Portal for a communications system

• US 7,174,512 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2001
• Issued: 02/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Madison Patent Holdings (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing SA (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Martin, Christy R., Agasse, Bernard
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Kieu D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, TING ZHOU
• Application Number:
  US09/995,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20020067376A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,896 Days
• Field of Search: 345/810, 345/825, 345/832, 345/812, 725/37, 725/39, 725/40, 725/41, 725/44, 725/45, 725/50, 725/26, 715/719, 715/781
• US Class Current: 715/719
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/47 for recognising genres
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side
• 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 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• 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 21/4622 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 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4886 for displaying a ticker, e.g. scrolling banner for news, stock exchange, weather data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8547 involving timestamps for synchronizing content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control

Abstract

A portal for a communications system that includes a remote terminal connected via a communications network to a broadcast center. The portal includes a display connected to the remote terminal for displaying an arrangement of cells, each cell including a visual object and an underlying application. A user input device enables user inputs to select one of the cells. The portal provides simple and intuitive access to the wide variety of services currently offered, and to be offered in the future, in communications systems.

Claims

1. A portal for a broadcast digital television system comprising a remote terminal connected via a communications network to a broadcast center, the portal comprising:

a display connected to the remote terminal for displaying a plurality of pages, wherein each page of the plurality of pages comprises an arrangement of cells, each cell comprising a visual object and an underlying application that is launched from behind each cell and is displayed upon user selection of each cell; and

a user input device for selecting one cell of the arrangement of cells,

wherein each page of the plurality of pages is dynamically reorganized based on a content of the arrangement of cells on each page,

wherein a first cell of the arrangement of cells displays one of a plurality of programs received from the broadcast center,

wherein a second cell of the arrangement of cells is sensitive to the context of the first cell displaying the one program, and

wherein a third cell of the arrangement of cells is generated for a specific period of time corresponding to a length of at least one of the plurality of programs being displayed on another cell of the arrangement of cells.

2. The portal according to claim 1, wherein the cells include one or more dynamically changing cells.

3. A method of generating a portal for a communications system, comprising:

receiving a plurality of broadcast programs; and

generating a portal comprising;

a plurality of pages configured to display a plurality of cells;

the plurality of cells containing live video of at least some of the received programs, wherein at least one cell of the plurality of cells comprises a visual object and an underlying application that is launched from behind the at least one cell and is displayed upon user selection of the at least one cell; and

a first cell of the plurality of cells associated with an application whose function is dependent on the context of a second cell containing live video; and

dynamically reorganizing at least one page of the plurality of pages based on a content associated with the plurality of cells on the at least one page,

wherein a third cell of the arrangement of cells is generated for a specific period of time corresponding to a length of at least one of the plurality of broadcast programs being displayed on another cell of the plurality of cells.