Internet enhanced video system

• US 5,818,935 A
• Filed: 03/10/1997
• Issued: 10/06/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Chia-Yiu Maa
• Original Assignee: Chia-Yiu Maa
• Inventors: Maa, Chia-Yiu
• Primary Examiner(s): Buczinski, Stephen C.
• Application Number:
  US08/814,286
• Time in Patent Office: 575 Days
• Field of Search: 380/20, 348/461-468
• US Class Current: 380/200
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 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 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 7/0882 for the transmission of character code signals, e.g. for teletext circuits for the digital non-picture data signal H04N7/035
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A system for accessing the Internet based on an Internet information pointer encoded in a video signal. The system includes a video display adapted to display a video portion of the video signal. The system also includes an Internet access device including a decoder adapted to extract the Internet information pointer encoded in the video signal, the access device being adapted to connect to the Internet to access the Internet based on the extracted Internet information pointer.

Claims

1. A system for accessing the Internet based on an Internet information pointer encoded in a video signal, the system comprising:

a video display adapted to display a video portion of the video signal; and

an Internet information device including a decoder adapted to extract the Internet information pointer encoded in the video signal, the access device being adapted to be connected to the Internet to access the Internet based on the extracted Internet information pointer,

wherein the Internet information device further includes a video decryption unit adapted to decrypt a video signal using a decryption key obtained by accessing the Internet.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the decryption key obtained by accessing the Internet includes a control field usable to control operation of the video decryption unit.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein multiple decryption keys are obtained by accessing the Internet and further including a processing unit configured to run a software application adapted to manage the use of the decryption keys to decrypt various video signals corresponding to the multiple decryption keys.

4. The system of claim 1, where the video signal is a viewing guide with multiple entries corresponding video content on other channels and, for at least some of the entries, a corresponding Internet information pointer is encoded in the video signal and that pointer is usable to obtain a decryption key for the entry to which the pointer corresponds.

5. A device for accessing the Internet based on an Internet information pointer encoded in a video signal, the device comprising:

a video signal input port;

an Internet access port;

a extractor connected to the video signal input and configured to recover the Internet information pointer encoded in the video signal;

a processor connected to the extractor to receive the recovered Internet information pointer therefrom, with the processor further being connected to the Internet access port to access the Internet utilizing the recovered Internet information pointer,

further including a video signal output port and video decryption unit disposed between the video signal input port and the video signal output port and adapted to decrypt a video signal using a decryption key obtained by accessing the Internet utilizing the Internet information pointer.