Interactive entertainment system for presenting supplemental interactive content together with continuous video programs
First Claim
1. A method for creating a data structure in a storage medium that is used to organize programming information, comprising the following steps:
- forming data fields in a storage medium to hold programming information pertaining to video content programs, some of the data fields holding text-based data; and
adding a target specification which references a target resource containing data that supports interactive functionality with respect to various ones of the video content programs by forming a separate data field to hold the target specification for an associated video content program.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An interactive entertainment system enables presentation of supplemental interactive content along side traditional broadcast video programs, such as television shows and movies. The programs are broadcast in a conventional manner. The supplemental content is supplied as part of the same program signal over the broadcast network, or separately over another distribution network. A viewer computing unit is located at the viewer'"'"'s home to present the program and supplemental content to a viewer. When the viewer tunes to a particular channel, the viewer computing unit consults an electronic programming guide (EPG) to determine if the present program carried on the channel is interactive. If it is, the viewer computing unit launches a browser. The browser uses a target specification stored in the EPG to activate a target resource containing the supplemental content for enhancing the broadcast program. The target resource contains display layout instructions prescribing how the supplemental content and the video content program are to appear in relation to one another when displayed. When the data from the target resource is downloaded, the viewer computing unit is responsive to the layout instructions obtained from the target resource to display the supplemental content concurrently with the video content program. Embedding the layout instructions in the supplemental content advantageously places control of the presentation to the content developers. The developers are free to arrange the data and video in any manner they choose.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method for creating a data structure in a storage medium that is used to organize programming information, comprising the following steps:
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forming data fields in a storage medium to hold programming information pertaining to video content programs, some of the data fields holding text-based data; and
adding a target specification which references a target resource containing data that supports interactive functionality with respect to various ones of the video content programs by forming a separate data field to hold the target specification for an associated video content program. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for creating a data structure in a storage medium that is used to organize programming information, comprising the following steps:
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forming data fields in a storage medium to hold programming information pertaining to video content programs, some of the data fields holding text-based data; and
adding a target specification which references a target resource containing data that supports interactive functionality with respect to various ones of the video content programs by embedding the target specification within the text-based data held in a data field. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A computer programmed to perform the following steps:
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forming data fields in a storage medium to hold programming information pertaining to video content programs, some of the data fields holding text-based data; and
adding a target specification which;
references a target resource containing data that supports interactive functionality with respect to various ones of the video content programs by at least one of (1) forming a separate data field to hold the target specification for an associated video content program, or (2) embedding the target specification within the text-based data held in a data field; and
causes dynamic launching of an Internet browser for activating the target resource. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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Specification