Single-button remote access to a synthetic channel page of specialized content

• US 20020060750A1
• Filed: 02/16/2001
• Published: 05/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Digeo Incorporated (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Digeo Incorporated (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Allen, Paul G., Istvan, Anthony F.
• Application Number:
  US09/788,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20020060750A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/569
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/40111 the electrodes comprising a layer which is used for its ferroelectric properties
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/6684 with a ferroelectric gate insulator
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234363 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for clients with a lower screen resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• 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 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 : for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 : for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 : for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 : Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 : e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 : for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 : involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 : by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 : Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only

Abstract

A method of displaying multimedia content on a display area of a broadband Internet-enabled television system includes providing a remote control to control contents being displayed on the display area. A television content is displayed on the display area. A first instruction transmitted by the remote control in response to activation of a first button is received. A first synthetic channel page is displayed in response to the first instruction. The first synthetic channel page includes a television content section and an Internet content section.

Claims

1. A method of displaying multimedia contents on a display area of a broadband Internet-enabled television system, the method comprising:

providing a remote control to control contents being displayed on the display area;

displaying a television content on the display area;

receiving a first instruction transmitted by the remote control in response to activation of a first button; and

displaying a first synthetic channel page in response to the first instruction, the first synthetic channel page including a television content section and an Internet content section.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second instruction transmitted by the remote control in response to activation of a second button; and

displaying a television content in response to the second instruction.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second instruction transmitted by the remote control in response to activation of the first button; and

displaying a television content in response to the second instruction.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first synthetic channel page relates to a first subject and the television and Internet content sections display contents relating to the first subject.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the television content section includes an active channel icon providing a link to a television channel that is currently broadcasting television content relating to the first subject.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the television content section includes a plurality of active channel icons providing a plurality of links to a plurality of television channels that are currently broadcasting television contents relating to the first subject.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of active channel icons display multiple broadcasts from the plurality of television channels in reduced size to enable a user to view the multiple broadcasts simultaneously.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

selecting one of the plurality of active channel icons to view a television content being broadcast by a television station corresponding to the selected channel icon.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first synthetic channel page includes an active channel section which lists a plurality of television channels broadcasting contents relating to the first subject.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first synthetic channel page further includes a schedule section which lists upcoming events relating to the first subjects

11. The method of claim 10, wherein a user selects one of events listed in the schedule section, further comprising:

receiving a purchase instruction transmitted by the remote control in response to activation of a buy button by the user; and

selling a ticket to the user in response to the purchase instruction.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the first synthetic channel page further includes a recorded video section which provides a plurality of pre-recorded video contents that can be viewed by a user on the display area.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein a user selects one of the pre-recorded video contents, further comprising:

retrieving the selected pre-recorded video content; and

displaying the retrieved pre-recorded video content on the display area.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

providing the user with an invoice for displaying the retrieved pre-recorded video content on the display area.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second instruction transmitted by the remote control in response to activation of the first button; and

displaying a second synthetic channel page in response to the second instruction, the second synthetic channel page including a television content section and an Internet content section relating to a second subject.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first synthetic channel page relates to sports, and the second synthetic channel page relates to football.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the first synthetic channel page relates to football, and the second synthetic channel page relates to Seattle Seahawks.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the first synthetic channel page relates to sports, and the second synthetic channel page relates to movies.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the first synthetic channel page is one selected from the following group:

sports, weather, music, entertainment, movies, and news.

20. A method of displaying multi-media contents on a display area of a broadband Internet-enabled television system, the method comprising:

providing a remote control to control contents being displayed on the display area;

displaying a first content of first type on the display area;

receiving a first instruction transmitted by the remote control in response to activation of a first button; and

displaying a second content of second type on the display area in response to the first instruction, wherein at least the first content of first type or the second content of second type is a synthetic channel page on a first subject, the synthetic channel page including a television content relating to the first subject and an Internet content relating to the first subject.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the first content of first type is a user interface menu.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the first content of first type is the synthetic channel page on the first subject and the second content of second type is a synthetic channel page on a second subject, the synthetic channel page on the second subject including a television content relating to the second subject and an Internet content relating the second subject.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the first content of first type is a television content.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

receiving a second instruction transmitted by the remote control in response to activation of a second button; and

display the first content of first type on the display area in response to the second instruction.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

receiving a second instruction transmitted by the remote control in response to activation of the first button; and

display the first content of first type on the display area in response to the second instruction.

26. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

displaying a third content of third type on the display area in response to the first instruction, wherein the second content is the synthetic channel page on the first subject, and the third content of third type is a synthetic channel page on a second subject, the synthetic channel page on the second subject having a television content and an Internet content relating to the second subject.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the second content and the third content are displayed together on the display area.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the first content of first type is a synthetic channel page on a third subject, the synthetic channel page on the third subject having a television content and an Internet content relating to the third subject.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the first content of first type is the only synthetic channel page displayed on the display area.

30. A method of displaying multi-media contents on a display area of a broadband Internet-enabled television system, the method comprising:

providing a remote control to control contents being displayed on the display area;

displaying a first content of first type on the display area;

receiving a first instruction transmitted by the remote control in response to activation of a first button; and

displaying a second content of second type on the display area in response to the first instruction,

wherein at least the first content of first type or the second content of second type is a synthetic channel page on a first subject, the synthetic channel page including a plurality of active channel icons displaying a plurality of reduced-sized video contents being broadcast by a plurality of television channels and an Internet content, the plurality of video contents and the Internet content relating to a first subject.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein one or more of the plurality of active channel icons can be selected to display the video content of the selected active channel icon in a non-reduced size on the display area.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

displaying one of the plurality of reduced-sized video contents displayed on the synthetic channel page in the non-reduced size upon the user'"'"'s selection the corresponding active channel icon.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein the synthetic channel page includes a recorded video icon that can be selected to display a pre-recorded video content in the non-reduced size on the display area, the pre-recorded video content relating to the first subject.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the pre-recorded video content is stored at a remote server.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the pre-recorded video content is stored locally in a set top box or a television.

36. The method of claim 30, wherein one or more contents displayed on the synthetic channel page is based on a preference indicated by the user.

37. The method of claim 37, wherein one or more contents displayed on the synthetic channel page is not based on a preference indicated by the user.