Multicast data services and broadcast signal markup stream for interactive broadcast systems

• US 7,861,275 B1
• Filed: 03/27/2000
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Yongguang, Vellaikal, Asha, Dao, Son K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh; Son P
• Application Number:
  US09/536,276
• Time in Patent Office: 3,928 Days
• Field of Search: 725109-112, 725 67- 68, 725/39, 725/98, 725/118, 725/131, 725/148, 725/151, 725135-142, 370485-486, 715/758
• US Class Current: 725/109
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234318 by decomposing into objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• 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 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• 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 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6377 directed to server one-way streaming services wherein the source is controlled by the destination H04L65/613
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8583 by creating hot-spots
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system and method for producing and receiving interactive broadcasting having a broadcast signal with a hypermedia channel and a logical multicast data channel. The logical multicast data channel has a broadcast signal markup stream (BSMS). The system users have a receiver with an interactivity module and a communication module. The BSMS allows user selectable objects to be displayed to users of the system. BSMS objects can be generated by combining speech recognition, language (and optionally video) processing, and keyword searches. By selecting objects various information relating to those objects may be displayed to users. A portion of the logical multicast channel may be employed to provide interactivity between users. A variation eliminates the BSMS either by employing a markup stream server to provide access links or by generating link content directly in the receiver by the same process.

Claims

1. An interactive broadcast system comprising:

a network operation center proxy coupled to a data source; and

a terminal for receiving a data stream from said network operation center proxy and broadcasting an interactive broadcast signal, the interactive broadcast signal including a plurality of media channels and a multicast channel associated with each of the media channels;

wherein each media channel includes a video stream and a markup stream;

wherein the multicast channel is jointly shared by a plurality of users viewing the media channel via an address common to all of the plurality of users and the multicast channel transmits information identified by the markup stream and requested by any of the plurality of users to all of the plurality of users;

wherein the interactive broadcast signal is received in a receiver having a cache for storing the information transmitted via the multicast channel to all of the plurality of users; and

wherein the multicast channel and the media channel are not the same channel.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said receiver having:

a video/audio playback module,

an interactivity module, and

a communication module.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said video/audio playback module comprises a broadcast stream decompression and playback device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said video/audio playback module comprises a video audio display device coupled to said broadcast stream decompression and playback device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said video/audio display device comprises a screen having a plurality of screen indicia.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said screen indicia are selected from the group consisting of a control portion, a chat portion, a world wide web portion and a video portion.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein said interactivity module comprises an interactivity control device coupled to said video/audio playback module.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said interactivity module comprises a user control device coupled to interactivity control device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said user control device comprises a remote control.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein said communications module comprises a network communication control device coupled to said interactivity module.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said communications module comprises an interactive data display device coupled to said network communication control device.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said network operations center proxy receives user action from one of the plurality of users comprising selection of an object in the video stream and generating the markup stream therefrom.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein said terminal comprises a multiplexer.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said multiplexer multiplexes the multicast channel with the video stream and the markup stream from the network operation center proxy to form said interactive broadcast signal.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein said data source comprises the Internet.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein said terminal is an uplink center and a satellite for receiving the interactive broadcast signal and broadcasting said interactive broadcast signal to said receiver.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the markup stream is responsive to a user request transmitted via the multicast channel and received by the network operation center proxy.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein a user request is transmitted via the multicast channel and information responsive to the user request is received via the multicast channel.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the user request for the information is transmitted only if the information is not in the cache.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein

the video stream comprises a plurality of video objects including selectable objects encoded by an object-based encoding syntax, and

markup stream includes information identifying and specifying the selectable objects.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the markup stream further comprises functions related to the selectable objects.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the multicast channel is identified by an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

23. A method of broadcasting comprising the steps of:

identifying and specifying selectable objects from a broadcast signal;

generating a markup stream containing the identified and specified selectable objects; and

broadcasting an interactive broadcast signal comprising a plurality of media channels and a multicast channel associated with each of the media channels, wherein each media channel includes a video stream and the markup stream, the multicast channel jointly shared by a plurality of users viewing the media channel via an address common to all of the plurality of users, and the multicast channel for transmitting information identified by the markup stream and requested by any of the plurality of users to all of the plurality of users;

wherein the multicast channel and the media channel are not the same channel;

wherein the step of broadcasting comprises the step of uplinking the interactive broadcast signal to a satellite and broadcasting the interactive signal from the satellite.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising the steps of receiving the the interactive broadcast signal, demultiplexing the interactive broadcast signal and decompressing the interactive broadcast signal.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein in the step of receiving comprises the displaying screen indicia having selectable objects.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising the step of selecting an object and thereby retrieving requested information from a data source.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of broadcasting the requested information.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the step of retrieving requested information comprises retrieving information from a markup server.

29. The method of claim 25 further comprising the step of tracking data requests.

30. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

providing an input video stream;

analyzing said video stream to identify keywords; and

forming an object from the keywords.

31. The method of claim 23, wherein the multicast channel is identified by an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

32. A receiver comprising:

a playback module for receiving an interactive broadcast signal including a plurality of media channels and a multicast channel associated with each of the media channels, wherein each media channel includes a video stream and a markup stream, the multicast channel shared by a plurality of users viewing the media channel via an address common to all of the plurality of users, and the multicast channel for transmitting data identified by the markup stream and requested by any of the plurality of users to all of the plurality of users, wherein the multicast channel and the media channel are not the same channel;

an interactivity module coupled to said playback module, the interactivity module for deciphering the markup stream and accepting user input, and

a communication module coupled to said interactivity module.

33. The receiver of claim 32, wherein said playback module comprises a broadcast stream decompression and playback device.

34. The receiver of claim 33, wherein said playback module comprises a display device coupled to said broadcast stream decompression and playback device.

35. The receiver of claim 34, wherein said display device comprises a screen having a plurality of screen indicia.

36. The receiver of claim 35, wherein said screen indicia are selected from the group comprising a control portion, a chat portion, a World Wide Web portion and a video portion.

37. The receiver of claim 35, wherein said interactivity module comprises an interactivity control device coupled to said playback module.

38. The receiver of claim 37, wherein said interactivity module comprises a user control device coupled to interactivity control device.

39. The receiver of claim 38, wherein said user control device comprises a remote control.

40. The receiver of claim 32, wherein said communications module comprises a network communication control device coupled to said interactivity module.

41. The receiver of claim 40, wherein said communications module comprises an interactive data display device coupled to said network communication control device.

42. The receiver of claim 32, wherein the multicast channel is identified by an Internet Protocol (IP) address.