Displayed complementary content sources in a web-based TV system

• US 6,757,707 B1
• Filed: 02/01/2000
• Issued: 06/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oath Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: America Online Inc. (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cooper, Robert M., Houghton, William, Kirsh, Laurence, Escobar, George D., Silva, Carlos
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M.
• Application Number:
  US09/495,333
• Time in Patent Office: 1,610 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/201, 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/220, 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709/227, 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• 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 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• 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 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• 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

Featured Tuning includes a computer-implemented method of displaying related sources of viewing content. The method includes receiving a user input specifying a URL address corresponding to a web page, determining a corresponding television channel and displaying the corresponding television channel.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of displaying related sources of viewing content, the method comprising:

receiving a user input specifying a URL address corresponding to a web page;

browsing the Internet based on the URL to identify content relevant to the URL;

displaying the identified content;

determining a corresponding television channel; and

displaying the corresponding television channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the user input specifying the URL address further comprises executing a Java script function to specify the URL address.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein specifying the URL address comprises the user specifying the URL address.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a corresponding television channel comprises:

comparing the URL address to a list of television channels comprising at least a primary related television channel; and

selecting for display the primary related television channel.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining a corresponding television channel further comprises:

selecting for display a secondary related television channel if the primary related television channel is not available and the secondary related television channel is available.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining a corresponding related source of viewing content further comprises selecting for display a generic page if neither the primary related television channel nor the secondary related television channel are available.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising calling a second URL address if neither the primary related television channel nor the secondary related television channel are available.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising executing a Java script function if neither the primary related television channel nor the secondary related television channel are available.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising selecting for display a text/graphics template if neither the primary related television channel nor the secondary related television channel are available.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising selecting for execution a HTML code based on the text/graphics template selected.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising selecting for execution a Java script code based on the text/graphics template selected.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising selecting for display an advertisement based on the text/graphics template selected.

13. The method of claim 4, further comprising selecting for display a text/graphics template based on the corresponding selected television channel.

14. The method of claim 4, further comprising selecting for execution an HTML code based on the corresponding selected television channel.

15. The method of claim 4, further comprising selecting for execution a Java script code based on the corresponding selected television channel.

16. The method of claim 4, further comprising selecting for display an advertisement hot spot based on the corresponding selected television channel.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user input specifying a user-selected television channel having content different from the corresponding television channel; and

displaying the user-selected television channel in place of the corresponding television channel and concurrently displaying the identified content relevant to the URL.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving a user input specifying the first URL address corresponding to a web page and displaying the television channel corresponding to the first URL address.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising selecting for display on the video display an object relating to the displayed television channel.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein selecting the object for display comprises comparing the displayed television channel with a mapping of objects and selecting a primary related object corresponding to the displayed television channel.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the primary related object comprises a generic page or a generic object.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein selecting the related object comprises calling a second URL address.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein selecting the related object comprises executing a Java script function.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a corresponding television channel comprises:

performing a channel availability channel availability scan to create a list of channels available from the television provider;

performing a subscription status scan from the list of channels available to create a list of subscribed channels;

comparing the URL address to the list of subscribed channels;

selecting for display a primary related television channel if the primary related television channel is on the list of subscribed channels; and

selecting for display a secondary related television channel if the primary related television channel is not on the list of subscribed channels and the secondary related television channel is on the list of subscribed channels.

25. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving the identified content from a source other than a broadcast signal.

26. A system for displaying at least two sources of viewing content, the system comprising a set top box including instructions stored within the set top box for:

receiving a user input specifying a URL address corresponding to a web page;

browsing the Internet based on the URL to identify content relevant to the URL;

displaying the identified content;

determining a corresponding television channel; and

displaying the corresponding television channel.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the instructions for receiving the user input specifying the URL address further comprise a Java script function configured to be executable to specify the URL address.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the instructions for receiving the user input specifying the URL address comprise instructions for permitting the user to specify the URL address.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the instructions for determining a corresponding television channel comprise:

instructions for comparing the URL address to a list of television channels comprising at least a primary related television channel; and

instructions for selecting for display the primary related television channel.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the instructions for determining a corresponding television channel further comprise:

instructions for selecting for display a secondary related television channel if the primary related television channel is not available and the secondary related television channel is available.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the instructions for determining a corresponding channel further comprise instructions for selecting for display a generic page if neither the primary related television channel nor the secondary related television channel are available.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the instructions for determining a corresponding channel further comprise instructions for calling a second URL address if neither the primary related television channel nor the secondary related television channel are available.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the instructions for determining a corresponding channel further comprise instructions for executing a Java script function if neither the primary related television channel nor the secondary related television channel are available.

