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US 2003/0115612 A1Published application
Digital TV system with synchronized World Wide Web content
AssigneeMoreCom, Inc.
InventorsWeidong Mao, David Chen
Life of this patent
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AssigneeMoreCom, Inc.
InventorsWeidong Mao, David Chen
Estimating the term…
In a one way broadcast digital video network, Internet HTML Web page data is formatted to fit within a standard MPEG-2 data packet structure, and multiplexed along with other MPEG-2 digital video signals for transport within a multiple channel digital video system. In particular, the headend server broadcasts a rotating carousel comprising an ensemble of Web pages in HTML format. The rotating carousel contains both broadcast Web pages and simulcast Web pages and a control map permitting the viewer to navigate among the HTML Web pages of the rotating carousel. In particular, the control map contains the locations of the HTML Web pages in the rotating carousel that correspond to broadcast Web pages. The control map further contains the locations of the HTML Web pages in the rotating carousel that correspond to simulcast Web pages. The control map is updated and rebroadcast whenever there is a change at the start, middle or end of a broadcast video program, thereby synchronizing the simulcast Web pages to the multiple channel broadcast digital video programs.
In a one way broadcast communications network including a broadcasting station for transmitting on a broadcast medium, and a settop decoder coupled to said broadcast medium, said broadcasting station including an Internet access server for retrieving World Wide Web pages in HTML format, said broadcast communications network further including a multi-channel digital television signal formatted into a plurality of MPEG data packets, each of said of said plurality of MPEG data packets being identified by a respective packet identifier, a method for distributing World Wide Web pages over said one way broadcast communications network, said method comprising:
A transmitter method for use in a one way broadcast communications network including a broadcasting station for transmitting on a broadcast medium, and a settop decoder coupled to said broadcast medium, said broadcasting station including an Internet access server for retrieving World Wide Web pages in HTML format, said broadcast communications network further including a multi-channel digital television signal formatted into a plurality of MPEG data packets, each of said of said plurality of MPEG data packets being identified by a respective packet identifier, said transmitter method for distributing World Wide Web pages over said one way broadcast communications network, said transmitter method comprising:
A settop decoder method for use in a one way broadcast communications network including a broadcasting station for transmitting on a broadcast medium, and a settop decoder coupled to said broadcast medium, said broadcasting station including an Internet access server for retrieving World Wide Web pages in HTML format, said broadcast communications network further including a multi-channel digital television signal formatted into a plurality of MPEG data packets, each of said of said plurality of MPEG data packets being identified by a respective packet identifier, said broadcasting station including storing World Wide Web pages in HTML format at said broadcasting station to form a plurality of stored HTML Web pages, formatting said plurality of stored HTML Web pages into MPEG data packets while retaining said HTML format, and transmitting said MPEG data packets in said digital television signal over said one way broadcast communications network, said settop decoder method comprising:
In a one way broadcast communications network including a broadcasting station for transmitting on a broadcast medium, and a settop decoder coupled to said broadcast medium, said broadcasting station including an Internet access server for retrieving World Wide Web pages in HTML format, said broadcast communications network further including a multi-channel digital television signal formatted into a plurality of MPEG data packets, each of said of said plurality of MPEG data packets being identified by a respective packet identifier, a method for simulcasting World Wide Web pages over said one way broadcast communications network, said simulcasting method comprising:
A transmitter method for use in a one way broadcast communications network including a broadcasting station for transmitting on a broadcast medium, and a settop decoder coupled to said broadcast medium, said broadcasting station including an Internet access server for retrieving World Wide Web pages in HTML format, said broadcast communications network further including a multi-channel digital television signal formatted into a plurality of MPEG data packets, each of said of said plurality of MPEG data packets being identified by a respective packet identifier, said transmitter method for distributing World Wide Web pages over said one way broadcast communications network, said transmitter method comprising:
A settop decoder method for use in a one way broadcast communications network including a broadcasting station for transmitting on a broadcast medium, and a settop decoder coupled to said broadcast medium, said broadcasting station including an Internet access server for retrieving World Wide Web pages in HTML format, said broadcast communications network further including a multi-channel digital television signal formatted into a plurality of MPEG data packets, each of said of said plurality of MPEG data packets being identified by a respective packet identifier, said broadcasting station including storing World Wide Web pages in HTML format at said broadcasting station to form a plurality of stored HTML Web pages, storing an event table relating at least one channel of said multi-channel digital television signal to a corresponding one of said World Wide Web pages in HTML format, formatting said event table into a control map defining the correspondence between the packet identifiers of said MPEG data packets and respective ones of said plurality of stored HTML Web pages, formatting said control map and said plurality of stored HTML Web pages into MPEG data packets while retaining said HTML format, and transmitting said MPEG data packets in said digital television signal over said one way broadcast communications network, said settop decoder method comprising:
