BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Today, the capabilities of computers to provide massive amounts of educational and entertainment information has exploded with the Internet. The Internet has the power to transform society through unprecedented levels of information flow betweenmembers. Currently, on-line systems offer a variety of different services to users, including news feeds, electronic databases (either searchable by the user directly on the on-line system, or downloadable to the users own computer), private messageservices, electronic newsletters, real time games for play by several users at the same time, and job placement services, to name a few. However, today, most on-line communications occur merely through text. This currently stands in great contrast tothe audio/visual presentation of the alternative electronic medium, television. However, it is expected that as multi-media's incessant growth continues, audio/visual programs will proliferate and text will become less and less dominant in the on-lineenvironment. Even though these programs will be introduced, the Internet, will remain essentially user unfriendly due to its very massiveness, organization, and randomness. Simply stated, there is no order or direction in the Internet. Specific piecesof information are many times hard to find, and harder yet, is the ability to put that piece of information into a meaningful context.

Television, on the other hand, has been criticized for being a passive medium--"chewing gum for the eyes," as Fred Allen once observed. Television has always been something you watched, not something you do. Many social critics believe that thepassivity television depends on has seeped into our entire culture, turning a nation of citizens into a nation of viewers. While interactive television systems have increased the level of user interaction, and thus, provided greater learning andentertainment opportunities, vast information resources such as databases are inaccessible from such a medium.

What is needed is a means to close the gap between video programming and the information superhighway of the Internet. What is needed is a wider, richer experience integrating audio/visual and textual database elements into an organized uniqueinteractive, educational, entertainment experience. Currently, the Internet is a repository of information on virtually any subject. However, what is needed is a mechanism for combining the user-friendly visual experience of television with the vastinformation resources of the Internet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The system of the present invention combines broadcast television programming and/or video programming which appears on a VHS or Beta tape, CD-ROM, DVD or other medium, or video programming at a video server (hereinafter "video programming") withthe massive Internet, creating a new and powerful educational and entertainment medium. The system allows consumers to receive more information in a more efficient manner than either television or the Internet alone. Consumers not only can see a newsreport on television, but they can also read pertinent information about the report, as well as explore related information about the story. The program becomes the introduction to a particular subject, rather than the entire subject itself. The act ofviewing a program has now become a more engaging, enriching experience.

The system can also create a more intimate relationship between the viewer and the program. The user might be solving problems or performing virtual experiments on the Internet site that a teacher is discussing in an educational televisionprogram. Similarly, the consumer might be solving problems that the fictional characters in a television program must solve. In both cases, the consumer is an active participant in the process, rather than a passive observer.

Instead of an undirected and unfocused exploration of Internet sites, by synching specific Internet pages to the video signal, the system puts the Internet in context. The television program producers now can decide what additional informationto offer their audience. This material can now be seen in the context of the television program.

An additional advantage is that consumers don't have to search through the literally hundreds of millions of pages on the Internet to find appropriate material. The material has already been filtered by the program producers and delivered to theconsumer automatically.

Another advantage of the system is that it changes the nature of advertising. Since additional information can be given to consumers automatically, advertising can now be more substantive, allowing customers to make more informed choices. Now,the act of purchasing a product seen on television can be streamlined--the consumer can be given the choice of buying the product instantly using the two-way capabilities of the system.

Another advantage of the current system is that in the alternative embodiment, the local user need not have a vertical blanking interval (VBI) reader to receive the uniform resource locators (URLs). Therefore, digital video can be used as thevideo source. The Interacast, by comparison, is an analog video product.

By marrying the appeal of television with the two-way data transfer capabilities of the Internet, the system creates a powerful new medium: Television producers and Internet site creators can enhance their content, advertisers can speak moredirectly to consumers, and consumers can gain a new level of interest and interactivity over a video-based medium.

Now, several media companies have joined to create a system for linking the Internet and television on the personal computer, called "Intercast." In this system, content will be provided simultaneously with the TV video signal. This system,however, requires that stripped down Web pages be sent in the vertical blanking interval (VBI) of the video signal, using up to three scan lines limiting effective bandwidth to approximately 28.8 kbps. This approach, however, requires specializedhardware to both insert the Web pages into the VBI and extract these codes at each PC since it takes up to three scan lines of the VBI. Thus, the complexity and cost of the PC is increased. Because the Web pages are transmitted with the video signal,the Intercast system is not a true "two-way" system, but merely a one-way "piggyback" system.

The system of the present invention, on the other hand, is a much more flexible, but less complex, system. First, the actual Web pages are not forced into the very limited bandwidth of the vertical blanking interval (VBI). Instead, merely eightfields of line 21 of the VBI are used to deliver the relevant Internet Web page addresses to the PC. These addresses are called "uniform resource locators" (URLs). The system then directs the particular Web browser to retrieve the identified Web pagesfrom the Internet. Upon receipt of the particular Web page(s), the system syncs the Web page(s) to the video signal, and at the appropriate times, presents the Web pages on one portion of the computer screen with the television video signal, shown in awindow on another portion of the screen, and thus, provides the synergistic Internet and television experience. One of the advantages of the system of the present invention is that no specialized chip set need be produced and implemented into thestandard PC. Thus, complexity is kept to a minimum.

Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide order and direction to the Internet by using television signals to place, orient and control such information in a meaningful context.

It is an object of the present invention to create a more intimate relationship between the viewer and the program by enriching the learning experience through the provision of more indepth information.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram of the system design, showing the receipt and decoding of video signals at the subscriber location using the method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an alternative system embodiment to achieve the integration of the Internet information with the video content by decoding the uniform resource locators at a server site and then transmitting the URLs to the subscriberstations via the Internet.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of the basic software design of the present invention.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The system of the present invention combines the rich visual capabilities of television with the vast resources of the Internet. As shown in FIG. 1, the present invention is a computer based system for receiving a video program along withembedded uniform resource locators (URLs)--which direct the user's computer 16 to address locations, or Web sites, on the Internet 20 to retrieve related Web pages. These Web pages correspond to the video presentation. The particular video programmingcan be delivered in analog, digital or digitally compressed formats (e.g., MPEG2) via any transmission means, including satellite, cable, wire, or television broadcast.

The video programming is preferably created at a centralized location, i.e., content creation 4 as shown in FIG. 1, for distribution to subscribers in their homes, for example. Program creation is accomplished according to any conventional meansknown in the art. After a video program is created, uniform resource locators are embedded, preferably, into the vertical blank interval of the video programming by the URL encoder 8, shown in FIG. 1. In the preferred embodiment, the URLs are encodedonto eight fields of line 21 of the VBI. Line 21 is the line associated with close captioning, among other things. However, the URLs could also be embedded in other fields of the VBI, in the horizontal portion of the video, as part of the audiochannel, or in any subcarrier to the video. Preferably, the URLs have associated time stamps which indicate to the subscriber stations when, during the video program, to display the particular Web pages addressed by the URLs.

The particular information in line 21 is not part of the visual part of the program, and thus, is not perceptible to the human eye, thereby making it ideal to send data information to the users. While the bandwidth capacity of line 21 islimited, because the system of the present invention transmits only the uniform resource locators (URLs), and not full Web pages, there is more than enough capacity. Furthermore, no additional hardware is necessary at the PCs 16 to implement theelements of the present invention. Thus, the present invention has the additional advantages of being very efficient and takes advantage of conventional hardware.

Once the video program is created, it can be transmitted to user sites over any transmission means, including broadcast, cable, satellite, or Internet, and may reside on video servers. Furthermore, the video program, with embedded URLs, can beencoded on a VHS or Beta tape, DVD or other medium.

Preferably, each receiver station comprises any Intel .times.86 machine (preferably a 486 processor, pentium processor, etc.), an Apple Computer, UNIX or any other type of standard computer workstation. The local PC 16 is preferably connected toeither a cable and/or broadcast television connection or to a local VCR or other video source. At each subscriber site, the local personal computer 16 preferably receives the cable transmission by cable connection on the back of the personal computer16. The video/audio program can then be processed for display on the computer screen using any conventional PC card capable of displaying NTSC signals on a computer monitor, such as a WinTV card. In addition to the cable connection, however, in thepresent invention there is also an Internet 20 connection created concurrently with the cable connection.

The Internet 20 connection can be via high-speed line, RF, conventional modem or by way of two-way cable carrying the video programming. The local PC 16 has internet access via any of the current ASCII software mechanisms. In the preferredembodiment, at each subscriber home, an associated local URL decoder 12 receives the cable video television program, as shown in FIG. 1. The local URL decoder 12 extracts the URLs, preferably embedded in the vertical blanking interval, with the use ofany conventional VBI decoder device. The URL decoder 12 may be either a standalone unit or a card which is implemented into the personal computer 16.

In an alternative system shown in FIG. 2, the uniform resource locators (URLs) are encoded into the video in the same manner as described above. Again, the URLs are preferably encoded onto eight fields of line 21 of the VBI. However, the URLdecoder 24 is located at the server site, as opposed to the subscriber location. When the decoder 24 receives the video program signal, it strips out the URL codes on line 21 of the VBI and delivers these codes independently to an Internet server 28. The URL code is then subsequently delivered over the Internet 20 to the user PC 16. Simultaneously, the video is broadcast over conventional broadcast or cable transmission means 36 to the user's personal computer 16.

System Operation

Once the URLs have reached the personal computer 16, system operation is the same for both of the embodiments diagramed in FIGS. 1 and 2.

