Method and apparatus for providing a menu structure for an interactive information distribution system

• US 20010019336A1
• Filed: 02/10/2001
• Published: 09/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: DIVA Systems Corporation
• Inventors: Goode, Christopher, Gordon, Donald, Thomas, Philip A., Conover, Mark D., Cole, Brooks
• Granted Patent: US 7,032,176 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/719
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/434 Disassembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. demultiplexing audio and video streams, extraction of additional data from a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Extraction or processing of SI; Disassembling of packetised elementary stream demultiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4351 involving reassembling additional data, e.g. rebuilding an executable program from recovered modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44504 Circuit details of the additional information generator, e.g. details of the character or graphics signal generator, overlay mixing circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing an interactive menu structure within an interactive information distribution system. The menu structure is embodied in a combination of software, which provides a so-called navigator and a set top terminal that provides certain functionality for the navigator and a video session manager which provides support functionality for the set top terminal. The menu structure has each menu (e.g., menu instructions, graphics and video) contained in downloadable applets which are sent upon request from the service provider equipment to the set top terminal for display. As such, the navigator functions are actually distributed between the service provider equipment and the subscriber'"'"'s equipment. Such distribution provides an enjoyable, real-time interactive session that allows the user to rapidly navigate through a plethora of menus to find particular information, which they desire to view.

Claims

1. A data structure, comprising:

a plurality of logically linked applets, each of said applets defining a graphical layer, a video layer and a control layer, said control layer of each respective applet logically linking a graphical layer object to another applet.

2. The data structure of

claim 1

, wherein said graphical layer comprises a plurality of graphical objects, each of said graphical objects being logically linked to a respective applet via said control layer.

3. The data structure of

claim 1

, wherein:

said linked applets are stored in provider equipment within an interactive information distribution system and executed within subscriber equipment within said interactive information distribution system;

said subscriber equipment generating in response thereto an image representative signal which, when processed by a display device, results in the display of;

said graphics layer, for displaying one or more graphical objects, said graphical objects being associated with respective applets stored in provider equipment, said applets comprising menu information and associated image information;

said video layer, for displaying still or moving images, including still or moving images generated using said applet image information; and

said control layer, coupled to said graphics layer and said video layer, for generating an applet request in response to a selection of a graphical object.

4. In an interactive information distribution system comprising provider equipment and subscriber equipment in communication via a network, a method comprising:

transmitting, to said subscriber equipment from said provider equipment, a first applet defining a graphical layer, a video layer and a control layer, said control layer logically linking a graphical layer object to a second applet stored in said provider equipment; and

in response to subscriber interaction indicative of the selection of said graphical layer object, transmitting said second applet to said subscriber.

5. The method of

claim 4

, wherein said subscriber equipment receives and processes a single applet to provide, upon a display device, a graphical layer and a video layer, said control layer being responsive to user manipulation of graphical objects to select for download to said subscriber an applet associated with a selected graphical object.

6. The method of

claim 4

, wherein:

said graphical layer includes at least one graphical object representative of said logically linked applets, said video layer provides a contextual anchor relating to said applets and said control layer operates to logically link said graphical objects to said other applets.