Apparatus for transmitting and receiving executable applications as for a multimedia system
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A distributed computer system comprising:
- a source of a data stream providing a series of time division multiplexed packets, ones of which contain auxiliary data that represent a video program, and others of which represent a distributed computing application associated with said video program, and wherein said distributed computing application is repetitively transmitted independent of receiving client computer apparatus during times that said video pro gram is transmitted;
a client computer, which includes a packet selector connected to said source for selecting and directing packets containing said auxiliary data representing said video program to a video signal processor and selecting and directing packets containing said associated distributed computing application to a further processor, and said further processor including means to assemble said distributed computing application and execute said distributed computing application to form an interactive video program in which execution of said distributed computing application alters said video program.
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Abstract
A distributed computer system, as for transmitting and receiving executable multimedia applications, includes a source of a continuous data stream repetitively transfering data representing a distributed computing application and a client computer, receiving the data stream, for extracting the distributed computing application representative data from the data stream, and executing the extracted distributed computing application.
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Citations
245 Claims
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1. A distributed computer system comprising:
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a source of a data stream providing a series of time division multiplexed packets, ones of which contain auxiliary data that represent a video program, and others of which represent a distributed computing application associated with said video program, and wherein said distributed computing application is repetitively transmitted independent of receiving client computer apparatus during times that said video pro gram is transmitted;
a client computer, which includes a packet selector connected to said source for selecting and directing packets containing said auxiliary data representing said video program to a video signal processor and selecting and directing packets containing said associated distributed computing application to a further processor, and said further processor including means to assemble said distributed computing application and execute said distributed computing application to form an interactive video program in which execution of said distributed computing application alters said video program. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A distributed computer system comprising:
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a source of a time division multiplexed packet signal including a plurality of distributed computing applications, each distributed computing application being repetitively transmitted independent of receiving client computer apparatus, and each of said distributed computing applications being in a form of a series of packets;
a first one of packets of a respective series containing data representing an executable code module and including identification information indicating that the first one of packets of said series contains data representing said executable code module;
a second one of packets of the series contains data representing a data module and includes identification information indicating that said second one of packets contains data representing the data module; and
a third one of packets of the series contains auxiliary data and includes identification information indicating that the third one of packets contains auxiliary data;
a client computer including a data receiver for selecting packets of one of the plurality of distributed computing applications, and extracting the corresponding distributed computing application representative data included in the selected packets and applying it to computer program controlled apparatus for executing the extracted distributed computing application, said data receiver extracting auxiliary data from auxiliary packets in the data stream and supplying it to an auxiliary data processor.
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7. A distributed computer system comprising:
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a data stream source producing a data stream including a series of packets representing a plurality of time division multiplexed signals, one of said signals including data representing a distributed computing application, which distributed computing application is repetitively transmitted independent of receiving client computer apparatus, and at least one of the packets of the signal representing the distributed computing application includes a directory module containing information inter-relating packets associated with said distributed computing application;
a client computer, receiving the data stream, extracting the distributed computing application representative data from the data stream, and executing the extracted distributed computing application; and
whereinthe client computer extracts said directory module from the data stream and using data contained in the directory module extracts packets associated with said distributed computing application and builds said distributed computing application and executes said distributed computing application. - View Dependent Claims (8)
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9. In a distributed computer system, a client computer, comprising:
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an input terminal for receiving a packet data stream including packets of video signal time multiplexed with packets of data representing a distributed computing application which distributed computing application is repetitively transmitted independently of said client computer and at least one of the packets representing the distributed computing application includes a directory containing information inter-relating ones of the packets containing said distributed computing application;
a data stream receiver, coupled to said input terminal, for receiving the data stream, providing separate data streams of said video signal and said distributed computing application, extracting said directory packet and responsive to the directory, extracting packets containing said distributed computing application representative data; and
a processing unit, coupled to the data stream receiver, for assembling said distributed computing application and executing the distributed computing application comprising;
a system bus;
read/write memory, coupled to the system bus;
a data stream input/output adapter, coupled between the data stream receiver and the system bus, for receiving the extracted distributed computing application representative data from the data stream receiver, and storing it in the read/write memory, and having a control output terminal coupled to the selection control input terminal of the data stream selector, for producing the selection control signal; and
a processor, coupled to the system bus, for controlling the data stream input/output device to generate a selection control signal selecting a specified one of the plurality of data streams, and for assembling and executing the distributed computing application stored in the read/write memory.
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10. A method of ordering an item using a distributed computing system including at least one client (20) and at least one server (10), the method comprising:
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showing and/or describing an item offered for sale to a user (80) via the client;
enabling the user to order the item by a single interaction with the client; and
in response to the single interaction with the client (20), placing an order for the offered item. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 143)
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28. A method of ordering an item, the method comprising:
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providing a client with information to show and/or describe an item offered for sale to a user; and
providing the client with an application to enable the user to order the item by a single interaction with a client, responsive to which an order is placed for the offered item.
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38. A computer system to order an item, the system comprising:
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a data processing system (50) to show and/or describe an item offered for sale to a user (80); and
a client (22, 24, 26, 50) to enable the user to order the item by a single interaction with the client and, in response to the single interaction, to place an order for the offered item.
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58. A computer system to facilitate ordering an item, the system comprising:
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a data source (107) to provide a client with information to show and/or describe an item offered for sale to a user; and
an application source (101) to provide a client with an application to enable the user to order the offered item by a single interaction with a client, responsive to which an order is placed for the offered item.
