Enhanced video programming system and method for incorporating and displaying retrieved integrated internet information segments

Patent 5774664 Issued on June 30, 1998. Estimated Expiration Date:

March 25, 2016. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

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Inventors

Application

No. 622474 filed on 03/25/1996

US Classes:

725/110, Connection to external network at receiver (e.g., set-top box)725/109, Having link to external network (e.g., interconnected computer network)725/112Link transmission (e.g., URL sent to user)

Examiners

Primary: Lall, Parshotam S.
Assistant: Vu, Viet D.

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Dorsey & whitney LLP

International Classes

G06F 013/00
H04N 005/50

Abstract

A system for integrating video programming with the vast information resources of the Internet. A computer-based system receives a video program and uniform resource locators (URLs). The URLs, the effective addresses of locations or Web sites on the Internet, are interpreted by the system and direct the system to the Web site locations to retrieve related Web pages. Web pages related to the video programming appear upon receipt through the user's browser. The video program signal can be displayed on a video window on a conventional personal computer screen. The actual retrieved Web pages can be time stamped to also be displayed, on another portion of the display screen, when predetermined related video content is displayed in the video window. The computer-based system can receive the URLs embedded in the video program or directly through an Internet connection, at times specified by TV broadcasters in advance. The system interprets the URLs and retrieves the appropriate Web pages. The Web pages are synchonized to the video content for display in conjunction with a television program being broadcast to the user at that time. This system allows the URLs to be entered for live transmission to the user.