Extensions to trigger parameters table for interactive television

• US 10,341,715 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2014
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Eyer, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Gee, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US14/584,875
• Publication Number:
  US 20150195605A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,646 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/13 Arrangements for device control affected by the broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/433 Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• 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 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• 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 21/4888 for displaying teletext characters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6112 involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/647 Control signaling between network components and server or clients; Network processes for video distribution between server and clients, e.g. controlling the quality of the video stream, by dropping packets, protecting content from unauthorised alteration within the network, monitoring of network load, bridging between two different networks, e.g. between IP and wireless real-time session protocols H04L65/1101
• 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 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80

Abstract

A method, computer program, and reception apparatus, and information providing apparatus. The method includes receiving content from a content source, and displaying the received content on a display. A first trigger is extracted from closed caption data associated with the received content. The reception apparatus retrieves a trigger parameters table (TPT) based on the extracted first trigger. The TPT includes at least one event associated with one or a combination of a trigger identifier and a first media time of the received content, and is stored in a memory of the reception apparatus. Further, the reception apparatus processes the event based on one or a combination of a second trigger including the trigger identifier and the first media time equaling a current media time of the received content.

Claims

1. A method of a reception apparatus for processing triggers, comprising:

receiving, by a receiver of the reception apparatus, content and a first trigger included in closed caption data of the content, the first trigger identifying a location of a table;

outputting the received content for display;

extracting the location of the table from the closed caption data of the content;

acquiring, by circuitry of the reception apparatus, the table from the extracted location, the table including a plurality of actions to be performed for an application which is configured to be executed in synchronization with the content;

storing the table in a memory of the reception apparatus;

after storing the table in the memory of the reception apparatus, receiving a second trigger included in the closed caption data of the content, the second trigger including a reference to an entry in the stored table indicating at least one of the plurality of actions included in the stored table; and

performing, by the circuitry, the one of the plurality of actions.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the receiving comprises:

receiving a digital television signal including a data stream including the content and the first and second trigger.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the circuitry, a current media time of the displayed content based on media time information included in the first trigger or based on media time information included in the second trigger, wherein

the performing includes performing the one of the plurality of actions included in the table based on the determined current media time.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the performing comprises:

performing the one of the plurality of actions included in the table based on the reference to the entry in the stored table included in the second trigger.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the performing includes performing an operation using a declarative object (DO).

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the receiving includes receiving the content via at least one of a satellite broadcast, a cable television transmission, a terrestrial television broadcast, and the Internet.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the reference to the entry in the stored table included in the second trigger is one of an index number or a media time that is a primary key identifying a row in the stored table.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method of a reception apparatus for processing triggers, the method comprising:

receiving content and a first trigger included in closed caption data of the content, the first trigger identifying a location of a table;

outputting the received content for display;

extracting the location of the table from the closed caption data of the content;

acquiring the table from the extracted location, the table including a plurality of actions to be performed for an application which is configured to be executed in synchronization with the content;

storing the table in a memory of the reception apparatus;

after storing the table in the memory of the reception apparatus, receiving a second trigger included in the closed caption data of the content, the second trigger including a reference to an entry in the stored table indicating at least one of the plurality of actions included in the stored table; and

performing, the one of the plurality of actions.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 5, wherein the receiving comprises:

receiving a digital television signal including a data stream including the content and the first and second trigger.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 5, the method further comprising:

determining, by the circuitry, a current media time of the displayed content based on media time information included in the first trigger or based on media time information included in the second trigger, wherein

the performing includes performing the one of the plurality of actions included in the table based on the determined current media time.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 5, wherein the performing comprises:

performing the one of the plurality of actions included in the table based on the reference to the entry in the stored table included in the second trigger.

9. A reception apparatus, comprising:

a receiver configured to

receive content and a first trigger included in closed caption data of the content, the first trigger identifying a location of a table; and

after storing the table in the reception apparatus, receive a second trigger included in the closed caption data of the content, the second trigger including a reference to an entry in the stored table indicating at least one of a plurality of actions included in the table;

a memory configured to store the table; and

circuitry configured to

output the received content for display;

extract the location of the table from the closed caption data of the content;

acquire the table from the extracted location, the table including a plurality of actions to be performed for an application which is configured to be executed in synchronization with the content; and

perform the one of the plurality of actions.

10. The reception apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the circuitry is configured to

receive a digital television signal including a data stream including the content and the first and second trigger.

11. The reception apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the circuitry is configured to

determine a current media time of the displayed content based on media time information included in the first trigger or based on media time information included in the second trigger, and

perform the one of the plurality of actions included in the table based on the determined current media time.

12. The reception apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the circuitry is configured to

perform the one of the plurality of actions included in the table based on the reference to the entry in the stored table included in the second trigger.

15. The reception apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the circuitry is configured to receive the content via at least one of a satellite broadcast, a cable television transmission, a terrestrial television broadcast, and the Internet.

16. The reception apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the reception apparatus is a television receiver.

13. A transmission apparatus, comprising:

circuitry configured to

transmit a first trigger included in closed caption data of content, the first trigger identifying a location of a table, the table including a plurality of actions to be performed for an application which is configured to be executed in synchronization with the content; and

transmit a second trigger included in the closed caption data of the content after transmitting the first trigger, the second trigger including a reference to an entry in the table indicating at least one of the plurality of actions included in the table, wherein

the first trigger causes a reception apparatus, which outputs the content for display, to extract the;

location of the table from the closed caption data of the content, acquire the table from the extracted location, and

the second trigger causes the reception apparatus to perform the one of the plurality of actions.