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68. A method of ordering an item using an interactive television system including at least one client (22, 50) and at least one server (10), the method comprising:
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using the server (10) to provide data, some of which represents video and some of which represents a computing application, to the client;
at the client, causing the video to be displayed, and executing the computing application to cause display of interactive information;
using one or more of the displayed video and the interactive information to show and/or describe an item offered for sale to a television viewer (80);
enabling the viewer (80) to select the item by interacting with the client (22, 50); and
in response to the viewer interaction, placing an order for the displayed item.
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87. A method of ordering an item using an interactive television system, the method comprising:
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receiving data, some of which represents video and some of which represents a computing application;
causing the video to be displayed;
executing the computing application to cause display of interactive information;
using one or more of the displayed video and the interactive information to show and/or describe an item offered for sale to a television user (80);
enabling the user (80) to select the item by way of an interaction; and
in response to the interaction, placing an order for the displayed item. - View Dependent Claims (88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100)
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101. A method of ordering an item using an interactive television system, the method comprising:
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providing data, some of which represents video to be displayed and some of which represents a computing application to be executed to display interactive information, to the client, the client to use one or more of the displayed video and the interactive information to show and/or describe an item offered for sale to a television user (80) and to enable the user (80) to select the item by interacting with the client (22, 50); and
in response to the interaction, receiving an order for the displayed item. - View Dependent Claims (102, 103, 104, 105)
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106. An interactive television system comprising:
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a server (10) to provide data, some of which represents video and some of which represents a computing application, to the client;
a client to;
cause the video to be displayed;
execute the computing application to cause display of interactive information;
use one or more of the displayed video and the interactive information to show and/or describe an item offered for sale to a television user (80);
enable the user (80) to select the item by interacting with the client (22, 50); and
in response to the interaction, place an order for the displayed item. - View Dependent Claims (107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 140, 141, 142, 145, 146, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 166, 167, 169, 170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, 178, 179, 180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 187, 188, 189, 190, 191, 192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197, 198, 200, 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, 217)
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125. An interactive television system to order an item, the system comprising:
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a receiver (207) to receive data, some of which represents video and some of which represents a computing application; and
a processing unit (224) to;
execute the computing application to cause display of interactive information;
using the interactive information, show and/or describe an item offered for sale to a television user (80);
enable the user (80) to select the item by way of an interaction; and
in response to the interaction, place an order for the displayed item.
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139. An interactive television system to order an item, the system comprising:
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a server (10) to provide data, some of which represents video to be displayed and some of which represents a computing application to be executed to display interactive information, to a client, the client to use one or more of the displayed video and the interactive information to show and/or describe an item offered for sale to a television user (80) and to enable the user (80) to select the item by interacting with the client (22, 50); and
a receiver, in response to the interaction, to receive an order for the displayed item.
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144. A method of placing an order for an item, the method comprising:
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using a server system;
communicating a data stream to a client system, the data stream including information related to an item offered for sale; and
using a client system;
receiving an order request from a user;
automatically determining an item identity for an item to which the order request pertains utilizing the information related to the item offered for sale;
automatically retrieving personal information of the user previously stored in a storage device; and
placing an order, including the item identity and the retrieved personal information.
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147. The method of 145 wherein the purchase action includes input of the item identity into the client system.
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165. A method of placing an order for an item, the method comprising:
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receiving an order request from a user at a client system;
automatically determining an item identity for an item to which the order request pertains;
automatically retrieving personal information of the user previously stored in a storage device; and
placing an order, including the item identity and the retrieved personal information, for processing by a server system in communication with the client system.
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168. The method of 166 wherein the purchase action includes input of the item identity into the client system.
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186. A method of facilitating placing of an order for an item, the method comprising communicating a data stream to a client system, the data stream including:
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information related to an item offered for sale; and
an application program for execution by the client system to receive an order request from a user, automatically to determine an item identity for an item to which the order request pertains utilizing the information related to the item offered for sale, automatically to retrieve personal information of the user previously stored in a storage device, and to place an order, including the item identity and the retrieved personal information.
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199. A system to place an order for an item, the system comprising:
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a server system to transmit a data stream, the data stream including information related to an item offered for sale; and
a client system to;
receive the data stream;
receive an order request from a user;
automatically determine an item identity for an item to which the order request pertains utilizing the information related to the item offered for sale;
automatically retrieve personal information of the user previously stored in a storage device; and
place an order, including the item identity and the retrieved personal information.
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218. A client system including:
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a receiver (207) to receive the data stream including information related to an item offered for sale; and
a processing unit (224) to;
receive an order request from a user;
automatically determine an item identity for an item to which the order request pertains utilizing the information related to the item offered for sale;
automatically retrieve personal information of the user previously stored in a storage device; and
place an order, including the item identity and the retrieved personal information. - View Dependent Claims (219, 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, 226, 227, 228, 229, 230, 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 238, 239, 240, 241, 242, 243, 244, 245)
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237. A server system to facilitate placing of an order for an item, the system comprising:
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a data source (107) to provide information related to an item offered for sale; and
an application source (101) to provide an application program for execution by the client system to receive an order request from a user, automatically to determine an item identity for an item to which the order request pertains, automatically to retrieve personal information of the user previously stored in a storage device, and to place an order, including the item identity and the retrieved personal information; and
a multiplexer (106) to communicate the information and the application program to a client system.
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Specification