System and method for creating and navigating a linear hypermedia resource program

• US 7,383,324 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2007
• Issued: 06/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hypermedia Navigation LLC (IPValuation Partners, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Texas Technology Ventures, LLP
• Inventors: Bossemeyer, Jr., Robert Wesley, Morse, James Richard, Genin, Kent E., Stuckman, Bruce Edward, Sullivan, Barry James, Heinmiller, Wayne Robert, Omanson, Richard, Light, Jordan Howard
• Primary Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat
• Application Number:
  US11/728,833
• Publication Number:
  US 20070180065A1
• Time in Patent Office: 435 Days
• Field of Search: 709201-202, 709217-219, 709227-229, 709231-232, 709245-246
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/60 of audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/20 Education
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1432 Metric aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1485 Tariff-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• 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

Abstract

A method and system for creating and navigating linear hypermedia resource programs are disclosed. The system includes a distributed hypermedia resource network having a plurality of hypermedia resources residing on one or more remote information nodes. A common remote information node is in communication with a subscriber station and the remote information nodes in the distributed network. The common remote information node contains at least one linear hypermedia resource program consisting of pre-selected media elements from one or more hypermedia resources linked with exclusive linear links, each media element in the linear program having only one forward link to the next media element. The method includes the steps of downloading and displaying a media element in the linear program and responding to user commands to download and display the next media element in the linear program.

Claims

1. A method for operating a Web site to cause presentation of video media elements to a subscriber station, the method comprising:

downloading a base media element file to the subscriber station that, upon display by the subscriber station, presents icons representative of a first plurality of video media elements and a search criteria interface;

receiving a search criteria from the subscriber station;

selecting a second plurality of video media elements based upon the search criteria;

downloading a first media element file to the subscriber station that, upon display by the subscriber station presents icons representative of the second plurality of video media elements;

receiving a video media element selection from the subscriber station corresponding to a selected one of the second plurality of video media elements;

downloading a second media element file to the subscriber station that, upon display by the subscriber station presents an interface that includes;

a viewing area in which the selected one of the second plurality of video media elements is presented; and

a map area having a plurality of icons, each icon representative of a corresponding one of a third plurality of video media elements.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first plurality of video media elements and the second plurality of video media elements are associated with the Web site.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

at least some of the first plurality of video media elements and the second plurality of video media elements are associated with the Web site; and

at least some of the first plurality of video media elements and the second plurality of video media elements are associated with a different Web site.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the search criteria from the subscriber station comprises receiving a search term from the subscriber station; and

selecting the second plurality of video media elements based upon the search criteria comprises using the search term to select the second plurality of video media elements.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the request from the subscriber station includes receiving a search criteria and at least one search preference; and

selecting the second plurality of video media elements includes selecting the second plurality of video media elements based upon the search criteria and the at least one search preference.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of video media elements are selected prior to receipt of a request from the subscriber station to download the base media element file.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least some of the first and second pluralities of video media elements comprise MPEG images.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one icon of the map area comprises a frame of a corresponding MPEG image.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a billing record indicating creation and transmittal of at least the base media element file.

10. A method for operating a Web site to cause presentation of video media elements to a subscriber station, the method comprising:

downloading a base media element file to the subscriber station that, upon display by the subscriber station, presents a first interface that includes;

a first viewing area in which an icon representative of a selected video media element is presented;

a first map area having a plurality of icons, each icon representative of a corresponding one of a first plurality of video media elements; and

a search criteria interface;

receiving a search criteria from the subscriber station;

selecting a second plurality of video media elements based upon the search criteria;

downloading a second media element file to the subscriber station that, upon display by the subscriber station presents icons representative of the second plurality of video media elements;

receiving a video media element selection from the subscriber station corresponding to a selected one of the second plurality of video media elements;

downloading a third media element file to the subscriber station that, upon display by the subscriber station presents an interface that includes;

a third viewing area in which the selected one of the second plurality of video media elements is presented; and

a third map area having a plurality of icons, each icon representative of a corresponding one of a third plurality of video media elements.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each of the first plurality of video media elements, the second plurality of video media elements, and the plurality of video media elements are associated with the Web site.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein:

at least some of the first plurality of video media elements, the second plurality of video media elements, and the third plurality of video media elements are associated with the Web site; and

at least some of the first plurality of video media elements, the second plurality of video media elements, and the third plurality of video media elements are associated with a different Web site.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein:

receiving the search criteria from the subscriber station comprises receiving a search term from the subscriber station; and

selecting the second plurality of video media elements based upon the search criteria comprises using the search term to select the second plurality of video media elements.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein:

receiving the request from the subscriber station includes receiving a search criteria and at least one search preference; and

selecting the second plurality of video media elements includes selecting the second plurality of video media elements based upon the search criteria and the at least one search preference.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the first plurality of video media elements are selected prior to receipt of a request from the subscriber station to download the base media element file.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein at least some of the first, second, and third pluralities of video media elements comprise MPEG images.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one icon of the first map area and the second map area comprises a frame of a corresponding MPEG image.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising creating a billing record indicating creation and transmittal of at least the base media element file.

