Interactive special events video signal navigation system

• US 6,342,926 B1
• Filed: 06/11/1999
• Issued: 01/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Marshall, Connie T., Emmert, Timothy S., Hanafee, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael
• Application Number:
  US09/330,729
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.700, H04/N 1.100, H04/N.5445, 348/460, 348/461, 348/468, 348/474, 348/552, 348/473, 348/570, 348/906, 348/563, 348/569, 725/39, 725/40, 725/43, 725/61
• US Class Current: 348/563
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• 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 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• 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 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• 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 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• 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 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 : Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17345 : Control of the passage of the selected programme
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17363 : at or near the user terminal

Abstract

A system interactively controlled by a TV viewer remote control transmitter displays current or future programming information superimposed over the normal programming displayed on any channel accessible to the viewer'"'"'s display screen. Identification signal data are accessed and generated by the computer for durations defined in the identification signal data either automatically or in response to the TV viewer remote. Information signal data are accessed and generated by the computer in response to the TV viewer remote. A signal combiner superimposes the identification signal or the information signal over the viewer usable signal of any selected channel from the tuner. The identification signal may include data defining an icon or textual matter alerting a viewer to the availability of information data.

Claims

1. A method for accessing a broadcast information signal while an associated broadcast identification signal is displayed on a television display as an overlay over other broadcast video signals, the broadcast information signal comprising computer program data, the method comprising:

receiving a user input signal from a user input device; and

executing the computer program data when said user input signal is received from said user input device while the broadcast identification signal is displayed on the television display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises displaying the broadcast identification signal on the television display for a given time period during which said user input signal may be received from said user input device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises transmitting the broadcast identification signal in the form of a prompt that is part of normal programming.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

automatically generating a prompt from the broadcast identification signal; and

displaying said prompt on the television display, and

wherein said step of executing the computer program data executes the computer program data when said user input signal is received from said user input device while said prompt is displayed on the television display.

5. A method for accessing a broadcast information signal while a broadcast identification signal is displayed on a television display as an overlay over other broadcast video signals, the broadcast information signal comprising program initiation data for initiating execution of computer program data, the method comprising:

receiving a user input signal from a user input device; and

executing the computer program data as directed by the program initiation data when said user input signal is received from said user input device while the broadcast identification signal is displayed on the television display.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises displaying the broadcast identification signal on the television display for a given time period during which said user input signal may be received from said user input device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises transmitting the broadcast identification signal in the form of a prompt that is part of normal programming.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises:

automatically generating a prompt from the broadcast identification signal; and

displaying said prompt on the television display, and

wherein said step of executing the computer program data executes the computer program data as directed by the program initiation data when said user input signal is received from said user input device while said prompt is displayed on the television display.

9. A method for accessing a broadcast information signal while a broadcast identification signal is displayed on a television display as an overlay over other broadcast video signals, the broadcast information signal comprising television program information, the method comprising:

receiving a user input signal from a user input device; and

displaying the television program information when said user input signal is received from said user input device while the broadcast identification signal is displayed on the television display.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises displaying the broadcast identification signal on the television display for a given time period during which said user input signal may be received from said user input device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises transmitting the broadcast identification signal in the form of a prompt that is part of normal programming.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

automatically generating a prompt from the broadcast identification signal; and

displaying said prompt on the television display, and

wherein said step of displaying the television program information displays the television program information when said user input signal is received from said user input device while said prompt is displayed on the television display.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein said step of displaying the television program information further comprises displaying information that indicates whether the television program information corresponds to a current event or a future event.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein said step of displaying the television program information further comprises displaying a message asking whether taping of a television program is desired.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein said step of displaying the television program information further comprises displaying a message asking whether ordering of a television program is desired.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein said step of displaying the television program information further comprises displaying a cost for a television program.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein said step of displaying the television program information further comprises displaying a message requesting authorization to order a television program.

18. An apparatus that is controlled by a user input device for accessing a broadcast information signal while an associated broadcast identification signal is displayed on a television display as an overlay over other broadcast video signals, the broadcast information signal comprising computer program data, the broadcast information signal and the broadcast identification signal being transmitted to the apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a processor that;

receives a user input signal from the user input device; and

executes the computer program data when said user input signal is received from the user input device while the broadcast identification signal is displayed on the television display.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said processor only receives said user input signal from the user input device while the broadcast identification signal is displayed on the television display during a given time period.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said processor only executes the computer program data when said user input signal is received from the user input device while the broadcast identification signal is displayed on the television display in the form of a prompt that is part of normal programming.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said processor also automatically generates a prompt from the broadcast identification signal for display on the television display.

22. An apparatus that is controlled by a user input device for accessing a broadcast information signal while an associated broadcast identification signal is displayed on a television display as an overlay over other broadcast video signals, the broadcast information signal comprising program initiation data for initiating execution of computer program data, the broadcast information signal and the broadcast identification signal being transmitted to the apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a processor that;

receives a user input signal from the user input device; and

executes the computer program data as directed by the program initiation data when said user input signal is received from the user input device while the broadcast identification signal is displayed on the television display.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said processor only receives said user input signal from the user input device while the broadcast identification signal is displayed on the television display during a given time period.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said processor only executes the computer program data as directed by the program initiation data when said user input signal is received from the user input device while the broadcast identification signal is displayed on the television display in the form of a prompt that is part of normal programming.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said processor also automatically generates a prompt from the broadcast identification signal for display on the television display.

26. An apparatus that is controlled by a user input device for accessing a broadcast information signal while an associated broadcast identification signal is displayed on a television display as an overlay over other broadcast video signals, the broadcast information signal comprising television program information, the broadcast information signal and the broadcast identification signal being transmitted to the apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a processor that;

receives a user input signal from the user input device; and

displays the television program information when said user input signal is received from the user input device while the broadcast identification signal is displayed on the television display.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said processor only receives said user input signal from the user input device while the broadcast identification signal is displayed on the television display during a given time period.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said processor only displays the television program information when said user input signal is received from the user input device while the broadcast identification signal is displayed on the television display in the form of a prompt that is part of normal programming.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said processor also automatically generates a prompt from the broadcast identification signal for display on the television display.

30. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the television program information displayed by said processor includes information indicating whether the television program information corresponds to a current event or a future event.

31. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the television program information displayed by said processor includes a message asking whether taping of a television program is desired.

32. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the television program information displayed by said processor includes a message asking whether ordering of a television program is desired.

33. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the television program information displayed by said processor includes a cost for a television program.

34. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the television program information displayed by said processor includes a message requesting authorization to order a television program.