US 4,876,592 · Granted 1989-10-24

System for merchandising and the evaluation of responses to broadcast transmissions

A system and method for evaluating responses to broadcast programs, such as television programs, for the selling of merchandise includes a modifiable instructional signal modulated onto a voice signal transmitted concurrently with a television program, or time-multiplexed with a television transmission. At each of a plurality of remote receiving stations, one or more members of a remote shopping audience has the opportunity to respond to a situation presented in the television program by entering a response on a keyboard. The system includes, at each remote receiving station, a memory responsive to the instructional signal for storing desired responses, and a comparison circuit for comparing responses entered at the keyboard with those stored in the memory. Also provided is electronic circuitry for scoring the responses in accordance with commands from the instructional signal, and a recording device for providing a permanent record of the audience score at each of the remote receiving stations. Scoring is performed at differing levels of difficulty, set by a host or by a contestant, with credit being given also to the length of time required for response and the mode of response such as by use of a key word or phrase. By including sales information in the programs, and by printing out award certification, the system encourages telephonic purchasing of merchandise.

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