System And Method Of Dual-Screen Interactive Digital Television

• US 20080284907A1
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Chiao, Hsin-Ta
• Granted Patent: US 7,992,187 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/448
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

Disclosed is a system and method of dual-screen interactive digital television (IDTV), which is implemented by applying modality-independent remote console technology. The system has two ends, referred to as host IDTV and handheld device. The host IDTV includes a host IDTV content, an IDTV middleware, a host graphic user interface (host GUI), and a server-side remote console control protocol. The handheld device includes a handheld IDTV content, an interface generator, a handheld GUI, and a client-side remote console control protocol. In the invention, the DTV content may only have a dual-screen execution mode. The DTV content may also switch between single-screen and dual-screen modes.

Claims

1. A dual-screen interactive digital television (IDTV) system, realized by applying a modality-independent remote console technology, said system comprising:

a host IDTV, including a host IDTV content, an IDTV middleware, a host graphic user interface (GUI), and a server-side remote console control protocol; and

a handheld device, including a handheld IDTV content, an interface generator, a handheld GUI, and a client-side remote console control protocol, said handheld IDTV content containing two UI abstract descriptions;

wherein said server-side remote console control protocol and said client-side remote console control protocol are connected by a multi-layer networking technology, UI input information to said host IDTV content relayed through said client-side remote console control protocol and said multi-layer networking technology to said server-side remote control protocol, and transmitted by said IDTV middle ware to said host IDTV content, user interface (UI) output information from said host IDTV content transmitted through said IDTV middleware to either said handheld GUI or said host GUI.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, said system is realized in two execution modes;

one is DTV content dual-screen mode, and the other is DTV content single-screen mode.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said multi-layer networking technology is the combination of a network technology and a connection technology.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said host IDTV content is a computer program, data, or the combination of said computer program and said data.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, said system automatically generates the said UI abstract description required by said modality-independent remote console technology.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said multi-layer networking technology is realized with two communication protocol components, two communication hardware, and a physical communication network.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said host GUI is realized with an OS GUI module and a host GUI hardware.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said handheld GUI is realized with an OS GUI module and a handheld GUI hardware.

9. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said two UI abstract descriptions included in said handheld IDTV content are the abstract description realized in the DTV content single-screen mode, and the abstract description realized in the DTV content dual-screen mode.

10. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said two UI abstract descriptions included in said handheld IDTV content are the UI abstract description of said host IDTV content and the UI abstract description of the single-screen IDTV input device.

11. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said DTV content is able to be switched between said single-screen mode and said dual-screen mode.

12. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said UI of said host IDTV content in dual-screen mode is generated by said interface generator according to said UI abstract description of said host IDTV content and is presented on the screen of said handheld device by said handheld GUI.

13. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein in single-screen mode, said interface generator, according to said UI abstract description of said single-screen IDTV input device through said handheld GUI, presents said UI on the screen of said handheld device.

14. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein when said host IDTV content is a computer program, said host IDTV content includes an application logic component, a UI abstraction layer, a host UI adaptation layer, and a remote console adaptation layer.

15. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein when said IDTV content is a computer program, said IDTV middleware includes a host API and a remote console API.

16. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein when said host IDTV content is data, said host IDTV content includes markup language data and script, said markup language data includes presentation-irrelevant data and presentation data, said presentation data describes how to present the combination of presentation-irrelevant data and script on both handheld device remote console and host GUI, respectively.

17. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein said IDTV middleware is realized with a content parser, an interpreting engine, a host presentation engine and a remote console presentation engine, said content parser is responsible for loading said host IDTV content and delivering to said interpreting engine, said interpreting engine interprets and maintains said presentation-irrelevant data and executes said script, said host presentation engine presents the interpreted data page on the screen of said host DTV, and said remote console presentation engine presents said interpreted data page in a remote console form on the handheld device screen.

18. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein when said host IDTV content is data, said host IDTV content includes markup language data and script, and presentation-irrelevant data and presentation data of host GUI are mixed in said markup language data.

19. The system as claimed in claim 18, wherein said IDTV middleware is realized with a content parser, a legacy interpreting and rendering engine, and a remote console plugin, said legacy interpreting and rendering engine interprets said presentation-irrelevant data and said presentation-related data of said host GUI, and executes said script, and said remote console plugin turns off the presentation function of said legacy interpreting and rendering engine on said host IDTV, and intercept internal events of said legacy interpreting and rendering engine and presents said host IDTV content in a remote console form on the handheld device screen.

20. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the components of said host IDTV applies said server-side remote console control protocol to become a remote console server and allows said handheld device to operate said component.

21. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said interface generator parses said UI abstract description, and constructs handheld UI concrete description according to the context of said handheld device.

22. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said client-side remote console control protocol provides a remote console client API that allows said interface generator to call.

23. A method for dual-screen interactive digital television (IDTV), applicable to a host IDTV and a handheld device, said method comprising:

applying a modality-independent technology to generate user interface (UI) abstract description according to a DTV content, where said DTV content including a host IDTV content and a handheld IDTV content, said UI abstract description including a UI abstract description of said host IDTV content, and an UI abstract description of single-screen IDTV input device;

re-directing said UI abstract description to said handheld device; and

arranging said DTV content to execute in either single-screen mode or dual-screen mode.

24. The method as claimed in claim 23, wherein said UI abstract description is stored in said handheld IDTV content.

25. The method as claimed in claim 23, wherein said DTV content is chosen from any one combination of at least a host IDTV content, at least a handheld IDTV content, an audio content, and a video content.

26. The method as claimed in claim 23, wherein said UI abstract description of said single-screen IDTV input device is generated before the broadcasting of said DTV content, and is attached to said handheld IDTV content.

27. The method as claimed in claim 23, wherein said UI abstract description of said single-screen IDTV input device is generated by said host IDTV, and is attached to said handheld IDTV content of said DTV content when said host IDTV transmits said handheld IDTV content to said handheld device.

28. The method as claimed in claim 23, wherein said DTV content executing in dual-screen mode includes the steps of:

receiving said handheld IDTV content, translating UI abstract description of said host IDTV content into UI concrete description of said handheld device, and presenting on said handheld device screen; and

applying said concrete UI on said handheld device to input information to said host IDTV content, and presenting output information from said host IDTV content on said concrete UI of said handheld device.

29. The method as claimed in claim 23, wherein said DTV content executing in single-screen mode includes the steps:

parsing said UI abstract description of said single-screen IDTV input device, and translating into an UI concrete description of said handheld device, said concrete UI being a remote console for said single-screen IDTV input device; and

applying said concrete UI to input information to said host IDTV content, and presenting output information from said host IDTV content on the screen of host IDTV.

30. The method as claimed in claim 28, wherein said UI abstract description of said host IDTV content is translated into said UI concrete description of said handheld device according to the context of said handheld device.

31. The method as claimed in claim 23, wherein said method uses a server-side remote console control protocol, a client-side remote console control protocol and an multi-layer networking technology to operate on said host IDTV and said handheld device.

32. The method as claimed in claim 23, wherein said UI abstract description of said host IDTV content is automatically generated by a DTV authoring tool during the production of said DTV content.

33. The method as claimed in claim 32, wherein said step of said DTV authoring tool automatic generation of UI abstract description of said host IDTV content further includes the steps:

generating a concrete UI of host IDTV content; and

removing the detailed presentation information from said concrete UI, and leaving only UI function description and UI presentation hint to obtain said UI abstract description.