Combining Television Broadcast and Personalized/Interactive Information

• US 20130019260A1
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Published: 01/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/1996
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: TVWorks LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TVWorks LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Weinstein, Steven, Palmer, James E., Johnson, Tyler M., Fulker, James R., Katz, Geoffrey A., Vickers, Mark A., Yu, Chee
• Application Number:
  US13/616,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20130019260A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/25
• 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 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; 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 21/4622 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 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The invention provides an improved method and system for interactive broadcast and web information browsing. In embodiments of the invention, web information is presented in conjunction with a broadcast television image, either at an edge of the image screen or overlaid with the image screen in an opaque, transparent or translucent image. The presented web information is fully interactive and can be interacted with by the user using all known features of interactive web presentation.

Claims

1. An information system, comprising:

a controller, for generating an image representative signal adapted for use by a display device;

a broadcast interface, for applying broadcast information to a controller; and

an interactive information interface, for applying interactive information to said controller;

said controller including said broadcast information, said interactive information and a user selectable element in said image representative signal such that corresponding presented imagery includes an interactive portion, a broadcast portion and a user selectable element.

2. The information system of claim 1, wherein:

said user selectable element comprises a hyperlink having associated with it an object;

said interactive information interface, in response to a selection of said hyperlink, includes said object associated with said hyperlink within said interactive information.

3. The information system of claim 1, further comprising:

an input device for selecting said user selectable element, said input element comprising at least one of a keypad, a pointing device and a graphical user interface.

4. The information system of claim 1, further comprising:

data memory for storing a user preference.

5. The information system of claim 1, wherein:

said interactive information interface comprises a network access device.

6. The information system of claim 5, wherein:

said internet access device includes a web modem.

7. The information system of claim 1, wherein:

said interactive portion of said imagery comprises objects retrieved from a network and displayed in a first image panel; and

said broadcast portion of said imagery comprises broadcast video imagery displayed in a second image panel.

8. The information system of claim 7, wherein:

said first panel is at least partially transparent and overlaps said second panel.

9. The information system of claim 1, wherein:

said user selectable element includes a control button for selecting a preference, said preference being used to determine how said broadcast information is presented in relationship to said interactive information.

10. The information system of claim 1 wherein said first image panel is used to display web content.

11. The information system of claim 4, wherein:

said user preference stored in said data memory is accessible to at least a networked server to which the preference relates.

12. The information system of claim 1, wherein:

said interactive information interface retrieving information from a network in response to the reception of broadcast information conforming to a user preference.

13. The information system, of claim 12, wherein:

said retrieved information is displayed in said first image panel.

14. The information system of claim 12, further comprising:

data memory for storing a user preference, said user preference being stored in said memory by a web site interacting with said interactive information interface.

15. The information system of claim 12, further comprising:

data memory for storing a user preference, said user preference being stored in said memory in response to user interaction via said user selectable element.

20. A method according to claim 15 further including retrieving preferences and formatting the received selected web content and received broadcast content based on those preferences.

16. A method of displaying information comprising:

initializing a display system;

receiving selected web content;

receiving broadcast content;

receiving personalized indicia;

formatting received web content, received broadcast content, and received personalized indicia into video information; and

displaying video information to simultaneously produce interactive information having a user selectable element and a television broadcast.

17. A method according to claim 16 further including identifying personalized indicia within at least one of the displayed video information and an out-of-band portion of a television signal.

18. A method according to claim 17 further including retrieving personalized information based on the personalized indicia.

19. A method according to claim 16 wherein the personalized indicia is a web browser cookie.