WO2007034454A2 - A system , apparatus and method for interactive tv that emmploys a ticker - Google Patents

A system , apparatus and method for interactive tv that emmploys a ticker Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2007034454A2
WO2007034454A2 PCT/IB2006/053457 IB2006053457W WO2007034454A2 WO 2007034454 A2 WO2007034454 A2 WO 2007034454A2 IB 2006053457 W IB2006053457 W IB 2006053457W WO 2007034454 A2 WO2007034454 A2 WO 2007034454A2
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
viewer
highlights
broadcaster
application
interactive
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/IB2006/053457
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
WO2007034454A3 (en
Inventor
Arjan Lemmers
Original Assignee
Koninklijke Philips Electronics, N.V.
U.S. Philips Corporation
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Koninklijke Philips Electronics, N.V., U.S. Philips Corporation filed Critical Koninklijke Philips Electronics, N.V.
Publication of WO2007034454A2 publication Critical patent/WO2007034454A2/en
Publication of WO2007034454A3 publication Critical patent/WO2007034454A3/en

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N7/00—Television systems
    • H04N7/16—Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems
    • H04N7/173—Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
    • H04N21/443—OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
    • H04N21/4433—Implementing client middleware, e.g. Multimedia Home Platform [MHP]
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/45—Management operations performed by the client for facilitating the reception of or the interaction with the content or administrating data related to the end-user or to the client device itself, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies, resolving scheduling conflicts
    • H04N21/4508—Management of client data or end-user data
    • H04N21/4532—Management of client data or end-user data involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/45—Management operations performed by the client for facilitating the reception of or the interaction with the content or administrating data related to the end-user or to the client device itself, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies, resolving scheduling conflicts
    • H04N21/454—Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
    • H04N21/4545—Input to filtering algorithms, e.g. filtering a region of the image
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/475—End-user interface for inputting end-user data, e.g. personal identification number [PIN], preference data
    • H04N21/4755—End-user interface for inputting end-user data, e.g. personal identification number [PIN], preference data for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/485—End-user interface for client configuration
    • H04N21/4858—End-user interface for client configuration for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/488—Data services, e.g. news ticker
    • H04N21/4886—Data services, e.g. news ticker for displaying a ticker, e.g. scrolling banner for news, stock exchange, weather data
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/60—Network structure or processes for video distribution between server and client or between remote clients; Control signalling between clients, server and network components; Transmission of management data between server and client, e.g. sending from server to client commands for recording incoming content stream; Communication details between server and client 
    • H04N21/65—Transmission of management data between client and server
    • H04N21/654—Transmission by server directed to the client
    • H04N21/6543—Transmission by server directed to the client for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/80—Generation or processing of content or additional data by content creator independently of the distribution process; Content per se
    • H04N21/81—Monomedia components thereof
    • H04N21/8126—Monomedia components thereof involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/80—Generation or processing of content or additional data by content creator independently of the distribution process; Content per se
    • H04N21/81—Monomedia components thereof
    • H04N21/8166—Monomedia components thereof involving executable data, e.g. software
    • H04N21/8173—End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a system, apparatus and method for an interactive TV that provides a viewer-configurable program, news and information alerts to be shown at the top of a video screen while the viewer is watching regular TV broadcasts.
  • Television is a universally available personal entertainment, news and information delivery medium, and typically a provider transmits hundreds of different channels.
  • a provider can be a cable company or a satellite company. The large number of channels results in a viewer sometimes missing a favorite program or important news and information items.
  • What is needed is some way for a viewer to specify and maintain a viewer- specific item profile regarding favorite programs and types of news/information events and then have a non-intrusive means for presenting these items during regular TV viewing and a way for the viewer to obtain more information about such an item when it is presented unobtrusively on a TV screen.
  • a system, apparatus and method is provided for a broadcaster-provided Multimedia Home Platform (MHP) or Open Cable Applications Platform (OCAP) interactive TV application that overlays a broadcaster-determined set of "highlights" including weather subjects and news subjects, on top of a regular broadcast content of that broadcaster.
  • MHP Multimedia Home Platform
  • OCAP Open Cable Applications Platform
  • the concept can be used for every i-TV platform, including MHP and OCAP.
  • MHP Multimedia Home Platform
  • OCAP Open Cable Applications Platform
  • the broadcaster-provided interactive TV application presents the broadcaster-determined set of "highlights" and, using a dedicated configuration screen, a viewer chooses a personal set of "highlights” to be overlayed by the interactive TV application on the video whenever the viewer is viewing a regular broadcast content.
  • the viewer's personal set is retained in a local resident memory and is thus recoverable after the application stops and starts again.
  • the stored set of "highlights" is presented by the interactive TV application by at least a demand of the viewer or a command of the broadcaster, i.e., a trigger embedded in a broadcast TV signal received by a viewer's set -top box. This embodiment does not use or require a back channel to the broadcaster.
  • the interactive TV application is further configured to provide functions that allow the viewer to suggest and add "highlights" to the viewer's personal set and that allow the viewer to switch between a "highlight” mode and a fullscreen page mode in which a TV screen containing more information about a presently shown "highlight” is presented to the viewer.
  • This embodiment uses a back channel to the broadcaster.
  • the "highlights" provided by the interactive TV application of the present invention give the viewer easy access to information and programs of interest and mainly focuses on short information items, which quickly become outdated. Examples include news headers, sport results, weather information, traffic information, stock information, as wells as special-interest programs and recurring program notifications.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates a high-level function diagram of the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 illustrates a personal page using a half- screen display.
  • FIG. 3A illustrates a "highlight” positioned non-obtrusively and overlayed on a TV screen and having a reduced size thereon.
  • FIG. 3B illustrates a "highlight” in a screen-page mode displayed on a TV screen.
  • FIG. 4 illustrates a dedicated configuration screen according to the present invention. It is to be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art that the following descriptions are provided for purposes of illustration and not for limitation. An artisan understands that there are many variations that lie within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims. Unnecessary details of known functions and structure may be omitted from the current descriptions so as not to obscure the present invention. In light of this, the following descriptions are presented for MHP only but one skilled in the art can readily apply these discussions to OCAP (open cable applications platform), which, like MHP, is a set of middleware standards for software development. OCAP is for USA cable applications what MHP is for over-air applications. Referring now to FIG. 1, an MHP embodiment 100 of the present invention is shown that includes a chain divided into four elements:
  • interactive television application producer 106 including games, e- mail and the Internet, electronic program guides (EPGs), "highlight” information service of the present invention, and education applications ;
  • a terminal equipment vendor e.g., of a set -top box 101 on which the applications run and which are controlled by a viewer using a remote control 103 to control what is displayed on a TV 102.
  • MHP is a set of standards for an open DVB middleware system that incorporates a concept of a profile to implement the standards.
  • a profile is an application area provided by a TV set -top box and comprises an enhanced broadcast profile, an interactive
  • All three profiles include a DVB Java API
  • the present invention is an application that runs on a set-top box 101 and is used by a broadcaster 105 to provide viewer-selectable "highlights.”
  • the broadcaster chooses a broadcaster-determined set of "highlights” of such items as programs, and weather and news subjects.
  • the broadcaster continuously broadcasts to viewers 105, 104, and 107: a "highlight” application 108 for displaying on a viewer's TV 102 "highlights” overlayed on top of the normal broadcast video; a pre-determined set of "highlights” (including content); and regular content (regular broadcast video).
  • All of these are delivered via a uni-directional DVB channel.
  • a viewer Via a dedicated configuration screen 400 in the MHP application or on the Internet], illustrated in FIG. 4, a viewer selects "highlights” 201.i, and only the "highlights” selected are subsequently presented by the "highlight” application 108 to the viewer overlayed on the normal broadcast content on the TV screen 102. All other items are suppressed.
  • the application maintains a local database 109 in the resident memory of the MHP receiver 101 of updatable viewer personal sets of "highlights” that the broadcast "highlight” application 108 uses to present the viewer with these personal-to-the-viewer "highlights" whenever the viewer is watching a TV broadcast by the broadcaster 105.
  • the broadcaster 105 also provides a dedicated interactive
  • TV application (“highlight” application) 109 for a viewer to suggest additional programs, news and information items to be presented as "highlights" at the top of a regular broadcast video being viewed by the viewer by selecting from a list provided by the broadcaster of programs not currently available as “highlights” or by doing a free suggestion (no selection from a list).
  • the broadcaster-provided interactive TV application 108 is further configured so that the viewer is able to make one keystroke on the remote control 103 to switch between a "highlight” overlay mode FIG. 3 A 300, wherein a "highlight” appears overlayed on the broadcast video that the viewer is watching, to a screen page FIG. 3B 350 about a presently shown "highlight” 201.i. That is, when the viewer sees a "highlight” and wants more information, the viewer hits one key on the remote 103 to switch to a screen-page mode.
  • the viewer hits one key on the remote (103) to switch between a mode in which "highlights" are visible and are hidden.
  • the viewer defines a subset of all the broadcast highlights in the MHP application at the MHP receiver. This subset is stored in the resident memory at the receiver. 2.
  • the MHP applications show the content of the highlights in (and only) this subset.
  • the highlights are continuously broadcast and the highlight contents are constantly broadcast and updated.
  • the MHP application constantly monitors the broadcast to be able to present the latest highlight content to the viewer (when requested by the viewer).

