Patent US8001577B2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US8001577B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Interactive entertainment and information system using television set-top box
Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC
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Filing: 2006-07-20
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Granted: 2011-08-16
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Expires: 2026-07-20
Abstract
Abstract An interactive entertainment and information system using a television set-top box, wherein pages of information are periodically provided to the set-top box for user interaction therewith. The pages include associated meta-data defining active locations on each page. When a page is displayed, the user interacts with the active locations on the page by entering commands via a remote control device, whereby the system reads the meta-data and takes the action associated with the location. Actions include moving to other active locations, hyperlinking to other pages, entering user form data and submitting the data as a form into memory. The form data may be read from memory, and the pages may be related to a conventional television program, thereby providing significant user interactivity with the television.
Inventors
- 👤 Robert M. Fries
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 17:30
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N21/00; H04N21/80; H04N21/85; H04N21/858; H04N21/8583; H04N21/20; H04N21/23; H04N21/235; H04N21/2355; H04N21/236; H04N21/23614; H04N21/23617; H04N21/40; H04N21/41; H04N21/422; H04N21/42204; H04N21/43; H04N21/431; H04N21/4312; H04N21/4314; H04N21/434; H04N21/4341; H04N21/4345; H04N21/442; H04N21/44213; H04N21/44222; H04N21/44224; H04N21/443; H04N21/45; H04N21/462; H04N21/4622; H04N21/47; H04N21/478; H04N21/4782; H04N21/81; H04N21/8126; H04N21/8133; H04N21/83; H04N21/845; H04N21/8455; H04N21/854; H04N21/8586; H04N7/00; H04N7/16; H04N7/173; H04N7/17309; H04N7/17318
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
142 words
In an audiovideo transmission environment, a method comprising: receiving, at a receiver, a stream of video data on a video channel, the stream of video data including: a video frame comprising an image representing a markup language source file including a form, and metadata describing the markup language source file, the metadata identifying the form and at least one input element of the form, wherein the metadata comprises information formatted as a URL query string usable to submit the form; displaying the video frame comprising the image of the markup language source file including the form; receiving, at the receiver, an interactive user command directed to the form; in response to the interactive user command, updating the URL query string in memory of the receiver to reflect the interactive user command; and providing the updated URL query string to an external server.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
142 words
In an audiovideo transmission environment, a method comprising: receiving, at a receiver, a stream of video data on a video channel, the stream of video data including: a video frame comprising an image representing a markup language source file including a form, and metadata describing the markup language source file, the metadata identifying the form and at least one input element of the form, wherein the metadata comprises information formatted as a URL query string usable to submit the form; displaying the video frame comprising the image of the markup language source file including the form; receiving, at the receiver, an interactive user command directed to the form; in response to the interactive user command, updating the URL query string in memory of the receiver to reflect the interactive user command; and providing the updated URL query string to an external server.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the external server is a polling server that obtains the updated URL query string by sending a polling event to the receiver.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 2 wherein the updated URL query string relates to a purchase request and the polling server further obtains payment information from the receiver.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the updated URL query string relates to a purchase request, and the external server separately obtains payment information from an information source external to the receiver.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the markup language source file comprises a radio button, and the received image comprises a rendered representation of the radio button.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the interactive user command is received from a remote control.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
159 words
One or more computer-readable storage devices comprising instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform: receiving, at a receiver, a stream of video data on a video channel, the stream of video data including: a video frame comprising an image representing a markup language source file including a form, and metadata describing the markup language source file, the metadata identifying the form and at least one input element of the form, wherein the metadata comprises information formatted as a URL query string usable to submit the form; displaying the video frame comprising the image of the markup language source file including the form; receiving, at the receiver, an interactive user command directed to a the form; in response to the interactive user command, updating the URL query string in memory of the receiver to reflect the interactive user command; and providing the updated URL query string to an external server.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
159 words
One or more computer-readable storage devices comprising instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform: receiving, at a receiver, a stream of video data on a video channel, the stream of video data including: a video frame comprising an image representing a markup language source file including a form, and metadata describing the markup language source file, the metadata identifying the form and at least one input element of the form, wherein the metadata comprises information formatted as a URL query string usable to submit the form; displaying the video frame comprising the image of the markup language source file including the form; receiving, at the receiver, an interactive user command directed to a the form; in response to the interactive user command, updating the URL query string in memory of the receiver to reflect the interactive user command; and providing the updated URL query string to an external server.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
33 words
The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 7 wherein the external server is a polling server that obtains the updated URL query string by sending a polling event to the receiver.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
32 words
The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 8 wherein the updated URL query string relates to a purchase request and the polling server further obtains payment information from the receiver.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
37 words
The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 7 wherein the updated URL query string relates to a purchase request and the external server separately obtains payment information from an information source external to the receiver.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
33 words
The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 7 , wherein the markup language source file comprises a radio button, and the received image comprises a rendered representation of the radio button.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
22 words
The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 7 , wherein the interactive user command is received from a remote control.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
137 words
A set top box configured to: receive a stream of video data on a video channel, the stream of video data including: a video frame comprising an image representing a markup language source file including a form, and metadata describing the markup language source file, the metadata identifying the form and including at least one input element of the form, wherein the metadata comprises information formatted as a URL query string usable to submit the form; display the video frame comprising the image of the markup language source file including the form; receive an interactive user command directed to the form; in response to the interactive user command, updating the URL query string in memory of the set top box to reflect the interactive user command; and provide the updated URL query string to an external server.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
137 words
A set top box configured to: receive a stream of video data on a video channel, the stream of video data including: a video frame comprising an image representing a markup language source file including a form, and metadata describing the markup language source file, the metadata identifying the form and including at least one input element of the form, wherein the metadata comprises information formatted as a URL query string usable to submit the form; display the video frame comprising the image of the markup language source file including the form; receive an interactive user command directed to the form; in response to the interactive user command, updating the URL query string in memory of the set top box to reflect the interactive user command; and provide the updated URL query string to an external server.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
32 words
The set top box of claim 13 wherein the external server is a polling server that obtains the updated URL query string by sending a polling event to the set top box.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
31 words
The set top box of claim 14 wherein the updated URL query string relates to a purchase request and the polling server further obtains payment information from the set top box.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
36 words
The set top box of claim 13 wherein the updated URL query string relates to a purchase request, and the external server separately obtains payment information from an information source external to the set top box.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
30 words
The set top box of claim 13 , wherein the markup language source file comprises a radio button, and the received image comprises a rendered representation of the radio button.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
19 words
The set top box of claim 13 , wherein the interactive user command is received from a remote control.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2014-08-15 | 2015-02-14 | 2015-08-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2018-08-15 | 2019-02-14 | 2019-08-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2022-08-15 | 2023-02-14 | 2023-08-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |