Interactive television system with script interpreter

• US 5,903,262 A
• Filed: 07/30/1996
• Issued: 05/11/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Aoki, Koji, Shimamoto, Katsushi, Ichihashi, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): FLYNN, NATHAN J
• Application Number:
  US08/689,069
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• Field of Search: 348/6, 348/7, 348/10, 348/12, 348/13, 348/472, 348/475, 348/477, 348/553, 348/562, 348/564, 348/906, 435/3.1, 435/4.1, 435/4.2, 435/5.1
• US Class Current: 725/136
• 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/475 End-user interface for inputting end-user data, e.g. personal identification number [PIN], preference data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0255 Display systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0882 for the transmission of character code signals, e.g. for teletext circuits for the digital non-picture data signal H04N7/035
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0884 for the transmission of additional display-information, e.g. menu for programme or channel selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A broadcasting station transmits script for presenting plural types of additional information relating to main broadcast in a vertical blanking interval included in a video signal. A television receiver generates an additional information selecting screen for selecting arbitrary additional information from plural types of additional information by executing the script according to a request signal received from a television remote controller, and displays in part of a display screen. Reflecting a selection instruction signal received from the television remote controller on the additional information selection screen, the script is executed according to the selection instruction, and selected additional information is generated and displayed on a display screen in a display format conforming to the content of the information.

Claims

1. A television system comprising:

receiving means for receiving a video signal including control data carried in a vertical blanking interval of said video signal;

means for identifying and separating the control data from the vertical blanking interval of the video signal received by said receiving means;

storing means for storing the identified and separated control data;

input means for inputting instructions from an operator;

a display;

first display control means for controlling the display to provide for displaying an additional information selection screen including indications of plural pieces of additional information relating to a presently ongoing television program carried by the received video signal and derived from the stored control data;

selection means responsive to an instruction input by said input means for selecting at least one of said plural pieces of additional information by selecting one of said indications of said plural pieces of additional information on said additional information selection screen;

second display control means for controlling the display to provide for displaying the selected at least one of said plural pieces of additional information selected by the selection means;

a read-only memory for storing a script interpreter executing an interactive procedure and character font information; and

wherein said first and second display control means execute the stored control data by using the script interpreter in order to access the character font information to control the displaying of information on said display.

2. The television system according to claim 1, wherein said input means includes:

a remote controller having at least one operation button to be manipulated by the operator, and means for outputting a signal corresponding to manipulation of the operation button as the instruction, and

a remote control receiver for receiving the signal output by the remote controller.

3. The television system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a memory;

means for storing information displayed on said display into said memory in response to a storage instruction input by said input means; and

means for redisplaying the information stored in said memory on said display in response to a redisplay instruction input by said input means.

4. The television system according to claim 1, wherein the selected at least one of said plural pieces of said additional information includes a question relating to the particular television program and the input means includes a means for inputting an answer to the question, said television system further comprising:

determining means for determining whether the answer input by said input means is correct or not according to the stored control data; and

means for displaying a result of the determining by said determining means on said display.

5. The television system according to claim 4, wherein the control data further includes timing data relative to the particular television program, and

said determining means controls the displaying of the result of determining on said display in accordance with the timing data.