Method and apparatus for forwarding television channel video image snapshots to an auxiliary display device

• US 20040055018A1
• Filed: 09/18/2002
• Published: 03/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stone, Christopher J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,831,992 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/113
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• 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 21/4355 involving reformatting operations of additional data, e.g. HTML pages on a television screen optimising the visualization of content for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/9577; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/066; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440218 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 conversion of standards in analogue television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440236 by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures, audio is converted into text
• 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 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/85406 involving a specific file format, e.g. MP4 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/4448 for frame-grabbing

Abstract

A method of processing television content metadata in a communications system. The system includes a consumer device (e.g., a set-top box and/or television) in communication with an auxiliary display device (e.g., webpad). A broadcast television channel video image signal and the metadata are received by the consumer device. A single video image frame of the broadcast television channel video image signal is captured when a predefined indicator is detected in the metadata. The metadata is modified by changing the predefined indicator to an image identifier associated with the single video image frame. The single video image frame is converted to a well-known format, and the consumer device sends the modified metadata and the converted single video image frame to the auxiliary display device for display thereon.

Claims

1. A method of processing television content metadata in a communications system, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a broadcast television channel video image signal and the metadata;

(b) capturing a single video image frame of the broadcast television channel video image signal when a predefined indicator is detected in the metadata; and

(c) modifying the metadata by changing the predefined indicator to an image identifier associated with the single video image frame.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the communications system includes a consumer device in communication with an auxiliary display device, the consumer device implementing steps (a)-(c), the method further comprising:

(d) the consumer device sending the modified metadata and the single video image frame to the auxiliary display device for display thereon.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the consumer device is a set-top box (STB).

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the consumer device is a television.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the predefined indicator is a “

tv;

”

uniform resource locator (URL).

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the metadata includes advanced television enhancement forum (ATVEF) data.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the single video image frame is a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) image frame, and step (c) further comprises converting the MPEG image frame to a Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) image frame.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the single video image frame is a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) image frame, and step (c) further comprises converting the MPEG image frame to a Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) image frame.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the single video image frame is a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) image frame, and step (c) further comprises converting the MPEG image frame to a Graphic Interchange File Format (GIFF) image frame.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the single video image frame is a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) image frame, and step (c) further comprises converting the MPEG image frame to a Portable Network Graphics (PNG) image frame.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the single video image frame is a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) image frame, and step (c) further comprises converting the MPEG image frame to an Encapsulated PostScript File (EPSF) image frame.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the single video image frame is a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) image frame, and step (c) further comprises converting the MPEG image frame to a bitmap graphics file image frame.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the single video image frame is a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) image frame, and step (c) further comprises converting the MPEG image frame to an object oriented graphics file image frame.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the communications system includes a multimedia processor, the method further comprising:

(d) the multimedia processor capturing an analog video signal; and

(e) converting the analog video signal to a single video image frame.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

(f) converting the single video image frame to a Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) image frame.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

(f) converting the single video image frame to a Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) image frame.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

(f) converting the single video image frame to a Graphic Interchange File Format (GIFF) image frame.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

(f) converting the single video image frame to a Portable Network Graphics (PNG) image frame.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

(f) converting the single video image frame to an Encapsulated PostScript File (EPSF) image frame.

20. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

(f) converting the single video image frame to bitmap graphics file image frame.

21. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

(f) converting the single video image frame an object oriented graphics file image frame.

22. A method of processing television content metadata in a communications system, the system including a consumer device in communication with an auxiliary display device, the method comprising:

(a) the auxiliary display device receiving metadata associated with a broadcast television channel video image signal from the consumer device;

(b) in response to detecting a predefined indicator in the metadata, the auxiliary display device sending an image frame request signal to the consumer device;

(c) in response to the image frame request signal, the consumer device capturing a single video image frame of the broadcast television channel video signal; and

(d) the consumer device sending the single video image frame to the auxiliary display device for display thereon.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the consumer device is a set-top box (STB).

24. The method of claim 22 wherein the consumer device is a television.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein the predefined indicator is a “

tv;

”

uniform resource locator (URL).

26. The method of claim 22 wherein the metadata includes advanced television enhancement forum (ATVEF) data.

27. The method of claim 22 wherein the single video image frame is a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) image frame, and step (c) further comprises the consumer device converting the MPEG image frame to a Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) image frame.

28. The method of claim 22 wherein the single video image frame is a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) image frame, and step (c) further comprises converting the MPEG image frame to a Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) image frame.

29. The method of claim 22 wherein the single video image frame is a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) image frame, and step (c) further comprises converting the MPEG image frame to a Graphic Interchange File Format (GIFF) image frame.

30. The method of claim 22 wherein the single video image frame is a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) image frame, and step (c) further comprises converting the MPEG image frame to a Portable Network Graphics (PNG) image frame.

31. The method of claim 22 wherein the single video image frame is a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) image frame, and step (c) further comprises converting the MPEG image frame to an Encapsulated PostScript File (EPSF) image frame.

32. The method of claim 22 wherein the single video image frame is a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) image frame, and step (c) further comprises converting the MPEG image frame to a bitmap graphics file image frame.

33. The method of claim 22 wherein the single video image frame is a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) image frame, and step (c) further comprises converting the MPEG image frame to an object oriented graphics file image frame.