Television/Internet terminal user interface

• US 20050097622A1
• Filed: 12/02/2004
• Published: 05/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Zigmond, Daniel J., Anderson, David R., White, Christopher M., Yaksick, Jeffrey D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,849,226 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/135
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• 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 21/462 Content or additional data management, e.g. creating a master electronic program guide from data received from the Internet and a Head-end, controlling the complexity of a video stream by scaling the resolution or bit-rate based on the client capabilities
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4884 for displaying subtitles
• 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 7/08 Systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal, e.g. additional information signals, the signals occupying wholly or partially the same frequency band , e.g. by time division H04N7/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 the inserted signal being digital

Abstract

A viewer of television programming is alerted to the availability of content related to the programming (e.g. an associated Internet web page) by an icon momentarily displayed on the screen. Using a remote control, the viewer can select the icon. A control panel then appears, superimposed over the television image, and provides additional detail about the related content. By further operating the remote control, the viewer can select the associated content for viewing, or return to watching the television. Various other features and variations are disclosed.

Claims

1-24. -24. (canceled)

25. A method of operating a screen used to display both television programming and auxiliary content, the method comprising:

displaying television programming;

receiving link data conveyed in a signal with the television programming, the link data associated with first auxiliary content;

deciding whether or not to display an alert indication with the displayed television programming, the alert indication indicating the availability of the first auxiliary content, wherein the decision is based at least in part upon the number of times the link data representing the availability of the first auxiliary content has been received; and

if the decision indicates the alert indication is to be displayed, displaying the alert indication and, otherwise, skipping the displaying the alert indication.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the link data associated with the first auxiliary content is received M times, the alert indication is displayed N times, and N is less than M.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein M is greater than one and N equals one.

28. The method of claim 25 wherein the alert indication is displayed if the link data associated with the first auxiliary content is received one time.

29. The method of claim 25 wherein the alert indication is displayed the first time the link data associated with the first auxiliary content is received.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the alert indication is not displayed in response to subsequently receiving the link data associated with the first auxiliary content.

31. The method of claim 25 wherein the link data is received during a program to which the first auxiliary content is related.

32. The method of claim 25 further comprising removing the alert indication when a viewer indicates interest in the first auxiliary content.

33. The method of claim 25 wherein the alert indication is displayed for a predetermined period of time and then removed from the screen.

34. The method of claim 25 wherein the link data comprises a logical address link and the first auxiliary content is located on the Internet.

35. The method of claim 25 wherein the link data comprises a URL and the first auxiliary content comprises a Web page.

36. The method of claim 25 further comprising removing the alert indication in response to receiving second link data conveyed in the signal with the television programming, the second link data associated with second auxiliary content.

37. The method of claim 25 wherein the alert indication is an icon, the icon is translucent, an audible signal accompanies the display of the icon, and different icons are used to distinguish between different kinds of auxiliary content.

38. A method of operating a screen used to display both television programming and auxiliary content, the method comprising:

displaying television programming;

receiving link data conveyed in a signal with the television programming, the link data associated with first auxiliary content;

receiving user input indicating whether the link data is to be saved in a folder;

if the user input indicates the link data is to be saved, saving the link data in the folder and, otherwise, skipping the saving the link data in the folder;

receiving user input indicating a selection from the folder; and

displaying second auxiliary content associated with the selection from the folder.

39. The method of claim 38 in which the folder is a favorites folder.

40. The method of claim 38 further comprising:

displaying a graphical control for selectably saving the link data, wherein the user input indicating whether the link data is to be saved is a selection from the graphical control.

41. A method of operating a display device used to display both television programming and auxiliary content, the method comprising:

displaying television programming;

receiving link data conveyed in a signal with the television programming, the link data associated with first auxiliary content;

receiving user input indicating interest in the first auxiliary content;

in response to receiving the user input, saving the link data in a folder; and

displaying the first auxiliary content.

42. The method of claim 41 further comprising:

receiving user input indicating a selection from the folder; and

re-displaying the first auxiliary content.

43. The method of claim 42 further comprising:

saving the first auxiliary content in a cache, wherein the re-displayed first auxiliary content is the cached first auxiliary content.

44. The method of claim 41 in which the link data comprises a URL and the first auxiliary content comprises Internet content.