Information descriptor and extended information descriptor data structures for digital television signals

• US 20020035726A1
• Filed: 04/17/2001
• Published: 03/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Corl, Mark T.
• Granted Patent: US 7,877,769 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

Disclosed is a type of meta data structure that provides data and/or or a link to such data that is used by an EPG generator in a DTV receiver to display visually-compelling information about an event. Such information can include: an icon associated with the broadcaster of the event and/or the source of the event; a graphic representing a rating of potentially-objectionable content in the event; a still image representative of or having a relation to the event; a video excerpt of or having a relation to the event; an advertisement related to the event, its broadcaster and/or its source; etc.

Claims

1. A memory to contain program and system information protocol (PSIP) data about digital television (DTV) content, the memory being organized to contain a data structure comprising at least one of

an information type descriptor segment and

an extended information descriptor segment

each of which characterize extra information associated with a virtual channel or an event in a DTV data stream.

2. The data-structured memory of claim 1, wherein each of said information type descriptor segment and said an extended information descriptor segment includes:

a descriptor tag segment;

a descriptor length segment; and

an information type identification segment.

3. The data-structured memory of claim 2, wherein said descriptor tag segment has a value of 0xC9 for said information type descriptor segment and a value of 0xC8 for said an extended information descriptor segment.

4. The data-structured memory of claim 2, wherein said descriptor length segment indicates a remaining length of said information type descriptor segment as determined by said information type identification segment, said information description length segment and said information description segment.

5. The data-structured memory of claim 2, wherein said information type identification segment contains a code that characterizes said information associated with a virtual channel or an event in a DTV data stream as one of:

a GIF-formafted image file;

a JPEG-formatted image file;

a TIFF-formatted image file;

an ASCII text file;

an HTML-formatted text file;

an XML-formatted text file;

a basic audio formatted file having a .au file extension;

an MPEG-formatted audio file;

a WAV-formatted audio file;

an MPEG-formatted video file;

a Quicktime-formafted video file;

an AVI-formatted video file; and

a user-defined formatted file.

6. The data-structured memory of claim 2, wherein said information type descriptor segment further includes:

an information description length segment; and

an information description text segment.

7. The data-structured memory of claim 6, wherein said information description length segment identifies a length of said information description text segment.

8. The data-structured memory of claim 6, wherein said information description text segment includes text that characterizes said information associated with a virtual channel or an event in a DTV data stream.

9. The data-structured memory of claim 8, wherein said information type identification segment includes a code description corresponding to said text description in said information description text segment.

10. The data-structured memory of claim 2, wherein said extended information descriptor segment further includes at least two of:

an information expected usage segment;

an information location length segment; and

an information location text segment.

11. The data-structured memory of claim 10, wherein sai d information expected usage segment includes at least one of:

a first field that describes a usage of said extra information anticipated by a creator of said extended information descriptor segment;

a second field that describes said extra information as being an advertisement or not; and

a third field that describes a location on a display screen where said creator of said extended information descriptor segment anticipates that a representation of said extra information should be positioned.

12. The data-structured memory of claim 11, wherein said first field describes said extra information as one of:

undefined so as to have no expected usage;

extended event, extended programming guide (EPG) information that is to be displayed during an EPG display when an event is selected;

extended event selected information that is to be displayed when an event is selected;

extended channel EPG information that is to be displayed during an EPG display when a channel is selected;

extended channel selected information that is to be displayed when a channel is selected; and

user-defined information.

13. The data-structured memory of claim 10, wherein said information location identifies a remaining length of said extended information descriptor segment as determined by said information location text segment.

14. The data-structured memory of claim 10, wherein said information location text segment represents a string of text that is interpreted as a universal resource locator (URL).

15. The data-structured memory of claim 14, wherein said URL is a reference to a data program within said DTV data stream or data external to said DTV data stream.

16. The data-structured memory of claim 15, wherein the external data is from the world wide web (WWW).

17. The data-structured memory of claim 15, wherein said data program within said DTV data stream is referenced with a path beginning as

dtv:

/

or, said data from the world wide web (WWW) is referenced with a path beginning as

http;

//

or

http;

//www.

18. The data-structured memory of claim 1, further comprising a link between said an information type descriptor and at least one of a virtual channel table (VCT) and an event information table (EIT).

19. The data-structured memory of claim 1, further comprising a link between said extended information descriptor segment and at least one of a virtual channel table (VCT) and an event information table (EIT).

20. The data-structured memory of claim 11, wherein said first field describes said extra information as being at least one of:

intended to be displayed during a displaying of an EPG; and

intended to be displayed independently of a displaying of an EPG.

21. The data-structured memory of claim 11, wherein said third field describes said location as being one of:

undefined so as to have no expected location;

in the background relative to information of greater priority on said display screen;

the upper left quadrant of said display screen;

the upper right quadrant of said display screen;

the lower left quadrant of said display screen; and

in the lower right quadrant of said display screen;

22. A method to generate program and system information protocol (PSIP) data about digital television (DTV) content, said PSIP data including at least one data structure as defined in claim 1.

23. A program and system information protocol (PSIP) generator to generate PSIP data about digital television (DTV) content, said PSIP data including at least one data structure as defined in claim 1.

24. The PSIP generator of claim 23, wherein said PSIP generator is embodied on a computer running software.

25. The PSIP generator of claim 24, wherein said software is written in the language Java.

26. A computer-readable article of manufacture having embodied thereon software to generate program and system information protocol (PSIP) data about digital television (DTV) content, said PSIP data including at least one data structure as defined in claim 1.

27. A method to generate an extended programming guide (EPG) display about content in a digital television (DTV) stream of data packets, said method comprising:

receiving said DTV stream of data packets, said stream containing program and system information protocol (PSIP) data;

recognizing at least one data structure, as defined in claim 1, within said PSIP data; and

generating said EPG display as a function of said at least one data structure.

28. A digital television (DTV) receiver embodying the method of claim 27.

29. The DTV receiver of claim 28, wherein at least part of said DTV receiver is embodied on a computer running software.

30. The DTV receiver of claim 29, wherein said software is written in the language Java.

31. A computer-readable article of manufacture having embodied thereon software to perform the method of claim 27.

32. A digital television (DTV) bit stream containing program and system information protocol (PSIP) data describing content of said DTV bit stream, the PSIP data being organized to contain a data structure comprising at least one of

an information type descriptor segment and

an extended information descriptor segment

each of which characterize extra information associated with a virtual channel or an event in a DTV bit stream.