Method and system for uniform resource identification and access to television services

• US 6,738,982 B1
• Filed: 05/04/2000
• Issued: 05/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Scientific-Atlanta Incorporated (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jerding, Dean F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Hai V.
• Application Number:
  US09/564,262
• Time in Patent Office: 1,475 Days
• Field of Search: 725/39, 725/44, 725/47, 725/51, 725/61, 725/86, 725/104, 725/109, 725/112, 345/760, 345/721, 709/236, 715/500.1, 715/501.1, 715/513, 713/1
• US Class Current: 725/112
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4431 characterized by the use of Application Program Interface [API] libraries
• 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 21/8586 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and system for a DHCT coupled to a display to enable a user to access functionality of a service infrastructure of an interactive television network by a middleware markup language. In one implementation, the DHCT presents a user one or more selectable link representations in a uniform resource identifier protocol that correspond to a separate services. The DHCT receives input of a selected link representation label from one of the selectable link representations for activation of one of the services corresponding to the selected link representation label. Thereafter, the DHCT translates the selected link representation label from the uniform resource identifier protocol to an executable call and activates the interactive television application for presentation to the user by the executable call.

Claims

1. A method for a communication terminal coupled to a display to enable a user to access functionality of a service infrastructure of an interactive television network by a middleware markup language, comprising the steps of:

executing an operating system in the communication terminal;

executing a service application manager (SAM) in the communication terminal, wherein the SAM handles lifecycles of applications in the communication terminal;

presenting a user with a plurality of selectable link representations associated with uniform resource identifiers that correspond to a plurality of services;

receiving user input denoting a selected link representation from one of the plurality of selectable link representations;

translating the uniform resource identifier associated with the selected link representation to an executable call; and

activating a service of the plurality of services that corresponds to the selected link representation, wherein the service consists of an application and parameters, and wherein the application abides by resource management policies of the SAM and the operating system of the communication terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of services comprises all applications, channels, and services supported by a television server device coupled to the communication terminal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the activating step includes execution of a watch TV application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the activating step further includes execution of a pay-per-view application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the activating step further includes execution of a video-on-demand application.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the activating step includes execution of a digital music application.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the activating step includes execution of one or more native applications resident in the communication terminal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each selectable link representation of the plurality of selectable link representations corresponds to a link definition that references a service of the plurality of services.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein each link definition is expressed in hypertext markup language (HTML).

10. The method of claim 8, wherein each link definition is expressed in an extensible markup language (XML).

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

presenting the plurality of selectable link representations in one of a plurality of languages chosen by the user.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

presenting the plurality of selectable link representations in one of a plurality of languages chosen by a system operator of a server device coupled to the communication terminal, wherein a language configuration is communicated to the client device for implementation in a menu.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the activating step includes activating the service identified by a short description about the service included in the link definition defining the selectable link representation.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the activating step includes activating the service identified by a service identifier of the service included in the link definition defining the selectable link representation.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the activating step includes activating a service identified by a channel number for the service included in the link definition defining the selectable link representation.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein the link definition defining the selected link representation specifies a service resource environment of the service referenced by the selected link representation.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the service activates and utilizes an entire viewable area of the display responsive to the service resource environment defining a full screen mode.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the service referenced by the selected link representation executes on top of a current channel display responsive to the service resource environment defining a full screen overlay mode.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the service referenced by the selected link representation executes on a specified portion of the display and a current channel executes in a reduced portion of the display responsive to the service resource environment defining a full screen obstructed mode.

20. The method of claim 8, wherein the service referenced by the selected link representation executes in a reduced portion of the display overlaid on a current channel that executes in the full portion of the display responsive to the service resource environment defining a reduced screen mode.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the application utilizes and implements the SAM for provisioning, activation, and suspension of services.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the application handles all situations where resources are unavailable.

23. The method of claim 1, further including the step of:

suspending the service responsive to loss of service authorization.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein prior to the suspension of the service, the service is being provided, and responsive to the lose of service authorization, the application suspends the service.

25. The method of claim 1, further including the steps of:

reserving predetermined user subscriber input keys for a second application; and

configuring the first application such that the first application cannot access the reserved predetermined user subscriber input keys.

26. A method for a communication terminal to enable a user to access functionality of a service infrastructure of an interactive television network by a middleware markup language, comprising the steps of:

presenting a user with a plurality of selectable link representations associated with uniform resource identifiers that correspond to a plurality of services;

wherein the plurality of selectable link representations are presented in one of a plurality of defined display modes based on a service authorization corresponding to each service of the plurality of services;

receiving a user input denoting a selected link representation of the plurality of selectable link representations;

translating the uniform resource identifier associated with the selected link representation to an executable call; and

activating a service responsive to receiving the user input.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the display mode for one or more of the selectable link representations is configurable by the user.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein a system operator of a server device coupled to the communication terminal configures the display mode for one or more of the selectable link representations.

29. The method of claims 26, wherein the activating step includes activating an alternative service responsive to the user not being authorized to receive a service that otherwise corresponds to the user input, responsive to an alternative service being defined for the otherwise corresponding service, and responsive to the display mode being set to an active alternative display mode.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the presenting step includes displaying one or more of the plurality of selectable link representations in a menu in a grayed-out format denoting an unactivatable status responsive to the user not being authorized to receive a service that otherwise corresponds to the user input, and responsive to the display mode being set to an inactive display mode.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein the presenting step omits from the menu one or more of the plurality of selectable link representations, responsive to the display mode being set to a hidden display mode.