In a one way broadcast communications network including a broadcasting station for transmitting on a broadcast medium, and a settop decoder coupled to said broadcast medium, said broadcasting station including an Internet access server for retrieving World Wide Web pages in HTML format, said broadcast communications network further including a multi-channel digital television signal formatted into a plurality of MPEG data packets, each of said of said plurality of MPEG data packets being identified by a respective packet identifier, an apparatus for distributing World Wide Web pages over said one way broadcast communications network, said apparatus comprising:
A transmitter apparatus for use in a one way broadcast communications network including a broadcasting station for transmitting on a broadcast medium, and a settop decoder coupled to said broadcast medium, said broadcasting station including an Internet access server for retrieving World Wide Web pages in HTML format, said broadcast communications network further including a multi-channel digital television signal formatted into a plurality of MPEG data packets, each of said of said plurality of MPEG data packets being identified by a respective packet identifier, said transmitter apparatus for distributing World Wide Web pages over said one way broadcast communications network, said transmitter apparatus comprising:
A settop decoder apparatus for use in a one way broadcast communications network including a broadcasting station for transmitting on a broadcast medium, and a settop decoder coupled to said broadcast medium, said broadcasting station including an Internet access server for retrieving World Wide Web pages in HTML format, said broadcast communications network further including a multi-channel digital television signal formatted into a plurality of MPEG data packets, each of said of said plurality of MPEG data packets being identified by a respective packet identifier, said broadcasting station including storing World Wide Web pages in HTML format at said broadcasting station to form a plurality of stored HTML Web pages, formatting said plurality of stored HTML Web pages into MPEG data packets while retaining said HTML format, and transmitting said MPEG data packets in said digital television signal over said one way broadcast communications network, said settop decoder apparatus comprising:
In a one way broadcast communications network including a broadcasting station for transmitting on a broadcast medium, and a settop decoder coupled to said broadcast medium, said broadcasting station including an Internet access server for retrieving World Wide Web pages in HTML format, said broadcast communications network further including a multi-channel digital television signal formatted into a plurality of MPEG data packets, each of said of said plurality of MPEG data packets being identified by a respective packet identifier, an apparatus for simulcasting World Wide Web pages over said one way broadcast communications network, said simulcasting apparatus comprising:
A transmitter apparatus for use in a one way broadcast communications network including a broadcasting station for transmitting on a broadcast medium, and a settop decoder coupled to said broadcast medium, said broadcasting station including an Internet access server for retrieving World Wide Web pages in HTML format, said broadcast communications network further including a multi-channel digital television signal formatted into a plurality of MPEG data packets, each of said of said plurality of MPEG data packets being identified by a respective packet identifier, said transmitter apparatus for distributing World Wide Web pages over said one way broadcast communications network, said transmitter apparatus comprising:
A settop decoder apparatus for use in a one way broadcast communications network including a broadcasting station for transmitting on a broadcast medium, and a settop decoder coupled to said broadcast medium, said broadcasting station including an Internet access server for retrieving World Wide Web pages in HTML format, said broadcast communications network further including a multi-channel digital television signal formatted into a plurality of MPEG data packets, each of said of said plurality of MPEG data packets being identified by a respective packet identifier, said broadcasting station including storing World Wide Web pages in HTML format at said broadcasting station to form a plurality of stored HTML Web pages, storing an event table relating at least one channel of said multi-channel digital television signal to a corresponding one of said World Wide Web pages in HTML format, formatting said event table into a control map defining the correspondence between the packet identifiers of said MPEG data packets and respective ones of said plurality of stored HTML Web pages, formatting said control map and said plurality of stored HTML Web pages into MPEG data packets while retaining said HTML format, and transmitting said MPEG data packets in said digital television signal over said one way broadcast communications network, said settop decoder apparatus comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.