Automated retirement of interactive applications using retirement instructions for events and program states
First Claim
1. A method for retiring interactive applications associated with television broadcast programs by a broadcast receiver coupled to a display, the method comprising:
- receiving by the broadcast receiver an interactive application which is associated with a television program, and which includes a plurality of retirement instructions for retiring the interactive application in response to combinations of external events and internal program states;
executing the interactive application by the broadcast receiver while concurrently displaying the television program;
detecting an external event by the broadcast receiver indicating that the execution of the interactive application is no longer appropriate for the television program being displayed;
detecting an internal program state of the interactive application, wherein the internal program state includes at least one of;
a protected section state of an output of the executed interactive application and an unprotected section state of the output of the executed interactive application;
retiring the interactive application by the broadcast receiver according to the retirement instructions associated with the detected external event and the internal program state of the interactive application;
detecting that a second broadcast receiver installed upstream from the broadcast receiver controlling the interactive application has performed a channel change; and
retiring the interactive application according to stored retirement instructions associated with said second broadcast receiver upstream channel change and the internal program state of the interactive application.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus facilitate the retirement of interactive applications in a manner associated with an external event and a program state of the interactive application. A broadcaster transmits an interactive application that includes a plurality of retirement instructions associated with external events and internal program states of the interactive application. A broadcast receiver receives an interactive application, stores the included retirement instructions, and executes the interactive application concurrently with the display of an associated television program. The broadcast receiver monitors the broadcast signal for events indicating that the executing interactive application is no longer appropriate for the current television program. Upon detection of such an event, the broadcast receiver retrieves the stored instructions, and retires the interactive application in a manner appropriate for both the detected external event and the internal program state of the interactive application, according to the stored instructions.
90 Citations
28 Claims
-
1. A method for retiring interactive applications associated with television broadcast programs by a broadcast receiver coupled to a display, the method comprising:
-
receiving by the broadcast receiver an interactive application which is associated with a television program, and which includes a plurality of retirement instructions for retiring the interactive application in response to combinations of external events and internal program states; executing the interactive application by the broadcast receiver while concurrently displaying the television program; detecting an external event by the broadcast receiver indicating that the execution of the interactive application is no longer appropriate for the television program being displayed; detecting an internal program state of the interactive application, wherein the internal program state includes at least one of;
a protected section state of an output of the executed interactive application and an unprotected section state of the output of the executed interactive application;retiring the interactive application by the broadcast receiver according to the retirement instructions associated with the detected external event and the internal program state of the interactive application; detecting that a second broadcast receiver installed upstream from the broadcast receiver controlling the interactive application has performed a channel change; and retiring the interactive application according to stored retirement instructions associated with said second broadcast receiver upstream channel change and the internal program state of the interactive application. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
-
-
15. A computer program product for retiring interactive applications associated with television broadcast programs by a broadcast receiver coupled to a display, the computer program product comprising:
-
program code for receiving by the broadcast receiver an interactive application which is associated with a television program, and which includes a plurality of retirement instructions for retiring the interactive application in response to combinations of external events and internal program states; program code for executing the interactive application by the broadcast receiver while concurrently displaying the television program; program code for detecting an external event or condition by the broadcast receiver indicating that the execution of the interactive application is no longer appropriate for the television program being displayed; program code for detecting an internal program state of the interactive application, wherein the internal program state includes at least one of;
a protected section state of an output of the executed interactive application and an unprotected section state of the output of the executed interactive application;program code for retiring the interactive application by the broadcast receiver according to the retirement instructions associated with the detected external event and the internal program state of the interactive application; a computer readable medium on which the program codes are stored; program code for detecting that a second broadcast receiver installed upstream from the broadcast receiver controlling the interactive application has performed a channel change; and program code for retiring the interactive application according to stored retirement instructions associated with said second broadcast receiver upstream channel change and the internal program state of the interactive application. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
-
Specification