Interactive video distribution systems – Video distribution system with upstream communication – Having link to external network
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-07
2003-05-06
Grant, Chris (Department: 2611)
Interactive video distribution systems
Video distribution system with upstream communication
Having link to external network
C725S114000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06560777
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates generally to supplementing broadcast television programming with information of interest to broadcast viewers. More specifically, the invention relates to broadcasting television enhancements addressed to several differently addressed information resources.
BACKGROUND
The Internet is a worldwide collection of networks and gateways. The Internet includes a backbone of high-speed data communication lines between major nodes, consisting of thousands of commercial, government, educational, and other computer systems that route data and messages. The World Wide Web (the Web) is a collection of formatted hypertext pages located on numerous computer systems around the world that are logically connected by the Internet. The Web has become a valuable resource for information relating many subjects.
Web browsers—software providing user interfaces to the Web—allow individuals to access Internet content from personal computers. Internet terminals, such as those pioneered by WebTV Networks, Inc., the assignee of the present invention, have made the Web accessible to an even larger segment of the population by providing Web access without a personal computer. Internet terminals (commonly referred to as set-top boxes) provide Web access using an ordinary television (TV) set as a display and a remote control or wireless keyboard for user input.
FIG. 1
(prior art) illustrates a basic configuration of an Internet system and broadcast television network
100
. Network
100
includes a pair of clients
110
and a receiver/client
112
. Receiver/client
112
is so named because it operates both as a television receiver and as an Internet client. Hereafter, receiver/client
112
is referred to as receiver
112
for simplicity.
Clients
110
and receiver
112
are coupled to a modem pool
120
via direct-dial, bi-directional data connections
130
(which may be telephone (POTS, i.e., “plain old telephone service”), cable, satellite forward channels, ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network), or any other similar type of connection. Modem pool
120
is typically coupled to a number of remote servers
140
via a network infrastructure, such as the Internet
160
. An additional server
150
specifically supports receiver
112
.
Clients
110
and receiver
112
communicate bi-directionally with servers
140
and
150
through modem pool
120
and the Internet
160
. Modem pool
120
is typical of those found today throughout the world providing access to the Internet and private networks. In addition to communicating with servers
140
and
150
, receiver
112
receives broadcast data and video from a broadcast television network
170
via, e.g., antennas
175
or a cable network (not shown).
FIG. 2
(prior art) illustrates an embodiment of receiver
112
. Receiver
112
includes set-top box
200
, an ordinary analog television set
210
, and a remote control
220
. Set-top box
200
may be integrated with television set
210
. Television set
210
displays video data, including a graphical user interface, conveyed from set-top box
200
by a video link
230
. Video link
230
is an RF (radio frequency), S-video, composite video, or other video link.
Set-top box
200
includes hardware and software for receiving and decoding a broadcast video signal
240
, such as an NTSC, PAL, SECAM, or other TV system video signal, and for providing video data to the television set via video link
230
. Set-top box
200
also includes hardware and/or software for providing a user with a graphical user interface
250
capable of displaying Web pages (e.g., HTML or XML pages) and broadcast video. User interface
250
can notify the user of the presence of encoded data embedded in the video signal. The notification may be audible, visual, or a combination of the two. For example, user interface
250
might temporarily display an icon in a portion of the screen.
Set-top box
200
may include both a standard modem and an ISDN modem, such that the communication link between set-top box
200
and server
150
(
FIG. 1
) can be either a telephone (POTS) connection
260
or an ISDN connection
270
. Set-top box
200
receives power through a power line
280
.
A user operates remote control
220
to control set-top box
200
in browsing the Web, sending e-mail, and performing other Internet-related functions. Set-top box
200
receives commands from remote control
220
via an infrared (IR) communication link
290
. A keyboard (not shown) may also be included.
For a more detailed discussion of receiver
112
, see related U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/287,985 entitled “Communicating Scripts in a Data Service Channel of a Video Signal,” f by Dean J. Blackketter and Daniel J. Zigmond, filed Apr. 7, 1999, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
FIG. 3
illustrates a communication system
300
, including a content provider
302
and two content receivers
304
and
306
. Content provider
302
includes two content sources, a web server
308
and a broadcast signal source
310
. Content provider
302
communicates information to receivers
304
and
306
from web server
308
via the Internet
312
and from signal source
310
via a broadcast signal
314
. Internet
312
is understood to include all modems, lines, and other intervening components required to communicate between server
308
and receivers
304
and
306
.
Each of receivers
304
and
306
is configured to display Web pages, broadcast television, or both. Web pages are typically downloaded over the Internet, but may also be received from a broadcast television signal or retrieved from a local memory source, such as a disk drive. In each case, however, the Web pages are stored locally on the receivers.
Receiver
304
displays a broadcast weather show
316
along with an associated weather page
318
. Receiver
306
displays a broadcast baseball game
320
and an associated sports page
322
. Sports page
322
includes links
324
that provide viewers access to language-specific Web pages offering additional information to enhance the experience of watching broadcast baseball game
320
. When one of links
324
is activated, as by selecting the link using a mouse or other pointing device, receiver
306
displays baseball game
320
in conjunction with a language-specific page that provides information specific to the game. Receiver
306
is depicted with three language-specific examples: an English-language specific page
326
, a Spanish-language specific page
328
, and a German-language specific page
330
.
Each of pages
326
,
328
, and
330
includes a sponsor field
332
and a score field
334
. These fields are identified in the language of choice, and can be modified, or “enhanced,” in response to an enhancement trigger received from content provider
302
either via broadcast signal
314
or Internet
320
. Sports pages
326
,
328
, and
330
can thus be synchronized with baseball game
320
.
In the present example, content provider
302
maintains Web content for enhancing broadcast television shows at “http://www.broadcaster.com/” (www.broadcaster.com) on server
308
. Www.broadcaster.com has various directory levels that include content specific to particular broadcast television channels and to particular Web pages associated with those channels. In the example, www.broadcaster.com includes a subdirectory “programs” that in turn includes both “sports” and “news” subdirectories. The “news” subdirectory includes a “weather” subdirectory with the requisite information to display weather page
318
. The universal resource identifier, or URI, for weather page
318
is: “http://www.broadcaster.com/programs/weather/”.
Sports page
322
and language-specific pages
326
,
328
, and
330
are similarly specified in the subdirectories of www.broadcaster.com.
1. The URI for sports page
322
is “http://www.broadcaster.com/programs/sports/”.
2. The URI for English-language page
326
is “http://www.broadcaster.com/programs/sports/english.html”.
3. The URI for Spanish-language page
328
is “http://www.b
Blackketter Dean J.
Park Timothy F.
Zigmond Daniel J.
Grant Chris
WEBTV Networks, Inc.
Workman & Nydegger & Seeley
LandOfFree
Broadcast enhancement trigger addressed to multiple uniquely... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Broadcast enhancement trigger addressed to multiple uniquely..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Broadcast enhancement trigger addressed to multiple uniquely... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3039444