System and method for enhancing broadcast or recorded programs with information on the world wide web

• US 7,552,193 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2002
• Issued: 06/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Carro, Fernando Incertis
• Primary Examiner(s): Barqadle; Yasin M
• Application Number:
  US10/477,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20040139474A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,630 Days
• Field of Search: 709201-203, 709216-219, 709227-232, 725 51- 52, 725/91, 725110-112
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42646 for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium, e.g. DVD, CD-ROM
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• 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

The present invention is directed to a system, method or computer program, for enabling a radio auditor or a television viewer (100) to access complementary information (101) related to a broadcast program (102) received in real-time (or to a recorded program previously broadcast and played back on an audio or video player/recorder). The preferred embodiment of the invention relates to a system and method for enabling a person (100) receiving a broadcast program (102), (or listening or watching a recorded program), to select a plurality of topics or sequences drawing his or her attention (101, 103) and for immediately, or later on, accessing additional information related to these topics or sequences from the Word Wide Web. The system is based on a synchronization of the local times of receivers (or recorders) and transmitters according to a same universal-time (201, 202), so that the flow of information transmitted and received (or recorded) is always synchronized, independently of the relative positions of receivers (or recorders) and transmitters. The synchronization is done referring to an universal time such as the Global Positioning System Time (GPS-time), the Global Orbiting Navigational Satellite System (GLONASS) time or another suitable universal time based on a satellite system. The GPS or GLONASS receivers are connected or integrated to the broadcasting stations. At the receiver side, GPS or GLONASS receivers may be integrated or connected to user devices e.g., Personal Computers, wearable computers, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), smart phones or onboard mobile computers (or to the audio or video recorders) that may be independent or separate from the radio or television receivers. The system is also based on a plurality of hyperlinks defined for given time intervals during the production of the broadcast program. These time intervals are synchronized with the universal Time. The hyperlinks are associated with the transmitted (and recorded) information. The hyperlinks can be retrieved, selected and activated by radio auditors or television viewers during the time intervals for which they have been defined, during the broadcast of the program (or during its playback).

Claims

1. A method of retrieving hyperlinks related to topics selected in a program broadcast on a channel, comprising:

receiving a selection of topics in the program broadcast on the channel by selecting a selection command on a user device by a user receiving the program broadcast transmitted by a broadcaster;

identifying the channel that is broadcasting the program;

determining a universal time corresponding to receipt of the selection command;

obtaining from a server over a network, information associated with at least one hyperlink defined in the broadcast program and having a universal time interval associated therewith that corresponds to the universal time associated with the selection of the selection command by the user receiving the program broadcast transmitted by the broadcaster, wherein the information comprises a destination address within the network for accessing multimedia information;

creating a universal time table for the identified channel, the universal time table comprising an identification of the channel, an address for accessing the information associated with the at least one hyperlink and/or a name designating the channel;

wherein determining a universal time further comprises recording the determined universal time in the universal time table of the channel; and

storing the obtained destination address at the user device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining from a server over a network further comprises retrieving the address for accessing the information associated with the at least one hyperlink from the universal-time table and obtaining the information utilizing the retrieved address.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the obtained destination address in the universal-time table.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user device and the server are synchronized according to the same universal time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user device and a device receiving the program are separate devices.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing multimedia information utilizing the at least one hyperlink.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one hyperlink comprises a plurality of hyperlinks and wherein accessing multimedia information comprises:

selecting a hyperlink from the plurality of hyperlinks; and

retrieving the multimedia information on a server connected to the network using an obtained destination address associated with the selected hyperlink.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein selecting a hyperlink comprises selecting a hyperlink from a universal-time table using a name, description and/or obtained destination address associated with the hyperlink.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising displaying the retrieved multimedia information on the user device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the network comprises an Internet Protocol network, the server comprises a web server, the user device comprises a web browser and the destination address comprises a universal resource locator.

11. The method of claim 6 wherein the network comprises an Internet Protocol network, the server comprises a web server, the user device comprises a web browser, the destination address comprises a universal resource locator and the multimedia information comprises a web page.

12. The method of claim 6 wherein the multimedia information comprise one or more services.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the universal time is determined using a satellite based universal-time receiver.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein a universal-time receiver is integrated with the user device.

15. A system for retrieving hyperlinks related to topics selected in a program broadcast on a channel, comprising:

a computer readable storage medium comprising;

means for receiving a selection of topics in the program broadcast on the channel by selecting a selection command on a user device by a user receiving the program broadcast transmitted by a broadcaster;

means for determining a universal time corresponding to receipt of the selection command;

means for identifying the channel that is broadcasting the program;

means for obtaining from a server over a network, information associated with at least one hyperlink defined in the broadcast program and having a universal time interval associated therewith that corresponds to the universal time associated with the selection of the selection command by the user receiving the program broadcast transmitted by the broadcaster, wherein the information comprises a destination address within the network for accessing multimedia information;

means for creating a universal time table for the identified channel, the universal time table comprising an identification of the channel, an address for accessing the information associated with the at least one hyperlink and/or a name designating the channel;

wherein the means for determining a universal time further comprises means for recording the determined universal time in the universal time table of the channel; and

means for storing the obtained destination address at the user device.

16. A computer program product for retrieving hyperlinks related to topics selected in a program broadcast on a channel, comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code, when read by a processing device, instructs the processing device to perform processing operations comprising;

receiving a selection of topics in the program broadcast on the channel by selecting a selection command on a user device by a user receiving the program broadcast transmitted by a broadcaster;

identifying the channel that is broadcasting the program;

determining a universal time corresponding to receipt of the selection command;

obtaining from a server over a network, information associated with at least one hyperlink defined in the broadcast program and having a universal time interval associated therewith that corresponds to the universal time associated with the selection of a selection command by the user receiving the program broadcast transmitted by the broadcaster, wherein the information comprises a destination address within the network for accessing multimedia information;

creating a universal time table for the identified channel, the universal time table comprising an identification of the channel, an address for accessing the information associated with the at least one hyperlink and/or a name designating the channel;

wherein determining a universal time further comprises recording the determined universal time in the universal time table of the channel; and

storing the obtained destination address at the user device.