Method and Apparatus for Facilitating Toggling Between Internet and Tv Broadcasts

• US 20080046942A1
• Filed: 01/11/2005
• Published: 02/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TVnGO Ltd. (BVI)
• Original Assignee: TVnGO Ltd. (Israel) (TVnGO Ltd. (BVI))
• Inventors: Merlin, Yakkov
• Granted Patent: US 8,132,220 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/110
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• 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 21/4381 Recovering the multiplex stream from a specific network, e.g. recovering MPEG packets from ATM cells transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• 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 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• 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 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/854 Content authoring

Abstract

A TV-Internet Integration Box allows display of first data broadcast over a TV subscriber channel simultaneously together with second data broadcast over a digital data communications network has respective first and second inputs for receiving at a user premises the first data and the second data according to a user-profile associated with the second data. A combiner unit combines the first data and second data to form a combined video signal; and a video output coupled to the combiner unit conveys the combined video signal to a TV set in a user premises for displaying a first image corresponding to the first data and having superimposed thereon a second image corresponding to the second data. A user at the user premises may interact with the second image for redirecting to the digital data communications network and displaying a program broadcast thereby in at least a portion of the TV set.

Claims

1-18. -18. (canceled)

19. A method for facilitating first data broadcast over a TV subscriber channel to be displayed simultaneously together with second data conveyed via a digital data communications network from a web server to a combiner unit coupled to the TV subscriber channel, the method comprising:

receiving said first data and said second data; and

combining said first data and said second data to form a combined video signal for displaying a first image corresponding to the first data together with a second image corresponding to the second data;

said second data including data that is representative of;

a web link indicating a website where an IP content relating to the second data is stored;

a program details image to be displayed indicative of the IP content;

timing information indicating when the program details image is to be displayed; and

one or more TV subscriber channels on which said program details image is to be displayed;

storing the second data for off-line processing;

combining said first data and with data representative of said program details image only if the TV set is tuned to one of said TV subscriber channels during a time that conforms to the timing information embedded in the second data, and conveying said combined video signal to a video input of a TV set in a user premises for displaying a first image corresponding to the first data and having the program details image overlaid thereon within an area occupied by the first image, said program details image being configured to allow a user at said user premises to interact therewith for redirecting to the digital data communications network and displaying a program said IP content broadcast thereby in at least a portion of the TV set.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein said second data is received at the user premises according to a pre-stored user-profile.

21. The method according to claim 19, further including:

receiving a command from a user at said user premises; and

resizing said portion of the TV set in which the program broadcast by the digital data communications network is displayed.

22. The method according to claim 19, further including:

identifying a website address of the program broadcast by the digital data communications network associated with the second data; and

pre-fetching and buffering the program broadcast by the digital data communications network from said website;

thereby allowing said program to be displayed substantially without delay upon redirection by the user.

23. The method according to claim 19, wherein the second data comprises data representative of more than one of said second images and web site addresses of corresponding IP content to be displayed when selecting a respective one of the second images.

24. The method according to claim 23, further including:

periodically accessing a web server for downloading said second data;

extracting from the second data the second images and the respective web site corresponding to each of said second images;

storing the program details images;

if the TV set is tuned to one of said TV subscriber channels during a time that conforms to the timing information embedded in the second data, displaying a respective one of the second images and accessing the respective web site corresponding to the displayed program details image and extracting and buffering IP content therefrom.

25. The method according to claim 19, wherein the second data is supplementary or complementary to the first data.

26. The method according to claim 19, wherein the program details image includes an icon that indicates to the TV subscriber that Internet content is currently being broadcast and which provides an indication of a nature of said content.

27. The method according to claim 26, including selecting specific Internet content by pressing a color-coded button on a remote control in accordance with a color of said icon.

28. The method according to claim 19, wherein the program details image contains textual information advising the subscriber to press a particular button on the remote control unit.

29. A TV-Internet Integration Box for facilitating first data broadcast over a TV subscriber channel to be displayed simultaneously together with second data conveyed via a digital data communications network, the TV-Internet Integration Box comprising:

respective first and second inputs for receiving said first data and said second data;

a combiner unit coupled to the first unit and to the second input for combining said first data and said second data to form a combined video signal; and

a video output coupled to the combiner unit for conveying said combined video signal to a TV set in a user premises for displaying a first image corresponding to the first data together with a second image corresponding to the second data;

wherein said second data includes data representative of;

a web link indicating a website where an IP content relating to the second data is stored;

a program details image to be displayed indicative of the IP content;

timing information indicating when the program details image is to be displayed; and

one or more TV subscriber channels on which said program details image is to be displayed;

a memory is coupled to the second input and stores the second data for off-line processing;

the combiner unit is responsive to the TV set being tuned to one of said TV subscriber channels during a time that conforms to the timing information embedded in the second data for combining said first data with data representative of the program details image so that the program details image is overlaid on the first image and is contained within an area occupied by the first image; and

the video output is adapted to be coupled to a video input of said TV set; and

the program details image is configured to allow a user at said user premises to interact therewith for redirecting to the digital data communications network and displaying a program broadcast thereby in at least a portion of the TV set.

30. The TV-Internet Integration Box according to claim 29, wherein said second data is received at the user premises according to a pre-stored user-profile

31. The TV-Internet Integration Box according to claim 29, further including:

a command input for receiving a command from a user at said user premises; and

a frame adjuster for resizing said portion of the TV set in which the program broadcast by the digital data communications network is displayed.

32. The TV-Internet Integration Box according to claim 29, further including:

a receiver for receiving the program broadcast by the digital data communications network together with said second data; and

a processing unit for pre-fetching and buffering the program broadcast by the digital data communications network from said website;

thereby allowing said program to be displayed substantially without delay upon redirection by the user.

33. The TV-Internet Integration Box according to claim 29, wherein the processing unit is adapted to:

periodically access a web server for downloading said second data;

extract from the second data the program details images and the respective web site corresponding to each of said program details images;

store the program details images; and

if the TV set is tuned to one of said TV subscriber channels during a time that conforms to the timing information embedded in the second data, displaying a respective one of the program details images and access the respective web site corresponding to the displayed program details image and extract and buffer IP content therefrom.

34. The TV-Internet Integration Box according to claim 29, wherein the program details image includes an icon that indicates to the TV subscriber that Internet content is currently being broadcast and which provides an indication of a nature of said content.

35. The TV-Internet Integration Box according to claim 34, wherein the icon is colored so as to allow user selection of a specific Internet content by pressing a color-coded button on a remote control in accordance with a color of said icon.

36. The TV-Internet Integration Box according to claim 29, wherein the program details image contains textual information advising the subscriber to press a particular button on the remote control unit.