Method and apparatus for processing transport type B ATVEF data

• US 20030056224A1
• Filed: 07/19/2001
• Published: 03/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stone, Christopher J.
• Application Number:
  US09/908,903
• Publication Number:
  US 20030056224A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/112
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• 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 21/4355 involving reformatting operations of additional data, e.g. HTML pages on a television screen optimising the visualization of content for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/9577; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/066; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• 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 7/088 the inserted signal being digital

Abstract

Small consumer devices with limited memory resources, such as wireless devices for controlling set-top terminals, personal digital assistants (PDAs), or the like, are provided with the capability to access transport type B advanced television enhancement forum (ATVEF) data which is stored in a set-top terminal. Upon receiving a signal including transport type B ATVEF data, the set-top terminal extracts and stores the transport type B ATVEF data. The set-top terminal then parses through the data looking for any uniform resource locators (URLs) that contain a “lid:” protocol indicator, and reformats the “lid:” protocol indicator to an “http:” protocol indicator. The set-top terminal also substitutes the set-top terminal'"'"'s Internet Protocol (IP) address in place of each of the URLs'"'"' current domain names.

Claims

1. In a local device which processes transport type B advanced television enhancement forum (ATVEF) data, a method comprising:

(a) receiving a signal including transport type B ATVEF data;

(b) extracting and storing the type B ATVEF data;

(c) parsing through the type B ATVEF data to find uniform resource locators (URLs) that include a first resource protocol indicator, the URLs including a domain name;

(d) changing the first resource protocol indicator in each URL to a second resource protocol indicator; and

(e) changing the domain name in each URL to an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the local device, whereby type B ATVEF data is available to a remote device in communication with the local device without the remote device having to permanently store the type B ATVEF data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(f) transmitting at least one ATVEF trigger to the remote device;

(g) the remote device transmitting a request to the local device for content, in response to a user clicking on a hyperlink associated with the trigger, the hyperlink including a URL with the IP address associated with the local device;

(h) the local device retrieving the requested content from storage and transmitting the requested content to the remote device; and

(i) the remote device presenting the requested content to the user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the local device is a set-top terminal.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the remote device controls the set-top terminal.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the remote device is one of a personal digital assistant (PDA) and an Internet appliance.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first resource protocol indicator is “

lid;

//” and

the second protocol resource indicator is “

http;

//.”

7. Apparatus for processing transport type B advanced television enhancement forum (ATVEF) data, comprising:

(a) at least one receiver which receives a signal including transport type B ATVEF data;

(b) at least one decoder in communication with the receiver;

(c) at least one demodulator in communication with the receiver;

(d) at least one memory device which stores data processed by at least one of the decoder and the demodulator; and

(e) a processor, wherein the processor;

(i) instructs at least one of the decoder and demodulator to extract the type B ATVEF data and store the extracted data in the memory device;

(ii) parses through the type B ATVEF data to find uniform resource locators (URLs) that include a first resource protocol indicator, the URLs including a domain name;

(iii) changes the first resource protocol indicator in each URL to a second resource protocol indicator; and

(iv) changes the domain name in each URL to an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the local device, whereby type B ATVEF data is available to a remote device in communication with the apparatus without the remote device having to permanently store the type B ATVEF data.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the local device is a set-top terminal.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the remote device controls the set-top terminal.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the remote device is one of a personal digital assistant (PDA) and an Internet appliance.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first resource protocol indicator is “

lid;

//” and

the second protocol resource indicator is “

http;

//.”

12. A CATV system for processing transport type B advanced television enhancement forum (ATVEF) data, comprising:

(a) a remote device; and

(b) a local device which extracts type B ATVEF data from a signal received by the local device, stores the extracted data, parses through the type B ATVEF data to find uniform resource locators (URLs) that include a first resource protocol indicator, changes the first resource protocol indicator in each URL to a second resource protocol indicator, and changes a domain name in each URL to an IP address associated with the local device, whereby type B ATVEF data stored in the local device is available to the remote device without permanently storing the type B ATVEF data in the remote device.

13. The CATV system of claim 12, wherein the local device is a set-top terminal.

14. The CATV system of claim 13, wherein the remote device controls the set-top terminal.

15. The CATV system of claim 12, wherein the remote device is one of a personal digital assistant (PDA) and an Internet appliance.

16. The CATV system of claim 12, wherein the first resource protocol indicator is “

lid;

//” and

the second protocol resource indicator is “

http;

//.”

17. An article of manufacture for use in a local device which processes transport type B advanced television enhancement forum (ATVEF) data, the article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable medium holding computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

(a) receiving a signal including transport type B ATVEF data;

(b) extracting and storing the type B ATVEF data;

(c) parsing through the type B ATVEF data to find uniform resource locators (URLs) that include a first resource protocol indicator, the URLs including a domain name;

(d) changing the first resource protocol indicator in each URL to a second resource protocol indicator; and

(e) changing the domain name in each URL to an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the local device, whereby type B ATVEF data is available to a remote device in communication with the local device without the remote device having to permanently store the type B ATVEF data.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the local device is a set-top terminal.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein the remote device controls the set-top terminal.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the remote device is one of a personal digital assistant (PDA) and an Internet appliance.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the first resource protocol indicator is “

lid;

//” and

the second protocol resource indicator is “

http;

//.”