Abstract

A system, apparatus (101) and method are provided for a broadcaster-provided Multimedia Home Platform (MHP) or Open Cable Applications Platform (OCAP) interactive TV application (108) that overlays a broadcaster-determined set of 'highlights' (201.i) including weather subjects and news subjects, at the top of a regular broadcast content of that broadcaster. The concept can be used for every i-TV platform, including MHP and OCAP.

Description

A SYSTEM, APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR INTERACTIVE TV THAT
EMPLOYS HIGHLIGHTS
The present invention relates to a system, apparatus and method for an interactive TV that provides a viewer-configurable program, news and information alerts to be shown at the top of a video screen while the viewer is watching regular TV broadcasts.
Television is a universally available personal entertainment, news and information delivery medium, and typically a provider transmits hundreds of different channels. A provider can be a cable company or a satellite company. The large number of channels results in a viewer sometimes missing a favorite program or important news and information items.
Thus, the large number of program offerings makes it difficult for a viewer to keep track of favorite programs and special-interest programming. Further, it is unlikely that the cable/satellite viewer will be watching a major broadcast network; therefore, breaking news alerts provided by these networks will not be seen by this class of viewers.
What is needed is some way for a viewer to specify and maintain a viewer- specific item profile regarding favorite programs and types of news/information events and then have a non-intrusive means for presenting these items during regular TV viewing and a way for the viewer to obtain more information about such an item when it is presented unobtrusively on a TV screen.
A system, apparatus and method is provided for a broadcaster-provided Multimedia Home Platform (MHP) or Open Cable Applications Platform (OCAP) interactive TV application that overlays a broadcaster-determined set of "highlights" including weather subjects and news subjects, on top of a regular broadcast content of that broadcaster. The concept can be used for every i-TV platform, including MHP and OCAP. The example is MHP-oriented and OCAP is a close variant of MHP.
In a first embodiment, the broadcaster-provided interactive TV application presents the broadcaster-determined set of "highlights" and, using a dedicated configuration screen, a viewer chooses a personal set of "highlights" to be overlayed by the interactive TV application on the video whenever the viewer is viewing a regular broadcast content. The viewer's personal set is retained in a local resident memory and is thus recoverable after the application stops and starts again. The stored set of "highlights" is presented by the interactive TV application by at least a demand of the viewer or a command of the broadcaster, i.e., a trigger embedded in a broadcast TV signal received by a viewer's set -top box. This embodiment does not use or require a back channel to the broadcaster.
In a second embodiment, the interactive TV application is further configured to provide functions that allow the viewer to suggest and add "highlights" to the viewer's personal set and that allow the viewer to switch between a "highlight" mode and a fullscreen page mode in which a TV screen containing more information about a presently shown "highlight" is presented to the viewer. This embodiment uses a back channel to the broadcaster. The "highlights" provided by the interactive TV application of the present invention give the viewer easy access to information and programs of interest and mainly focuses on short information items, which quickly become outdated. Examples include news headers, sport results, weather information, traffic information, stock information, as wells as special-interest programs and recurring program notifications.
FIG. 1 illustrates a high-level function diagram of the present invention.
FIG. 2 illustrates a personal page using a half- screen display.
FIG. 3A illustrates a "highlight" positioned non-obtrusively and overlayed on a TV screen and having a reduced size thereon. FIG. 3B illustrates a "highlight" in a screen-page mode displayed on a TV screen.
FIG. 4 illustrates a dedicated configuration screen according to the present invention. It is to be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art that the following descriptions are provided for purposes of illustration and not for limitation. An artisan understands that there are many variations that lie within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims. Unnecessary details of known functions and structure may be omitted from the current descriptions so as not to obscure the present invention. In light of this, the following descriptions are presented for MHP only but one skilled in the art can readily apply these discussions to OCAP (open cable applications platform), which, like MHP, is a set of middleware standards for software development. OCAP is for USA cable applications what MHP is for over-air applications. Referring now to FIG. 1, an MHP embodiment 100 of the present invention is shown that includes a chain divided into four elements:
