Automatic control of broadcast and execution of interactive applications to maintain synchronous operation with broadcast programs

• US 7,634,787 B1
• Filed: 06/15/1999
• Issued: 12/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: OpenTV, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Original Assignee: Wink Communications Incorporated (Kudelski SA)
• Inventors: Michel, Christopher J., Gebhardt, Bryan C., Patel, Kalpesh R., Thygesen, Allan C., Berriatua, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Salce, Jason P
• Application Number:
  US09/333,724
• Time in Patent Office: 3,836 Days
• Field of Search: 725/24, 725/25, 725/27, 725/28, 725/32, 725/36, 725/91, 725/93, 725/103, 725/114, 725/116, 725/138, 725/144, 725/146, 725/34, 725/35, 709/217, 709/202, 709/248
• US Class Current: 725/36
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43074 of additional data with content streams on the same device, e.g. of EPG data or interactive icon with a TV program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 Games
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• 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 automation server interfaces with broadcast scheduling systems of various types to automatically synchronize the behavior of interactive applications relative to various broadcast programs, such as television shows and commercials, so as to maintain the appropriate interactive application for whatever broadcast program is airing. This allows for television shows which have an associated interactive application, but which are segmented by commercials (which may have their own interactive applications) to have their interactive application displayed while the television show in on, but not during commercials, while maintaining any state information that has been created during execution of the interactive application. The automation server includes multiple channel interfaces, each having a translator and an event manager. The translator translates native control signals from the scheduling system into a fixed set of atomic commands which represent the lifecycle behavior of a broadcast program. The event manager receives these atomic commands and uses them to determine the appropriate state for any interactive application that is associated with the broadcast program. The event manager transmits commands to a broadcast server which directly manages the interactive applications by transmitting code, data, and commands to broadcast receivers that controls the execution of the interactive applications in response to the event manager'"'"'s commands.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of controlling the broadcast and reception of an interactive application, comprising:

receiving control signals that control the broadcast of broadcast programs;

determining from the control signals an interactive application associated with one of the broadcast programs; and

generating from the control signals, commands to maintain execution and termination of the interactive application in synchrony with either the display or the broadcast of the broadcast program, wherein a scheduling system provides the control signals, the control signals include data identifying each broadcast program and its duration, the method further comprising;

generating commands to selectively schedule, start, stop, and cancel interactive applications associated with the broadcast programs using the identification data and the duration data from the control signals.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the commands further comprises:

generating commands to maintain synchronous display of the interactive application with display of the broadcast program on a broadcast receiver.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the commands further comprises:

generating commands to terminate display of the interactive application in synchrony with termination of the display of the broadcast program.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the commands further comprises:

determining from the control signals a state of the broadcast program;

responsive to the state of the broadcast program, determining a state of the interactive application; and

generating at least one command appropriate to the state of the interactive application.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the commands further comprises:

determining from the control signals that a commercial is being broadcast;

responsive to determining that a commercial is being broadcast, generating a command to suspend execution of the interactive application associated with the television show; and

responsive to determining that the commercial is no longer being broadcast, generating a command to resume execution of the interactive application associated with the television program.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one of the broadcast programs is a first television show, and wherein generating the commands further comprises:

determining from the control signals that a commercial is being broadcast;

receiving a control signal to terminate the television show;

responsive to determining that a commercial is being broadcast, generating a command to suspend execution of the interactive application associated with the first television show; and

responsive to determining that the first television show is being broadcast after the commercial, generating a command to restart execution of the interactive application associated with the first television show.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one of the broadcast programs is a first television show, and wherein generating the commands further comprises:

determining from the control signals that a commercial being broadcast;

receiving a control signal to terminate the television show;

responsive to determining that a commercial is being broadcast, generating a command to suspend execution of a first interactive application associated with the first television show; and

responsive to determining that the first television show is being broadcast after all the commercials in the commercial break, generating a command to restart execution of the first interactive application; and

responsive to determining that a second television show is being broadcast, generating commands to terminate the first interactive application and to begin execution of a second interactive application associated with the second television show.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving the control signals comprises receiving the control signals from a scheduling system by emulating a broadcast source device that is controlled by the scheduling system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each control signal is associated with a broadcast program, and wherein receiving the control signals comprises:

translating the controls signals into a set of commands to an interactive application server for selectively instructing the server to schedule, start, stop, and cancel interactive applications for the broadcast programs associated with the control signals.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the controls signals are generated by a scheduling system in response to a playlist defining a series of broadcast programs including program identifiers and information describing when the broadcast programs are to be broadcast.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the controls signals are pre-recorded and stored in association with the broadcast programs that are controlled by the control signals.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a prepare control signal to prepare the broadcast of a selected broadcast program;

determining an interactive application associated with the selected broadcast program;

generating a command to schedule execution of the determined interactive application.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a start control signal to prepare the broadcast of a selected broadcast program;

determining an interactive application associated with the selected broadcast program;

generating a command to start transmission of the determined interactive application.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a type of broadcast program for a control signal.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining a type for an interactive application as a function of the type of the broadcast program.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a type of broadcast program for a control signal to be either a television show, a commercial, or unknown; and

determining a type of interactive application appropriate to the type of the broadcast program.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining for each broadcast program which is associated with an interactive application a first state machine that responds to the controls signals to transition through states associated with the broadcast program, and that generates commands in selected states related to desired behavior for the interactive application for the state of the broadcast program; and

maintaining for the interactive application associated with the broadcast program a state machine that responds to the commands from the broadcast program'"'"'s state machine that transitions through states associated with the interactive application, and which selectively generates the commands to maintain the synchronous execution of the interactive application with the broadcast program.

18. A system to control the broadcast and reception of an interactive application, the system comprising:

a receiver to receive control signals that control the broadcast of broadcast programs;

an interactive application detector to determine, from the control signals, an interactive application associated with one of the broadcast programs; and

a commands generator to generate, from the control signals, commands to maintain execution and termination of the interactive application in synchrony with either the display or the broadcast of the broadcast program;

a scheduling system to;

provide the control signals including data identifying each broadcast program and its duration, and

generate commands to selectively schedule, start, stop, and cancel interactive applications associated with the broadcast programs using the identification data and the duration data from the control signals.

19. The system of claim 18, the system comprising:

for each broadcast program which is associated with an interactive application, a first state machine to;

respond to the controls signals,

transition through states associated with the broadcast program, and

generate commands in selected states related to desired behavior for the interactive application for the state of the broadcast program; and

a second state machine, maintained for the interactive application associated with the broadcast program, the second state machine to;

respond to the commands from the first state machine,

transition through states associated with the interactive application, and

selectively generate the commands to maintain the synchronous execution of the interactive application with the broadcast program.

20. A memory device having instruction data to cause a machine to:

receive control signals that control the broadcast of broadcast programs;

determine from the control signals an interactive application associated with one of the broadcast programs; and

generate from the control signals, commands to maintain execution and termination of the interactive application in synchrony with either the display or the broadcast of the broadcast program, wherein a scheduling system provides the control signals, the control signals include data identifying each broadcast program and its duration, the memory device further to;

generate commands to selectively schedule, start, stop, and cancel interactive applications associated with the broadcast programs using the identification data and the duration data from the control signals.