System and method for enhancing recorded radio or television programs with information on the world wide web

• US 20040133919A1
• Filed: 10/31/2003
• Published: 07/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Incentis, Fernando Carro
• Granted Patent: US 7,984,472 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/112
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• 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 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• 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 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 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/91 Television signal processing therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/9201 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the video signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a system, method and computer program for enabling a user (100) (an auditor or a viewer) to access complementary information related to one or a plurality of sequences or topics of interest (102) in a recorded program (103) previously broadcast on the radio or television and played back on a device, such as an audio or video tape or disk recorder/player (104). The preferred embodiment of the invention relates to a system and method for enabling a person (100) listening to or watching a recorded program (103), to select one or a plurality of topics (101) (102) drawing his or her attention and for immediately receiving further information related to these topics from the World Wide Web. The system is based on the synchronization of local times (204) (205) of transmitters (201) and recorders (203). The flow of information transmitted, received and recorded is always synchronized, independently of the relative positions of recorders and transmitters. The synchronization is done referring to an absolute or universal time such as the Global Positioning System Time (GPS-time), the Global Orbiting Navigational Satellite System (GLONASS) time or another suitable universal time based on a satellite system. The GPS or GLONASS receivers are integrated or connected to the broadcasting stations. At the receiver side, GPS or GLONASS receivers may be integrated or connected to the audio or video recorders. The system is also based on a plurality of hyperlinks defined during the production and recording of the broadcast program, for given sequences corresponding to particular intervals of time synchronized with the universal (absolute) time. The hyperlinks are associated wit the information that is broadcast in the program. They can be selected by users during the playback of the recorded program during predefined intervals of time and activated to access additional information and services.

Claims

1. A method for use in a user device (311) connected to a network (309), of retrieving one or a plurality of hyperlinks associated with a recorded program (302) previously broadcast (208) on a channel (209) when said recorded program is played back on a player or recorder device (303), said method comprising the steps of:

identifying (1401) the channel (209) that has previously broadcast the recorded program (302);

recovering (1401) a destination address within the network (309) associated with the identified channel for accessing information related to the one or plurality of hyperlinks defined for the recorded program;

recovering (1403) the universal time interval corresponding to the broadcasting of the program on the identified channel (209);

recovering (1403) the universal time (1802) corresponding to the start of the broadcasting of the program on the identified channel;

accessing (1404, 1405, 1406) by means of the destination address associated with the identified channel (209), the information related to the one or plurality of hyperlinks (1704) defined for the universal time interval corresponding to the broadcasting of the program on the channel, said information comprising for each hyperlink;

an universal time interval;

a destination address within the network (309) for accessing multimedia information;

computing (1407) for each hyperlink, a relative time interval, by subtracting from the universal time interval of each hyperlink, the universal time (1802) corresponding to the start of the broadcasting of program on the identified channel;

starting (1902) a program timer (315) at the start of the program played back on the player or recorder device (303);

each time a selection command (312) is received, determining (1906) by means of said program timer (315), the selection time corresponding to the reception (1905) of said selection command (312) from the start of the playback;

identifying and retrieving (1907) from the program table (313), the destination address associated with each hyperlink defined for the one or plurality of relative time intervals comprising said selection time.

2. The method according to the preceding claim wherein the step of accessing (1404, 1405, 1406) by means of the destination address associated with the identified channel (209), the information related to the one or plurality of hyperlinks defined for the universal time interval corresponding to the broadcasting of the program on the channel, comprises the further step of:

creating (1403) on the user device (311) a program table (313) for the recorded program;

retrieving and storing (1406) in said program table, the information related to the one or plurality of hyperlinks, said information comprising for each hyperlink;

an universal time interval;

a destination address within the network (309) for accessing multimedia information;

a optionally, an hyperlink name;

optionally an hyperlink description.

3. The method according to the any one of claims 1 to 2 wherein the step of computing (1407) for each hyperlink, a relative time interval, by subtracting from the universal time interval of each hyperlink, the universal time corresponding to the start of the broadcasting of program on the identified channel, comprises the further step of:

storing (1407) the computed relative time interval of each hyperlink in the program table (1803).

4. The method according to the any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the step of creating (1403) a program table (313) for the recorded program, comprises the further step of:

storing (1403) in said program table, a program name and the universal time interval corresponding to the broadcasting of the program on the identified channel (209).

5. The method according to any one of the claims 1 to 4 wherein the universal time interval corresponding to the broadcasting of the program on the identified channel (209). is determined by means of an universal-time device (205).

6. The method according to any one of the claims 1 to 5 wherein the universal time interval corresponding to the broadcasting of the program on the identified channel (209) and the universal time interval defined for each hyperlink are synchronized according to a same universal time.

7. The method according to any one of the claims 1 to 6 wherein user device (311) and program receiver (202) are independent and separate.

8. The method according to any one of the claims 1 to 7 comprising the further step of:

accessing information, said step comprising the further steps of;

selecting (1907) an hyperlink (2302) among the one or plurality of hyperlinks;

accessing (1909) the information on a server (2306) connected to the network (2305) using the destination address associated with the selected hyperlink;

retrieving (1910) from the accessed server (2404) the information (2403).

9. The method according to any one of the claims 1 to 8 wherein the step of selecting an hyperlink, comprises the further step of:

selecting in the program table an hyperlink using the name, or the description, or the destination address retrieved with the hyperlink.

10. The method according to any one of the claims 1 to 9 wherein the step of retrieving from the accessed server (2404) the multimedia information (2402), comprises the further step of:

displaying the multimedia information (2402) on the user device (2401).

11. The method according to any one of the claims 1 to 10 wherein:

said network (309) is an Internet Protocol (IP) network;

said servers (310) are Web servers;

said user device (311) comprises a Web browser (314);

said destination addresses are Uniform Resource Locators (URL addresses);

said multimedia information are Web pages.

12. The method according to any one of the claims 1 to 11 wherein said multimedia information comprises one or a plurality of services.

13. The method according to any one of the claims 1 to 12 wherein the universal time device (308) is any suitable satellite based universal-time receiver, preferably a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or an Universal Time Coordinated receiver.

14. The method according to any one of the claims 1 to 13 wherein the universal time device (308) is Integrated or connected to the player or recorder device (311).

15. The method according to any one of the claims 1 to 14 wherein the universal time interval corresponding to the broadcasting of the program on the Identified channel comprises the universal time corresponding to the start of the broadcasting and the universal time corresponding to the end of the broadcasting or the universal time corresponding to the start of the broadcasting and the duration of the broadcasting.

16. A user device (311) comprising means for carrying out the steps of the method according to any one of the claims 1 to 15.

17. A computer program comprising instructions for carrying out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 15 when this program is executed in the user device (311) according to claim 16.