Method and system for identifying addressing data within a television presentation

• US 7,456,902 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2001
• Issued: 11/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: JLB Ventures, LLC
• Original Assignee: JLB Ventures, LLC
• Inventors: Kikinis, Dan
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak; Victor R
• Application Number:
  US10/011,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20020093594A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,548 Days
• Field of Search: 348/473, 348/468, 348/553, 348/554, 725/59, 725/60, 725109-113
• US Class Current: 348/473
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/635 Overlay text, e.g. embedded captions in a TV program
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1444 Selective acquisition, locating or processing of specific regions, e.g. highlighted text, fiducial marks or predetermined fields
• 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 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV

Abstract

Characters represented within a frame of a television presentation are identified. A pattern formed by a subset of the characters is identified if the pattern is indicative of an addressing datum. A provision is made for a selection of characters that form the pattern indicative of the addressing datum. In one embodiment, a web page is displayed upon a selection of characters that form a pattern indicative of an uniform resource locator for the web page.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying characters represented within a currently displayed frame of a broadcasted television presentation by a presentation system;

identifying a pattern formed by a subset of the characters, the pattern indicative of an addressing datum by the presentation system;

modifying an appearance of the characters that form the pattern indicative of the addressing datum to visually distinguish the characters from other characters represented within the currently displayed frame of the television presentation; and

providing for a selection of characters that form the pattern indicative of the addressing datum by the presentation system, wherein said TV presentation is simultaneously presented without interruption by the presentation system during said identifying characters, identifying a pattern, visually distinguishing, and providing for a selection of characters.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of visually distinguishing characters includes visually distinguishing characters in an area of the currently displayed frame of the television presentation in which a pointer is positioned.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

upon a selection of characters that form a pattern indicative of a telephone number, dialing the telephone number.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

upon a selection of characters that form a pattern indicative of an email address, sending email to the email address.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

upon a selection of characters that form a pattern indicative of a uniform resource locator for a web page, displaying the web page.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising automatically determining the addressing datum to be one of a plurality of different types of addressing datum and thereafter initiating a data transmission via a communication method that is associated with the addressing datum.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically identifying a plurality of distinct addressing datum within the frame and visually distinguishing each of the different addressing datum.

8. A computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

identifying characters represented within a currently displayed frame of a broadcasted television presentation by a presentation system;

identifying a pattern formed by a subset of the characters, the pattern indicative of an addressing datum by the presentation system;

modifying an appearance of the characters that form the pattern indicative of the addressing datum to visually distinguish the characters from other characters represented within the currently displayed frame of the television presentation; and

providing for a selection of characters that form the pattern indicative of the addressing datum by the presentation system, wherein said TV presentation is simultaneously presented without interruption by the presentation system during said identifying characters, identifying a pattern, visually distinguishing, and providing for a selection of characters.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein operations further comprise:

the step of visually distinguishing characters that form the pattern indicative of the addressing datum is performed in an area of the currently displayed frame of the television presentation in which a pointer is positioned.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein operations further comprise:

upon a selection of characters that form a pattern indicative of a telephone number, dialing the telephone number.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein operations further comprise:

upon a selection of characters that form a pattern indicative of an email address, sending email to the email address.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein operations further comprise:

upon a selection of characters that form a pattern indicative of a uniform resource locator for a web page, displaying the web page.

13. A system comprising:

a first unit to identify characters represented within a currently displayed frame of a broadcasted television presentation, to identify a pattern formed by a subset of the characters, the pattern indicative of an addressing datum by a presentation system, and to modify an appearance of the pattern indicative of the addressing datum to visually distinguish the pattern from other characters represented within the currently displayed frame of the television presentation; and

a second unit coupled with the first unit to provide for a selection of characters that form the pattern indicative of the addressing datum by the presentation system, wherein said TV presentation is simultaneously presented without interruption by the presentation system during said identifying characters, identifying a pattern, and providing for a selection of characters.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the second unit is also to visually distinguishing characters that form the pattern indicative of the addressing datum in an area of the currently displayed frame of the television presentation in which a pointer is positioned from other characters represented within the currently displayed frame of the television presentation that form a pattern indicative of an addressing datum.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the second unit is also to dial a telephone number upon a selection of characters that form a pattern indicative of the telephone number.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the second unit is also to send email to an email address upon a selection of characters that form a pattern indicative of the email address.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the second unit is also to display a web page upon a selection of characters that form a pattern indicative of a uniform resource locator for the web page.