Optimized application on-the-wire format for construction, delivery and display of enhanced television content

• US 20060130120A1
• Filed: 10/18/2005
• Published: 06/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications Management LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TVWorks LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Carney, John, de Andrade, David, Brandyberry, David, Marenghi, Matt, Poger, Elliot, Adams, Glenn, Mace, Connie
• Granted Patent: US 7,805,746 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/136
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4349 by extracting from data carousels, e.g. extraction of software modules from a DVB carousel
• 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 21/466 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies services using the results of monitoring in broadcast systems H04H60/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8545 for generating interactive applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

Enhanced television content is processed and displayed by the execution of computer-readable instructions formatted in a binary interchange format (BIF) of an enhanced television BIF (EBIF) application via user agent at a client by interpreting the computer-readable instructions directly and without additional compilation. A key identifier may be used by the EBIF application to identify a content programming engine to locate and retrieve programmable content to be displayed at the client.

Claims

1. A method, comprising executing computer-readable instructions formatted in a binary interchange format (BIF) of an enhanced television BIF (EBIF) application via user agent by interpreting the computer-readable instructions directly and without additional compilation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user agent has a configuration based on a set-top box platform.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the interpreting comprises processing the EBIF application directly in the set-top box memory by the user agent.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein processing the EBIF application further comprises processing a common binary portion of the EBIF application that is executable independent of the set-top box platform and corresponding user agent.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein processing the EBIF application further comprises the user agent identifying the set-top box platform and processing a corresponding platform specific portion of the EBIF application.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein processing the EBIF application further comprises:

identifying a content programming engine based on a key identifier of a content reference portion of the EBIF application, wherein the content programming engine is associated with programmable content comprised of EBIF data located at a content publisher; and

receiving the programmable content in an EBIF data stream from the content publisher.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the key identifier includes at least one of an organizationally unique identifier, a category identifier, or a resource identifier.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the organizationally unique identifier identifies the content programming engine.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the EBIF application includes container widgets configured to accept one of a plurality of widget types from the EBIF data stream.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to rendering the EBIF application, receiving a unified trigger event to signal execution of the EBIF application, wherein the format of the unified trigger event is independent of whether a corresponding trigger source is external or internal to the EBIF application.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to executing the EBIF application:

automatically validating the EBIF application against one or more application profiles according to validation rules; and

if the EBIF application is validated, distributing the EBIF application to the user agent via an EBIF application deployment system, otherwise rejecting the EBIF application.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the automatically validating comprises parsing only those portions of the EBIF application that include one or more private use extensions to determine if the EBIF application complies with the validation rules.

13. A method, comprising receiving, at a user agent of a client device, an enhanced television binary interchange format (EBIF) application encoded in a binary interchange format (BIF), wherein the EBIF application includes a content reference comprised of a key identifier, and executing the EBIF application to identify a content programming engine for resolving programmable content based on the key identifier.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the programmable content comprised of EBIF data is located at a content publisher associated with the content programming engine.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising receiving the programmable content at the client device in an EBIF data stream from the content publisher.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein prior to receiving the programmable content, receiving a unified trigger event to signal execution of the EBIF application, wherein the format of the unified trigger event is independent of whether its corresponding trigger source is external or internal to the EBIF application.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising, receiving EBIF application data corresponding to elements which are executable within the EBIF application from an EBIF application distribution system.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the EBIF application comprises a common portion executable independent of the client device platform.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the EBIF application comprises a platform specific portion executable on a corresponding client device platform.

20. An enhanced television (ETV) system, comprising:

a user agent resident in a client device and configured to receive an enhanced television binary interchange format (EBIF) application encoded in a binary interchange format (BIF) and to interpret the EBIF application directly and without additional compilation.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein to interpret the EBIF application directly, the application client to process the EBIF application directly in the set-top box memory.

22. The system of claim 20, further comprising a content programming engine identified by the EBIF application to resolve programmable content based on a key identifier associated with the EBIF application.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the user agent further to receive EBIF application data corresponding to elements executable within the EBIF application from an EBIF application distribution system.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein prior to receiving the resolved programmable content, receiving a unified trigger event to signal execution of the EBIF application, wherein the format of the unified trigger event is independent of whether its corresponding trigger source is external or internal to at least one of the EBIF application or the client device.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the BIF code comprises a common binary portion executable independent of a client device platform.

26. The system of claim 20, wherein the BIF code comprises a platform specific portion executable on a client device platform identified in the platform specific portion.

27. The system of claim 20, wherein prior to the user agent to interpret:

a validation module to automatically validate the EBIF application against one or more application profiles according to validation rules; and

if the EBIF application is validated, the validation module to permit distribution of the EBIF application to the user agent via an EBIF application deployment system, otherwise rejecting the EBIF application.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein to automatically validate, the validation module to parse only those portions of the EBIF application that comprise one or more private use extensions to determine if the EBIF application complies with the validation rules.

29. The system of claim 20, wherein the client device is a set-top box.