Browser system and method

• US 8,171,158 B1
• Filed: 03/27/2001
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Altera Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Altera Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Grignetti, Alejandro M
• Primary Examiner(s): EL CHANTI, HUSSEIN A
• Application Number:
  US09/818,415
• Time in Patent Office: 4,053 Days
• Field of Search: 709212-216, 709/223, 709/231, 709/238
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2407 Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82

Abstract

A portable apparatus for viewing digital content received from a data communication network, includes: a non-volatile storage medium capable to store digital content received from a data communication network; a display communicatively coupled to the non-volatile storage medium and capable to display images of the digital content; a processor communicatively coupled to the non-volatile storage medium; and a content browsing engine executable by the processor and capable to select digital content stored in the non-volatile storage medium. An apparatus for receiving datacast transmission, includes: a base station including a receiver; a portable browser device capable to be coupled to the base station and including a non-volatile storage; and a filtering engine communicatively coupled to the non-volatile storage and capable to store into the non-volatile storage content bundles requested by a user, the content bundles being transmitted from a data cast transmission received by the receiver.

Claims

1. A portable apparatus comprising:

a non-volatile storage medium capable to store digital content from a data communication network, wherein the digital content comprises a first digital content and a second digital content, the first digital content including a link to the second digital content;

a display communicatively coupled to the non-volatile storage medium, wherein the display is operable to display images of the digital content subsequent to downloading and storing the digital content, and wherein the display is operable to render the digital content using a web browser regardless of whether the portable apparatus is coupled to the data communication network; and

a processor, communicatively coupled to the non-volatile storage medium, the processor operable to execute instructions causing the processor to;

receive a data cast transmission including content bundles, wherein the data cast transmission is a high definition television (HDTV) transmission, and wherein the content bundles are received on unused portions of the HDTV transmission, wherein the content bundles comprise at least selected content bundles requested by a user and secondary service data;

filter the received content bundles so that the selected content bundles are stored in a portable non-volatile storage and the secondary service data are blocked; and

display at least some of the stored content bundles, wherein the stored content bundles are displayed using the web browser on the display.

2. The portable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data communications network includes the Internet.

3. The portable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the digital content includes data relating to any one of a website, an electronic document, a digital photograph, multimedia content, or digital music.

4. The portable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the digital content is stored in the non-volatile storage medium as a content bundle.

5. The portable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the non-volatile storage medium is flash memory.

6. The portable apparatus of claim 1, the portable apparatus further comprising a touch screen to receive user input.

7. The portable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display is operable to increase a size of a client window for the web browser.

8. The portable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the portable apparatus is communicatively coupled to a host processing device and wherein the digital content is downloaded to the non-volatile storage medium in response to print commands issued in the host processing device.

9. The portable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the portable apparatus is communicatively coupled to a host processing device and wherein the processor is operable to perform a first operation in response to a command from a first user and the host processing device is capable to perform a second task in response to a command from a second user.

10. The portable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is operable to sustain the rendition of the web browser during an operation of the portable apparatus so that a client window of the web browser remains on display during the operation of the portable apparatus.

11. The portable apparatus of claim 1, wherein a helper engine is operable to assist the web browser in decoding the digital content.

12. The portable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the link is a hyperlink.

13. The portable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the digital content comprises a website, the first digital content comprises a first webpage associated with the website and the second digital content comprises a second webpage associated with the website, and wherein a particular depth of content from the website is stored in the non-volatile storage medium.

14. A method of receiving data cast transmission, the method comprising:

receiving, at a client computer, a data cast transmission including content bundles, wherein the data cast transmission is a high definition television (HDTV) transmission, and wherein the content bundles are received on unused portions of the HDTV transmission, wherein the content bundles comprise at least selected content bundles requested by a user and secondary service data;

filtering the received content bundles so that the selected content bundles are stored in a portable non-volatile storage and the secondary service data are blocked; and

displaying at least some of the stored content bundles, wherein the stored content bundles are displayed using a web browser on a peripheral browsing device coupled to the portable non-volatile storage.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

transmitting feedback information to a broadcaster of content bundles in response to receiving the selected bundles.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing an executable program that instructs one or more processors to perform the following operations:

receive a data cast transmission including content bundles, wherein the data cast transmission is a high definition television (HDTV) transmission, and wherein the content bundles are received on unused portions of the HDTV transmission, wherein the content bundles comprise at least selected content bundles requested by a user and secondary service data;

filter the received content bundles so that the selected content bundles are stored in a portable non-volatile storage and the secondary service data are blocked; and

display at least some of the stored content bundles, wherein the stored content bundles are displayed using a web browser on a peripheral browsing device coupled to the portable non-volatile storage.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the portable non-volatile storage medium is flash memory.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the executable program further instructs the one or more processors to transmit feedback information to a broadcaster of content bundles in response to receiving the selected bundles.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the feedback information includes a usage history recording advertisements that a user has viewed.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the peripheral browsing device is coupled to an HDTV receiver capable of accepting Internet content from the HDTV transmission.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the peripheral browsing device includes a touch screen to receive user input.