System and method for enhancing broadcast programs with information on the world wide web

• US 20040139469A1
• Filed: 10/31/2003
• Published: 07/15/2004
• 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 Carro, Fernando
• Granted Patent: US 7,673,316 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/91
• 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 21/4622 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 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a system and method for enabling a radio auditor or a television viewer (100) to access complementary information (101) related to a broadcast program (102) received in real-time. The preferred embodiment of the invention relates to a system and method for enabling a person (100) receiving a broadcast program (102), to select a plurality of topics drawing his or her attention (101) (103) and for immediately, or at a later time, accessing additional information related to these topics from the Word Wide Web. The system is based on a synchronization of the local times of receivers and transmitters according to a same universal-time (201) (202), so that the flow of information transmitted and received is always synchronized, independently of the relative positions of receivers and transmitters. The synchronization is done referring to an 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 connected or integrated to the broadcasting stations. At the receiver side, GPS or GLONASS receivers may be integrated or connected to devices (e.g., Personal Computers, wearable computers, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), smart phones or onboard mobile computers) that may be independent or separate from the radio or television receivers. The system is also based on a plurality of hyperlinks defined for given universal-time intervals of retransmission. The hyperlinks are associated with the transmitted information. The hyperlinks can be retrieved, selected and activated by radio auditors or television viewers during the time intervals for which they have been defined.

Claims

1. A method for use in a user device (308) connected to a network (313), of retrieving in real time hyperlinks related to topics selected in a program broadcast on a channel, said method comprising the steps of:

each time a selection command is received, determining (1908) by means of an universal-time device, the universal time corresponding to the reception (1907) of said selection command (303);

accessing (2001) in a server (502) connected to the network, information related to the one or plurality of hyperlinks defined in the broadcast program, said information comprising for each hyperlink;

a destination address (1406) within the network (313) for accessing multimedia information;

an universal time interval (1404) (1405) during which it is possible to retrieve a destination address associated with the hyperlink when the program is broadcast on the channel;

retrieving (2004) from the accessed server (502), the destination address associated with each hyperlink defined for the one or plurality of time intervals comprising said universal-time;

storing (2005) locally the one or plurality of retrieved destination addresses.

2. The method according to the preceding claim comprising the preliminary steps of:

identifying (1902, 1903) the channel (302) that is broadcasting the program;

creating (1904) an universal-time table (311) (401) for said channel, said universal-time table comprising;

an identification of the channel (402),

an address (404) for accessing in the server (502), information related to the one or plurality of hyperlinks defined in the broadcast program;

optionally, a name (405) designating the channel (405).

3. The method according to any one of the claims 1 to 2 wherein the step of determining by means of an universal-time device, the universal time corresponding to the reception of the selection command comprises the further step of:

recording (1909) said universal time in the universal-time table (311) of the channel.

4. The method according to any one of the claims 1 to 3 wherein the step of accessing in a server (502), information related to the one or plurality of hyperlinks comprises the preliminary step of:

retrieving from the universal-time table, the address (404) for accessing the information in the server.

5. The method according to any one of the claims 1 to 4 wherein the step of storing locally the retrieved one or plurality of destination addresses, comprises the further step of:

storing the retrieved one or plurality of destination addresses into the universal-time table (701).

6. The method according to any one of the claims 1 to 5 wherein the user device on which the universal time (306) is determined at the reception of the selection command (303) and the server on which universal time intervals (1404) (1405) can be accessed when the program is broadcast are synchronized according to the same universal time.

7. The method according to any one of the claims 1 to 6 wherein user device (308) and program receiver (304) are independent and separate.

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

accessing, in real time or later on, multimedia information by means of the one or plurality of hyperlinks retrieved from the server, said step comprising the further steps of;

selecting (2006) an hyperlink among the one or plurality of hyperlinks;

accessing (2008) the multimedia information on a server (903) connected to the network (904) using the destination address retrieved with the selected hyperlink;

retrieving (2009) from the accessed server (903) the multimedia information (905).

9. The method according to any one of the claims 1 to 8 wherein the step of selecting in the universal-time table (802) an hyperlink, comprises the further step of:

selecting in the universal-time table (802) an hyperlink using the name, or the description, or the destination address retrieved from the server (309) 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 (903) the multimedia information (905), comprises the further step of:

displaying the multimedia information (905) on the user device (901).

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

said network (313) is an Internet Protocol (IP) network;

said servers (312) are Web servers;

said user device (308) comprises a Web browser (310);

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 (306) is any suitable satellite based universal-time receiver, preferably a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or an Universal Time Co-ordinated receiver.

14. The method according to any one of the claims 1 to 13 wherein the universal-time device (306) is integrated or connected to the user device (308).

15. A user device (308) comprising means for carrying out the steps of the method according to any one of the claims 1 to 14.

16. A computer program comprising instructions for carrying out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 when this program is executed in the user device (308) according to claim 15.