Interactive television receiver unit browser that waits to...

Details Interactive television receiver unit browser that waits to... Interactive television receiver unit browser that waits to...

1999-06-30

2001-12-11

Faile, Andrew (Department: 2611)

Interactive video distribution systems

Video distribution system with upstream communication

Transmission network

C725S096000, C725S097000, C725S060000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06330719

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
FIG. 1
(Prior Art) is a diagram of an interactive television receiver unit
100
that is coupled to a server
101
via a packet-switched network such as the Internet
102
. “Triggers”
103
are broadcast along with television video
104
so that viewers can view appropriate web content along with television video at appropriate points in the television video.
One example of such an interactive television receiver unit
100
is a WebTV® Internet Terminal available from WebTV Networks, Inc., of Mountain View, Calif. In the illustrated example, receiver unit
100
includes a television tuner and receiver
106
, a modem
107
, an audio digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and video encoder
108
, and an infrared interface
109
. Receiver unit
100
receives triggers
103
and television video
104
via an antenna
110
and the television tuner and receiver
106
. Receiver unit
100
is coupled to the Internet
102
via modem
107
. Receiver unit
100
is coupled to an ordinary analog television
111
via audio DAC and video encoder
108
and a video link
112
so that receiver unit
100
can use the television screen
113
of television
111
as a display device. A viewer interacts with receiver unit
100
via an infrared remote control unit
134
that is coupled to receiver unit
100
via the infrared interface
109
.
A viewer can receive an advertisement for an item and can use receiver unit
100
to order the item as follows. At an appropriate point in the television video, a trigger
103
is broadcast along with the broadcast television video
104
. The trigger
103
is received on antenna
110
and causes browser software
114
to display an icon (not shown) on screen
113
along with the television video. The icon queries the user if the user wants to purchase the item. If the viewer selects the icon using the handheld remote control unit
134
, then browser
114
uses a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) from the trigger
103
to retrieve an identified order form web page
115
. In the illustrated example, the identified.order form web page
115
is retrieved from a merchant's server
101
via the Internet
102
.
FIG. 2
(Prior Art) depicts hypertext markup language (HTML) code of web page
115
. Web page
115
includes a form area
116
defined by a beginning form tag <FORM>
117
and an ending form tag </FORM>
118
. Within this form area
116
, there are four lines
119
-
122
of HTML code. Browser
114
of receiver unit
100
renders the first line
119
by displaying the text “ORDER FORM” on the screen of the receiver unit.
FIG. 3
illustrates the text “ORDER FORM”
123
displayed on the viewer's screen
113
.
Browser
114
renders the second line
120
by displaying the text “NAME:”
124
on screen
113
and records information entered by the user in a designed space
125
on screen
113
. Similarly, browser
114
renders the third line
121
by displaying the text “CREDIT CARD:”
126
on screen
113
and records information entered by the user in a designated space
127
on screen
113
. Browser
114
renders the fourth line
122
by displaying a “SUBMIT” button
128
on screen
113
. When the viewer selects the submit button
128
using the handheld remote control unit
134
, browser
114
sends the recorded information from spaces
125
and
127
to a destination identified by a URL
129
of the form tag
117
.
In the illustrated example, URL
129
identifies a particular file on server
101
that contains a Common Gateway Interface (CGI) program
130
and a database
131
. CGI program
130
can be written in any one of a number of suitable languages including C++ and scripting languages. The name and credit card information from fields
125
and
127
is sent in the form of an HTTP request
132
from receiver unit
100
to the CGI program
130
. When HTTP request
132
is received, server
101
sends an HTTP response
133
having an HTTP status code back to receiver unit
100
. If HTTP request
132
was properly received, then CGI program
130
writes the name and credit card information into data base
131
and sends a “
110
OK” status code back to the receiver unit
100
indicating that the request was received properly. The merchant who sells the item can then access data base
131
, identify the order to be filled, and fill the order.
The use of such a broadcast trigger may, however, lead to problems. Triggers broadcast along with television video are typically received by a great many receiver units all at roughly the same time. As a result, many receiver units may attempt to access the same web page and order form resources at the same time. Throughput bottlenecks and overloading at the server may result. Accordingly, many potential customers may not be able to access the order form during the overloading period, thereby preventing the ordering of the item, and leading to lost sales. A solution is desired.
SUMMARY
Rather than immediately attempting to send a request, an interactive television receiver unit browser waits a period of time (for example, a random period) before sending the request to the server. By backing off the sending of requests, accessing of the server can be smoothed out over time.
In one embodiment, a trigger is received on an interactive television receiver unit causing an icon to be displayed on the receiver unit. If the viewer selects the icon, then a browser in the receiver unit retrieves a web page on the Internet identified by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) in the trigger. The web page includes an indication of a destination, scheduling information, and a form area. The viewer enters user information in association with the form area. The browser captures that user information, incorporates it into a request, and then stores the request in a queue along with the scheduling information. The browser periodically checks the scheduling information in the queue and determines from the scheduling information if it is time to send the request. When the browser determines the time has come to send a request in the queue, the browser retrieves the request and sends it to the destination. Because the scheduling information and destination is under the control of the web page author, the web page author can vary scheduling information from access to access so that return requests from receiver units are spread out over time, thereby reducing or eliminating problems associated with simultaneously sending large numbers of requests to the same destination.
In addition to being usable to eliminate throughput bottlenecks by spreading accesses of a destination out over time, the invention is also usable to move accessing of a destination to a desired time slot. In some situations is it more economical to send responses to a destination at some times than at other times. Sending responses to the destination during low usage times during the night is often less expensive than sending the same responses during relatively high usage times in the middle of the workday. A receiver unit in accordance with one embodiment of the invention takes advantage of the lower cost of low usage times by deferring requests and waiting until the low usage times to send the requests to the destination.
In accordance with another embodiment, a service provider provides a new tier of interactive television service in which receiver units can only connect at off-peak times to send responses (and perhaps to exchange email, collect television listings data, and other non-real-time functions). Being able to control when requests are sent makes it possible to provide interactive television services to a new class of customer who wants to be able to subscribe to publications and take part in polls associated with television programming, but who is not willing or able to pay for a full Internet subscription. In one embodiment, a service option is provided whereby a receiver unit can use email (sent and received at night rather than on demand) and can send deferred responses (sent at night rather than on demand). Accordingly,

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