Interactive television framework interfacing with a home networking domain

• US 20060282863A1
• Filed: 06/14/2005
• Published: 12/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kaplan, Alan, Bushmitch, Dennis, Khandelwal, Rajesh Bhagwandas
• Application Number:
  US11/151,775
• Publication Number:
  US 20060282863A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2221 being a cable television head-end CATV in broadcast systems H04H20/78
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4349 by extracting from data carousels, e.g. extraction of software modules from a DVB carousel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• 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 21/47205 for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8545 for generating interactive applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An interactive television framework is provided for interfacing with a home networking domain. The interactive television framework includes: a carousel access mechanism that is operable to access object carousel data from a remotely located data carousel; and a carousel proxying agent in data communication with the carousel access mechanism. The carousel proxying agent actively translates object carousel data into home device messages which are defined according to a plug-and-play protocol for transmission in the home networking domain.

Claims

1. An interactive television framework for interfacing with a home networking domain having a plurality of home devices defined in accordance with a plug-and-play protocol, comprising:

a carousel access mechanism operable to access broadcast content data and object carousel data from a data carousel; and

a carousel proxying agent in data communication with the carousel access mechanism and actively translates the object carousel data into a home device message, where the home device message is defined according to a plug-and-play protocol for transmission in the home networking domain.

2. The interactive television framework of claim 1 wherein the object carousel data specifies an identifier for a designated home device or service, a command for the designated home device or service, and at least one condition for initiating the command.

3. The interactive television framework of claim 1 wherein the plug-and-play protocol is further defined as UPnP.

4. The interactive television framework of claim 1 wherein the object carousel data describes control message content in accordance with UPnP.

5. The interactive television framework of claim 1 wherein the object carousel data describes event message content in accordance with UPnP.

6. The interactive television framework of claim 1 wherein the object carousel data describes at least one of content for UPnP AV Server or content updates for UPnP Content Directory.

7. The interactive television framework of claim 1 wherein the object carousel data includes scheduling information for the home device messages.

8. The interactive television framework of claim 1 wherein the object carousel data is further defined as an XML document.

9. The interactive television framework of claim 1 wherein the carousel proxying agent is further operable to transmit the home device message a designated home device, such that the designated home device performs a device operation in accordance with the control message.

10. The interactive television framework of claim 1 further comprises a return data channel interconnecting an application associated with the home networking domain to a content provider of the broadcast content data.

11. The interactive television framework of claim 10 wherein the application is configured to capture input from a viewer of the broadcast content data and operable to transmit the input via the return data channel to the content provider.

12. The interactive television framework of claim 11 wherein the content provider alters carousel data based on the input received from the viewer.

13. The interactive television framework of claim 10 wherein the return data channel is provided by one of the home devices connected to the home network.

14. The interactive television framework of claim 10 wherein the return data channel is provided by a mobile communication device connected via a session initiation protocol (SIP) to the home network.

15. The interactive television framework of claim 14 further comprises a UPnP-SIP proxying agent adapted to receive UPnP messages from the home devices and operable to translate the UPnP messages into SIP requests for use by SIP entities.

22. The interactive television framework of claim 15 further comprises a return data channel interconnecting an application associated with the home networking domain to a content provider of the broadcast content data.

23. The interactive television framework of claim 22 wherein the application is configured to capture input from a viewer of the broadcast content data and operable to transmit the input via the return data channel to the content provider.

24. The interactive television framework of claim 23 wherein the content provider alters carousel data based on the input received from the viewer.

25. The interactive television framework of claim 22 wherein the return data channel is provided by one of the home devices connected to the home network.

26. The interactive television framework of claim 22 further includes a SIP Service that enables SIP entities to register with itself and translates such registration into gateway aware registrations, such that the return data channel is provided by a mobile communication device in data communication with a SIP entity residing in the home networking domain.

16. An interactive television framework for interfacing with a home networking domain having a gateway defined in accordance with a gateway specification and a plurality of home devices interconnected to the gateway, comprising:

a carousel access mechanism implemented as a software bundle registered with the gateway and operable to access broadcast content data and object carousel data from a data carousel; and

a carousel proxying agent registered with the gateway and operable to actively translate the object carousel data into a home device message, where the home device message is defined according to a plug-and-play protocol for transmission in the home networking domain.

17. The interactive television framework of claim 16 wherein the gateway specification is further defined as an Open Services Gateway Initiative (OSGi) specification, such that the carousel access mechanism is implemented as an OSGi bundle within the gateway of the home networking domain.

18. The interactive television framework of claim 16 wherein the plug-and-play protocol is further defined as UPnP.

19. The interactive television framework of claim 16 wherein the object carousel data describes at least one of control message content in accordance with UPnP, event message content in accordance with UPnP, content for UPnP AV Server or content updates for UPnP Content Directory.

20. The interactive television framework of claim 16 wherein the object carousel data includes scheduling information for the home device messages and the carousel proxying agent transmits the home device message to a designated home device based on the scheduling information.

21. The interactive television framework of claim 20 wherein the scheduling information is further defined as an MPEG stream identifier and a frame identifier for the broadcast content data which is to be synchronized with the home device message.

27. An interactive television framework for interfacing with a home networking domain having a gateway defined in accordance with a gateway specification and a plurality of home devices interconnected via a home network to the gateway, comprising:

a carousel access mechanism operable to access broadcast content data and object carousel data from a remotely located data carousel; and

an carousel proxying agent in data communication with the carousel access mechanism, the carousel proxying agent operable to monitor the broadcast content data and translate object carousel data into a home device control message based in part on the broadcast content data, where the control message is defined according to a plug-and-play protocol for transmission to the home networking domain.

28. The interactive television framework of claim 27 wherein the object carousel data specifies an identifier for a designated home device or service, a command for the designated home device or service, and at least one condition for initiating the command.

29. The interactive television framework of claim 27 wherein the plug-and-play protocol is further defined as UPnP.

30. The interactive television framework of claim 27 wherein the gateway specification is further defined as an Open Services Gateway Initiative (OSGi) specification, such that the carousel access mechanism is implemented as an OSGi bundle within the gateway of the home networking domain.

31. The interactive television framework of claim 27 wherein the carousel proxying agent is further operable to transmit the home device message a designated home device, such that the designated home device performs a device operation in accordance with the control message.

32. The interactive television framework of claim 27 further comprises a return data channel interconnecting an application associated with the home networking domain to a content provider of the broadcast content data.

33. The interactive television framework of claim 32 wherein the application is configured to capture input from a viewer of the broadcast content data and operable to transmit the input via the return data channel to the content provider.

34. The interactive television framework of claim 33 wherein the content provider alters carousel data based on the input received from the viewer.