Internet information displaying apparatus

Details Internet information displaying apparatus Internet information displaying apparatus

1997-08-01

2002-04-02

Faile, Andrew (Department: 2611)

Interactive video distribution systems

Video distribution system with upstream communication

Having link to external network

C725S139000, C348S564000, C348S565000, C348S588000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06367080

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an Internet information displaying apparatus taking in the information, converting into picture signals, and displaying on a CRT display or the like.
Recently, owing to the wide popularity of personal computers, information is transmitted and received widely by using the Internet.
The Internet is a network of multiple computers connected on a global scale, and various pieces of readable information are stored in individual computers. These pieces of information include E-mails, various programs, and home pages, which can be communicated in two ways. The home page corresponds to the title and table of contents of a piece of information, and by selecting a graphic pattern (icon) or a word on the home page, the necessary information can be reviewed.
Therefore, recently, more an more users are using the Internet as the site of information presentation. It is the WWW (World Wide Web) that is noticed as the server for providing such information.
The reason why the WWW server is drawing attention is mainly due to the wide spread of the client software (browser) for retrieving information by using a graphical menu. By the development of such browser, it becomes easier to search information on the network, and the traffic volume to the WWW server increased rapidly, and the users have come to notice as the publicity media, and many users have come to use.
To read information of the WWW server, as mentioned above, the browser is needed. For example, the browser is disclosed in pages 164 to 167 of “Internet Handbook for Corporate Users”, an extra output of Nikkei Communications published by Nikkei BP (Nov. 30, 1994).
On the other hand, to review the information of WWW server by the Internet, conventionally, it was necessary to install the browser in the personal computer.
FIG. 1
is a schematic diagram showing a conventional connection example of computer and Internet. In this connection example, a personal computer
7
is connected to a communication line
2
through a modem
8
or a terminal adapter, and through the communication line
2
, it is further connected to a modem
3
or a terminal adapter of a provider which is a connection service firm. The modem
3
is connected to a server
4
which is the computer of the provider.
The server
4
is connected to the Internet
6
around the clock, and is connected to the Internet
6
through a router
5
for setting a trunk route.
From the personal computer
7
, a telephone call is made when necessary, and a connection is made to the Internet
6
through the server
4
of the provider (dial-up connection).
Among those not owning personal computer, there are many people wanting to use the Internet, but not daring to buy a personal computer. Some are hesitant to operate the personal computer. Among those people, it seems many people want to use the Internet, if possible, without using the personal computer.
In such background, lately, the Internet television allowing to use the Internet easily by the television receiver is proposed. That is, the Internet information is displayed by using the television receiver in the general household as the display of the personal computer. Accordingly, without having to purchase a personal computer, only a device for receiving the Internet information is built in or attached to the television receiver, and such device is easy to handle as compared with the personal computer, and the television receiver functions its original purpose while not reviewing the Internet information, which is very convenient for the user.
By the way, in the Internet communication, depending on the busy line state, time may be required to connect to the desired information source. Accordingly, the user of the Internet television as an Internet information displaying apparatus may have occasions desiring to watch a scene as a television broadcast program and the screen of the Internet communication at the same time. Therefore, there has been desired the realization of the Internet information displaying apparatus which can display simultaneously the television broadcast program and the screen of the Internet communication until connection is realized with the desired information source, or, without being limited to the duration of connecting operation, can simultaneously display both the television program and the Internet communication screen at any time.
However, recently, in the television receiver, the users have had the increased opportunities to watch not only the television programs on the television broadcasts but also the picture signals from VTR (Video Tape Recorder) or LD (Laser Disk) or the picture signals from the computer game players.
Among these picture signals from many signal sources, there are not only the interlaced signals like ordinary television broadcasts but also non-interlace signals. Especially, the blue back signals of VTR and LD and the picture signals of computer game players come under this category.
In this case, in displaying the non-interlace picture signals on the television screen and the Internet picture signals on the Internet screen visually right and left on an Internet television, in the picture FIFO circuit on the Internet circuit the Internet picture signals are to be outputted with the timing of being prepared on the basis of the synchronizing signal by the picture signal of the television screen.
On the other hand, in the Internet information displaying apparatus, using the judgment result made by judging Odd/Even simultaneously with using the horizontal synchronizing signal and the vertical synchronizing signal of the picture signals of the television screen, interruption of vertical synchronous period is performed to carry out control of the address of RAM for DMA, so as to have the Internet screen display made on each Odd/Even line.
For this reason, in case where the television screen is a non-interlace picture signal, Odd/Even as described above cannot be judged. Accordingly, only the picture signal of any field of Odd/Even is to be outputted based on each field (e.g., with the ODD only, the Odd field only is outputted).
As a result, as the Internet screen is scanned only on one field, the vertical resolution becomes 1/2 to cause collapse of display. Especially, since the Internet screen includes characters in addition to the images, there is an additional problem of difficulty to observe the display.
Furthermore, in the Internet information displaying apparatus, there can be adopted a use method of turning the Internet screen display off and instead enjoying the television program by displaying the television screen on, during the interval of down-loading the Internet text or image data.
In this case, though the Internet screen is in display off state, the Internet circuit is in operating condition because of the down-loading operation. Since the Internet circuit is operating in spite of the non-display of the Internet screen, there is a likelihood for the DMA function for actuating the display operation to be kept in operating state.
In case of the state being as above, the DMA function is to occupy the bus, and the time allowed for the CPU to use the bus is shortened, so that there is a possibility for delaying the data down-loading. Also, due to the actuation of the DMA function, the electric current for reading out data from the RAM is consumed. The current consumption for access to the RAM is non-negligibly large. Moreover, there occurs interference with the television screen by the unnecessary radiation due to the reading out of RAM data and by the picture signal to be outputted from the Internet circuit. The effect is large especially when the television broadcast is in weak electric field.
Furthermore, in the Internet information displaying apparatus, the television program and the Internet screen can be displayed simultaneously on the respective half sides of a screen, as shown in FIG.
2
. In this way, when the two picture signals with the aspect ratio of 4:3 are displayed by half screen each, in a wide screen

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