# US 8,782,719 B2 · Infrastructure for interactive television applications

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- Number: US 8,782,719 B2
- Document ID: US8782719B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 11/803,649
- Filed: 2007-05-15
- Published: 2007-12-20
- Granted: 2014-07-15
- Earliest claimed: 2005-10-28
- Assignees: The DIRECTV Group, Inc.
- Applicants: Robert G. Arsenault; Raynold M. Kahn; Richard F. Purpura; Gilbert Zaldivar; James D. Allen
- Inventors: Robert G. Arsenault; Raynold M. Kahn; Richard F. Purpura; Gilbert Zaldivar; James D. Allen
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8782719B2

## CPC

- H04N 7/162: {Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing}
- H04N 7/17309: {Transmission or handling of upstream communications}
- H04N 21/25875: {involving end-user authentication (restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06)}
- H04N 21/4147: PVR [Personal Video Recorder] (H04N5/76 takes precedence {; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40})
- H04N 21/4312: {involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations}
- H04N 21/4314: {for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid}
- H04N 21/4431: {characterized by the use of Application Program Interface [API] libraries}
- H04N 21/4524: {involving the geographical location of the client (retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00)}
- H04N 21/4753: {for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password (cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08)}
- H04N 21/6187: {involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS}
- H04N 2007/1739: {the upstream communication being transmitted via a separate link, e.g. telephone line}
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for selectively displaying a video program are disclosed. A system for selectively displaying a video program in accordance with the present invention comprises a transmission station, including a server for attaching information to the video program, a plurality of satellites receiving at least an uplink signal which includes the information and the video program from the transmission station and producing a downlink signal based on the uplink signal, an antenna, the antenna receiving the downlink signal, and at least one receiver, coupled to the antenna, for receiving the downlink signal and interpreting the information in the downlink signal, wherein the at least one receiver selectively displays the video program based on at least the interpreted information.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for selectively executing an interactive application associated with a stream of a program comprising at least one of a video stream and an audio stream transmitted on at least one of a plurality of channels, comprising:
receiving a tuning command at a receiver to tune to the at least one of the plurality of channels;
intercepting the tuning command with an Application Programming Interface (API);
determining an interactive application type of the interactive application, the interactive application type including a first interactive application type and a second interactive application type;
if the determined interactive application type is the first interactive application type:
providing the program of the stream to an output of the receiver before executing the interactive application and without inhibition by the interactive application; and
executing the interactive application;
if the determined interactive application is the second interactive application type:
executing the interactive application;
querying the API with the executing interactive application, the query comprising at least an authorization status query related to the executing interactive application;
determining the authorization status of the stream based at least in part on a result of the query; and
selectively providing the program of the stream to the output of the receiver based at least in part on the authorization status.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the stream further comprises a flag indicating that the program of the stream is to be provided to the output of the receiver only after the authorization status is determined.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the program comprises a mosaic of a plurality of video feeds, and the interactive application is the second interactive application type.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein each video feed in the plurality of video feeds has an authorization status separate from the other of the video feeds and each video feed in the plurality of video feeds is selectively provided for display based on the separate authorization status according to the interactive application.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the separate authorization status is based on a geographical location of the receiver.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the separate authorization status is based on a service authorization of the receiver.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, further comprising determining at least one interactive function of the video feeds based on the authorization status of the video feeds.

### Claim 8

An apparatus for selectively executing an interactive application associated with a stream of a program comprising at least one of a video stream and an audio stream transmitted on at least one of a plurality of channels, comprising:
a receiver, comprising:
a tuner, for receiving a tuning command to tune the at least one of the plurality of channels; and
an application programming interface (API) for intercepting the tuning command, for determining an interactive application type of the interactive application and for providing the stream according to the interactive application type, the API permitting provision the program of the stream to an output of the receiver before execution of the interactive application and without inhibition by the interactive application if the interactive application type is the first application type and executing the interactive application before provision of the program of the stream to the output of the receiver if the interactive application is the second application type;
wherein the executed interactive application queries the API for an authorization result related to the executing interactive application, determines the authorization status of the stream based at least in part on the authorization result, and selectively provides the stream based at least in part on the authorization result.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the stream comprises information indicating that the stream is authorized to be provided only after the authorization status of the stream is determined.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, wherein the program comprises a mosaic of a plurality of video feeds, and the interactive application is the second interactive application type.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein each video feed in the plurality of video feeds has an authorization status separate from the other of the video feeds and each video feed in the plurality of video feeds is selectively provided for display based on the separate authorization status according to the executing interactive application.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the separate authorization status is based on a geographical location of the receiver.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the separate authorization status is based on a service authorization of the receiver.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, wherein the receiver determines at least one interactive function of the at least one video program based on the authorization status of the video feed.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
the interactive application type is flagged according to the selected channel.

### Claim 16 (depends on 8)

The apparatus of claim 8, wherein:
the interactive application type is flagged according to the selected channel.