Method and apparatus for enabling a user to access data network applications from a television system

• US 6,259,487 B1
• Filed: 02/16/2000
• Issued: 07/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CSR Technology Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Telecruz Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Bril, Vlad
• Primary Examiner(s): HSIA, SHERRIE Y
• Application Number:
  US09/505,243
• Time in Patent Office: 510 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.5445, 348/553, 348/563, 348/564, 348/569, 348/601, 348/584, 348/585, 348/589, 348/600, 725/25
• US Class Current: 348/553
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/125 wherein one of the images is motion video
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• 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 21/4435 Memory management allocation of memory to service a request G06F9/5016; addressing or allocating within memory systems or architectures G06F12/02
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• 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 9/641 Multi-purpose receivers, e.g. for auxiliary information H04N9/642 takes precedence

Abstract

A television system (TV) which enables a user to view display represented by a television signal as well as to access data network applications. The TV includes an on-screen-display (OSD) controller which stores the network application data and other display entities in a memory module as separate bit maps. A single image for display on a TV display screen is generated by overlaying all the display entities (including television signal, network application data, pointer, and low resolution data) according to a predetermined priority. Display entities (other than TV signal) are stored in separate portions of the memory module as independent surfaces to enable the displays of individual display entities to be generated and modified according to the individual display entity requirements.

Claims

1. A television system which displays images encoded in a television signal and also enables a user to access a network application, said television system comprising:

a decoder receiving said television signal and extracting a display signal portion representing an image encoded in said television signal;

a network interface receiving data corresponding to said network application;

a memory module;

a memory controller storing a plurality of pixel data elements representing the images of the data corresponding to said network application;

a display screen; and

a circuit receiving said plurality of pixel data elements and said display signal portion, said circuit generating an overlaid image of said image encoded in said television signal, said circuit causing said overlaid image to be displayed on said display screen,

wherein the display of images representing data corresponding to said network application enables said user to access said network application.

2. The television system of claim 1, wherein said circuit comprises:

a multiplexor selecting either said image encoded in said television signal or one of said plurality of pixel data elements on a point by basis; and

display interface receiving the output of said multiplexor and generating a display on said display screen based on the selection of said multiplexor.

3. The television system of claim 2, wherein said circuit further comprises an on screen display (OSD) controller circuit coupled to said memory controller, said OSD controller circuit storing said plurality of pixel data elements in said memory module by interfacing with said memory controller.

4. The television system of claim 3, further comprising a sync extractor receiving said television signal and extracting synchronization signals from said television signal, said sync extractor forwarding said synchronization signals to said OSD controller circuit which uses said synchronization signals to ensure that a pixel data element received by said multiplexor at each time point corresponds to a same point on said display screen as the point on said image encoded in said television signal.

5. The television system of claim 4, wherein said display screen supports scanning in an interlaced format and said image in said television signal is also encoded in interlaced format, and wherein said OSD controller circuit first filters said image representing data of said network application to generate a filtered image, said OSD controller circuit generating an interlaced image of said filtered image, and then generating said overlaid image based on said interlaced image of said filtered image and said image encoded in television signal.

6. A display circuit for use in a television system, said display circuit displaying images encoded in a television signal on a display screen contained in said television system, said display circuit also enabling a user to access a network application, said display circuit comprising:

a decoder receiving said television signal and extracting a display signal portion representing an image encoded in said television signal;

a network interface receiving data corresponding to said network application;

a memory module;

a memory controller storing a plurality of pixel data elements representing the images of the data corresponding to said network application; and

a first circuit receiving said plurality of pixel data elements and said display signal portion, said first circuit generating an overlaid image of said image encoded in said television signal, said first circuit causing said overlaid image to be displayed on said display screen,

wherein the display of images representing data corresponding to said network application enables said user to access said network application.

7. The display circuit of claim 6, wherein said first circuit comprises:

a multiplexor selecting either said image encoded in said television signal or one of said plurality of pixel data elements on a point by basis; and

display interface receiving the output of said multiplexor and generating a display on said display screen based on the selection of said multiplexor.

8. The display circuit of claim 7, wherein said first circuit further comprises an on screen display (OSD) controller circuit coupled to said memory controller, said OSD controller circuit storing said plurality of pixel data elements in said memory module by interfacing with said memory controller.

9. The display circuit of claim 8, further comprising a sync extractor receiving said television signal and extracting synchronization signals from said television signal, said sync extractor forwarding said synchronization signals to said OSD controller circuit which uses said synchronization signals to ensure that a pixel data element received by said multiplexor at each time point corresponds to a same point on said display screen as the point on said image encoded in said television signal.

10. The display circuit of claim 9, wherein said display screen supports scanning in an interlaced format and said image in said television signal is also encoded in interlaced format, and wherein said OSD controller circuit first filters said image representing data of said network application to generate a filtered image, said OSD controller circuit generating an interlaced image of said filtered image, and then generating said overlaid image based on said interlaced image of said filtered image and said image encoded in television signal.

11. A display circuit used in a television system, said display circuit enabling the display of data corresponding to a network application accessible from said television system, said display circuit further enabling the display of a television image encoded in a television signal, said display circuit comprising:

a memory storing a plurality of display entities including data representing said network application and said television image, each of said display entities being stored as a plurality of pixel data elements;

a plurality of datapath circuits, each of said plurality of datapath circuits being designed to process said plurality of pixel data elements corresponding to one of said plurality of display entities, each datapath generating a pixel data element of a corresponding display entity, all the pixel data elements generated by said plurality of datapath circuits being related to the same point on a display screen contained in said television system;

a multiplexor circuit receiving said pixel data elements generated by said plurality of datapath circuits and selecting one of said received pixel data elements; and

a display panel interface generating display on said display screen contained in said television system, said display being based on the pixel data element selected by said multiplexor circuit,

whereby an overlaid image of said network application data and said television image can be generated on said display screen.

12. The display circuit of claim 11, wherein said plurality of display entities further contain a pointer and a text data.

13. The display circuit of claim 12, wherein said memory comprises a random access memory (RAM).