In the preferred embodiment, a JAVA enabled browser as well as specialized software for performing part of the method of the present invention are installed on the computer. The JAVA enabled browser allows the computer 16 to retrieve the Webpages and is preferred software, since it is platform independent, and thus, enables efficient and flexible transfer or programs, images, etc., over the Internet 20. The specialized interface software (hereinafter, "client software"), attached asAppendix A, acts as an interface between the video programming and the Internet functions of the present invention. The client software retrieves URLs from the video program, interpret these URLs and direct the JAVA enabled browser to retrieve theparticular relevant web pages, and synchronizes the retrieved Web pages to the video content for display, as shown in FIG. 3 and explained in more detail below.

In the preferred method, the URLs are encoded and embedded into the video signal by inserting them into the vertical blanking interval (VBI), as mentioned above.

The method of the present invention has the capability to detect identical URLs sent directly after one another which causes the browser not to fetch URLs in these particular cases. As shown in FIG. 3, once the URL code is received at thecomputer, the client software first interprets the URL and determines whether the particular URL has been received previously 42. If it has already been received, the next received URL is interpreted for determination of prior receipt. If theparticular URL has not been detected before, the software checks for misspelling 46 and any other errors, and if errors exist, corrects these particular errors. Once again, it is determined whether the URL has been previously detected. If it has, thenext URL is accessed 38. If the URL has not been detected, the specific URL is added to the URL list 54. The specific URL is then sent to the Web browser, preferably a Java enabled browser. Upon receipt of the URL, the browser will access the Web siteaddress indicated by the URL and retrieve the cited Web page(s) 58 via the Internet.

Viewers can view the integrated presentation in the following manner. As mentioned above, the video signal is processed and displayed on a video window on the PC screen using a Win TV card, for example. The corresponding audio is forwarded tothe audio card and sent to the PC speakers.

The actual retrieved Web pages, referenced by the URL, are preferably time stamped to be displayed on the computer screen when predetermined related video content is displayed in the video window, thus, enlightening and enhancing the videopresentation by providing indepth information related to the video content thereto. Another section on the screen is also preferably used to represent an operational control panel. This control panel provides a list of the URLs that have been broadcastand correspondingly received by the computer 16. This control panel is updated to add a URL code each time a new URL code is received by the PC 16. This list gives the subscriber the flexibility to go back and retrieve particularly informative orinteresting Web pages that have already been displayed earlier in the program, or alternatively, to print them out for future reference. Furthermore, the list could include URLs referring to Web pages not displayed with the broadcast program, but thatprovide further information on a certain topic of interest to the viewer.

The present invention can best be understood with reference to an example. A viewer can begin watching a musical video featuring a new band, for example. As the video is received by the PC 16, URLs are being extracted from the vertical blankinginterval and are being interpreted by the client software. Upon direction and command, the JAVA enabled browser retrieves particular Web pages from Internet 20 Web sites identified in the URLs. These Web pages will then be displayed on the video screenat particular times. Thus, for example, while the viewer is watching the music video, biographical information on the band can also be displayed adjacently to the video window. Web pages could also include an upcoming concert schedule, or even audioclips of the band's music may be downloaded from the Internet 20. As another example, a user could be watching a program relating to financial news. While the narrator is shown discussing high tech stocks, Web pages corresponding to detailed financialperformance information on high tech stocks, environment and characteristics can be displayed with the video on the computer screen. When the program narrator switches to a discussion on the weekly performance of the Dow Jones, Web pages presentingrelated financial performance information can be simultaneously displayed. Thus, it is evident that the present invention profoundly enriches the viewing and learning experience.

It is understood that there can exist alternative embodiments for use with the present invention. For example, the user can view the interactive program using a television set or other display monitor in conjunction with the display screen ofthe personal computer 16. In this embodiment, the relevant Web pages are shown on the personal computer 16 while the video program is displayed on the television monitor. In this alternative embodiment, a cable set top box receives the televisionprogram from the multichannel cable. The personal computer 16 also receives the video program from the multi-channel cable and extracts the URLs, preferably embedded in the vertical blanking interval of the video signal. The computer software extractsthe URLs and retrieves the particular web pages as described above. The web pages are then synchronized with the particular video frames and presented to the user. It is understood that a hyperlink may exist on the Web site that will allow the user toautomatically load the client software and call up the specific television channel referenced in the Web site. For example, someone browsing the Internet 20 may come upon a major television network's Web site. They scroll to an interesting story thenclick on an hyperlink to turn on the software which tunes the TV window to the network to enhance the information residing at the Web site.

Furthermore, instead of receiving the video program from a transmission means, the video program can be addressed directly from the user site if the video program, with embedded URLs, is stored on a VHS, Beta, DVD or other medium. In thisembodiment, the user PC 16 and/or television are connected to a VCR, DVD player or other appropriate device.

Using the foregoing embodiments, methods and processes, the system of the present invention creates a synergistic experience combining the vast resources of the internet with the presentation capabilities of television. ##SPC1##

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