Pausing television programming in response to selection of network address

• US 8,286,215 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2008
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Daniels, John J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Young
• Application Number:
  US12/246,161
• Publication Number:
  US 20090060450A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,464 Days
• Field of Search: 725/109, 725/110, 725/112, 725/134, 386/240, 386/248
• US Class Current: 725/112
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• 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 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 21/8586 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 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A time sequential signal comprising audiovisual content and network addresses is received and displayed on a display device by the systems of the invention in a time sequential manner. The display of the time sequential signal is paused whenever a displayed network address is selected. While pausing the display, data corresponding to any selected network address is accessed and displayed on the display device. The corresponding data may comprise a web page accessed through the Internet or an interval page that is transmitted within the vertical blanking intervals of the time sequential signal. While pausing the display of the time sequential signal, the time sequential signal is recorded so that it can be viewed in the order it was recorded as soon as a resume display command is received by the system.

Claims

1. In an interactive television system that is configured for displaying television programs and corresponding data, a method for pausing the display of a television program that is displayed at the television system in response to a selection of a network address of the corresponding data, the method comprising the acts of:

displaying a television program at the interactive television system while the television program is being broadcast, the television program being displayed with content comprising a network address of corresponding data;

as a television program is being displayed, receiving input selecting the network address;

in response to the input, accessing data corresponding to the network address;

automatically pausing the display of the television program in response to the input selecting the network address and in response to obtaining the corresponding data, while the television program is being broadcast, by recording a signal in which the television program is encoded on a recording medium, and so as to enable subsequent viewing of the paused television program in a time-shifted manner;

as the display of the television program is paused, displaying the corresponding data;

subsequently resuming the display of the television program by accessing the signal from the recording medium in the sequence in which the signal was recorded on the recording medium, such that the television program is displayed at the point at which the television program was paused; and

storing the corresponding data in memory such that the data can be retrieved from memory during the act of accessing the data.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the stored data is received through a television signal.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the content comprising the network address comprises a hyperlink.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the network address comprises a web page address, and wherein the data corresponding to the network address includes a web page, such that the act of accessing the data corresponding to the network address comprises the act of accessing the web page.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the stored data is received through a data channel.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the stored data is received through an Internet site.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the stored data is stored within a television signal.

8. An interactive television system comprising means for implementing the method recited in claim 1.

9. In an interactive television system that is configured for displaying television programs and corresponding data, a method for pausing the display of a television program that is displayed at the television system in response to a selection of a network address of the corresponding data, the method comprising the acts of:

displaying a television program at the interactive television system while the television program is being broadcast, the television program being displayed with content comprising an address of corresponding data;

as a television program is being displayed, receiving input selecting the address;

in response to the input, accessing embedded data corresponding to the address, the embedded data being embedded within at least one of a television signal and an Internet site;

automatically pausing the display of the television program in response to the input selecting the address and in response to obtaining the corresponding embedded data, while the television program is being broadcast, by recording a signal in which the television program is encoded on a recording medium, and so as to enable subsequent viewing of the paused television program in a time-shifted manner;

as the display of the television program is paused, displaying the embedded data corresponding to the address; and

subsequently resuming the display of the television program by accessing the signal from the recording medium in the sequence in which the signal was recorded on the recording medium, such that the television program is displayed at the point at which the television program was paused.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the embedded data is related to viewer preference information.

11. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the embedded data is related to viewer habits.

12. A method as recited in claim 9, further comprising the act of receiving a television signal in which the television program and the address are encoded.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, further comprising the act of storing the embedded data corresponding to the address in memory such that the embedded data can be retrieved from memory during the act of accessing the embedded data.

14. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the act of pausing the display of the television program comprises the acts of:

displaying the data corresponding to the address in a first frame on a television included in the interactive television system; and

simultaneously displaying a still image associated with the television program in a second frame on the television.

15. A method as recited in claim 9, further comprising an act of adding at least one web page Internet site address corresponding to the embedded data to a hot list stored in memory for subsequent access.

16. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the address comprises a network address.

17. A method as recited in claim 16, further comprising the act of displaying the television program on a television included in the interactive television system and simultaneously displaying the address as a hyperlink on the television.

18. A method as recited in claim 17, further comprising selecting a position on the television at which the hyperlink is displayed based on information included in a signal that is received by the interactive television system and in which the television program is encoded.

19. An interactive television system comprising means for implementing the method recited in claim 9.