Interactive data widgets for video

• US 9,497,418 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2006
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Kassam, Shafiq, Mani, Prabhakar, Aldrey, Raul, Krishnaswamy, Maitreyi, Guntupalli, Anil
• Primary Examiner(s): Salce, Jason
• Application Number:
  US11/600,353
• Publication Number:
  US 20080120664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,652 Days
• Field of Search: 725/135, 725/110, 725/105, 725/131, 725/100, 725/138, 725/139, 725/151, 725/147, 725/144, 725/114, 398/49, 398/73, 398/60, 713/153
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; 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 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4886 for displaying a ticker, e.g. scrolling banner for news, stock exchange, weather data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A content processing device is configured to store a parameter indicative of a content preference of a system user, to request and receive data relating to the stored parameter, to receive an incoming video signal, and to provide to a video display at least a portion of the video signal and a data interface including at least a subset of the data.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a content processing device configured to;

store a parameter including a location of the content processing device and indicative of a preference of a user of the content processing device for content to be displayed along with an incoming video signal,

request data relating to the stored parameter,

determine whether a mechanism, for receiving and displaying the requested data, is stored within the content processing device;

download the mechanism for receiving and displaying the requested data if the mechanism is not already stored within the content processing device,

receive the requested data,

receive the incoming video signal, and

provide to a video display

(a) at least a portion of the video signal to be display a video image at a video width and,

(b) using the mechanism, a data interface at a bottom of the video display and having the entire video width of the video image, the data interface including at least a subset of the data and a navigation control with a first graphical indicator that is separated a distance from and graphically depicts a first type of information provided by the subset of the data and that changes to a second graphical indicator that is separated the distance from and graphically depicts a second type of information provided by the subset of the data,

wherein the first and second graphical indicators include respective first and second icons associated with the subset of data and that are scrollable through at least two of news, sports, weather, and traffic information while the subset of data changes according to the respective first and second icons.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a fiber optic cable that is used to transmit the data and the video signal to the content processing device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the content processing device is a set top box.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the content processing device stores the location on a computer-readable medium, the location being the specified parameter that is selectively used to request the data.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a data server that provides the data; and

a video head end that provides the video signal.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the data server provides the data through a packet switched network and the video head end provides the video signal through a video distribution network that includes coaxial cables.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the data server provides the requested data to the content processing device according to an internet protocol (IP) address.

8. The system of claim 1, the content processing device further configured to receive an input of a new parameter, to request data related to the new parameter, and to display the data related to the new parameter in place of the data.

9. A method, comprising:

storing a parameter including a location of a content processing device and indicative of a preference of a user of a content processing device for content to be displayed along with an incoming video signal;

determining whether a mechanism, for receiving and displaying the requested data, is stored;

downloading the mechanism for receiving and displaying the requested data if the mechanism is not already stored within the content processing device;

receiving both the requested data and an incoming video signal in a content processing device;

providing the incoming video signal to a video display, whereby the video display displays a video image at a video width; and

using the mechanism to provide a data signal including the data from the content processing device in the video display, whereby the video display displays a data interface at a bottom of the video display and having the entire video width of the video image, the data interface including at least a subset of the data and a navigation control with a first graphical indicator that is separated a distance from and graphically depicts a first type of information provided by the subset of the data and that changes to a second graphical indicator that is separated the distance from and graphically depicts a second type of information provided by the subset of the data,

wherein the first and second graphical indicators include respective first and second icons associated with the subset of data and that are scrollable through at least two of news, sports, weather, and traffic information while the subset of data changes according to the respective first and second icons.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a fiber optic cable is used to transmit the data and the video signal to the content processing device.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising storing a parameter on a computer-readable medium, the parameter being selectively used to request the data.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the location of the content processing device is stored according to user input.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the user input includes selection of at least one of a predetermined button and a change location icon and wherein the user input provides the location to replace a previously stored location.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein a data server provides the data and a video head end provides the video signal.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the data server provides the data through a packet switched network and the video head end provides the video signal through a video distribution network that includes coaxial cables.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising obtaining an internet protocol (IP) address with which to request the data.

17. The method of claim 9, tangibly embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as computer-executable instructions.

18. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving an input indicative of a request to change the data signal in the content processing device;

requesting a new data signal from a remote data server; and

including the new data signal in the data interface.

19. A system, comprising:

a packet switched network;

a video distribution network that includes coaxial cable;

fiber optic cable;

a gateway router that connects the packet switched network and connects the video distribution network to the fiber optic cable;

a video head end that selectively provides a video signal via the video distribution network;

a data server that selectively provides data through the packet switched network;

a broadband home router that selectively receives the data and the video signal via the fiber optic cable;

a content processing device that is connected to the broadband home router and that is configured to receive both the data and the video signals, wherein the content processing device is configured to store a parameter including a location of the content processing device and indicative of a preference of a user of the content processing device, the location being stored on a computer-readable medium, the location being selectively used to request the data, the content processing device being further configured to determine whether a mechanism, for receiving and displaying the requested data, is stored within the content processing device and to download the mechanism for receiving and displaying the requested data if the mechanism is not already stored within the content processing device;

a control device in selective communication with the content processing device, whereby the user may request data and video content;

a video display that receives the incoming video signal from the content processing device, whereby the video display displays a video image at a video width, and wherein the video display further selectively receives a data signal including the data from the content processing device, whereby the video display displays a data interface at a bottom of the video display and having the entire video width of the video image, the data interface including at least a subset of the data and a navigation control with a first graphical indicator that is separated a distance from and graphically depicts a first type of information provided by the subset of the data and that changes to a second graphical indicator that is separated the distance from and graphically depicts a second type of information provided by the subset of the data,

wherein the first and second graphical indicators include respective first and second icons associated with the subset of data and that are scrollable through at least two of news, sports, weather, and traffic information while the subset of data changes according to the respective first and second icons.