Television services

• US 20020083447A1
• Filed: 12/17/2001
• Published: 06/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Miller-Smith, Richard M., Everett, Timothy J., Heron, Dale R.
• Application Number:
  US10/023,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20020083447A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43074 of additional data with content streams on the same device, e.g. of EPG data or interactive icon with a TV program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• 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 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• 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

Abstract

Digital television receiving equipment is provided with access to the Internet for downloading multimedia material relevant to a forthcoming television broadcast. This means that the multimedia material is locally cached for near instantaneous user access by a viewer during the actual television broadcast therefore avoiding any delay that could otherwise occur if real-time access to the Internet were to be attempted. Information on advance television broadcasts may be made available to the receiving equipment by an electronic programme guide. The electronic programme guide may include references to information located on the Internet relevant to forthcoming television broadcasts.

Claims

1. A method of providing multimedia services to digital television receiving apparatus characterised by the steps of:

providing to the receiving apparatus advance information related to the scheduled broadcast time of material to be broadcast;

causing the receiving apparatus to connect in advance of the scheduled broadcast time to receive multimedia material related to the material to be broadcast from a source of such multimedia material; and

causing that material to be cached.

2. The method of claim 1 and further comprising the step of providing an indication during broadcast of the said material to be broadcast that additional multimedia material is available.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the indication is visual.

4. The method of claim 1 in which the material to be broadcast is a scheduled television programme or an advertisement to be broadcast during a scheduled programme and the advance information is provided to the receiving apparatus by an electronic programme guide facility.

5. The method of claim 1 in which the material to be broadcast is a television programme or an advertisement and the advance information is provided to the receiving apparatus by a broadcaster.

6. The method of claim 1 in which the advance information relates to a pre-determined number of the viewer'"'"'s favourite programmes.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the multimedia material is received via the Internet and in which the availability of multi-media material is indicated by a URL.

8. The method of claim 7 and further comprising the step of providing an indication during broadcast of the said material to be broadcast that additional multimedia material is available, wherein said URL is inserted into a broadcast stream to determine when said indication is to be provided to the viewer.

9. The method of claim 1 in which the multi-media material is viewable simultaneously with the broadcast programme or advertisement by means of a split screen or screen insert.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein received and cached multimedia material related to the material to be broadcast is time-locked so as to be available to a viewer only at certain times.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving apparatus has a set-top-box facility.

13. The receiving apparatus of claim 12 and further comprising an electronic programme guide, wherein the material to be broadcast is a scheduled television programme or an advertisement to be broadcast during a scheduled programme and the advance information is provided to the receiving apparatus by the electronic programme guide.

14. The receiving apparatus of claim 12 and further comprising an electronic programme guide arranged to store information relating to forthcoming programmes, the guide being further arranged to initiate the receiving apparatus to search one or more information resource for programme-related material.

15. The receiving apparatus of claim 12 wherein the digital television apparatus is in the form of a set-top-box and further includes an output for providing an output signal to an output display means.

16. The receiving apparatus of claim 12 wherein the information resource is Internet based.

12. Digital television receiving apparatus comprising:

interface means for connecting to an information resource; and

storage means, characterised in that the receiving apparatus is configured to receive in advance information related to the scheduled broadcast time of material to be broadcast and to connect via the interface means to the information resource in advance of the scheduled broadcast time to receive multimedia material from the information resource related to the material to be broadcast and to cache said received multimedia material in the storage means.