Access to internet data through a television system

• US 20040103439A1
• Filed: 11/20/2003
• Published: 05/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1996
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gemstar Development Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gemstar Development Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Mankovitz, Roy J., Macrae, Douglas B., Westberg, Thomas E., Kwoh, Daniel S., Yuen, Henry C., Leung, Elsie Y.
• Application Number:
  US10/718,187
• Publication Number:
  US 20040103439A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/109
• 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 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42653 for processing graphics
• 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• 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 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 : Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A television system provides access to Internet data simultaneously with a displayed television program. Data units including data address sites available through a networked computer system such as the Internet are embedded in a television signal along with a television program. Information representing the data address site, such as an icon or descriptive text, is displayed simultaneously with the television program on the television. If the user selects the data address site, a data retrieval terminal in two-way communication with the network and associated with the television establishes a connection with the network and requests the data corresponding to the selected data address site. The retrieved information is then formatted for display.

Claims

1. A television system comprising:

a receiver for receiving a television signal including a television program and an address for a data site;

a decoder for extracting the address of the data site from the television signal;

a memory for storing the extracted address and information about the television program;

a communication device in two-way communication with the data service provider;

a user input device for receiving user input; and

a microprocessor coupled to the memory and the communication device and configured to store data for an icon representative of the data site address and superimposing the icon over the television program on a display device, to retrieve the data site address and the information about the television program from the memory in response to a user selection, and to control the communication device to retrieve data corresponding to the data site address from the data service provider in response to the user, wherein the television program, the data from service provider, and the information about the television program are displayed in three non-overlapping regions on the display screen.

2. The television system of claim 1, wherein the data service provider is an Internet service provider.

3. The television system of claim 1, wherein the icon includes a textual description of the data corresponding to the data site address.

4. The television system of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor displays the icon substantially immediately after receiving the data site address.

5. The television system of claim 1, further comprising a picture-in-picture (PIP) generator, wherein the television program is displayed in a PIP window simultaneously with the information representative of the data site address on the display device.

6. The television system of claim 1, wherein the data corresponding to the data site address is purchasing information.

7. The television system of claim 1, wherein the data corresponding to the data site address comprises commands for controlling recording of a television program.

8. The television system of claim 1, wherein the decoder is a vertical blanking interval (VBI) decoder.

9. The television system of claim 1, further comprising a portable device and wherein the microprocessor is further configured to transmit the received data site address to the portable device for storage.

10. The television system of claim 9, wherein the microprocessor transmits the received data site address to the portable device in a wireless manner.

11. The television system of claim 9, wherein the potable device includes means for a two-way communication with the data site using the stored data site address.

12. The television system of claim 11, wherein the means for a two-way communication with the data site is a wireless communication means.

13. A method for enhancing viewing of a television program with interactive information retrieval comprising:

receiving a television signal including a television program and an address for a data site;

extracting the address of the data site from the television signal by a decoder;

storing the extracted address and information about the television program;

receiving user input;

storing data for an icon representative of the data site address and superimposing the icon over the television program on a display device;

retrieving the data site address and the information about the television program from the memory in response to a user selection; and

retrieving data corresponding to the data site address from the data service provider in response to the user, wherein the television program, the data from service provider, and the information about the television program are displayed in three non-overlapping regions on the display screen.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the data service provider is an Internet service provider.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the icon includes a textual description of the data corresponding to the data site address.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the icon is displayed substantially immediately after receiving the data site address.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising displaying the television program in a picture-in-picture (PIP) window simultaneously with the information representative of the data site address.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the data corresponding to the data site address is purchasing information.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the data corresponding to the data site address comprises commands for controlling recording of a television program.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the address for the data site is received in a vertical blanking interval (VBI) of the television signal.

21. A method for enhancing viewing of a television program with interactive information comprising:

receiving a television signal including a television program and an address for a data site;

extracting the data site address from the television signal;

establishing a connection with a data site corresponding to the data site address;

displaying information about a related television program from the data site; and

selecting the displayed information about the related television program from the data site to schedule a recording or viewing of the related television program.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising receiving channel, day, time, and length information for the selected television program from the data site.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the address for the data site is received in a vertical blanking interval (VBI) of the television signal.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the data site is a web site.

25. A television system for enhancing viewing of a television program with interactive information comprising:

a receiver for receiving a television signal including a television program and an address for a data site;

a decoder for extracting the data site address from the television signal;

a microprocessor configured to establish a connection with a data site corresponding to the data site address and display information about a related television program from the data site in a display monitor; and

a user input device for selecting the displayed information about the related television program from the data site to schedule a recording or viewing of the related television program.

26. The television system of claim 25, further comprising means for receiving channel, day, time, and length information for the selected television program from the data site.

27. The television system of claim 25, wherein the decoder is a vertical blanking interval (VBI) decoder.

28. The television system of claim 25, wherein the data site is a web site.

29. A method for enhancing viewing of a television program with interactive information comprising:

establishing a connection with a remote data site;

linking an article at the data site with data related to a television program;

displaying the article from the data site; and

selecting an identifier in the displayed article to schedule a recording or viewing of the television program.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising receiving channel, day, time, and length information for the selected television program from the data site.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the data site is a web site.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the identifier is a hypertext in the article.

33. A television system for enhancing viewing of a television program with interactive information comprising:

means for establishing a connection with a remote data site;

means for linking an article at the data site with data related to a television program;

means for displaying the article from the data site; and

means for selecting an identifier in the displayed article to schedule a recording or viewing of the television program.

34. The television system of claim 33, further comprising means for receiving channel, day, time, and length information for the selected television program from the data site.

35. The television system of claim 33, wherein the data site is a web site.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the identifier is a hypertext in the article.