Enhanced display of world wide web pages on television

• US 20020069411A1
• Filed: 12/06/2000
• Published: 06/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: TVWorks LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Liberate Technologies, Morecom Division, Inc.
• Inventors: Patel, Vipul, Rainville, Mario
• Application Number:
  US09/731,262
• Publication Number:
  US 20020069411A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/37
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42653 for processing graphics
• 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 21/4622 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4854 for modifying image parameters, e.g. image brightness, contrast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4858 for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows
• 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

Abstract

A system for enhancing the display of World Wide Web pages combined with television video signals on a TV screen includes enhanced display modes. In a first embodiment, the viewer controls the transparency of a Picture-In-Picture image (PIP). A PIP image that normally covers up a part of the background image is made transparent so that the user can view the background image through the PIP image. Using transparency control, two same size images are simultaneously viewed whereby a full size background image and a full size foreground image simultaneously occupy the full television video screen. In a second embodiment of enhanced display of television video and World Wide Web graphics, a television video Picture-In-Graphics (PIG) image is imbedded as an object in an HTML Web page. When the HTML Web page is displayed as a background image and scrolled (or panned), the television video PIG image scrolls along with the HTML Web page background image. In such manner, the smaller PIG image does not cover up an important part of the larger background graphics image.

Claims

1. A display generator for a combined display of a graphics image and a television video image, said graphics image being defined by an HTML syntax, said television video image being derived from a real time television signal, said display generator comprising:

a programmed processor responsive to said HTML syntax for parsing, layout and rendering said graphics image to form a rendered graphics image;

a graphics memory for storing said rendered graphics image;

a television video receiver responsive to said real time television signal, said television video receiver having an output forming said television video image; and

a video combiner responsive to said graphics memory and said television video receiver for combining individual pixels of said rendered graphics image stored in said graphics memory with respective individual pixels of said television video image to form respective individual pixels of said combined display of said graphics image and said television video image.

2. A display generator in accordance with claim 1, further including a transparency control input terminal, wherein said video combiner is responsive to said transparency control input to form individual pixels of said combined graphics image and said television video image from individual pixels of said rendered graphics image stored in said graphics memory with respective individual pixels of said television video image in a proportion determined by a control signal applied to said transparency control input terminal.

3. A display generator in accordance with claim 1, further including a size control input terminal, wherein said video combiner further comprises:

a video resizing module having a respective input terminal coupled to said television video receiver and respective output terminal coupled to said video combiner, said video resizing module responsive to a size control input to scale said television video image by a factor determined by said size control input.

4. A display generator in accordance with claim 3, further including a position control input, wherein said video combiner is responsive to said position control input to form individual pixels of said combined graphics image and television image by combining individual pixels of said rendered graphics image stored in said graphics memory with individual pixels of said television video image at a position determined by said position control input.

5. A display generator for a combined display of a graphics image and a television video image, said graphics image being defined by an HTML syntax including a television video HTML statement defining a television video HTML object, said television video image being derived from a real time television signal, said display generator comprising:

a television video receiver responsive to said real time television signal, said television video receiver having an output forming said television video image;

a programmed processor responsive to said HTML syntax for parsing, layout and rendering said graphics image to form a rendered graphics image,

a graphics memory for storing said rendered graphics image;

a video combiner responsive to said graphics memory and said television video receiver to combine individual pixels of said rendered graphics image stored in said graphics memory with respective individual pixels of said television video image, said video combiner further responsive to said television video HTML statement to position said television video image in said graphics image to form said combined display.

6. A display generator in accordance with claim 5, wherein said television video receiver is responsive to said television video HTML statement to determine the channel selected by said television receiver.

7. A display generator in accordance with claim 5, wherein said video combiner is responsive to said television video HTML statement to determine the size of said television video HTML object in said rendered graphics image.

8. A display generator in accordance with claim 5, wherein said video combiner is responsive to said television video HTML statement to determine the position of said television video HTML object in said rendered graphics image.

9. A display generator in accordance with claim 5, wherein said television video HTML statement is substantially given by

<

VIDEO SRC=“

Source;

Frequency;

ChannelNo”

HEIGHT=“

in graphical units”

WIDTH=“

in graphical units”

BORDER=“

in graphical units”

>

, wherein,

SRC specifies the source as the Frequency or Channel Number of said real time television signal,

HEIGHT specifies the height of said television video HTML object to be displayed,

WIDTH specifies the width of said television video HTML object to be displayed and

BORDER specifies the border around said television video HTML object to be displayed.

10. A method for generating a combined display of a graphics image in combination with a television video image, said graphics image being defined by an HTML syntax, said television video image being derived from a real time television signal, said method comprising:

rendering said HTML syntax to form a rendered graphics image;

receiving said real time television signal to form said television video image;

combining individual pixels of said rendered graphics image with respective individual pixels of said television video image to display respective individual pixels of said rendered graphics image in combination with said television video image.

11. A method in accordance with claim 10, further including the step of controlling the relative transparency of said graphics image in combination with said television video image by combining said individual pixels of said rendered graphics image and said respective individual pixels of said television video image in a predetermined ratio.

13. A method in accordance with claim 12, wherein said receiving step is responsive to said television video HTML statement to determine the channel of said television video image.

12. A method for generating a combined display of a graphics image in combination with a television video image, said graphics image being defined by an HTML syntax including a television video HTML statement defining a television video HTML object, said television video image being derived from a real time television signal, said method comprising:

receiving said real time television signal to form said television video image;

rendering said HTML syntax to form a rendered graphics image;

combining, responsive to said television video HTML statement, individual pixels of said television video image with respective individual pixels of said rendered graphics image, to position said television video image in said graphics image and form said combined display.