Method and apparatus for facilitating toggling between internet and TV broadcasts

• US 8,132,220 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2005
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TVnGO Ltd. (BVI)
• Original Assignee: TVnGO Ltd. (Israel) (TVnGO Ltd. (BVI))
• Inventors: Merlin, Yakkov
• Primary Examiner(s): Featherstone, Mark D
• Application Number:
  US11/794,825
• Publication Number:
  US 20080046942A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,611 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/109
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4381 Recovering the multiplex stream from a specific network, e.g. recovering MPEG packets from ATM cells transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• 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 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/854 Content authoring

Abstract

A TV-Internet Integration Box allows display of first data broadcast over a TV subscriber channel simultaneously together with second data broadcast over a digital data communications network has respective first and second inputs for receiving at a user premises the first data and the second data according to a user-profile associated with the second data. A combiner unit combines the first data and second data to form a combined video signal; and a video output coupled to the combiner unit conveys the combined video signal to a TV set in a user premises for displaying a first image corresponding to the first data and having superimposed thereon a second image corresponding to the second data. A user at the user premises may interact with the second image for redirecting to the digital data communications network and displaying a program broadcast thereby in at least a portion of the TV set.

Claims

1. A method for generating at a user'"'"'s premises an overlay using video signals constituting a first data and overlay-enabling digital data constituting a second data, the method comprising:

(a) providing a combiner unit at the user'"'"'s premises, wherein;

the combiner unit is coupled to a TV set and connected to a separate TV tuner box or TV tuner in the TV set, at the user'"'"'s premises, and

the combiner unit is also connected through distinct networks to each of a video signal source providing video signals through the TV tuner box or TV tuner in the TV set, and an Internet data source providing overlay-enabling digital data over the Internet, wherein

said video signals and said overlay-enabling digital data originate from unrelated sources and are transmitted to the user'"'"'s premises by different resources as mutually distinct and independent inputs, and wherein

said overlay-enabling digital data includes at least;

a Web link indicating a website where content that is associated with said overlay-enabling digital data is stored,

an image indicative of the content associated with said overlay-enabling digital data, and

an overlay activation criterion; and

(b) processing at the user'"'"'s premises said overlay-enabling digital data and generating at the user'"'"'s premises a corresponding overlay only if said activation criterion is met, wherein generating an overlay includes;

generating at the user'"'"'s premises a first display screen including at least a first portion corresponding to said video signals and a second portion overlaid over said first portion and corresponding at least to said image, and

associating the Web link with said second portion of the first display screen thereby allowing a user to cause the combiner unit to retrieve said content, generate a second video display screen including at least a portion which corresponds to said content, and input the second display screen to said TV set.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said overlay-enabling digital data is received at the user premises according to a pre-stored user profile.

3. The method according to claim 1, further including:

receiving a command from a user at said user premises; and

responsive to said command, resizing said first portion and/or said second portion of said first display screen.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the content stored at said website enables streaming of digital data over the Internet;

and

said method further including;

pre-fetching and buffering said digital data stream from said website, thereby allowing said digital data stream to be displayed substantially without delay upon redirection by the user.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the overlay-enabling digital data comprises data representative of one or more second images, and for each of said one or more second images said overlay-enabling data comprises respective web site addresses where IP content associated with the respective second image is stored, and wherein said generating an overlay further includes within said first display said one or more second images.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the overlay-enabling digital data is supplementary or complementary to the video signals.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image includes an icon that indicates to the user that digital data from Internet content is currently being displayed and which provides an indication of a nature of said Internet content.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image contains textual information advising the user to press a particular button on the remote control unit.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said overlay activation criterion includes at least one of the following:

a timing information, data specifying one or more TV subscriber channels, a user command information.

