TV-Internet integration circuit
AssigneeTvngo Ltd.
InventorYaakov Merlin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A TV system for displaying TV broadcast signal and Internet signal. Preferably, the TV system is configured to simultaneously or selectively display the TV broadcast signal and Internet signal.
Claims20
A TV-Internet Integration circuit configured to combine, at a user's premises, TV channel video with Internet Protocol (IP) material selected by the user through overlays on the TV channel video displayed in response to an overlay activation criterion that the user has selected, said circuit comprising:
- a combiner circuit at the user's premises having a first input for receiving the TV channel video and a second input for receiving the IP material, and further having an output for outputting the combined video;
- wherein:
- the TV channel video conforms to a TV broadcast format standard as received at the combiner circuit;
- the IP format material, as received at the combiner circuit, conforms to an IP format standard that is different from the TV broadcast format standard and is received at the combiner circuit via a path different from that for the TV channel video at least in part;
- and
- the combiner circuit comprises a memory circuit configured to store, at the user's premises, plural overlays each identifying a respective source of IP material;
- a display screen at the user's premises coupled with the combiner circuit to receive and display the combined video as a screen image;
- said combiner circuit being further configured to:
- respond to an overlay activation criterion to cause the display screen to display the overlays as at least a part of the screen image, and
- respond to an overlay activation signal selected by the user at the user's premises and identifying one of the displayed overlays to cause the screen to display IP format material from the IP source associated with the identified overlay;
- wherein depending on the user's selection at the user's premises the screen image is at respective times the TV channel video with or without overlays thereon and the IP material that the user has selected through the displayed overlays.
A TV-Internet Integration method combining, at a user's premises, TV channel video with Internet Protocol (IP) material selected by the user through overlays on the TV channel video displayed in response to an overlay activation criterion that the user has selected, comprising:
- providing a combiner circuit at the user's premises having a first input for receiving the TV channel video and a second input for receiving the IP material, and further having an output for outputting the combined video;
- wherein:
- the TV channel video conforms to a TV broadcast format standard as received at the combiner circuit;
- and
- the IP format material, as received at the combiner circuit, conforms to an IP format standard that is different from the TV broadcast format standard and is received at the combiner circuit via a path different from that for the TV channel video at least in part;
- storing in a memory of the combiner circuit, at the user's premises, plural overlays each identifying a respective source of IP material;
- providing a display screen at the user's premises coupled with the combiner circuit to receive and display the combined video as a screen image;
- causing the combiner circuit to:
- respond to an overlay activation criterion to cause the display screen to display the overlays as at least a part of the screen image, and
- respond to an overlay activation signal selected by the user at the user's premises and identifying one of the displayed overlays to cause the screen to display IP format material from the IP source associated with the identified overlay;
- wherein depending on the user's selection the screen image is at respective times the TV channel video with or without overlays thereon and the IP material that the user has selected through the displayed overlays.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.