Self-contained mini-applications system and method for digital television
First Claim
1. A computerized method for creating and implementing television widgets in a television widgets framework, the method comprising:
- defining television widgets as source code, the television widgets comprising independent self-contained mini-applications including a graphical user interface, wherein the self-contained mini-applications each perform a single well defined task;
storing the television widgets in a source code library;
translating the source code into a byte code format suitable for execution on a target virtual machine;
mapping a set of internal application programming interfaces used by applications into the application programming interfaces of an operating system, resident application, or a middleware; and
providing the television widgets to a remote customer premise equipment, wherein;
the television widgets are capable of being executed for display on a digital television associated with the remote customer premises equipment, andeach television widget can be used independently by a viewer without switching the viewer'"'"'s context from a current television program display on the digital television.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system, method and software program is provided for creating and implementing self-contained mini-applications that store, retrieve and display data and allow user interaction in a constrained computing environment such as a set-top box used in the delivery of digital television. The system, method and software program of the present invention, also known as “TV widgets” allows users to personalize data and facilitate the access of such data with a click of a button from a remote control unit. The TV widgets include a myriad of widgets of which some are, “My 8 ball”, a widget that recommends television programming to a viewer, “My TV search” for searching specific television programs, “My Weather”, “My Yellow Pages”, “Smart Navigation”, “Instant Messaging with Smart User Interface”, as well as others. A TV widget framework provides user interface context for launching and managing the widgets, in addition, it maintains a library code that implements the TV widget components. Among the implementations of the TV widgets is a widget based TV navigator created as a collection of widgets from conventional grid guides and navigators that include a grid guide widget, a “what'"'"'s on now” widget (sorted by channel), a movie recommendation widget among others.
57 Citations
36 Claims
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1. A computerized method for creating and implementing television widgets in a television widgets framework, the method comprising:
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defining television widgets as source code, the television widgets comprising independent self-contained mini-applications including a graphical user interface, wherein the self-contained mini-applications each perform a single well defined task; storing the television widgets in a source code library; translating the source code into a byte code format suitable for execution on a target virtual machine; mapping a set of internal application programming interfaces used by applications into the application programming interfaces of an operating system, resident application, or a middleware; and providing the television widgets to a remote customer premise equipment, wherein; the television widgets are capable of being executed for display on a digital television associated with the remote customer premises equipment, and each television widget can be used independently by a viewer without switching the viewer'"'"'s context from a current television program display on the digital television. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A computerized system for creating and implementing television widgets in a television widgets framework, the system comprising:
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a source code library; and one or more computer processors collectively programmed to; define television widgets as source code, television widgets comprising independent self-contained mini-applications including a graphical user interface, wherein the self-contained mini-applications each perform a single well defined task; store the television widgets in the source code library; translate the source code into a byte code format suitable for execution on a target virtual machine; map a set of internal application programming interfaces used by applications into the application programming interfaces an operating system, resident application, or a middleware; and provide the television widgets to a remote customer premise equipment, wherein; the television widgets are capable of being executed for display on a digital television associated with the remote customer premises equipment, and each television widget can be used independently by a viewer without switching the viewer'"'"'s context from a current television program display on the digital television. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for creating and implementing television widgets in a television widgets framework, the computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions configured to cause logic to:
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define television widgets as source code, the television widgets comprising independent self-contained mini-applications including a graphical user interface, wherein the self-contained mini-applications each perform a single well defined task; store the television widgets in a source code library; translate the source code into a byte code format suitable for execution on a target virtual machine; map a set of internal application programming interfaces used by applications into the application programming interfaces an operating system, resident application, or a middleware; and provide the television widgets to a remote customer premise equipment, wherein; the television widgets are capable of being executed for display on a digital television associated with the remote customer premises equipment, and each television widget can be used independently by a viewer without switching the viewer'"'"'s context from a current television program display on the digital television. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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Specification