Self-contained mini-applications system and method for digital television
US8510779B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 15, 2006 |
| Grant date | Aug 13, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 26, 2030 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N21/8173
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system, method and software program is provided for creating and implementing self-contained mini-applications that store, retrieve and display data and allow user interaction in a constrained computing environment such as a set-top box used in the delivery of digital television. The system, method and software program of the present invention, also known as “TV widgets” allows users to personalize data and facilitate the access of such data with a click of a button from a remote control unit. The TV widgets include a myriad of widgets of which some are, “My 8 ball”, a widget that recommends television programming to a viewer, “My TV search” for searching specific television programs, “My Weather”, “My Yellow Pages”, “Smart Navigation”, “Instant Messaging with Smart User Interface”, as well as others. A TV widget framework provides user interface context for launching and managing the widgets, in addition, it maintains a library code that implements the TV widget components. Among the implementations of the TV widgets is a widget based TV navigator created as a collection of widgets from conventional grid guides and navigators that include a grid guide widget, a “what's on now” w…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.