Virtual channel system for web appliance, including interactive television
First Claim
1. An interactive television, comprising:
- a television tuner;
a display communicating with the tuner for displaying broadcast television signals;
at least one virtual channel memory communicating with the display, the virtual channel memory storing Web pages associated with virtual channel numbers, the virtual channel numbers being selectable for presentation on the display, the Web pages being periodically received in the virtual channel memory; and
at least one user data input memory, the user data input memory storing at least some user demographic information, the user demographic information being at least partially used to establish the Web page stored in the virtual channel memory.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A virtual channel system for a web appliance includes an interactive television having a virtual channel memory disposed therein. The virtual channel memory includes data associated with at least one consumer selectable virtual channel. The data is an updatable Web page that is displayed when its associated virtual channel is selected. The interactive television also includes a user data input memory that includes user demographic information. The user demographic data can be used to customize the virtual channels available at the ITV. More specifically, the ITV system uses the demographic data to establish the virtual channels available to a specific consumer in accordance with the demographic information that he or she has input to the ITV system.
112 Citations
13 Claims
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1. An interactive television, comprising:
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a television tuner;
a display communicating with the tuner for displaying broadcast television signals;
at least one virtual channel memory communicating with the display, the virtual channel memory storing Web pages associated with virtual channel numbers, the virtual channel numbers being selectable for presentation on the display, the Web pages being periodically received in the virtual channel memory; and
at least one user data input memory, the user data input memory storing at least some user demographic information, the user demographic information being at least partially used to establish the Web page stored in the virtual channel memory.
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2. An interactive television, comprising:
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a video display;
a television tuner electrically associated with the display; and
at least one virtual channel memory associated with the display, the memory storing Web pages associated with virtual channel numbers, the virtual channel numbers being selectable for displaying the virtual channels on the video display, the Web pages being periodically received in the virtual channel memory. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4)
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5. An interactive television system, comprising:
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at least one Web server;
at least one television signal source; and
at least one interactive television, the interactive television receiving information from the Web server and the television signal source, the interactive television including at least one virtual channel memory, the virtual channel memory including at least one computer page having an associated virtual channel, the virtual channel being selectable to display the computer page using the interactive television. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for providing Internet content via an interactive television system, comprising the acts of:
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providing an interactive television having at least one virtual channel memory, the virtual channel memory including at least one Web page associated with a virtual channel;
periodically updating the Web page; and
enabling a consumer to select the virtual channel or a television channel for display on the interactive television. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
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Specification