Interactive television system with newsgroups

• US 8,589,978 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2009
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: UV Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Ellis, Michael D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Saltarelli, Dominic D
• Application Number:
  US12/559,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20100115559A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,526 Days
• Field of Search: 725/48, 725/49, 725/51, 725/52
• US Class Current: 725/49
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/43 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• 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 21/4622 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 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• 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 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An interactive television system is provided that supports newsgroup features. An interactive television application, such as an interactive television program guide, may be used to allow a user to view and post newsgroup messages to one or more newsgroup servers. The newsgroup servers may be located at a television distribution facility. The newsgroup servers may be Usenet servers accessed via the Internet. The user may use the newsgroup feature while watching television programming or while otherwise viewing other content provided by the interactive television application. Cross-referencing may be used to allow the user to access content related to a particular subject matter. Parental control features may be used to limit access to certain newsgroups. Newsgroup messages may contain links to other content made available through the interactive television application.

Claims

1. A method for providing television program listings and Internet content to a user on user television equipment having a display, comprising:

automatically cross-referencing a plurality of television program listings and a first plurality of Internet content based on the subject matter of the television program listings and the Internet content, the cross-referencing comprising;

searching through information related to the television program listings and the Internet content, and identifying the information that is associated with the particular subject matter of the television program listings and the Internet content, wherein the particular subject matter includes two or more of television programs, program guide categories, actors, and directors, and wherein the information related to the Internet content is stored in an Internet database and the information related to the television program listings are stored in a program guide database; and

updating a cross-reference database for the particular subject matter based on the search performed on the information, wherein updating includes associating the plurality of television program listings with the first plurality of Internet content based on the information, and storing at least a first association in the cross-reference database, wherein the cross-reference database is distinct from the program guide database and the Internet database;

automatically modifying the cross-reference database based on a second plurality of Internet content that becomes available after the cross-referencing, wherein modifying comprises associating the plurality of television program listings with the second plurality of Internet content and storing at least a second association in the cross-reference database;

identifying the Internet content associated with the displayed television program by accessing the cross-reference database and retrieving at least one Internet content associated with the television program from the cross-reference database; and

generating a display of a television program in a first section of the display and the identified Internet content in a second section of the display.

2. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising generating a display of an interactive advertisement in a third section of the display.

3. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the Internet content includes Internet listings or Internet message listings or Internet messages.

4. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising generating a display of other content in a third section of the display.

5. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising:

generating a display of other content in a third section of the display; and

generating a display of Internet content in the second section of the display, wherein the subject matter of the Internet content is related to the subject matter of the displayed television program and the other content.

6. The method defined in claim 5, wherein the other content comprises at least one of text, graphics, images, video, and media.

7. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the cross-referencing is performed in response to receiving a user input.

8. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the first plurality and the second plurality of Internet content are stored in a Internet database and the television program listings are stored in a program guide database distinct from the cross-reference database.

9. A system for providing television program listings and Internet content to a user on user television equipment including a display, comprising:

user television equipment configured to;

automatically cross-reference a plurality of television program listings and a first plurality of Internet content based on the subject matter of the television program listings and Internet content, the cross-referencing comprising;

searching through information related to the television program listings and the Internet content, and identifying the information that is associated with the particular subject matter of the television program listings and the Internet content, wherein the particular subject matter includes two or more of television programs, program guide categories, actors, and directors, wherein the information related to the Internet content is stored in an Internet database and the information related to the television program listings are stored in a program guide database; and

updating a cross-reference database for the particular subject matter based on the search performed on the information, wherein updating includes associating the plurality of television program listings with the first plurality of Internet content based on the information, and storing at least a first association in the cross-reference database, wherein the cross-reference database is distinct from the program guide database and the Internet database;

automatically modify the cross-reference database based on a second plurality of Internet content that becomes available after the cross-referencing, wherein modifying comprises associating the plurality of television program listings with the second plurality of Internet content and storing at least a second association in the cross-reference database;

identify the Internet content associated with the displayed television program by accessing the cross-reference database and retrieving at least one Internet content associated with the television program from the cross-reference database; and

generate a display of a television program in a first section of the display and the identified Internet content in a second section of the display.

10. The system defined in claim 9, further comprising equipment configured to generate a display of an interactive advertisement in a third section of the display.

11. The system defined in claim 9, wherein the Internet content includes Internet listings or Internet message listings or Internet messages.

12. The system defined in claim 9, further comprising equipment configured to generate a display of other content in a third section of the display.

13. The system defined in claim 9, further comprising user television equipment configured to:

generate a display of other content in a third section of the display; and

generate a display of Internet content in the second section of the display, wherein the subject matter of the Internet content is related to the subject matter of the displayed television program and the other content.

14. The system defined in claim 13, wherein the other content comprises at least one of text, graphics, images, video, and media.

15. The system defined in claim 9, wherein the cross-referencing is performed in response to receiving a user input.

16. The system defined in claim 9, wherein the first plurality and the second plurality of Internet content are stored in a Internet database and the television program listings are stored in a program guide database distinct from the cross-reference database.

17. A method for providing television program listings and Internet content to a user on user television equipment having a display, comprising:

automatically cross-referencing a plurality of television program listings and a first plurality of Internet content based on the subject matter of the television program listings and the Internet content, the cross-referencing comprising;

searching through information related to the television program listings and the Internet content, and identifying the information that is associated with the particular subject matter of the television program listings and the Internet content, wherein the particular subject matter includes two or more of television programs, program guide categories, actors, and directors, and wherein the information related to the Internet content is stored in an Internet database and the information related to the television program listings are stored in a program guide database; and

updating a cross-reference database for the particular subject matter based on the search performed on the information, wherein updating includes associating the plurality of television program listings with the first plurality of Internet content based on the information, and storing at least a first association in the cross-reference database, wherein the cross-reference database is distinct from the program guide database and the Internet database;

automatically modifying the cross-reference database based on a second plurality of Internet content that becomes available after the cross-referencing, wherein modifying comprises associating the plurality of television program listings with the second plurality of Internet content and storing at least a second association in the cross-reference database; and

identifying the Internet content associated with the displayed television program by accessing the cross-reference database and retrieving at least one Internet content associated with the television program from the cross-reference database.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the cross-reference database is located at the user television equipment.