34. The system of claim 30, wherein the instructions for determining a corresponding channel further comprise instructions for selecting for display a text/graphics template if neither the primary related television channel nor the secondary related television channel are available.

35. The system of claim 34, further comprising instructions for selecting for execution a HTML code based on the text/graphics template selected.

36. The system of claim 34, further comprising instructions for selecting for execution a Java script code based on the text/graphics template selected.

37. The system of claim 34, further comprising instructions for selecting for display an advertisement based on the text/graphics template selected.

38. The system of claim 29, wherein the instructions for determining a corresponding channel further comprise instructions for selecting for display a text/graphics template based on the corresponding selected television channel.

39. The system of claim 29, wherein the instructions for determining a corresponding channel further comprise instructions for selecting for execution an HTML code based on the corresponding selected television channel.

40. The system of claim 29, wherein the instructions for determining a corresponding channel further comprise instructions for selecting for execution a Java script code based on the corresponding selected television channel.

41. The system of claim 29, wherein the instructions for determining a corresponding channel further comprise instructions for selecting for display an advertisement hot spot based on the corresponding selected television channel.

42. The system of claim 26, further comprising:

instructions for receiving a user input specifying a user-selected television channel having content different from the corresponding television channel; and

instructions for displaying the user-selected television channel in place of the corresponding television channel and concurrently displaying the identified content relevant to the URL.

43. The system of claim 42, further comprising:

instructions for receiving a user input specifying the first URL address corresponding to a web page, wherein the instructions for determining a corresponding television channel and the instructions for displaying the corresponding television channel cause the display of the television channel corresponding to the first URL address.

44. The system of claim 26, further comprising instructions for selecting for display on the video display an object relating to the displayed television channel.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the instructions for selecting the object for display comprise instructions for comparing the displayed television channel with a mapping of objects and instructions for selecting a primary related object corresponding to the displayed television channel.

46. The system of claim 45, wherein the primary related object comprises a generic page or a generic object.

47. The system of claim 45, wherein the instructions for selecting the related object comprise instructions for calling a second URL address.

48. The system of claim 45, wherein the instructions for selecting the related object comprise instructions for executing a Java script function.

49. The system of claim 26, wherein the instructions for determining a corresponding television channel comprise:

instructions for performing a channel availability channel availability scan to create a list of channels available from the television provider;

instructions for performing a subscription status scan from the list of channels available to create a list of subscribed channels;

instructions for comparing the URL address to the list of subscribed channels;

instructions for selecting for display a primary related television channel if the primary related television channel is on the list of subscribed channels; and

instructions for selecting for display a secondary related television channel if the primary related television channel is not on the list of subscribed channels and the secondary related television channel is on the list of subscribed channels.

50. The system of claim 26 further comprising instructions for receiving the identified content from a source other than a broadcast signal.

51. Computer software, stored in a computer-readable medium, for providing featured tuning featured tuning between a URL address and a feature tuned feature tuned channel, the software comprising instructions for causing a computer system to perform the following operations:

receive a user input specifying a URL address corresponding to a web page;

browse the Internet based on the URL to identify content relevant to the URL;

display the identified content;

determine a corresponding television channel; and

display the corresponding television channel.

52. The computer software of claim 51, wherein the instructions for receiving the user input specifying the URL address further comprise a Java script function configured to be executable to specify the URL address.

53. The computer software of claim 51, wherein the instructions for receiving the user input specifying the URL address comprise the user specifying the URL address.

54. The computer software of claim 51, wherein the instructions for determining a corresponding television channel comprise:

instructions for comparing the URL address to a list of television channels comprising at least a primary related television channel; and

instructions for selecting for display the primary related television channel.

