Simulcast web page delivery

• US 8,108,487 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2010
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: JLB Ventures, LLC
• Original Assignee: JLB Ventures, LLC
• Inventors: Kikinis, Dan
• Primary Examiner(s): Avellino, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): McLeod, Marshall
• Application Number:
  US12/856,977
• Publication Number:
  US 20100312856A1
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/219
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/40 Arrangements for broadcast specially adapted for accumulation-type receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/51 specially adapted for satellite broadcast systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/74 of satellite networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/95 characterised by a specific format, e.g. an encoded audio stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/72 using electronic programme guides [EPG] focusing on identifying broadcast space time H04H60/39 ; menu type display of EPG in television receivers H04N21/47
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/82 the transmission system being the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/84 which are fixed telephone networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4355 involving reformatting operations of additional data, e.g. HTML pages on a television screen optimising the visualization of content for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/9577; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/066; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 : involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics
• 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 21/84 : Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 : using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• 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 7/165 : 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

A multimedia broadcast system provides program schedule information simulcast as a Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) data stream including commands and displayable, selectable indicia associated with the commands, along with programs for display. A set top box is adapted to separate the HTML data stream and to store that data in a cache as WEB pages retrievable by a WEB browser in the set top box, whereupon the program schedule information is displayed including the displayable, selectable indicia. Selecting the indicia directs the set top box via the associated command to tune to a program associated with the displayable indicia. The indicia may be any text, icon, dynamic figurine, and the like. In a preferred embodiment program schedule WEB pages, including the commands and displayable indicia, are stored especially marked on a WEB server coupled to the Internet and to a scanner adapted to scan the WEB server for marked pages, and to upload the marked pages to a satellite broadcast system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, programming information for future content from one or more content sources, wherein the programming information includes a page mark and wherein the page mark is used to identify pages for transmission to a destination device; and

scanning, at the computing device, the programming information to identify one or more marked pages, wherein the one or more marked pages includes a command for controlling one or more functions of the destination device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the one or more marked pages to the destination device, wherein the one or more marked pages are transmitted as a displayable data stream in a multimedia information transmission, the multimedia information transmission including one or more additional pieces of data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the command corresponds to a command-bearing tag included in the one or more marked pages.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more marked pages includes a webpage.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the programming information includes television programming information.

6. One or more non-transitory computer readable media storing computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause an apparatus to:

receive programming information for future content from one or more content sources, wherein the programming information includes a page mark and wherein the page mark is used to identify pages for transmission to a destination device; and

scan the program information to identify one or more marked pages, wherein the one or more marked pages includes a command for controlling one or more functions of the destination device.

7. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 6, wherein the computer readable instructions, when executed, further cause the apparatus to transmit the one or more marked pages to the destination device, wherein the one or more marked pages are transmitted as a displayable data stream in a multimedia information transmission, the multimedia information transmission including one or more additional pieces of data.

8. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 6, wherein the command corresponds to a command-bearing tag included in the one or more marked pages.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 6, wherein the one or more marked pages includes a webpage.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 6, wherein the programming information includes television programming information.

11. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory operatively coupled to the at least one processor and storing computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the apparatus to;

receive programming information for future content from one or more content sources, wherein the programming information includes a page mark and wherein the page mark is used to identify pages for transmission to a destination device; and

scan the program information to identify one or more marked pages, wherein the one or more marked pages includes a command for controlling one or more functions of the destination device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus comprises a database.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more marked pages includes a webpage.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the programming information includes television programming information.