Access to internet data through a television system

• US 20070067805A1
• Filed: 11/15/2006
• Published: 03/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1996
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gemstar Development Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gemstar Development Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Leung, Elsie, Macrae, Douglas, Yuen, Henry, Kwoh, Daniel, Westberg, Thomas, Mankovitz, Roy
• Application Number:
  US11/600,944
• Publication Number:
  US 20070067805A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42653 for processing graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• 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 21/4622 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 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence
• 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 7/088 the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 : Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A television system provides access to Internet data simultaneously with a displayed television program. Data units including data address sites available through a networked computer system such as the Internet are embedded in a television signal along with a television program. Information representing the data address site, such as an icon or descriptive text, is displayed simultaneously with the television program on the television. If the user selects the data address site, a data retrieval terminal in two-way communication with the network and associated with the television establishes a connection with the network and requests the data corresponding to the selected data address site. The retrieved information is then formatted for display.

Claims

1. A method for recording a television program, the method comprising:

displaying information about a television program in an article on a web page;

displaying a link on the web page;

providing the user with the ability to select the link; and

scheduling a recording of the television program in response to a selection of the link.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying the link in the article on the web page.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the link is a hypertext link.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the link is a graphical link.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting, in response to the selection of the link, data from an Internet site to a television terminal.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the transmitted data identifies the television program.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the transmitted data identifies the television program by channel, day, time, and length.

8. The method of claim 5 further comprising using the data received at the television terminal to schedule the recording of the television program.

9. The method of claim 5 further comprising transmitting the data to the television terminal in a vertical blanking interval of a television signal.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein scheduling the recording of the television program comprises scheduling a video recorder to record the television program.

11. A system for recording a television program, the system comprising:

an internet access terminal configured to;

receive and display a web page from an Internet site, wherein the page contains an article about a television program and a link;

receive a selection of the link from a user; and

schedule a recording of the television program in response to the selection of the link.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the link is in the article.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the link is a hypertext link.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the link is a graphical link.

15. The system of claim 11 further comprising a microprocessor that is configured to:

receive data transmitted from the Internet site; and

use the received data to schedule the recording of the television program.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the data received from the Internet site identifies the television program.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the data received from the Internet site identifies the television program by channel, day, time, and length.

18. The system of claim 15 further comprising a decoder configured to extract the data from a received signal and provide the data to the microprocessor.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the decoder is a vertical blanking interval decoder.

20. The system of claim 15 further comprising a video recorder, wherein the microprocessor is configured to set the video recorder to record the television program.