Method for receiving and displaying thematic audio-visual programme sequences, and receiver therefor

• US 20040031047A1
• Filed: 07/18/2003
• Published: 02/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Madison Patent Holdings (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Legallais, Yvon, Schmouker, Philippe, Perrot, Sebastien
• Granted Patent: US 8,726,307 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/106 Receiver-side switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/433 Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• 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 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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

Abstract

The invention consists of a process for receiving and for screening audiovisual transmissions broadcast by a network. The transmissions consisting of events and of short transmissions possessing a distinctive element, these short transmissions being broadcast by services identifiable by this distinctive element. At a certain moment specified by the broadcaster, a sequence is transmitted on the network, it is replaced at the level of the display of the receiver by another sequence extracted from a service broadcasting short transmissions. The choice of this service is made at the receiver level. To avoid the appearance of a black screen between the network'"'"'s transmitted sequences and the short transmissions, the receiver dispatches a filler transmission to the screen.

The invention also consists of a digital television receiver for implementing the process.

Claims

1. Process for screening audiovisual transmissions transmitted by a centre and received by a television receiver, transmissions of a first type being broadcast on a first broadcasting service and being selectable by the user, the process comprising at the receiver level:

a first step of screening a transmission of a second type extracted from a second broadcasting service selected by the receiver,

a second step of screening at least one transmission of a first type commencing at a first moment specified by the centre,

and characterized in that it comprises a third step of screening a filler transmission, the said transmission being screened following the screening of the second transmission and stopping at the start of the screening of the first transmission.

2. Process for screening audiovisual transmissions according to claim 1, comprising a prior step of screening a part of the transmission of a first type before the first step of screening a transmission of a second type, the prior step terminating at a second moment specified by the centre, characterized in that it comprises a fourth step of screening a filler transmission, the said transmission being screened from the second moment until the broadcasting and the screening of the second transmission.

3. Process for screening audiovisual transmissions according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the filler transmission is recorded in the receiver.

4. Process for screening audiovisual transmissions according to claim 3, characterized in that the filler transmission is extracted from a specific broadcasting service before being recorded.

5. Process for screening audiovisual transmissions according to claim 4, characterized in that the filler transmission is regularly recorded in the memory of the receiver.

6. Receiver of audiovisual transmissions comprising a means of receiving data broadcast from a network consisting of at least one first service broadcasting transmissions of a first type which are selectable by the user and of a plurality of second services broadcasting transmissions of a second type, of a means of switching from one service to another service and a means for sending the transmissions to a screening facility, characterized in that it comprises a means for interposing a filler transmission between a transmission of a second type and a transmission of a first type received from the network.

7. Receiver of audiovisual transmissions according to claim 6, characterized in that it comprises a second means for interposing a filler transmission between a part of a first type of transmission received from the network and a second type of broadcast transmission of the network.

8. Receiver of audiovisual transmissions according to either of claims 6 and 7, characterized in that it comprises a memory containing the filler transmission.

9. Receiver of audiovisual transmissions according to claim 8, characterized in that it comprises a means of reception of a filler transmission from a specific service, the said transmission being recorded thereafter.

10. Receiver of audiovisual transmissions according to one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that the filler transmission is a looped audiovisual programme.

11. Receiver of audiovisual transmissions according to one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that the filler transmission is a picture accompanied by a sound content.