METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING INTERACTIVE DATA IN REAL TIME

• US 20080228935A1
• Filed: 09/17/2007
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: NAM, Gung-eun
• Application Number:
  US11/856,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20080228935A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43074 of additional data with content streams on the same device, e.g. of EPG data or interactive icon with a TV program
• 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 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• 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 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A method and apparatus for displaying interactive data in real time are provided. The method includes displaying interactive data in a real-time streaming service, including receiving an interactive data information file for multimedia content currently being played back through a channel different from a multimedia-content-receiving channel, displaying an object item list expressed by the interactive data information file on the playback screen of the multimedia content in real time, and if a user'"'"'s command to select at least one of the object items contained in the object item list is input, receiving the selected object item and displaying the same.

Claims

1. A method of displaying interactive data in a real-time streaming service, comprising:

receiving an interactive data information file for multimedia content currently being played back, through a channel different from a multimedia-content-receiving channel;

displaying an object item list expressed by the interactive data information file on the playback screen of the multimedia content in real time; and

receiving the selected object item and displaying the same, if a user inputs a command to select at least one among multiple object items contained in the object item list.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the interactive data information file further comprises analyzing the interactive data information file and storing the same in a node-type file having a predetermined time period, wherein the node-type file contains a start time and an end time synchronized with a playback screen of the multimedia content, and information about a name, a type and a path of an object item.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the receiving of the interactive data information file further comprises checking an elapsed playback time of the multimedia content based on a current time, and confirming that a node-type file matching the current time exists.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the object item is received from an external server of the real-time streaming service provider.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactive data information file is created using an editor tool of a real-time streaming service provider.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the object item list is displayed to be associated with one of a character, object, background location or background sound that is displayed on the playback screen of the multimedia content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the object item list is displayed by a command of a user viewing the multimedia content.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the type of the object item includes text, a web page, and an image.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the displaying of the object item comprises, when the type is text or image, displaying the text or image by downloading the same through a path defined in the node-type file, and when the type is an HTML document, displaying a path defined in the node-type file by searching for the path through a predetermined browser.

10. An apparatus for displaying interactive data in a real-time streaming service, comprising:

a playback unit playing back multimedia content;

a receiving unit receiving an interactive data information file for the multimedia content currently being played back, through a channel different from a multimedia-content-receiving channel; and

a display unit displaying an object item list expressed by the interactive data information file on the playback screen of the multimedia content in real time, and if a user'"'"'s command to select at least one of the object items contained in the object item list is input, receiving the selected object item and displaying the same.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a parsing unit analyzing the interactive data information file and storing the same in a node-type file having a predetermined time period, wherein the node-type file contains a start time and an end time synchronized with a playback screen of the multimedia content, and information about a name, a type and a path of an object item.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a control unit checking an elapsed playback time of the multimedia content based on a current time, and confirming that a node-type file matching the current time exists.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the object item is received from an external server of the real-time streaming service provider.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the interactive data information file is created using an editor tool of a real-time streaming service provider.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the object item list is displayed to be associated with one of a character, object, background location or background sound that is displayed on the playback screen of the multimedia content.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the object item list is displayed by a command of a user viewing the multimedia content.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the type of the object item includes text, a web page, and an image.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein when the type is text or image, the display unit displays the text or image by downloading the same through a path defined in the node-type file, and when the type is an HTML document, the display unit displays a path defined in the node-type file by searching for the path through a predetermined browser.

19. An interactive Internet protocol television (IP TV) comprising:

a media player playing back multimedia content;

a downloader downloading an interactive data information file for the multimedia content currently being played back, through a channel different from a multimedia-content-receiving channel;

a parser analyzing the interactive data information file and storing the same in a node-type file having a predetermined time period;

a control unit checking an elapsed playback time of the multimedia content based on a current time, and confirming that a node-type file matching the current time exists; and

a display unit displaying an object item list expressed by the interactive data information file on the playback screen of the multimedia content in real time, and if a user'"'"'s command to select at least one of the object items contained in the object item list is input, receiving the selected object item and displaying the same.

20. The interactive IP TV of claim 19, wherein the node-type file contains a start time and an end time synchronized with a playback screen of the multimedia content, and information about a name, a type and a path of an object item.

21. A computer-readable recording medium having program code executed by a computer for performing a method of displaying interactive data in a real-time streaming service, the method comprising:

receiving an interactive data information file for multimedia content currently being played back through a channel different from a multimedia-content-receiving channel;

displaying an object item list expressed by the interactive data information file on the playback screen of the multimedia content in real time; and

receiving the selected object item and displaying the same, if a user'"'"'s command to select at least one among object items contained in the object item list is input.