcast signal contains embedded, encrypted codes. These codes are used to control functions at a subscriber station, such as enabling or disabling reception, recording programs, or displaying messages. It introduces the core concept of using broadcast signals for remote control of user equipment.
   • Potential Anticipation: As a parent patent, it discloses foundational concepts but may not anticipate all specific limitations of the continuation-in-part '332 patent claims.
     • Claim 1 & 37: While it teaches controlling a local apparatus, it does not explicitly describe the combination of a broadcast program with information from a pre-existing user-specific database to create new, personalized information for a combined presentation. The focus is more on command and control.
     • Claim 20: This reference is highly relevant. It teaches transmitting a program with encrypted information that, when decrypted, can control the display of a message. It strongly anticipates the core elements of this claim.
     • Claim 13 & 26: This reference appears to directly anticipate the concept of a broadcast TV signal with embedded control instructions that are detected and used to operate a local apparatus. The '490 patent is centrally focused on this functionality.

7. U.S. Patent No. 5,444,365

   • Full Citation: As there appears to be a transcription error in the provided patent text, and a search for US Patent 5,444,365 reveals a patent titled "Programmable clock generator" unrelated to signal processing, it's highly likely this is a typo in the '332 patent's data. The intended citation was likely another patent from the same family or subject matter. Without the correct number, a direct analysis is not possible. However, given the context, it would likely relate to signal processing or broadcasting, but its specific teachings and relevance cannot be determined.

Based on this analysis, U.S. Patent No. 4,694,490 appears to be the most significant prior art, particularly against claims 13, 20, and 26. The novelty of the '332 patent's claims likely resides in the more specific application of these control signals, such as the processing of a local user-specific database to generate new information and combine it with the primary program, as detailed in claims 1 and 37.