19. A computer readable medium comprising a plurality of computer executable instructions that, upon execution by at least one digital computer, cause the at least one digital computer to cause downloading of video media element files to a subscriber station, the plurality of computer executable instructions comprising instructions for:

downloading a base media element file to the subscriber station that, upon display by the subscriber station, presents icons representative of a first plurality of video media elements and a search criteria interface;

receiving a search criteria from the subscriber station;

selecting a second plurality of video media elements based upon the search criteria;

downloading a first media element file to the subscriber station that, upon display by the subscriber station presents icons representative of the second plurality of video media elements;

receiving a video media element selection from the subscriber station corresponding to a selected one of the second plurality of video media elements;

downloading a second media element file to the subscriber station that, upon display by the subscriber station presents an interface that includes;

a viewing area in which the selected one of the second plurality of video media elements is presented; and

a map area having a plurality of icons, each icon representative of a corresponding one of a third plurality of video media elements.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein each of the first plurality of video media elements and the second plurality of video media elements are associated with the Web site.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein:

at least some of the first plurality of video media elements and the second plurality of video media elements are associated with the Web site; and

at least some of the first plurality of video media elements and the second plurality of video media elements are associated with a different Web site.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein:

the computer executable instructions for receiving the search criteria from the subscriber station include computer executable instructions for receiving a search term from the subscriber station; and

the computer executable instructions for selecting the second plurality of video media elements based upon the search criteria include computer executable instructions for using the search term to select the second plurality of video media elements.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein:

the computer executable instructions for receiving the request from the subscriber station include computer executable instructions for receiving a search criteria and at least one search preference; and

the computer executable instructions for selecting the plurality of video media elements include computer executable instructions for selecting the plurality of video media elements based upon the search criteria and the at least one search preference.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 19, further comprising computer executable instructions for selecting the first plurality of video media elements prior to receiving a request from the subscriber station to download the base media file.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein at least some of the first and second pluralities of video media elements comprise MPEG images.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein each icon of the map area comprises a frame of a corresponding MPEG image.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 19, further comprising computer executable instructions for creating a billing record indicating creation and transmittal of at least the base media element file.

28. A computer readable medium comprising a plurality of computer executable instructions that, upon execution by at least one digital computer, cause the at least one digital computer to cause downloading of video media element files to a subscriber station, the plurality of computer executable instructions comprising instructions for:

downloading a base media element file to the subscriber station that, upon display by the subscriber station, presents a first interface that includes;

a first viewing area in which an icon representative of a selected video media element is presented;

a first map area having a plurality of icons, each icon representative of a corresponding one of a first plurality of video media elements; and

a search criteria interface;

receiving a search criteria from the subscriber station;

selecting a second plurality of video media elements based upon the search criteria;

downloading a second media element file to the subscriber station that, upon display by the subscriber station presents icons representative of the second plurality of video media elements;

receiving a video media element selection from the subscriber station corresponding to a selected one of the second plurality of video media elements;

downloading a third media element file to the subscriber station that, upon display by the subscriber station presents an interface that includes;

a third viewing area in which the selected one of the second plurality of video media elements is presented; and

a third map area having a plurality of icons, each icon representative of a corresponding one of a third plurality of video media elements.

29. The computer readable medium of claim 28, wherein each of the first plurality of video media elements, the second plurality of video media elements, and the plurality of video media elements are associated with the Web site.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 28, wherein:

at least some of the first plurality of video media elements, the second plurality of video media elements, and the third plurality of video media elements are associated with the Web site; and

at least some of the first plurality of video media elements, the second plurality of video media elements, and the third plurality of video media elements are associated with a different Web site.

31. The computer readable medium of claim 28, wherein:

the computer executable instructions for receiving the search criteria from the subscriber station include computer executable instructions for receiving a search term from the subscriber station; and

the computer executable instructions for selecting the second plurality of video media elements based upon the search criteria include computer executable instructions for using the search term to select the second plurality of video media elements.

32. The computer readable medium of claim 28:

wherein the computer executable instructions for receiving the request from the subscriber station include computer executable instructions for receiving a search criteria and at least one search preference; and

wherein the computer executable instructions for selecting the second plurality of video media elements include computer executable instructions for selecting the second plurality of video media elements based upon the search criteria and the at least one search preference.

33. The computer readable medium of claim 28, further comprising computer executable instructions for selecting the first plurality of video media elements prior to receiving a request from the subscriber station to download the base media file.

34. The computer readable medium of claim 28, wherein at least some of the first, second, and third pluralities of video media elements comprise MPEG images.

35. The computer readable medium of claim 28, wherein at least one icon of the first map area and third map area comprises a frame of a corresponding MPEG image.

36. The computer readable medium of claim 28, further comprising computer executable instructions for creating a billing record indicating creation and transmittal of at least the base media element file.