Interactive television network and method including content searching

• US 8,108,892 B1
• Filed: 05/03/2001
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Holdings LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Holdings LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Gibbon, David Crawford, Shahraray, Behzad, Durkee, James R.
• Primary Examiner(s): LONSBERRY, HUNTER B
• Application Number:
  US09/848,581
• Time in Patent Office: 3,925 Days
• Field of Search: 725/32, 725/34, 725/53, 725/39, 725/48, 725/51, 725/109
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/232 Content retrieval operation locally within server, e.g. reading video streams from disk arrays storage management G06F3/0604; details of querying and searching of video data from a database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2747 Remote storage of video programs received via the downstream path, e.g. from the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72

Abstract

The present invention is directed to content searching of various databases in an interactive television network; caching programming for rebroadcasting to interactive television network subscribers; and interactively offering goods and services referred to in broadcast programming to interactive television network subscribers.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a data locator for locating data, the data locator being in communication with a terminal for accessing other network components and for providing broadcast content to a user, and memory located remotely from the data locator and in communication therewith through a network and containing at least three of the following types of data accessible by the data locator;

listing data containing broadcast content scheduling information relating to past, current, and future scheduled interactive content;

content data containing audio and video content of previously broadcast content on the network;

email data containing email for users; and

voice mail data containing voice mail information for users'"'"' telephones;

receiving, from the terminal, a request based on a network address included in the broadcast content;

communicating with the memory to retrieve one or more of the at least three types of the data; and

forwarding the one or more of the at least three types of the data to the terminal.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

recording at least a portion of the broadcast content in the memory during the broadcast of the broadcast content;

receiving one or more requests from user terminals to rebroadcast the broadcast content;

retrieving the broadcast content from the memory; and

transmitting the broadcast content from the memory to the user terminals.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the communicating step comprises searching through closed caption data, broadcast time, broadcast channel, a content category, a content theme, and a content therein.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the forwarding step comprises providing only a portion of a program to the terminal.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the program portion comprises only a portion of the frames of the program.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the forwarding step comprises providing a location indicator of the at least three types of data to the terminal.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the location indicator comprises a pointer to a time stamp in a multimedia stream.

8. A method according to claim 6, further comprising:

receiving from the terminal an email message including the location indicator; and

delivering the email message to a second terminal.

9. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting data representing a virtual keyboard to the terminal, wherein the virtual keyboard is configured to be located entirely in a title safe portion of a display screen; and

receiving from the terminal a signal corresponding to a key on the virtual keyboard.

10. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting data representing a bug on a display screen,

receiving, from the terminal, a signal associated with the bug; and

in response to receiving from the terminal the signal associated with the bug, sending a signal to the network address.

11. A method comprising:

receiving a broadcast stream at a terminal, the broadcast stream comprising a network address;

rendering a first picture comprising at least one bug associated with the network address on a display screen associated with the terminal;

transmitting a signal from the terminal relating to the bug; and

receiving data from a remotely located database associated with the network address at the terminal responsive to transmitting the signal.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

rendering a second picture on the display screen presenting information related to the bug and the data.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the network address comprises at least one of a universal resource locator and a channel.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the broadcast stream comprises an advertisement from a vendor.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the bug is rendered as an offer to purchase a good or service in the advertisement.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the second picture comprises a confirmation request.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

connecting the terminal with a vendor.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising prior to the rendering of the second picture:

receiving at the terminal an electronic order form associated with a vendor comprising at least one field of populated information that is personal to a user of the terminal, and wherein the populated at least one field is at least part of the information rendered in the second picture.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

memory storing one or more applications that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to;

transmit a broadcast stream comprising a network address and data for rendering at least one bug associated with the network address at a terminal,

receive, from the terminal, a signal indicating a selection of the bug,

obtain content stored on a database in response to receipt of the signal and according to the network address, the network address being associated with the database, and transmit the obtained content to the terminal.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the data for rendering the at least one bug comprises data for rendering a command for offering at least one of a good and a service.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the content comprises a form, the form comprising at least one field configured to be populated with information stored at the terminal that is associated with a user of the terminal.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the at least one field comprises a plurality of fields, the plurality of fields comprising:

a name field, an address field, a credit or debit card number field, an expiration date field, an item identification field, a price field, and a shipping charge field.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the network address comprises a universal resource locator (URL).

24. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the database is remotely located from the apparatus.

25. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the one or more applications, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to:

receive a plurality of requests from a corresponding plurality of terminals,

load a counter with a number corresponding to the number of requests, and

determine that the number of requests is less than a threshold value.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the one or more applications, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to:

receive at least one additional request from a corresponding at least one additional terminal,

increment the counter by a number corresponding to the number of the at least one additional request,

determine that the counter exceeds the threshold value, and

responsive to determining that the counter exceeds the threshold value, retransmitting the broadcast stream.

27. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the one or more applications, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to:

receive, from the terminal, a search term and an identification of at least one server in which to perform a search based on the search term.