Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1997-12-03
2001-03-27
Bayerl, Raymond J. (Department: 2173)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C348S563000, C348S331000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06208335
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an interactive information distribution system such as a video-on-demand (VOD) system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing an interactive menu structure, i.e., an on-screen program guide, for such an interactive information distribution system.
2. Description of the Background Art
Recent advances in digital signal processing techniques, and in particular, improvements in digital compression techniques, have led to a plethora of proposals for providing new digital services to a customer's home via existing telephone and coaxial cable networks. For example, it has been proposed to provide hundreds of cable television channels to subscribers by compressing digital data, digital video, transmitting compressed digital video over conventional coaxial cable television channels, and then decompressing the video in the subscriber's set top terminal. Another proposed application for this technology is a video-on-demand system in which a subscriber communicates directly with a video service provider via telephone lines to request a video program from a video library and the requested video program is routed to the subscriber's home via telephone lines or via coaxial cable television cables for immediate viewing. Other proposed video-on-demand systems use a frequency multiplexing technique to enable control information for a set top terminal to be transmitted through a cable network back to an information server. Such a system permits bi-directional communication over a single network.
In each of these information distribution systems, menus are displayed upon the subscriber's television and using a remote control device, a subscriber selects a desired program for viewing. A program code is then sent from the set top terminal through the communication system back to the service provider. The selected program is then recalled from memory by the service provider equipment and broadcast to the set top terminal that requested that information. Alternatively, the subscriber may telephone the service provider and request certain information that is displayed in a menu upon the subscriber's television or the subscriber's set top terminal or television set may automatically tune, in response to the menu selection, to a broadcast channel to receive information transmitted on that channel. In any event, the currently available systems generally do not provide an interactive menu structure through which to select programming. Usually the menus are rudimentary text listings of available programs. By scrolling through the lists of programs using a remote control device the user selects desired programming. These text-based menus do not contain any graphics, video, or other material that would provide an entertaining interactive session. Two such systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,357,276 issued Oct. 18, 1994 and 5,477,262 issued Dec. 19, 1995.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a method and apparatus for providing an improved interactive menu structure for an interactive information distribution system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The disadvantages heretofore associated with the prior art are overcome by the present invention of a method and apparatus for providing an improved interactive menu structure for an on-screen program guide within an interactive information distribution system. The invention is embodied in a combination of software, which provides a so-called “navigator,” and hardware, including a set top terminal that provides certain functionality for the navigator and a video session manager which supports the functionality of the set top terminal. As such, the navigator functions are distributed between service provider equipment (video session manager) and subscriber equipment (set top terminal). Such distribution provides an enjoyable, real-time interactive session that allows the subscriber to rapidly navigate through a plethora of menus to find particular information which the subscriber desires to view.
More specifically, the interactive information distribution system comprises service provider equipment connected to subscriber equipment through a communications network. The service provider equipment includes an information server coupled to a video session manager. The video session manager contains a modulator for modulating information provided by the server into a form that can be transmitted through the network to the subscriber equipment. The video session manager also contains a modem for communicating command and control information between the service provider equipment and subscriber equipment.
The subscriber equipment includes a set top terminal that is connected to a display device such as a television and an input device such as an infrared (IR) or radio-frequency (RF) remote control. The user while viewing the display device may select a number of menus using the input device as the menus are presented from the set top terminal upon the television screen. Any commands which the user transmits to the set top terminal that are not handled by the set top terminal itself are communicated through the network to the service provider equipment, demodulated by the modem and implemented by the video session manager. The video session manager forms an interface between the modem and the server such that the video session manager may coordinate billing, ensure that proper programming is sent through the network and addressed properly to the set top terminal requesting that programming, and interact with the server.
A navigator menu structure is a series of interconnected “applets” (e.g., a linked list of programs). Each applet contains certain data for producing interactive menu imagery (screen) as well as control instructions that provide functionality for the menu. The applet data generally contains two components. There are the underlying video images (background video) which provides so-called entertaining “eye candy” and selectable icons for the viewer. Additionally, there is an overlay screen which provides the interactive functionality and command structure for the navigator. The overlay screen is produced using the on-screen display (OSD) functions of a video decoder within the set top terminal. Particular applets are sent through the network to the set top terminal in response to a particular command from the subscriber.
Specifically, when a subscriber selects a functional icon within a given menu, an applet for a new menu corresponding to the selected icon is downloaded from the server through the modem and the network to the set top terminal. The applet is contained in a compressed, packetized video stream. This stream conforms to the compression and transport protocols of a standard video transmission protocol such as the Moving Pictures Experts Group (MPEG) protocol.
As soon as the background video associated with the applet is available for display, the video decoder displays the video on the television screen. Additionally, the OSD overlay(s) are displayed “over” the background video. These OSD graphics facilitate certain interactive functions such that when the user manipulates a joystick or other selection instrument particular regions are visibly altered, e.g., the regions become highlighted. The user then selects a highlighted region for implementation of a function represented by the highlighted region. The region generally changes in some manner indicating that that graphic has been selected. The display of the overlays is handled by a microprocessor within the set top terminal as well as an on-screen display graphics processor within the video decoder of the set top terminal. Selecting a region or icon on the screen will send a command to the video session manager for implementation. In response, the video session manager sends a new applet representing another menu (e.g., the next applet in the linked list) or a multimedia selection such as a movie.
The navigator menu structure
Cole Brooks
Conover Mark D.
Goode Christopher
Gordon Donald
Thomas Philip A.
Bayerl Raymond J.
DIVA Systems Corporation
Hailu Tadesse
Thomason Moser & Patterson LLP
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