Internet television device capable of selecting hot spots by the use operation buttons

• US 6,772,394 B1
• Filed: 09/18/1997
• Issued: 08/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Access Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Access Company Limited
• Inventors: Kamada, Tomihisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUYNH, CONG LAC T
• Application Number:
  US08/932,459
• Time in Patent Office: 2,511 Days
• Field of Search: 707/513, 707/501, 707/501.1, 709/217, 709/219, 709/225, 709/229, 345/357, 345/327, 345/740, 345/718
• US Class Current: 715/210
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0231 Cordless keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0238 Programmable keyboards key guide holders G06F3/0224
• 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 21/42213 for facilitating data entry
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• 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 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An Internet television device having a capability of connecting to the Internet. An HTML document received from a WEB server includes a definition of assigning operation buttons of a remote controller to hot spots, the definition containing button identifiers indicative of the operation buttons. An Internet television device interprets the received HTML document to develop an image on an image memory. During this interpretation, the button identifiers of operation buttons of the remote controller are recognized so as to create a button assignment table which correlates the recognized button identifiers with hot spots corresponding to anchor tags in the HTML document. The HTML document also includes display information as to which button is assigned to each hot spot. When a user presses an operation button corresponding to a desired hot spot on the display screen, the Internet television device recognizes which hot spot has been designated by referring to the button assignment table and then selects the hot spot. Thus, it is possible to select a desired hot spot on a WEB browser screen in such a manner as in the channel selection of the TV set.

Claims

1. A method for selecting, with operation buttons, hot spots on a browser display screen in an Internet television device, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a markup language document from a WEB server;

recognizing button identifiers of operation buttons, said button identifiers being set in the received markup language document in one-to-one correspondence with selected ones of anchor tags existing in the markup language document, wherein said button identifiers are set inside said selected ones of anchor tags;

creating, for each received markup language document, a button assignment table which correlates said recognized button identifiers with hot spots corresponding to said anchor tags to which said button identifiers are assigned;

referring to said button assignment table, based on an operation button operated by a user, to determine which hot spot in the markup language document is indicated; and

selecting the thus determined hot spot.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the markup language document provided at the side of the WEB server includes a statement put in each of said selected ones of anchor tags, said statement specifying the button identifier of each operation button so as to be recognized by said Internet television device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the markup language document provided at the side of the WEB server includes display information added in the markup language document in association with each hot spot corresponding to each of said anchor tags to which said button identifiers are assigned, said display information indicating which operation button has been assigned to said each hot spot so as to be recognized by a user of said Internet television device.

4. An Internet television device capable of connecting to the Internet, comprising:

a connector for connecting to a WEB server on the Internet;

storage for storing a markup language document received from said WEB server;

an interpreter for interpreting said markup language document to develop an image on an image memory;

a display for displaying the developed image thereon;

a wireless remote controller for remotely controlling said Internet television device;

means for recognizing button identifiers of operation buttons, said button identifiers being set in the received markup language document in one-to-one correspondence with selected ones of anchor tags existing in the markup language document, wherein said button identifiers are set inside said selected ones anchor tags, and for creating, for each markup language document, a button assignment table which correlates said recognized button identifiers with hot spots corresponding to said anchor tags to which said button identifiers are assigned; and

a controller for referring to said button assignment table, based on an operation button operated by a user, to determine which hot spot in the markup language document is indicated and for selecting the thus determined hot spot.

5. The Internet television device according to claim 4, further comprising a selector for selecting any one of the hot spots in said markup language document by use of a cursor movement key and a selection key.

6. An external device connected to a television set to provide said television with a capability of connecting to the internet, comprising:

a connector for connecting to a WEB server on the Internet;

storage for storing a markup language document received from said WEB server;

an interpreter for interpreting said markup language document to develop an image on an image memory;

a forwarder for forwarding said image to said television set;

a wireless remote controller for remotely controlling said external device;

a recognizer for recognizing button identifiers of operation buttons, said button identifiers being set in the received markup language document in one-to-one correspondence with selected ones of anchor tags existing in the markup language document, wherein said button identifiers are set inside said selected ones of anchor tags, and for creating, for each received markup language document, a button assignment table which correlates said recognized button identifiers with hot spots corresponding to said anchor tags to which said button identifiers are assigned; and

a controller for referring to said button assignment table, based on an operation button operated by a user, to determine which hot spot in the markup language document is indicated and for selecting the thus determined hot spot.

7. The external device according to claim 6, wherein said remote controller is also used as a remote controller for said television set.

8. The external device according to claim 6, further comprising a selector for selecting any one of the hot spots in said markup language document by use of a cursor movement key and a selection key.

9. A method for assigning operation buttons to hot spots displayed on a browser display screen, comprising the steps of:

reading out a markup language document;

recognizing button identifiers being set in the read out markup language document in one-to-one correspondence with selected ones of anchor tags existing in the markup language document, wherein said button identifiers are set inside said selected ones of anchor tags;

creating, for each read-out markup language document, a button assignment table which correlates said recognized button identifiers with hot spots corresponding to said anchor tags to which said button identifiers are assigned;

referring to said button assignment table, based on an operation button operated by a user, to determine which hot spot in the markup language document is indicated; and

selecting the thus determined hot spot.

10. A recording medium which has stored a computer program for realizing a method for selecting, with operation buttons, hot spots on a browser display screen in an Internet television device, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a markup language document from a WEB server;

recognizing button identifiers of operation buttons, said button identifiers being set in the received markup language document in one-to-one correspondence with selected ones of anchor tags existing in the markup language document, wherein said button identifiers are set inside said selected ones of anchor tags;

creating, for each read out markup language document, a button assignment table which correlates said recognized button identifiers with hot spots corresponding to said anchor tags to which said button identifiers are assigned;

referring to said button assignment table, based on an operation button operated by a user, to determine which hot spot in the markup language document is indicated; and

selecting the thus determined hot spot.

11. A recording medium which has stored a computer program for realizing a method for assigning operation buttons to hot spots displayed on a browser display screen, said method comprising the steps of:

reading out a markup language document;

recognizing button identifiers being set in the read out markup language document in one-to-one correspondence with selected ones of anchor tags existing in the markup language document, wherein said button identifiers are set inside said selected ones of anchor tags;

creating for each read out markup language document, a button assignment table which correlates said recognized button identifiers with hot spots corresponding to said anchor tags to which said button identifiers are assigned;

referring to said button assignment table, based on an operation button operated by a user, to determine which hot spot in the markup language document is indicated; and

selecting the thus determined hot spot.

12. An Internet device capable of connecting to the Internet, comprising:

a connector for connecting to a WEB server on the Internet;

storage for storing a markup language document received from said WEB server;

an interpreter for interpreting said markup language document to develop an image on an image memory;

a display for displaying the developed image thereon;

a recognizer for recognizing button identifiers of operation buttons, said button identifiers being set in the received markup language document in one-to-one correspondence with selected ones of anchor tags existing in the markup language document, wherein said button identifiers are set inside said selected ones of anchor tags, and for creating, for each markup language document, a button assignment table which correlates said recognized button identifiers with hot spots corresponding to said anchor tags to which said button identifiers are assigned; and

a controller for referring to said button assignment table, based on an operation button operated by a user, to determine which hot spot in the markup language document is indicated and for selecting the thus determined hot spot.

13. The Internet device according to claim 12, further comprising a selector for selecting any one of the hot spots in said markup language document by use of a cursor movement key and a selection key.