System and method for providing television services

• US 8,819,758 B2
• Filed: 01/02/2003
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Howe, Wayne R., Danner, Fred Thomas III, Mauney, John R.
• Primary Examiner(s): SALCE, JASON P
• Application Number:
  US10/335,835
• Publication Number:
  US 20030159142A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,254 Days
• Field of Search: 725/40, 725/51, 725/86, 725/91, 725/100, 725/114, 725/144, 725/132, 725/140, 725/152, 348/563, 348/564, 348/569
• US Class Current: 725/132
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4384 involving operations to reduce the access time, e.g. fast-tuning for reducing channel switching latency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6332 directed to client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8545 for generating interactive applications
• 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 5/44 : Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 : Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 : Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 : Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A system and method are described for providing interactive television services and for switching between television programs, such as to an interactive program session from another program. An interactive server, capable of providing requested interactive video services to a set of subscribers in a given geographic area, is coupled to a network to which subscriber set top boxes are also coupled. Television programming, which may be furnished by any number of sources, is accompanied by a signal that indicates the availability of other programming, such as interactive television service related to the program being viewed, as well as information to be used in requesting such service. The user, when notified by this signal, may input to the set top box a request for a second program, such as an interactive program or application. The identity of the original program channel is stored, and a session with the video service provider is established over the network. When the session is terminated, the set top box re-tunes the television signal to the original program channel.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing, by a system comprising a processor, video content and interactive callback data over a service provider network to a media device, wherein the interactive callback data includes an interactive callback address that indicates a location of interactive content, and wherein the interactive callback data is associated with a display of an on-screen image with display of at least a portion of the video content, wherein the on-screen image is indicative of an availability of the interactive content;

when receipt of the interactive callback address is detected by the system, delivering the interactive content to the media device; and

when receipt of the interactive callback address is not detected by the system, providing removal data over the service provider network to the media device to cause removal of the on-screen image.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the display of the on-screen image occurs during the providing of at least a particular portion of the video content.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the on-screen image includes an on-screen button.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the interactive content is related to the video content.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the media device is a client device.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the video content includes commercial content and the interactive content is related in subject matter to the commercial content.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the video content includes a television program and the interactive content is related in subject matter to the television program.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a communication indicative of a request to exit the interactive content.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising terminating the delivering of the interactive content.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the video content has an association with the interactive content, the association being established prior to providing the video content and prior to providing the interactive callback data.

11. The method of claim 3, wherein the interactive callback data indicates a type of the on-screen button, a characteristic of the on-screen button, a location at which the on-screen button overlays the video content, and text of the on-screen button.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactive callback address indicates a logical address that maps to a network address of a server.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactive callback address includes an application identifier of an interactive application associated with the interactive content.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactive callback address includes a server identifier of a server.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the removal data comprises a remove message to cause the media device to remove the on-screen image.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the removal data comprises second interactive callback data associated with a display of a second on-screen image, wherein the display of the second on-screen image causes removal of the display of the on-screen image.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising periodically providing particular interactive callback data to the media device to cause display of a particular on-screen image associated with the particular interactive callback data.