Method and apparatus for providing a menu structure for an interactive information distribution system

• US 6,208,335 B1
• Filed: 12/03/1997
• Issued: 03/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: DIVA Systems Corporation
• Inventors: Thomas, Philip A., Cole, Brooks, Goode, Christopher, Gordon, Donald, Conover, Mark D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadesse
• Application Number:
  US08/984,427
• Time in Patent Office: 1,210 Days
• Field of Search: 345/327, 345/352, 345/146, 345/353, 345/331, 345/332, 348/731, 348/570, 348/906, 348/563, 348/569, 348/739
• US Class Current: 715/721
• 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 21/434 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 21/4351 involving reassembling additional data, e.g. rebuilding an executable program from recovered modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44504 Circuit details of the additional information generator, e.g. details of the character or graphics signal generator, overlay mixing circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing an interactive menu structure within an interactive information distribution system. The menu structure is embodied in a combination of software, which provides a so-called navigator and a set top terminal that provides certain functionality for the navigator and a video session manager which provides support functionality for the set top terminal. The menu structure has each menu (e.g., menu instructions, graphics and video) contained in downloadable applets which are sent upon request from the service provider equipment to the set top terminal for display. As such, the navigator functions are actually distributed between the service provider equipment and the subscriber'"'"'s equipment. Such distribution provides an enjoyable, real-time interactive session that allows the user to rapidly navigate through a plethora of menus to find particular information which they desire to view.

Claims

1. An on-screen program guide for use in subscriber equipment in an interactive information distribution system, said on-screen program guide comprising:

a graphics layer, for displaying one or more graphical objects, said graphical objects being associated with respective applets stored in provider equipment, said applets, when executed by said subscriber equipment, display menu information and associated image information;

a video layer, for displaying still or moving images, including still or moving images generated using said applet image information; and

a control layer, coupled to said graphics layer and said video layer, for generating an applet request in response to a selection of a graphical object;

wherein,

each of a plurality of said applets provides a respective portion of on-screen program guide information.

2. The on-screen programming guide of claim 1, wherein additional graphical objects are generated using said applet menu information included within said executed applet.

3. The on-screen programming guide of claim 2, wherein said additional graphical objects are associated with respective applets stored in said provider equipment or said subscriber equipment.

4. The on-screen programming guide of claim 3, wherein said applets are linked together using said graphical objects to form an interactive menu structure for selecting information offerings available from said provider equipment.

5. The on-screen programming guide of claim 1, wherein:

said graphics layer comprises a plurality of regions, each region having a respective graphic object; and

said graphic objects are selected by selecting a region associated with a desired graphic object.

6. The on-screen programming guide of claim 5, wherein said graphic object has a first state until a selection is made, then said graphic object has a second state to emphasize or de-emphasize images within said video layer.

7. The on-screen programming guide of claim 6, wherein said first state and said second state of said graphic object have different opacity.

8. The on-screen programming guide of claim 1, wherein:

one of said graphics layer and said video layer comprises a spatial mnemonic for imparting menu flow information indicative of a lateral menu structure and a previous menu structure, said menu flow information logically related to a preceding sequence of executed applets.

9. The on-screen programming guide of claim 1, wherein said control layer comprises:

an input device, coupled to a controller, for selecting an object displayed in said graphics layer, thereby requesting said applet associated with said selected object;

a transmitter, coupled to said controller, for transmitting to said information provider, via a back channel, a request for said selected applet;

a receiver, coupled to said controller, for receiving from said information provider, via an information channel, an information stream including said requested applet; and

a video signal generator, coupled to said controller, for generating display information for said graphics layer and said video layer.

10. Subscriber apparatus for use in interactive information distribution system, said interactive information distribution system comprising an information stream for receiving information from information provider equipment, and a back channel for transmitting information requests to said information provider equipment, said subscriber apparatus comprising:

a receiver, coupled to a controller, for receiving said information stream;

a transmitter, coupled to said controller, for transmitting information requests to said information provider equipment; and

a video signal generator, coupled to said controller, for generating a video signal derived from information included in said information stream;

an input device for selecting one of a plurality of graphical objects included in said video signal, said graphical objects being associated with respective applets stored in information provider equipment, said applets comprising menu information and associated image information; and

said controller, in response to said input device, causing an applet request to be transmitted to said information provider equipment, and in response to a reception of an information stream including said requested applet, executing said applet to produce graphical object information and video information for said video signal generator;

wherein,

each of a plurality of said applets provides a respective portion of on-screen program guide information.

11. In an interactive information distribution system having service provider equipment coupled, through a communications network, to subscriber equipment containing at least a television, apparatus for providing navigation menus comprising:

means for transmitting, through said communications network, a menu applet as a portion of an information stream;

means, within said subscriber equipment and coupled to said communications network, for receiving said menu applet; and

processing means, coupled to said receiving means, for executing said menu applet to display an interactive menu within the subscriber equipment;

wherein,

each of a plurality of said menu applets provides a respective portion of on-screen program guide information.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said menu applet comprises:

a graphics portion;

an instruction portion; and

a background video portion.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said processing means produces on-screen display graphics for said menu from said graphics portion, produces applet instructions for controlling said menu operation from said instruction portion;

and produces background video for said menu from said background portion.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said receiving means further comprises a demodulator for demodulating said information stream containing said applet.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said processing means comprises:

a video decoder; and

a central processing unit.

16. A subscriber-side method for retrieving information in an interactive information distribution system comprising, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) selecting, using an input device, one of a plurality of displayed graphical objects;

(b) transmitting to an information provider, via a back channel of a communications network, a request for an applet associated with said selected graphical object;

(c) receiving from said information provider, via an information channel of said communications network, said requested applet;

(d) executing said received applet to produce a navigation menu comprising graphical objects associated with other applets, said navigation menu superimposed over a video image, said video image produced using information included in said executed applet; and

(e) repeating steps (a) through (d) until a desired result is achieved;

wherein,

each of a plurality of said menu applets provides a respective portion of on-screen program guide information.

17. A method for generating an interactive menu comprising the steps of:

receiving a transmission of a menu applet containing instructions, graphics and background video;

extracting said instructions from said applet;

storing said instructions;

extracting said graphics from said applet;

storing said graphics;

decoding said background video using said decoder; and

displaying a menu having said background video with said graphics overlaid thereupon and operating said menu in accordance with said instructions;

wherein,

each of a plurality of said applets provides a respective portion of on-screen program guide information.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said displaying step further comprises the steps of:

overlaying a certain portion of said background video with said graphics;

changing a state of the graphics from a first state to a second state to emphasize or de-emphasize said certain portion of said background video.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said first state has a different opacity than said second state of said graphics.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein said displaying step further comprises the steps of:

covering a certain portion of said background video with a transparent graphic within said graphics; and

changing a state of the graphics from opaque to transparent to highlight said certain portion of said background video.

21. An applet for defining menus within a menu structure of an interactive information distribution system comprising:

a descriptor file comprising a region descriptor that defines objects that reside in a particular region of a menu, a function descriptor for defining operations that occur when a particular object is selected, and a message descriptor for defining the particular message that is sent through the interactive information distribution system when a particular object is selected;

wherein,

each of a plurality of said applets provides a respective portion of said menu structure.

22. The applet of claim 21 wherein said objects comprise one or more of the following:

graphical bitmaps, audio objects, or animation objects.

23. The applet of claim 22 wherein said function descriptor comprises a plurality of descriptors for defining a color and transparency level of the color for a particular graphical bitmap.