System and method for construction, delivery and display of iTV content

• US 8,745,658 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2011
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications Management LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TVWorks LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Carney, John, de Andrade, David, Niranjan, Sithampara Babu, Brandyberry, David, Franzen, Leon, Chane, Lena, Marenghi, Matt, Hegde, Prakash, Chung, Alex, Chu, Viva, Thomson, Greg, Dawson, Ruth
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hicks, Charles N
• Application Number:
  US13/161,879
• Publication Number:
  US 20110258659A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,083 Days
• Field of Search: 725/32, 725/93, 725/116, 725/146
• US Class Current: 725/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4437 Implementing a Virtual Machine [VM] virtual machines in general G06F9/45533
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8545 for generating interactive applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• 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

iTV content is created and deployed using a server component adapted to allow content developers to create applications according to an authoring specification that describes a framework for same; a transport component configured to optimize and deliver the applications to one or more clients; and a client component adapted to render the applications through a television so as to permit user interaction therewith. The authoring specification provides for the presentation of content through one or more templates defined therein, allowing application definition and behavior to remain common across multiple client device types, middleware platforms, and/or iTV operating environments. The framework for applications accommodates advertising, promotions, content placement packages and/or programming campaign definitions, so as to permit a selection of a specific advertisement, promotion or content at a time of preparation of the iTV content by the server, and/or a time of execution of the applications by the client.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

generating, in accordance with a) an application layout file specifying a layout for an application and b) one or more descriptors directing that one or more queries for content from one or more dynamic data feeds be performed when generating the application, a package of files to execute the application and that separates the layout for the application from content populating the layout for the application into different files;

querying for the content from the one or more dynamic data feeds using the one or more descriptors; and

transmitting, by a computing device, the package of files to one or more client devices.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the application layout file comprises an extensible markup language (XML) authored layout file, and wherein the one or more descriptors comprise one or more XML authored descriptors.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the application comprises at least one of the following:

an interactive program guide, a television menu, a television content service, a virtual channel, a video on demand application, a personal video recorder application, a broadcast on demand application, an enhanced television services application, a television services help application, a television services customer support application, a television services self-service application, or a television services data service application.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting comprises using at least one of a broadcast carousel or a two-way back channel.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the package of files configures the application to respond in a user-specific manner to user interactions with the application.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein a different descriptor directs a query for a specific advertisement, which is to be placed in the layout of the application, at a time of execution of the application by a client device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the application layout file and the one or more descriptors form a part of an extensible markup language (XML) schema that provides a common model for at least one of the following:

provisioning, managing, deploying, advertising, commerce, layout, animation, events and navigation, dynamic data insertion, or optimization of the application across different operating environments.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

placing references to the content from the dynamic data feeds into a formatted file, wherein the references result from the querying for the content from the dynamic data feeds using the one or more descriptors;

producing, based on the formatted file, a binary formatted file that specifies the content populating the layout for the application;

wherein transmitting the package of files comprises transmitting the binary formatted file and a different binary formatted file that specifies the layout for the application.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

a server configured to;

generate, in accordance with a) an application layout file specifying a layout for an application and b) one or more descriptors directing that one or more queries for content from one or more dynamic data feeds be performed when generating the application, a package of files to execute the application and that separates the layout for the application from content populating the layout for the application into different files;

query for the content from the one or more dynamic data feeds using the one or more descriptors; and

transmit the package of files to one or more client devices.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the application layout file comprises an extensible markup language (XML) authored layout file, and wherein the one or more descriptors comprise one or more XML authored descriptors.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the application comprises at least one of the following:

an interactive program guide, a television menu, a television content service, a virtual channel, a video on demand application, a personal video recorder application, a broadcast on demand application, an enhanced television services application, a television services help application, a television services customer support application, a television services self-service application, or a television services data service application.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the transmitting comprises using at least one of a broadcast carousel or a two-way back channel.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the package of files configures the application to respond in a user-specific manner to user interactions with the application.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein a different descriptor directs a query for a specific advertisement, which is to be placed in the layout of the application, at a time of execution of the application by a client device.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the application layout file and the one or more descriptors form a part of an extensible markup language (XML) schema that provides a common model for at least one of the following:

provisioning, managing, deploying, advertising, commerce, layout, animation, events and navigation, dynamic data insertion, or optimization of the application across different operating environments.

15. One or more non-transitory computer readable media, storing executable code configured to, when executed, cause an apparatus to:

generate, in accordance with a) an application layout file specifying a layout for an application and b) one or more descriptors directing that one or more queries for content from one or more dynamic data feeds be performed when generating the application, a package of files to execute the application and that separates the layout for the application from content populating the layout for the application into different files;

query for the content from the one or more dynamic data feeds using the one or more descriptors; and

transmit the package of files to one or more client devices.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15 wherein the application layout file comprises an extensible markup language (XML) authored layout file, and wherein the one or more descriptors comprise one or more XML authored descriptors.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15 wherein the application comprises at least one of the following:

an interactive program guide, a television menu, a television content service, a virtual channel, a video on demand application, a personal video recorder application, a broadcast on demand application, an enhanced television services application, a television services help application, a television services customer support application, a television services self-service application, or a television services data service application.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15 wherein the transmitting comprises using at least one of a broadcast carousel or a two-way back channel.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15 wherein a different descriptor directs a query for a specific advertisement, which is to be placed in the layout of the application, at a time of execution of the application by a client device.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15 wherein the application layout file and the one or more descriptors form a part of an extensible markup language (XML) schema that provides a common model for at least one of the following:

provisioning, managing, deploying, advertising, commerce, layout, animation, events and navigation, dynamic data insertion, or optimization of the application across different operating environments.