Pausing television programming in response to selection of hypertext link

• US 20060037044A1
• Filed: 10/14/2005
• Published: 02/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1993
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Daniels, John J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,437,751 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42226 Reprogrammable remote control devices
• 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 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• 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 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 21/8586 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 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 : on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 : on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 : on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 : using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 : the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A time sequential signal comprising audiovisual content and hyperlinks is received and displayed on a display device by the systems of the invention in a time sequential manner. The display of the time sequential signal is paused whenever a displayed hyperlink is selected. While pausing the display, data corresponding to any selected hyperlink is accessed and displayed on the display device. The corresponding data may comprise a web page accessed through the Internet or an interval page that is transmitted within the vertical blanking intervals of the time sequential signal. While pausing the display of the time sequential signal, the time sequential signal is recorded so that it can be viewed in the order it was recorded as soon as a resume display command is received by the system.

Claims

1. In an interactive television system that is configured for displaying television programs, hyperlinks and corresponding data, a method for pausing the display of a television program that is displayed at the television system in response to a selection of a hyperlink that is displayed with the television program, the method comprising the acts of:

displaying a television program at the interactive television system while the television program is being broadcast, the television program being displayed with a hyperlink;

as a television program is being displayed, receiving input selecting the hyperlink;

in response to the input, accessing data corresponding to the hyperlink;

automatically pausing the display of the television program in response to the input selecting the hyperlink and in response to obtaining the data corresponding to the hyperlink, while the television program is being broadcast, by recording a signal in which the television program is encoded on a recording medium, and so as to enable subsequent viewing of the paused television program in a time-shifted manner;

as the display of the television program is paused, displaying the data corresponding to the hyperlink;

subsequently resuming the display of the television program by accessing the signal from the recording medium in the sequence in which the signal was recorded on the recording medium, such that the television program is displayed at the point at which the television program was paused; and

storing the data corresponding to the hyperlink in memory such that the data can be retrieved from memory during the act of accessing the data.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the stored data is received through the television signal.

3. In an interactive television system that is configured for displaying television programs, hyperlinks and corresponding data, a method for pausing the display of a television program that is displayed at the television system in response to a selection of a hyperlink that is displayed with the television program, the method comprising the acts of:

displaying a television program at the interactive television system while the television program is being broadcast, the television program being displayed with a hyperlink;

as a television program is being displayed, receiving input selecting the hyperlink;

in response to the input, accessing embedded data corresponding to the hyperlink, the embedded data being embedded within the television signal;

automatically pausing the display of the television program in response to the input selecting the hyperlink and in response to obtaining the data corresponding to the hyperlink, while the television program is being broadcast, by recording a signal in which the television program is encoded on a recording medium, and so as to enable subsequent viewing of the paused television program in a time-shifted manner;

as the display of the television program is paused, displaying the embedded data corresponding to the hyperlink; and

subsequently resuming the display of the television program by accessing the signal from the recording medium in the sequence in which the signal was recorded on the recording medium, such that the television program is displayed at the point at which the television program was paused.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the embedded data is embedded within a webpage.

5. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the embedded information is related to viewer preference information.

6. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the embedded information is related to viewer habits.

7. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the hyperlink includes a web page address, and wherein the data corresponding to the hyperlink includes a web page, such that the act of accessing the data corresponding to the hyperlink comprises the act of accessing the web page.

8. A method as recited in claim 3, further comprising the act of receiving a television signal in which the television program and the hyperlink are encoded.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, further comprising the act of storing the embedded data corresponding to the hyperlink in memory such that the embedded data can be retrieved from memory during the act of accessing the embedded data.

10. A method as recited in claim 3, further comprising the act of displaying the television program on a television included in the interactive television system and simultaneously displaying the hyperlink on the television.

11. A method as recited in claim 10, further comprising selecting a position on the television at which the hyperlink is displayed based on information included in a signal that is received by the interactive television system and in which the television program is encoded.

12. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the act of pausing the display of the television program comprises the acts of:

displaying the data corresponding to the hyperlink in a first frame on a television included in the interactive television system; and

simultaneously displaying a still image associated with the television program in a second frame on the television.

13. A method as recited in claim 3, further comprising an act of adding at least one web page Internet site address corresponding to the embedded data to a hot list stored in memory for subsequent access.

14. An interactive television system configured for displaying and pausing a television program in response to receiving a selection of a hyperlink that is displayed with the television program, the interactive television system comprising:

a display device that is configured for displaying television programs, hyperlinks and corresponding data;

means for receiving input for accessing data corresponding to a hyperlink to content that is embedded with the television signal; and

means for automatically pausing the display of the television program in response to receiving the input, while the television program is being broadcast and upon obtaining the data responsive to the input, and so as to enable subsequent viewing of the paused television program in a time-shifted manner;

means for recording a signal in which the television program encoded; and

means for subsequently resuming the display of the television program by accessing the recorded signal in the sequence in which the signal was recorded, such that the television program is displayed at the point at which the television program was paused.

15. An interactive television system as recited in claim 14, further comprising means for receiving the signal, wherein the television program and the hyperlink are encoded in the signal.

16. An interactive television system as recited in claim 14, wherein:

the data includes a web page; and

the means for accessing the data comprise an Internet connection for retrieving the web page.

17. An interactive television system as recited in claim 14, wherein the data comprises an interval page embedded within a signal in which the television program is encoded.

18. An interactive television system as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

means for displaying the data corresponding to the hyperlink in a first frame on the display device; and

means for simultaneously displaying a still image associated with the paused television program in a second frame on the display device.

19. An interactive television system as recited in claim 14, further comprising means for storing the data in memory such that the data can be retrieved from memory during the act of obtaining the data.

20. A interactive television system as recited in claim 14, wherein the input for accessing data corresponding to a hyperlink comprises a selection of the hyperlink.