Displaying Enhanced Content Information on a Remote Control Unit

• US 20110265115A1
• Filed: 07/08/2011
• Published: 10/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Steven D. Alten
• Original Assignee: Steven D. Alten
• Inventors: Alten, Steven D.
• Application Number:
  US13/178,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20110265115A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/202 by remote control
• 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 21/42204 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 21/42209 for displaying non-command information, e.g. electronic program guide [EPG], e-mail, messages or a second television channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A remote control unit for a video receiver may be utilized to display information about enhanced content available in conjunction with a video broadcast. The information displayed on the remote control unit display may provide information about available enhanced content, advertising, or even the status of connected devices, such as telephones, computer systems, digital video disk players, and video cassette recorders. By transmitting the data from the video receiver to the remote control unit, the information is available to the user without interrupting the display on the user'"'"'s video receiver.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving video information and at least two enhancements;

analyzing said enhancements to determine whether said enhancements are advertising or non-advertising content;

if an enhancement is advertising content, automatically displaying the advertising content on a first of at least two displays; and

if an enhancement is non-advertising content, automatically displaying said non-advertising content on a second of two displays.

2. The method of claim 1 including recognizing code indicative of an advertising content and automatically displaying the advertising content on the first display.

3. The method of claim 2 including automatically displaying the advertising content on a remote control display.

4. The method of claim 3 including displaying information on said selected display to enable the user to purchase an item advertised in said advertising content.

5. The method of claim 2 including parsing an enhancement from the video information and parsing the code from said enhancement.

6. A method comprising:

receiving video information and at least two enhancements, said video information including content selectively displayable on either of two displays, one of said enhancements being an advertisement and the other enhancement not being an advertisement, said advertising enhancement further including a code indicative that the enhancement is an advertisement, said code further designating one of said two displays for said advertisement;

recognizing from said code that the enhancement is an advertisement and recognizing the code designating which of the two displays to display the advertisement on; and

based on said code, automatically displaying the advertising enhancement on the display indicated by the code.

7. The method of claim 6 including automatically displaying the advertisement on a remote control display.

8. The method of claim 7 including always displaying advertisements on said remote control.