Interactive world wide web access using a set top terminal in a video on demand system

• US 6,184,878 B1
• Filed: 12/23/1997
• Issued: 02/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sarnoff Corporation (SRI International, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sarnoff Corporation (SRI International, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pearson, John C., Alonso, Rafael
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Application Number:
  US08/997,269
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• Field of Search: 345/322, 348/13, 348/12, 348/10, 348/7, 348/6, 455/3.1, 455/4.2, 455/5.1, 455/6.1, 455/6.2, 455/6.3, 382/189, 707/513
• US Class Current: 725/109
• 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 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• 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 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• 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 7/10 Adaptations for transmission by electrical cable H04N7/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method and concomitant apparatus for interactively accessing information from a computer network, such as a TCP/IP network, suitable for use in an interactive information distribution system, illustratively a cable television system or a video on demand system.

Claims

1. Information provider apparatus, comprising:

a video server for transmitting video information via a forward channel and receiving information page requests via a back channel; and

a computer, coupled to said video server and a TCP/IP network, for retrieving information pages from said TCP/IP network, converting the retrieved information pages into a video signal, and coupling the video signal to the video server;

said computer comprising;

a controller, for retrieving said information pages from said TCP/IP network in response to a control signal;

a parser, coupled to said controller, for extracting hypertext information from said retrieved video page; and

a menu generator, coupled to said parser, for generating a menu structure in response to said extracted hypertext information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said computer further comprises:

a video compiler, coupled to said controller, for converting said retrieved information page into a page video signal; and

a combiner, coupled to said video compiler and said menu generator, for combining said page video signal and said menu video signal into an output video signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a page store unit, coupled to said computer, for storing a plurality of information pages.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said page store unit comprises at least one of:

an HTML storage unit, for storing said information pages in an HTML format; and

a video storage unit, for storing said information pages in a video format.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein:

said page store unit controller, in response to hypertext information included within a requested information page, retrieves additional information pages, said additional information pages being associated with said included hypertext information; and

said controller, upon retrieving said additionally information pages, stores said additional information pages within said page store unit.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said video information carried by said forward channel comprises compressed video information.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said apparatus receives requests for information from subscriber equipment via a back channel, said requested information pages being transmitted to said requesting subscriber equipment via said forward channel.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said subscriber equipment generates, in response to a user input signal, said information page requests and generates, in response to said received video information, an output signal suitable for use by a display device.

6. A method of interactively distributing information to a subscriber comprising the steps of:

receiving an information page request from said subscriber, said information page request including an internet protocol address;

retrieving said requested information page from an information source;

parsing said retrieved information page to identify static information structures forming said retrieved information page, said static information structures comprising graphic structures, text structures or hypertext structures;

generating first video information representative of said retrieved information page;

generating second video information, including menu information, representative of hypertext information structures included within said retrieved information page;

combining said first and second video information to form said video information stream; and

providing said video information stream to said subscriber via an information channel.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

said step of parsing also identifies dynamic information structures forming said retrieved information page, said dynamic information structures comprising applets or moving images;

said step of generating first video information includes the step of incorporating said dynamic information structures within said first video information; and

said steps of generating first video information, combining said first and second video information, and compressing said video information are repeated substantially in accordance with said dynamic information structures.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

retrieving one or more information pages associated with said parsed hypertext information structures; and

storing, in a server memory, said one or more information pages associated with said parsed hypertext information structures.

9. A method for provide-side generation of a menu structure for use in an interactive video distribution system comprising provider equipment and limited capability subscriber equipment, comprising the steps of:

retrieving, from a TCP/IP network, a particular information page in response to a subscriber request;

parsing the retrieved information page to identify hypertext-like information structures;

generating a menu structure in response to said identified hypertext-like information structures;

merging, into a single video stream, the retrieved information page and the generated menu structure; and

transmitting, to said subscriber equipment via a forward channel, said merged video stream.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said subscriber equipment comprises a set top terminal, said set top terminal generating, in response to a user input signal, said information page request, and generating, in response to said received video signal, an output signal suitable for use by a display device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said video signal carried by said forward channel is a compressed video signal.