1. interactive television application producer 106 including games, e- mail and the Internet, electronic program guides (EPGs), "highlight" information service of the present invention, and education applications ;
2. interactive applications linked to broadcast services, such as the "highlight" information service of the present invention, offered to a consumer by a broadcaster 105;
3. a network operator 104 for delivery to viewers of broadcast signals; and
4. a terminal equipment vendor, e.g., of a set -top box 101 on which the applications run and which are controlled by a viewer using a remote control 103 to control what is displayed on a TV 102.
MHP is a set of standards for an open DVB middleware system that incorporates a concept of a profile to implement the standards. A profile is an application area provided by a TV set -top box and comprises an enhanced broadcast profile, an interactive
TV profile and an Internet access profile. All three profiles include a DVB Java API
(application program interface). The present invention is an application that runs on a set-top box 101 and is used by a broadcaster 105 to provide viewer-selectable "highlights."
In a first embodiment, the broadcaster chooses a broadcaster-determined set of "highlights" of such items as programs, and weather and news subjects. In addition to normal TV broadcasts, the broadcaster continuously broadcasts to viewers 105, 104, and 107: a "highlight" application 108 for displaying on a viewer's TV 102 "highlights" overlayed on top of the normal broadcast video; a pre-determined set of "highlights" (including content); and regular content (regular broadcast video).
All of these are delivered via a uni-directional DVB channel. Via a dedicated configuration screen 400 in the MHP application or on the Internet], illustrated in FIG. 4, a viewer selects "highlights" 201.i, and only the "highlights" selected are subsequently presented by the "highlight" application 108 to the viewer overlayed on the normal broadcast content on the TV screen 102. All other items are suppressed. The application maintains a local database 109 in the resident memory of the MHP receiver 101 of updatable viewer personal sets of "highlights" that the broadcast "highlight" application 108 uses to present the viewer with these personal-to-the-viewer "highlights" whenever the viewer is watching a TV broadcast by the broadcaster 105. In a second embodiment, the broadcaster 105 also provides a dedicated interactive
TV application ("highlight" application) 109 for a viewer to suggest additional programs, news and information items to be presented as "highlights" at the top of a regular broadcast video being viewed by the viewer by selecting from a list provided by the broadcaster of programs not currently available as "highlights" or by doing a free suggestion (no selection from a list).
In a third embodiment, the broadcaster-provided interactive TV application 108 is further configured so that the viewer is able to make one keystroke on the remote control 103 to switch between a "highlight" overlay mode FIG. 3 A 300, wherein a "highlight" appears overlayed on the broadcast video that the viewer is watching, to a screen page FIG. 3B 350 about a presently shown "highlight" 201.i. That is, when the viewer sees a "highlight" and wants more information, the viewer hits one key on the remote 103 to switch to a screen-page mode.
In a fourth embodiment, the viewer hits one key on the remote (103) to switch between a mode in which "highlights" are visible and are hidden. In summary, for an MHP-compliant system:
1. The viewer defines a subset of all the broadcast highlights in the MHP application at the MHP receiver. This subset is stored in the resident memory at the receiver. 2. The MHP applications show the content of the highlights in (and only) this subset.
3. The highlights are continuously broadcast and the highlight contents are constantly broadcast and updated. The MHP application constantly monitors the broadcast to be able to present the latest highlight content to the viewer (when requested by the viewer).
One skilled in the art will realize that such a dedicated screen can be activated by a remote-control key click and then the desired management actions effected using the remote control as a data entry and command entry device in well-known ways.
While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the system, apparatus and methods as described herein are illustrative, and various changes and modifications may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the true scope of the present invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt the teachings of the present invention to a particular situation without departing from its central scope. Therefore, it is intended that the present invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out the present invention, but that the present invention include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claim appended hereto.

