Mosaic channel video stream with interactive services

• US 9,654,736 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2008
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shanks, David Eric, Thompson, Matthew J., Feldstein, David E., Camacho, Edgar C., Shurgot, Mark A., Le, Craig, Tirer, Ilan
• Primary Examiner(s): EKPO, NNENNA NGOZI
• Application Number:
  US12/098,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20090073318A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,326 Days
• Field of Search: 725 38, 725 41, 725 43, 725 52
• 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 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 Games
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

An interactive mosaic channel video stream with indicators as to the action on a given video stream. The interactive mosaic channel is displayed on a video monitor, with a plurality of individual video feeds being presented at a given time, comprising a plurality of video cells presenting at least video information, each video cell associated with one of the plurality of individual video feeds, each video cell further comprising an area within the video cell reporting data related to the video feed, and a cursor, which can be moved between the plurality of video cells, for selecting at least one characteristic associated with a selected video cell, such that the user can then directly select a video program associated with the selected video cell.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a broadcast delivery system, comprising a transmitter for transmitting a broadcast signal to a receiver, the broadcast signal comprising a plurality of viewer channels and an interactive mosaic video channel, wherein;

each of the plurality of viewer channels transmits an associated one of a plurality of video feeds;

the interactive mosaic video channel transmits interactive mosaic video information, the interactive mosaic video information comprising a plurality of video cells, each presenting a respective different one of the plurality of video feeds;

the receiver for receiving the broadcast signal and for providing the plurality of video cells for display, wherein;

each of the received plurality of video cells is user-selectable by the receiver via a cursor, the user-selection of each of the plurality of video cells commanding the receiver to tune the viewer channel transmitting the one of the plurality of video feeds associated with the selected video cell;

the receiver records the interactive mosaic video channel including all of the plurality of video cells of the interactive mosaic video channel to produce a recorded interactive mosaic video channel having a plurality of recorded video cells corresponding to the plurality of video cells of the interactive mosaic video channel, each of the plurality of recorded video cells associated with a respective one of the plurality of video feeds, and the receiver plays back the recorded interactive mosaic video channel including the plurality of recorded video cells, and provides the played back recorded interactive mosaic video channel including all of the recorded plurality of video cells for display;

each of the recorded plurality of video cells is user-selectable via the cursor;

the receiver presents a selected one of the recorded plurality of video cells in a full monitor format in response to a user selection of the selected one of the recorded plurality of video cells; and

the presentation of the selected one of the recorded plurality of video cells in the full monitor format is of degraded picture quality.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the interactive mosaic video channel is a live interactive mosaic video highlight channel; and

each of the plurality of video cells depicts one of a plurality of live highlights of a plurality events.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the event is a football contest having two teams; and

the live highlight of the plurality event is one of the teams in a red zone.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the broadcast signal is transmitted by a satellite television delivery system.

5. A method of presenting interactive mosaic video information, comprising:

receiving a broadcast signal in a receiver, the broadcast signal comprising a plurality of viewer channels and an interactive mosaic video channel, wherein each of the plurality of viewer channels transmits an associated one of a plurality of video feeds;

wherein the interactive mosaic video channel transmits interactive mosaic video information comprising a plurality of video cells, each presenting a respective different one of the plurality of video feeds;

recording the interactive mosaic video channel including the plurality of video cells with the receiver to produce a recorded interactive mosaic video channel having a plurality of recorded video cells, each of the plurality of recorded video cells presenting a respective one of a plurality of recorded video feeds;

playing back the recorded interactive mosaic video channel including the plurality of recorded video cells with the receiver;

providing the played back recorded interactive mosaic video channel including the plurality of recorded video cells for display;

accepting a selection of a selected one of the plurality of recorded video cells; and

playing back the selected one of the plurality of recorded video cells in a full monitor format; and

providing the played back selected one of the plurality of recorded video cells in the full monitor format for display;

wherein the presentation of the recorded plurality of video cells in the full monitor format is of a degraded picture quality.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the interactive mosaic video channel is a live interactive mosaic video highlight channel; and

each of the plurality of video cells depicts one of a plurality of live highlights of a plurality events.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the event is a football contest having two teams; and

the live highlight of the plurality event is one of the teams in a red zone.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the broadcast signal is transmitted by a satellite television delivery system.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising displaying statistics related to an event depicted in the video feed associated with the selected video cell.

10. A system, comprising:

a broadcast delivery system, comprising a transmitter for transmitting a broadcast signal to a receiver, the broadcast signal comprising a plurality of viewer channels and an interactive mosaic video channel, wherein;

each of the plurality of viewer channels transmits an associated one of a plurality of video feeds;

the interactive mosaic video channel transmits interactive mosaic video information, the interactive mosaic video information comprising a plurality of video cells, each presenting a respective one of the plurality of video feeds;

wherein;

each of the plurality of video cells is user-selectable via a cursor, the user-selection of each of the plurality of video cells commanding the receiver to tune the viewer channel transmitting the one of the plurality of video feeds associated with the selected video cell;

the receiver records the interactive mosaic video channel including the plurality of video cells to produce a recorded interactive mosaic video channel having a plurality of recorded plurality of video cells, each of the recorded plurality of video cells presenting a respective one of the plurality of video feeds and the receiver plays back the recorded interactive mosaic video channel including the recorded plurality of video cells;

each of the recorded plurality of video cells is user-selectable via the cursor;

the user selection of a selected one of the recorded plurality of video cells presents the selected one of the recorded plurality of video cells in a full monitor format; and

the presentation of the selected one of the recorded plurality of video cells in the full monitor format is of degraded picture quality.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the interactive mosaic video channel is a live interactive mosaic video highlight channel; and

each of the plurality of video cells depicts one of a plurality of live highlights of a plurality events.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the event is a football contest having two teams; and

the live highlight of the plurality event is one of the teams in a red zone.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the broadcast signal is transmitted by a satellite television delivery system.

14. The system of claim 10, further comprising displaying statistics related to an event depicted in the video feed associated with the selected video cell.