Integration of dynamic universal resource locators with television presentations

A system for TV transmission providing an active video display for television programming, comprising:

• a source providing a video data stream sent in successive frames, including:
• a first image frame data region providing a visual entity in a specific first position in the display;
• and first relational data associated with the first image frame data region, relating the first position to a URL;
• and
• a second image frame data region providing the visual entity in a second specific position other than the first specific position in the display;
• and second relational data associated with the second image frame data region, relating the second position of the visual entity to the URL;
• receiving and display apparatus adapted for receiving and displaying the image frame data on a display monitor, the receiver and display apparatus comprising also an Internet Browser;
• and
• selection apparatus for selecting the visual entity in the active video display;
• wherein selecting the visual entity in the active video display activates the Internet Browser, accesses a World Wide Web page addressed by the URL, and displays the page on the display monitor.

A receiving and display apparatus comprising:

• computerized control circuitry;
• an Internet browser;
• display circuitry;
• a display monitor;
• and
• receiving and processing circuitry adapted for receiving and processing a dynamic video data stream sent in successive frames, and providing therefrom an active video display having a moving visual entity therein, the moving visual entity associated with a moving region in the display, and the moving region in the display associated with a single URL;
• wherein the control circuitry provides a selection mechanism adapted for a user to select the moving region in the display associated with the visual entity, and upon selection causes the Browser to access the Internet source, and to download and display a WEB page having the URL.

A signal preparation and transmission apparatus for providing a video data stream sent in successive frames comprising:

• imaging apparatus for monitoring a scene and preparing a signal data stream therefrom, the data stream comprising a first image frame data region providing a visual entity in a specific first position in the display;
• and first relational data associated to the first image frame data region, relating the first position to a URL;
• a second image frame data region providing the visual entity in a second specific position other than the first specific position in the display;
• and second relational data associated with the second image frame data region, relating the second position of the visual entity to the URL;
• and
• control circuitry adapted for adding an Internet Universal Resource Locator (URL) to the data stream and for associating the URL with the visual entity in one or more of the image frames.

A method for accessing additional information related to a moving visual image entity in a video display, comprising steps of:

• (a) associating the moving visual image entity with a dynamic Universal Resource Locator (URL) in a data stream including image frames for the video display, the data stream comprising a first image frame data region providing the visual entity in a specific first position in the display;
• and first relational data associated to the first image frame data region, relating the first position to a URL, a second image frame data region providing the visual entity in a second specific position in the display;
• and second relational data associated with the second image frame data region, relating the second position of the visual entity to the URL;
• (b) selecting the visual entity in the video display by user input:
• (c) accessing the Internet via a Network Interface Module (NIM) in response to the user input, and connecting to the data source associated with the URL;
• (d) downloading a WEB page from the data source;
• and
• (e) displaying the WEB page in the video display.

A method for associating an individual visual entity in a video display with an Internet Universal Resource Locator (URL), the video display provided as successive frames to a display monitor, comprising steps of:

• (a) noting the position of the visual entity in the display in individual ones of the successive frames;
• (b) associating an areal region of the display in each of the individual ones of the successive frames with the position of the visual entity;
• and
• (c) associating the areal region for each of the individual ones of the successive frames with the URL.

A system for providing a video television display comprising:

• a source providing a video data stream having image data organized in successive frames and providing a moving visual entity in the television display, the moving visual entity associated in the video data with an area in the display and the area associated in the video data with an Internet URL;
• receiving and display apparatus, adapted for receiving the video data and providing the television display therefrom, including the moving visual entity;
• selection apparatus adapted for a user to select the moving visual entity in the television display;
• and
• an Internet browser system including a browser application and an Internet access link;
• wherein, upon selection of the moving visual entity by the user, the system initiates the Internet Browser application, accesses the Internet, and downloads and displays a WEB page associated with the URL.