10. The method according to claim 5, further including:

periodically accessing a web server for downloading said overlay-enabling digital data;

extracting from the overlay-enabling digital data said one or more second images and the respective web sites corresponding to each of said second images;

retrieving and storing digital content from said web sites; and

if the overlay activation criterion is met and a user command that is associated with an image from amongst said one or more second images is identified, displaying the respective image from amongst the second images, accessing the respective web site associated with the displayed image and extracting and buffering content from the website.

11. The method according to claim 5, further comprising displaying a respective IP content when a corresponding one of said one or more second images is selected.

12. The method according to claim 7, including selecting specific Internet content by pressing a color-coded button on a remote control in accordance with a color of said icon.

13. A TV-Internet Integration Box for generating at a user'"'"'s premises an overlay using video signals constituting a first data and overlay-enabling digital data constituting a second data, the TV-Internet Integration Box comprising:

a combiner unit at a user'"'"'s premises coupled to a separate TV tuner box or TV tuner, wherein

the combiner unit is also connected through distinct networks to each of a video signal source providing video signals through the TV tuner box or TV tuner, and an Internet data source providing overlay-enabling digital data over the Internet, wherein

said video signals and said overlay-enabling digital data originate from unrelated sources and are transmitted to the user'"'"'s premises by different resources as mutually distinct and independent inputs, and

wherein said overlay-enabling digital data includes at least;

a Web link indicating a website where content that is associated with said overlay-enabling digital data is stored;

an image indicative of the content associated with said overlay-enabling digital data; and

an overlay activation criterion, wherein

the combiner unit is responsive to an overlay activation criterion being met for generating a corresponding overlay, including;

generating at the user'"'"'s premises a first display screen including at least a first portion corresponding to said video signals and a second portion overlaid over said first portion and corresponding at least to said image, and

associating the Web link with said second portion of the first display screen thereby allowing a user to cause the combiner unit to retrieve said content, and generate a second video display screen including at least a portion which corresponds to said content; and

a video output interface, coupled to or integrated within the combiner unit and configured to be coupled to a video input of said TV set and to display said first display screen or said second video display screen.

14. The TV-Internet Integration Box according to claim 13, wherein said overlay-enabling digital data is received at the user premises according to a pre-stored user-profile.

15. The TV-Internet Integration Box according to claim 13, further including:

a command input for receiving a command from a user at said user premises; and

a frame adjuster for resizing said first portion and/or said second portion of said first display screen in response to said command.

16. The TV-Internet Integration Box according to claim 13, further including:

a receiver for receiving a digital data stream, wherein the stream of the digital data is enabled by the content stored at said website; and

a processing unit for pre-fetching and buffering said digital data stream from said website, thereby allowing said digital data stream to be displayed substantially without delay upon redirection by the user.

17. The TV-Internet Integration Box according to claim 13, wherein the overlay-enabling digital data comprises data representative of one or more second images, and for each of said one or more second images said overlay-enabling data comprises respective web site addresses where IP content associated with the respective second image is stored,

and wherein the combiner unit is configured to:

periodically access a web server for downloading said overlay-enabling digital data;

extract from the overlay-enabling digital data said one or more second images and the respective web sites corresponding to each of said second images;

retrieve and store digital content from said web sites; and

if the overlay activation criterion is met, and a user command that is associated with an image from amongst said one or more second images is identified, display the respective image from amongst the second images, access the respective web site associated with the displayed image and extract and buffer content from the website.

18. The TV-Internet Integration Box according to claim 13, wherein the image includes an icon that indicates to the user that digital data from Internet content is currently being displayed and which provides an indication of a nature of said Internet content.

19. The TV-Internet Integration Box according to claim 13, wherein the image contains textual information advising the user to press a particular button on the remote control unit.

20. The TV-Internet Integration Box according to claim 13, wherein said overlay activation criterion includes at least one of the following:

a timing information, data specifying one or more TV subscriber channels, a user command information.

21. The TV-Internet Integration Box according to claim 18, wherein the icon is colored so as to allow user selection of a specific Internet content by pressing a color-coded button on a remote control in accordance with a color of said icon.