Mapping uniform resource locators to broadcast addresses in a television signal
First Claim
1. A method for retrieving information identified by a uniform resource locator (URL) from a broadcast signal that is broadcast over a communication network to a decoder, comprising the steps of:
- receiving a user command at said decoder designating said URL of said information; and
determining a broadcast address of said broadcast signal according to said user command;
wherein;
said broadcast address is indicative of a location in said broadcast signal from which said information can be retrieved.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Web pages and other Internet information resources are retrieved from a one-way broadcast signal such as a broadcast television signal. A user selects from a range of available information, including hypertext markup language (HTML) pages, which is carried in the broadcast stream by invoking a command which is defined according to a uniform resource locator (URL) format. Table mapping data is carried in the broadcast signal and provides a broadcast address corresponding to the URL of the user request signal for use in identifying a location in the broadcast signal from which the desired information can be retrieved. The broadcast address may provide information regarding a frequency, packet identifier, satellite, transponder, cryptographic scheme, modulation scheme, data rate, error correction scheme, page number or other relevant criteria associated with the broadcast signal which must be known to retrieve the requested information. The system has the look and feel of a two-way Internet connection, and is compatible with existing transmission schemes.
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Citations
69 Claims
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1. A method for retrieving information identified by a uniform resource locator (URL) from a broadcast signal that is broadcast over a communication network to a decoder, comprising the steps of:
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receiving a user command at said decoder designating said URL of said information; and determining a broadcast address of said broadcast signal according to said user command;
wherein;said broadcast address is indicative of a location in said broadcast signal from which said information can be retrieved. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A decoder apparatus for retrieving information identified by a uniform resource locator (URL) from a broadcast signal that is broadcast over a communication network to said decoder, comprising:
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a user command processor responsive to a user command designating said URL of said information; and a table data processor responsive to said user command processor; said table data processor determining a broadcast address of said broadcast signal according to said user command;
wherein;said broadcast address is indicative of a location in said broadcast signal from which said information can be retrieved. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method for providing information identified by a uniform resource locator (URL) in a broadcast signal that is broadcast over a communication network to a decoder, comprising the steps of:
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providing mapping table data that maps a broadcast address of said broadcast signal to said URL; said broadcast address indicating a location in said broadcast signal from which said information can be retrieved; and broadcasting said mapping table data with said information in said broadcast signal to said decoder. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. An apparatus for providing information identified by a uniform resource locator (URL) in a broadcast signal that is broadcast over a communication network to a decoder, comprising:
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means for providing mapping table data that maps a broadcast address of said broadcast signal to said URL; said broadcast address indicating a location in said broadcast signal from which said information can be retrieved; and means for broadcasting said mapping table data with said information in said broadcast signal to said decoder. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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47. A decoder apparatus for retrieving information identified by a uniform resource locator (URL) from a broadcast signal that is broadcast over a communication network to said decoder, comprising:
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user command processing means responsive to a user command designating said URL of said information; and table data processing means responsive to said user command processing means for determining a broadcast address of said broadcast signal according to said user command;
wherein;said broadcast address is indicative of a location in said broadcast signal from which said information can be retrieved. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57)
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58. A broadcast signal carried in a communication network from a headend to a decoder, comprising:
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an information portion identified by a uniform resource locator (URL); and a mapping table data portion that maps a broadcast address of said broadcast signal to said URL;
wherein;said broadcast address indicates a location in said broadcast signal from which said information can be retrieved. - View Dependent Claims (59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69)
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Specification