System and method for web based enhanced interactive television content page layout

• US 6,760,043 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2001
• Issued: 07/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OpenTV, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Original Assignee: Intellocity USA, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Inventors: Markel, Steven O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Application Number:
  US09/935,492
• Publication Number:
  US 20020087986A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 345/717, 345/760, 345/764, 345/719, 345/723, 345/726, 345/716, 345/731, 345/732, 345/730, 345/762, 345/763, 345/765, 715/512, 715/513, 715/500.1, 715/501.1, 715/517, 715/526, 715/530, 715/901, 717/110, 717/113, 717/120, 717/121, 717/101, 717/136, 717/138, 725/37, 725/105, 725/109, 725/110, 725/112, 725/135, 725/139, 725/141, 725/151, 725/153
• US Class Current: 715/717
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2355 involving reformatting operations of additional data, e.g. HTML pages optimising the visualization of content for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/9577; tracking of instant messages H04L51/234; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• 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 21/4622 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 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6377 directed to server one-way streaming services wherein the source is controlled by the destination H04L65/613
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/643 Communication protocols network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP], H04L65/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 Transmission by the client directed to the server
• 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 21/854 Content authoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8545 for generating interactive applications
• 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 7/088 the inserted signal being digital
• 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system and method for creating a platform independent enhancement file for television employs a web based editor with local functions for repositioning and sizing of displayable elements. Elements comprise text, graphics, images, or imported HTML files. Trigger information associated with elements controls the time and actions performed when rendering the displayable elements. A database comprises data representing elements, element attributes, trigger information and project information. A file generation process queries the database and produces a platform independent XML compatible script file. The script file may be parsed and the resultant HTML/Javascript file may be previewed employing a web browser. The script file may be parsed with other tools to provide HTML files for specific platforms without modification of the script file.

Claims

1. A method of creating a television presentation enhancement comprising:

accessing a browser based authoring package through an administration screen;

establishing project information for said enhancement;

defining a window in a graphical user interface contained in a browser;

placing a displayable element at a position in said window;

defining a time when said displayable element may be rendered;

employing a database to store information describing said displayable element, and said time;

creating a platform independent television enhancement file containing information related to said displayable element, and said time;

parsing said platform independent television enhancement file to produce an HTML file for a specific television platform; and

viewing said HTML file.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said step placing a displayable element further comprises:

employing a software routine, downloaded to said web browser, to locally alter the position of said element in response to input from a pointing device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said element comprises an imported HTML file.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said step placing a displayable element further comprises:

employing a software routine, downloaded to said web browser, to locally alter the size of said element in response to input from a pointing device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of placing a displayable element further comprises:

defining a z order for said element.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of placing a displayable element further comprises:

associating a link with said displayable element.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said platform independent television enhancement file is an XML file.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of parsing further comprises:

applying an XSL transformation to an XML file.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of parsing further comprises:

writing Javascript in said HTML file.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

emulating said enhancement in said browser window prior to saving said enhancement file.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

employing a change attribute function to alter an attribute of a previously defined element.

35. The method of claim 1 wherein said project information comprises a client name.

36. The method of claim 1 wherein said project information comprises an identifier of a video file.

37. The method of claim 1 wherein said project information comprises a file to which said enhancement may be published.

12. A method for creating a television presentation enhancement comprising:

selecting a video image for enhancement;

defining a window in a graphical user interface contained in a web browser;

displaying a video window in said window in said graphical user interface;

placing a displayable element at a position in said window in said graphical user interface;

defining a time when said displayable element may be rendered;

employing a database to store information describing said video image, said displayable element, and said time;

creating a platform independent television enhancement file containing information related to said video image, said displayable element, and said time; and

parsing said platform independent television enhancement file to produce an HTML file for a specific television platform.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

displaying said HTML file in a web browser containing said video window.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

saving said HTML file to said database.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein said step of parsing further comprises:

applying an XSL transformation to said television enhancement file to produce a television platform specific file.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein said platform independent television enhancement file is an XML file.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein said step placing a displayable element further comprises:

employing a software routine, downloaded to said web browser, to locally alter the position of said element in response to input from a pointing device.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein said displayable element comprises an imported HTML file.

19. The method of claim 12 wherein said step placing a displayable element further comprises:

employing a software routine, downloaded to said web browser, to locally alter the size of said element in response to input from a pointing device.

20. The method of claim 12 wherein said step of placing a displayable element further comprises:

defining a z order for said element.

21. The method of claim 12 wherein said step of placing a displayable element further comprises:

associating a link with said displayable element.

22. The method of claim 12 wherein said step of parsing further comprises:

writing Javascript in said HTML file.

23. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

emulating said enhancement in said browser window prior to saving said enhancement file.

24. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

employing a change attribute function to alter an attribute of a previously defined element.

25. A system for creating television enhancements comprising:

a project interface that contains project information for said enhancements;

a graphical user interface implemented in a browser environment;

a rectangular area defined in said browser environment;

a user interface that places a displayable element in said rectangular area;

a user interface that specifies a time at which said displayable element may be rendered;

a database that stores information associated with said displayable element and information associated with said time;

a user interface that allows an attribute of said displayable element to be changed at a specified time;

a pointing device;

a user interface that initiates generation of an XML file containing tags for said information associated with said displayable element and said information associated with said time; and

a parsing program that produces an output file for a specific television platform.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein said user interface further comprises:

a drag and drop function implemented locally in said browser environment that allows said displayable element to be positioned in response to signals from said pointing device.

27. The system of claim 25 wherein said user interface for placing a displayable element further comprises:

a resize function implemented locally in said browser environment that allows said displayable element to be altered in size in response to signals from said pointing device.

28. The system of claim 25 further comprising:

a user interface for that applies an XSL translation to said XML file to produce an HTML file for a specific television platform.

29. The system of claim 26 further comprising:

an emulation function operable to display said HTML file and a television image in said browser prior to saving said HTML file.

30. A television enhancement file embodied in a machine readable medium generated by the steps of:

employing a browser accessed graphical user interface to position a displayable element in a position relative to a television image area in a browser window;

specifying a time at which said displayable element may be rendered;

storing information associated with said displayable element, said information associated with said position, and said time in a database;

generating an XML file using said information stored in said database; and

applying an XSL translation to said XML file to produce a television platform specific file.

31. The television enhancement file of claim 30 further comprising the step:

specifying a z order for said element.

32. The television enhancement file of claim 30 wherein said user interface further comprises:

a drag and drop function implemented locally in said browser environment that allows said displayable element to be positioned in response to signals from a pointing device.

33. The television enhancement file of claim 30 wherein said user interface further comprises:

a resize function implemented locally in said browser environment that allows said displayable element to be altered in size in response to signals from a pointing device.

34. A web based television enhancement authoring program, embodied in a machine readable medium that operates in a web browser comprising:

an administration screen providing user access;

a projects screen containing project information;

a database screen providing storage and retrieval of enhancement projects;

a layout screen that provides selection, placement, and resizing of displayable elements, that provides changing of an attribute associated with a displayable element, and that includes a drag and drop function and a resizing function implemented locally in said web browser;

a triggers screen that synchronizes rendering of an enhancement with an event;

an emulation screen that provides display of said enhancement and a video image in said browser window prior to saving said enhancement; and

a parsing module that parses a platform independent enhancement file to produce an enhancement file for a specific television platform.