Method and system for accessing and implementing declarative applications used within digital multi-media broadcast

• US 20030033607A1
• Filed: 08/07/2001
• Published: 02/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Schwalb, Eddie M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,512,955 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/112
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4381 Recovering the multiplex stream from a specific network, e.g. recovering MPEG packets from ATM cells transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

A method and system are described that enable the construction of declarative applications, such as XDML, that can access DASE System services. DASE System services include among other things, channel switching and electronic program guide application within a broadcast environment established under the standards of Advanced Television System Committee (ATSC). For example, when a Program and System Information (PSI) application is stored in a Document Object Model (DOM) data structure or database, an Electronic Program Guide (EPG) application can be automatically generated using an EPG-transform method in accordance with the present invention. This method would: 1) Convert DOM structure into an XML document; 2) Apply an XML Style Sheet Transformation (XSLT) to the XML document; and 3) Render the resulting XML document using a conventional web-browser or XML renderer.

Claims

1. An apparatus for use within a DTV Application Software Environment (DASE), comprising:

an output display;

an user input device; and

a renderer, coupled to the output display and the user input device, that receives video, audio, and data signals having embedded therein declarative applications, which are accessible by the renderer through declarative Application Program Interfaces (APIs), thereby enabling HTML pages to discover dynamically-linked content and services found within the apparatus and to be displayed on the output display.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the APIs enable access to Program System Information Protocol (PSIP) data.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein each API comprises a tag having semantics to enable HTML pages to discover the dynamically-linked content and services.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the renderer further interprets broadcast information received through the data signals for display on a display device coupled to the output device.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the tag includes and associated unique identification value to access content.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the content can be generated based on user-inputs.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the renderer searches for a primary content or service defined within the API or a secondary content or service defined within the API should the primary content or service be unavailable.

8. A method of providing access to Program System Information Protocol (PSIP) data stored within at least one XDML document functioning within a Digital TV Application Software Environment (DASE), comprising:

mapping the at least one XDML document to a Document Object Model (DOM) structure, the XDML document having at least one atomic element defined as a “

tag” and

the DOM having an atomic element defined as a “

node;

”

defining a condition within the node;

upon satisfaction of the condition, realizing an action defined by the at least one tag, which action is found within the PSIP data;

otherwise, realizing an action defined by the node.

9. The method according to claim 8 further comprising the step of rendering the XDML document based on the realized action.

10. The method according to claim 8 wherein the mapping step comprises identifying all table locations via a master guide table, which further comprises at least one event information table, at least one event text table having a plurality of events listed therein, each event defined by a unique event ID, and at least one virtual channel table having a plurality of virtual channels defined therein, each virtual channel defined by a unique source ID within the virtual channel tables.

11. The method according to claim 10 further comprising the steps of:

defining an object class for each table type identified;

parsing each table;

for each parsed table, constructing an object instance;

generating a DOM root document object;

adding each virtual channel as a child of the DOM root document object;

adding each event information table as a child of a virtual channel table based on source ID;

adding each event text tables as a child of the event information table based on event ID.

12. The method according to claim 8 further comprising the step of rendering the realized action for display on a display device.

13. The method according to claim 8 further comprising the step of automatically and dynamically updating all referenced actions.

14. A system that receives DASE-compatible broadcast streams containing video, audio, or data components, or any combination thereof, and renders the component(s) in a manner useful to an end user, comprising:

a plurality of smart cards;

a PSIP data base in which service information pertaining to the plurality of smart cards is stored as well as further service information provided by the system independent of the services of the plurality of the smart cards;

means for enabling declarative applications found within the broadcast streams to access the PSIP data base and locate a desired service found therein related either to one of the plurality of smart cards or to the services provided by the system.

15. The system according to claim 14 wherein the declarative applications are in XDML and an XDML Application Program Interface (API) accesses, through the enabling means, the service information of either a smart card or of the system.

16. The system according to claim 14 wherein the declarative applications are in XDML and the system further includes means for mapping XDML declarative applications to a Document Object Mode (DOM), which is used to enable JavaScript access to the PSIP data base.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15 wherein the APIs enable access to Program System Information Protocol (PSIP) data.

18. The apparatus according to claim 15 wherein each API comprises a tag having semantics to enable HTML pages to discover the dynamically-linked content and services.

19. The apparatus according to claim 15 wherein the renderer further interprets broadcast information received through the data signals for display on a display device coupled to the output device.

20. The apparatus according to claim 18 wherein the tag includes and associated unique identification value to access content.

21. The apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the content can be generated based on user-inputs.