55. The computer software of claim 54, wherein the instructions for determining a corresponding television channel further comprise:

instructions for selecting for display a secondary related television channel if the primary related television channel is not available and the secondary related television channel is available.

56. The computer software of claim 55, wherein the instructions for determining a corresponding channel further comprise instructions for selecting for display a generic page if neither the primary related television channel nor the secondary related television channel are available.

57. The computer software of claim 55, wherein the instructions for determining a corresponding channel further comprise instructions for calling a second URL address if neither the primary related television channel nor the secondary related television channel are available.

58. The computer software of claim 55, wherein the instructions for determining a corresponding channel further comprise instructions for executing a Java script function if neither the primary related television channel nor the secondary related television channel are available.

59. The computer software of claim 55, wherein the instructions for determining a corresponding channel further comprise instructions for selecting for display a text/graphics template if neither the primary related television channel nor the secondary related television channel are available.

60. The computer software of claim 59, further comprising instructions for selecting for execution a HTML code based on the text/graphics template selected.

61. The computer software of claim 59, further comprising instructions for selecting for execution a Java script code based on the text/graphics template selected.

62. The computer software of claim 59, further comprising instructions for selecting for display an advertisement based on the text/graphics template selected.

63. The computer software of claim 54, wherein the instructions for determining a corresponding channel further comprise instructions for selecting for display a text/graphics template based on the corresponding selected television channel.

64. The computer software of claim 54, wherein the instructions for determining a corresponding channel further comprise instructions for selecting for execution an HTML code based on the corresponding selected television channel.

65. The computer software of claim 54, wherein the instructions for determining a corresponding channel further comprise instructions for selecting for execution a Java script code based on the corresponding selected television channel.

66. The computer software of claim 54, wherein the instructions for determining a corresponding channel further comprise instructions for selecting for display an advertisement hot spot based on the corresponding selected television channel.

67. The computer software of claim 51, further comprising:

instructions for receiving a user input specifying a user-selected television channel having content different from the corresponding television channel; and

instructions for displaying the user-selected television channel in place of the corresponding television channel and concurrently displaying the identified content relevant to the URL.

68. The computer software of claim 67, further comprising:

instructions for receiving a user input specifying the first URL address corresponding to a web page, wherein the instructions for determining a corresponding television channel and the instructions for displaying the corresponding television channel cause the display of the television channel corresponding to the first URL address.

69. The computer software of claim 51, further comprising instructions for selecting for display on the video display an object relating to the displayed television channel.

70. The computer software of claim 69, wherein the instructions for selecting the object for display comprise instructions for comparing the displayed television channel with a mapping of objects and instructions for selecting a primary related object corresponding to the displayed television channel.

71. The computer software of claim 69, wherein the primary related object comprises a generic page or a generic object.

72. The computer software of claim 69, wherein the instructions for selecting the related object comprise instructions for calling a second URL address.

73. The computer software of claim 69, wherein the instructions for selecting the related object comprise instructions for executing a Java script function.

74. The computer software of claim 51, wherein the instructions for determining a corresponding television channel comprise:

instructions for performing a channel availability channel availability scan to create a list of channels available from the television provider;

instructions for performing a subscription status scan from the list of channels available to create a list of subscribed channels;

instructions for comparing the URL address to the list of subscribed channels;

instructions for selecting for display a primary related television channel if the primary related television channel is on the list of subscribed channels; and

instructions for selecting for display a secondary related television channel if the primary related television channel is not on the list of subscribed channels and the secondary related television channel is on the list of subscribed channels.

75. The computer software of claim 51 further comprising instructions for causing a computer system to receive the identified content from a source other than a broadcast signal.

76. A computer-implemented method of displaying related sources of viewing content, the method comprising:

receiving a user input specifying a URL address corresponding to a web page;

browsing the Internet based on the URL to identify content relevant to the URL;

displaying the identified content;

determining a corresponding television channel including television content relevant to but different from the identified content;

displaying the corresponding television channel;

receiving a user input specifying a user-selected television channel having television content different from and unrelated to the corresponding television channel; and

displaying the user-selected television channel in place of the corresponding television channel and concurrently displaying the identified content relevant to the URL.

77. The method of claim 76 further comprising receiving the identified content from a source other than a broadcast signal.