Claims

CLAIMS:
1. A system (100) for a broadcaster-provided set of "highlights," comprising: an interactive TV application (108) that presents a dedicated configuration screen
(200) for a viewer to configure a personal set of program "highlights" from a set of broadcast highlights (201.i) to be overlayed on a normal broadcast content on a TV (102); a local resident memory (109) at a receiver to retain the viewer's configured personal set of "highlights" (201.i) such that the personal set is recoverable after the application stops and starts again; and a i-TV receiver (101) to execute the interactive TV application and thereby overlay the configured personal set of program "highlights" (201.i) on the normal broadcast content being watched by the viewer, and store the configured personal set of program "highlights" in the local memory (109).
2. The system (100) of claim 1, wherein in addition to regular TV broadcasts, the broadcaster continuously broadcasts to viewers (105 104 107): the interactive TV application (108) for displaying on a viewer's TV (102) "highlights" (201.i) overlayed at top of the regular broadcast content; a pre-determined set of "highlights" (201. i); and a regular broadcast content.
3. The system (100) of claim 2, wherein: the i-TV receiver (101) is positioned (107) between a broadcast signal (104) and the TV (102) such that the i-TV receiver (101) receives the broadcast signal (104) and executes the interactive TV application (108) to overlay the personal set of "highlights" (201.i) thereon and forwards the overlayed signal to the TV (102) for display thereon; and the command of the broadcaster is a trigger embedded in the broadcast TV signal (104) received by the i-TV receiver (101).
4. The system (100) of claim 3, further comprising a back channel to the broadcaster, wherein, the interactive TV application (108) is further programmed to provide functions that allow the viewer to use the back channel to suggest to the broadcaster and add "highlights" (201. i) to the set of broadcast highlights.
5. The system (100) of claim 3, wherein the interactive TV application (108) is further programmed to provide functions that allow the viewer to switch between a "highlight" overlay mode (300) and a full-screen page mode (350) in which a TV screen having more information about a presently shown "highlight" (201. i) is presented to the viewer.
6. The system (100) of claim 5, wherein the broadcaster-provided interactive TV application 108 is further programmed so that the viewer is able to make one keystroke on a remote control (103) to switch between the "highlight" overlay mode (300) and the full-screen page mode (350).
7. The system (100) of claim 1, wherein the broadcaster-provided interactive TV application 108 is further programmed so that the viewer is able to make one keystroke on a remote control (103) to switch between a "highlight" visible mode and a "highlight" hide mode.
8. The system (100) of claim 2, wherein the broadcaster-provided interactive TV application 108 is further programmed so that the viewer is able to make one keystroke on a remote control (103) to switch between a "highlight" visible mode and a "highlight" hide mode.
9. A receiver apparatus (101) for display and management of a broadcaster- provided set of "highlights," comprising: an interactive TV application (108) that presents a dedicated configuration screen (400) for a viewer to configure a personal set of program "highlights" (201.i) from the broadcaster-provided set to be overlayed on a normal broadcast content displayed on a TV (102); a local resident memory (109) to retain the viewer's configured personal set of "highlights" (201.i) such that the personal set is recoverable after at least one of the application and receiver apparatus stops and starts again; and a processor to execute the interactive TV application and thereby overlay the configured personal set of program "highlights" (201.i) on the regular broadcast content on the display of a TV being watched by the viewer, and store the configured personal set of program "highlights" in the local memory (109).
10. The receiver apparatus (101) of claim 9, wherein in addition to regular TV broadcasts, the receiver (101) is further configured to receive on a continuous basis: the interactive TV application (108) for displaying on a viewer's TV (102) "highlights" (201.i) overlayed on top of the normal broadcast content; and a broadcaster-determined set of "highlights" (201. i).
