Client and server system

• US 7,503,057 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2001
• Issued: 03/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nakano, Hiroaki, Niijima, Makoto, Rosin, Robert, Sonoda, Yumie, Hsu, P. Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelley; Christopher
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, RUEBEN M
• Application Number:
  US09/948,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20020078467A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,742 Days
• Field of Search: 725 11-113
• US Class Current: 725/44
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• 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 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• 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 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8583 by creating hot-spots
• 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 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An internet on-demand system for television presents internet content and traditional television programming as part of a single coherent interface. The system includes a server and a client capable of providing a dynamic graphical user interface. The system can display an internet gateway interface which actively scrolls through and highlights links to selected web pages which are organized according to templates corresponding to their content. The web pages are presented on the graphical user interface as channels as part of the same milieu as channels of traditional television programming. The user can select a channel from a rotary menu wheel or via channel-up, channel-down buttons on the remote control device. An intelligent agent passively filters selected web pages for a user to explore based on the user'"'"'s past pattern of usage of the client. The server queries the client regarding its available data stream connections, including telephone modems, cable modems, wireless telecommunications and digital satellite broadcasting, regarding its ability to detect embedded data in TV signals, in order to determine the most efficient delivery of different types of data through all of the available bandwidth connections for both directions of data flow. The efficient delivery of data allows the client to present text, graphics, video, audio and other multimedia information from a web page over the internet as a coordinated presentation.

Claims

1. A system for selectively displaying Internet content and television programming on a display, the system comprising:

a client, wherein the client comprises a display, and wherein the client receives television content and Internet content via a plurality of channels;

a selecting element for selecting a channel from the plurality of channels, wherein when a channel is selected, the client presents the content associated with the selected channel on the display;

links for selecting a web page from a plurality of web pages, the plurality of web pages organized according to a plurality of templates that arrange web page content in categories;

a presenting element for presenting on the display an Internet gateway interface, the Internet gateway interface for scrolling through the links;

a server, wherein the server comprises a connecting element for establishing a data connection with the client;

a menu that provides a uniform user interface for navigating among the plurality of channels, wherein the menu comprises a plurality of discrete panels displayed on at least a portion of a rotary wheel such that the discrete panels appear to be positioned in a three-dimensional space; and

a rotating element for rotating the rotary wheel to simulate movement within the three-dimensional space, wherein as the displayed rotary wheel is rotated, the discrete panels on a front side of the rotary wheel occlude the discrete panels on a back side of the rotary wheel.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the discrete panels on the front side of the rotary wheel are configured for viewing on a television screen,

wherein the discrete panels become more translucent as the discrete panels move to a zenith or nadir of the rotary wheel.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the three dimensional space appears to extend behind the display.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein data is streamed from the server to the client through the established data connection.

5. A system comprising:

a client, including a display, configured to receive a plurality of channels, the plurality of channels for representing network page content and television content;

a selecting element for selecting a channel from the plurality of channels, wherein when a channel is selected the client presents the television content or the network page content associated with the selected channel on the display; and

a graphical user interface to display network page content comprising a guide page, wherein the guide page comprises a plurality of links, further wherein the plurality of links are organized in templates that classify the links into categories, and wherein an object is displayed with each link, wherein the displayed object visually indicates the subject matter of a network page that is accessed via the associated link, the graphical user interface further comprising a rotary wheel menu for enabling selection of a channel, wherein the rotary wheel menu comprises a series of panels which appear to occupy three-dimensional space including extending behind a screen of the display, wherein the panels on a front side of the rotary wheel menu can be viewed on the display screen.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising a server, including a connecting element, for establishing a data connection with the client.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the server is configured for streaming data to the client by using the data connection.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the associated objects for each link are highlighted in a sequential order.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the associated objects for each link correspond to a category and are highlighted in a descending ordering such that each succeeding displayed category is selectable in a sequential order.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein the associated objects are displayed as a slideshow presentation to the user, the slideshow presentation comprising, for a plurality of categories, dynamic sideways moving links and objects associated with each link.

11. A method comprising:

displaying television content received via a first particular one of a plurality of channels;

displaying network page content received via a second particular one of the plurality of channels, wherein the displayed network page content comprises a guide page, wherein the guide page comprises a plurality of links, and wherein the plurality of links are organized in templates that classify the links into categories;

displaying an object associated with each link, wherein the displayed object visually indicates the subject matter of a network page that is accessed via the associated link; and

displaying a rotary wheel menu for enabling selection of a channel, wherein the rotary wheel menu comprises a series of panels which appear to occupy three-dimensional space including extending behind a screen of the display, wherein the panels on a front side of the rotary wheel menu can be viewed on the display screen.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising presenting on the display an Internet gateway interface, the Internet gateway interface for scrolling through the set of links.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the associated objects are displayed as a slideshow presentation to a user, the slideshow presentation comprising, for a plurality of topics, dynamic sideways moving links and objects associated with each link.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising downloading the plurality of channels from a server.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the network page content is displayed in a graphical user interface.