Internet browsing from a television

• US 7,340,763 B1
• Filed: 09/26/2000
• Issued: 03/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Harris Technology LLC
• Original Assignee: Illinois Computer Research LLC
• Inventors: Harris, Scott C.
• Primary Examiner(s): BUI, KIEU OANH T
• Application Number:
  US09/669,959
• Time in Patent Office: 2,716 Days
• Field of Search: 725/81, 725/109, 725/110, 725/51, 725/112, 348/552, 348/734, 345/168, 345/173, 345/764, 345/717, 345/721, 340/825.69, 340/3.31, 709/219
• US Class Current: 725/81
• 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 21/4725 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 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8173 End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game
• 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

A system for automatically using internet information which is contained within a commercial on an entertainment medium e.g. television. The system determines information indicative of the web address. This can be done automatically by optical character recognition or by storing information indicative of the web address in an interval of the television signal. Once obtained, the information is sent, either to a user'"'"'s computer, or to a central office which sends an e-mail to the user. In this way, the information can be used to automatically jump to a web site of the advertiser.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a television remote which has a first communication part, operating to communicate wirelessly to a television that is controlled by said television remote, said television remote having first buttons controlling at least a plurality of functions on the controlled television, and wherein the controlled television is separate from said television remote, said television remote mounted in a housing, which housing is totally separate from the television being communicated with and controlled by the remote, and said television remote also having a command which accesses information from a supplemental signal that represents a link to additional information, which link can be selected by actuation of said remote to find said additional information from a database that is separate from said remote, and where said additional information provides additional information about a television program which represents program content that has been received over a program content receiving channel and is being currently displayed on a display of the television,

wherein said television remote also includes a second communication part, that operates to communicate wirelessly with a separate computer, to send said additional information to said separate computer indicative of said link having been selected and to cause display of said information from said supplemental signal on a display of the separate computer, and where said display of said separate computer is totally separate from the display of the television.

2. A system as in claim 1, wherein said television remote transmits a command that causes said information to be displayed only at a next startup of a process on said separate computer, and not to be immediately displayed on said separate computer and not to be displayed until said next startup.

3. A system as in claim 1, wherein said information is added to a list of internet favorites on said separate computer, where said list of internet favorites represents internet website addresses obtained from said hyperlink.

4. A system as in claim 3, wherein said supplemental signal is a hyperlink to a website, and said requested information displays said information from said hyperlink on a personal computer.

5. A system as in claim 1, wherein said command actuated by said television remote accesses information and causes an email to be sent to said user.

6. A system as in claim 1, wherein said supplemental signal includes an indication of a referring source.

7. A system as in claim 1, wherein said command actuated by said television remote accesses information and carries out actions that command making a purchase of an item that is displayed on the television.

8. A system as in claim 1, wherein said remote includes a separate receiver which receives supplemental signals that are associated with a program that is currently being displayed on the television.

9. A system as in claim 1, wherein said television program that is currently being displayed on the display of the television, and with which the supplemental signal is associated, is a television program obtained from a television broadcast.

10. A system as in claim 1, wherein said second communication part of said television remote operates to send said additional information to said second computer only if said additional information is selected during a time while it is being displayed, whereby indicating that said access is desired after said supplemental information is displayed does not cause said wirelessly sending.

11. A system as in claim 1, wherein said program content receiving channel is one of a satellite media or cable TV channel.

12. A method, comprising:

using a remote control device for an entertainment media at a first time to produce a wireless signal that is used to control television-displayed programming content that is being delivered by said entertainment media,

said remote mounted in a housing, which housing is totally separate from a housing of the entertainment media being controlled by the remote control device; and

using said remote control device at a second time, to indicate that access is desired to information associated with a supplemental signal that is associated with a television program which represents program content that is received over a program content receiving channel, that is being currently displayed on the entertainment media,

responsive to said remote control device being used to indicate that access is desired to contents associated with said supplemental signal, wirelessly sending information indicative of the supplemental signal to a separate computer, which separate computer has a separate display from said television.

13. A method as in claim 12, wherein said television program associated with the supplemental signal is a television program obtained from a television broadcast.

14. A method as in claim 12, wherein said wirelessly sending operates to wirelessly send said information only if said remote control device is used to indicate that said access is desired during a time while said supplemental information is displayed, whereby indicating that said access is desired after said supplemental information is displayed does not cause said wirelessly sending.

15. A method as in claim 12, wherein said program content receiving channel is one of a satellite media or cable TV channel.