11. The receiver apparatus (101) of claim 10, wherein the interactive TV application (108) is further programmed to provide a function to allow a viewer to use a back channel to the broadcaster to allow a viewer to suggest "highlights" (201.i) to be added to the viewer's personal set.
12. The receiver apparatus (101) of claim 10, wherein the interactive TV application (108) is further programmed to provide a function to allow a viewer to switch between a "highlight" overlay mode (300) and a full-screen page mode (350) in which the display of the TV includes more information about a presently shown "highlight" (201. i).
13. The receiver apparatus (101) of claim 12, wherein the broadcaster- provided interactive TV application 108 is further programmed so that the viewer is able to make one keystroke on a remote control (103) to switch between the "highlight" overlay mode (300) and the full-screen page mode (350).
14. A method for providing a broadcaster-defined set of "highlights," comprising the steps: defining a set of broadcaster -provided "highlights"; providing an interactive TV application (108) to perform the steps: a. presenting a dedicated configuration screen (400) to a viewer including the defined broadcaster-provided set of "highlights"; b. storing in a local database (109) user selections from the defined broadcaster-provided set of "highlights" included in the present dedicated configuration screen (400) as a personal set of program "highlights" (201.i) of the viewer, c. overlaying the viewer's personal set of "highlights" on a regular broadcast content being watched by the viewer on a display of a TV.
15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of, in addition to regular TV broadcasts, the broadcaster continuously broadcasts to viewers (105, 104, 107): the interactive TV application (108); the broadcaster-provided set of "highlights" (201.i); and the regular broadcast content.
16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of the interactive TV application (108) providing functions to allow the viewer to switch between a "highlight" overlay mode (300) and a full-screen page mode (350) having more information about a presently shown "highlight" (201.i).
17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of the viewer making one keystroke on a remote control (103) to switch between the "highlight" overlay mode (300) and the full-screen page mode (350).
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the interactive TV application (108) further performs the step of providing a dedicated configuration page in which the viewer can define suggested "highlights" from a list provided by the broadcaster that are not yet provided by the broadcaster.
PCT/IB2006/053457 2005-09-23 2006-09-22 A system , apparatus and method for interactive tv that emmploys a ticker WO2007034454A2 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

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US72008505P 2005-09-23 2005-09-23
US60/720,085 2005-09-23

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WO2007034454A2 true WO2007034454A2 (en) 2007-03-29
WO2007034454A3 WO2007034454A3 (en) 2007-07-05

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Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20040003402A1 (en) * 2002-06-27 2004-01-01 Digeo, Inc. Method and apparatus for automatic ticker generation based on implicit or explicit profiling
WO2004044858A1 (en) * 2002-11-12 2004-05-27 Thomson Licensing S.A. Weather/disaster alert system using a data network
WO2004047440A2 (en) * 2002-11-18 2004-06-03 United Video Properties, Inc. Systems and methods for providing real-time services in an interactive television program guide application

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20040003402A1 (en) * 2002-06-27 2004-01-01 Digeo, Inc. Method and apparatus for automatic ticker generation based on implicit or explicit profiling
WO2004044858A1 (en) * 2002-11-12 2004-05-27 Thomson Licensing S.A. Weather/disaster alert system using a data network
WO2004047440A2 (en) * 2002-11-18 2004-06-03 United Video Properties, Inc. Systems and methods for providing real-time services in an interactive television program guide application

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