Consumer interface for a digital television system

• US 5,642,153 A
• Filed: 12/23/1994
• Issued: 06/24/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Consumer Electronics Incorporated (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Chaney, John William, Deiss, Michael Scott, Beyers, Billy Wesley Jr., Hailey, James Edwin, Johnson, Michael Wayne, Horton, Raymond Scott, Bridgewater, Kevin Elliott
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Application Number:
  US08/363,235
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: 348/906, 348/7, 348/12, 348/13, 348/6, 348/569, 348/731, 455/3.1, 455/4.2, 455/3.2
• US Class Current: 725/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2362 Generation or processing of Service Information [SI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2381 Adapting the multiplex stream to a specific network, e.g. an Internet Protocol [IP] network transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2383 Channel coding or modulation of digital bit-stream, e.g. QPSK modulation arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received by adapting the channel coding H04L1/0009; analogue front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26266 for determining content or additional data repetition rate, e.g. of a file in a DVB carousel according to its importance arrangements for broadcast or for distribution of identical information repeatedly in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/434 Disassembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. demultiplexing audio and video streams, extraction of additional data from a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Extraction or processing of SI; Disassembling of packetised elementary stream demultiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• 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 21/4363 Adapting the video stream to a specific local network, e.g. a Bluetooth® network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4381 Recovering the multiplex stream from a specific network, e.g. recovering MPEG packets from ATM cells transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4382 Demodulation or channel decoding, e.g. QPSK demodulation analog front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• 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 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 : involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 : comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 : involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 : Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 : Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/52 : Systems for transmission of a pulse code modulated video signal with one or more other pulse code modulated signals, e.g. an audio signal or a synchronizing signal assembling of a multiplex stream by combining a video stream with other content or additional data, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, insertion of stuffing bits into the multiplex stream, assembling of a packetised elementary stream at server side H04N21/236; disassembling of a multiplex stream, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, extraction or processing of Service Information, disassembling of packetised elementary stream at client side H04N21/434

Abstract

A television system for receiving a plurality of digitally-encoded television programs includes circuitry for selecting a particular digital data transmission channel from a plurality of digital data transmission channels containing a desired digitally-encoded television program in response to a control signal, at least one of the data transmission channels also including television program schedule data. The system also includes user-operable data entry circuitry for entering data, and a controller for generating the above-noted control signal in response to user-entered data. The controller selects a virtual channel from a plurality of virtual channels in response to user-entered data, each virtual channel being subject to reassignment to a different one of said a plurality of digital data transmission channels, the television program schedule data defining the relationship of each of the television programs to respective ones of the plurality of digital data transmission channels.

Claims

1. A television system for receiving a plurality of digitally-encoded television programs, comprising:

means for selecting g desired one of said digitally-encoded television programs on a particular digital data transmission channel from a plurality of digital data transmission channels in response to a control signal, all of said data transmission channels also including television program schedule data for all of said data transmission channels, said television program Schedule data defining the relationship of each of said television programs to respective ones of said plurality of digital data transmission channels;

user-operable data entry means for entering data;

control means coupled to said selecting means and to said data entry means for generating said control signal in response to said user-entered data; and

said control means selecting a desired one of said digitally-encoded television programs on a virtual channel from a plurality of virtual channels in response to said user-entered data, each virtual channel being subject to reassignment to a different one of said a plurality of digital data transmission channels.

2. The television system of claim 1 wherein, television signals of each of said television programs is transmitted in compressed form, and said television system includes means for decompressing signals of said television programs for display.

3. The television system of claim 2 further comprising, on-screen graphics generation means for generating a matrix of broadcast times, television program titles, and virtual channels corresponding to a schedule of said television programs in response to said television program schedule data.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein, a user selects said desired one of Said digitally-encoded television programs on one of said virtual channels from said displayed television schedule matrix and in response said controller selects a corresponding digital data transmission channel for reception of said television program land selects data corresponding to said desired digitally-encoded television program from a data stream on said selected digital data transmission channel.

5. A television system for receiving a plurality of digitally-encoded television programs, comprising:

means for selecting a desired one of said digitally-encoded virtual channel in response to a control signal, which particular virtual channel may be allocated to one or more transmission channels, and each virtual channel being subject to reallocation to a different one of said plurality of transmission channels, all of said transmission channels also including television program schedule data for all of said television programs on all of said transmission channels, said television program schedule data defining the relationship of each of said television programs to respective ones of said plurality of transmission channels;

user-operable data entry means for entering data;

control means coupled to said selecting means and to said data entry means for generating said control signal in response to said user-entered data; and

said control means selecting said desired one of said digitally-encoded television programs on a data channel in response to said user-entered data.

6. A television system for receiving a plurality of digitally-encoded television programs transmitted in packetized form via one of a plurality of a data transmission channels, comprising:

means for selecting data packets corresponding to a particular digitally-encoded television program from a plurality of data packets corresponding to said plurality of digitally-encoded television programs in response to a control signal;

said particular digitally-encoded television program being subject to allocation to any of said data transmission channels, each of said data transmission channels containing at least one digitally-encoded television program and television program schedule data for all of said television programs on all of said data transmission channels;

user-operable data entry means for entering data; and

control means coupled to said selecting means and to said data entry means for generating said control signal in response to said user-entered data;

said control means selecting a digitally-encoded television program in response to said user-entered data, said television program schedule data defining the relationship of each of said digitally-encoded television programs to respective ones of said plurality of data transmission channels.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein, a user selects one of said television program titles from a displayed television schedule matrix of times, titles, and virtual channels, and in response said controller selects a corresponding data transmission channel for reception of said television program and selects for processing only those data packets corresponding to said particular digitally-encoded television program.