System and method for linking video, services and applications in an interactive television system

Abstract

An interactive television system is provided with an interactive information system by which channels or services interact together. The information system provides informational messages that prompt a user to select an associated channel or service. If selected, the system transfers control to the selected channels or services. If necessary, information associated with the informational messages is provided to the selected channel or service. In a preferred embodiment the informational messages are sequentially displayed video segments. The video segments may be associated with other channels or services in the interactive viewing system. The user may use an input device, by depressing a single button, and launch another channel or service that is associated with the currently displayed video segment.

I claim:  
     
         1 . An interactive television system for displaying video segments on a television and for receiving user input related to the video segments, comprising: 
 a script providing an order that a plurality of video segments are displayed and timing information related to an amount of time the video segments are displayed;    the script including: 
 a script object including a name field that identifies at least first and second different series of video segments that are displayed on the television, only one of which is displayed at a time in a continuous loop, and a timing field identifying a time the first series of video segments are displayed on the television in a continuous loop and a time that the second series of video segments are displayed on the television in a continuous loop; and  
 a control frame that includes multiple controls related to bitmaps that are displayed overlaying the video segments;  
 the control frame including a name field that identifies a particular control, a duration field that indicates the length of time the control is displayed overlaying the video segment, and an action field that indicates an action to take based on user input that occurs while the control is displayed on the television;  
 the action field for identifying an application to launch that is associated with a currently displayed video segment in response to user input.  
   
     
     
         2 . The interactive viewing system of  claim 1  wherein the control frame further includes position information indicating a position that a bitmap is to be displayed on a video segment.  
     
     
         3 . The interactive viewing system of  claim 1  wherein the control is displayed on the video segment a predetermined period of time after the start of the video segment to prevent the user from inadvertently selecting the wrong action during a transition between video segments.  
     
     
         4 . The interactive viewing system of  claim 1  wherein the control is removed from the video segment a predetermined period of time before the end of the video segment to prevent the user from inadvertently selecting the wrong action during a transition between video segments.  
     
     
         5 . The interactive viewing system of  claim 1  further comprising a table having a parent field and a child field that establishes a parent child relationship between the script object and the control frame.  
     
     
         6 . The interactive viewing system of  claim 1  further including a page object that establishes the different screens that are displayed on the television during a video segment.  
     
     
         7 . The interactive viewing system of  claim 1  wherein each of the video segments has a title associated therewith and based on user input, the title of the current video segment is passed to the launched application identified in the action field.  
     
     
         8 . The interactive viewing system of  claim 1  wherein the timing information provided by the script is an actual time synchronized to the system clock.  
     
     
         9 . The interactive viewing system of  claim 1  wherein the timing information provided by the script is a relative time that is relative to a starting time of the script.  
     
     
         10 . An interactive television system, comprising: 
 at least one server computer;    a controller including a central processing unit coupled to a memory and a mixer, the controller coupled to the at least one server computer for receiving a plurality of video segments from the server;    a television coupled to the controller;    the mixer responsive to the central processing unit for displaying video segments on the television received from the at least one server and for displaying user interface displays that overlay the video segments;    a user input device for delivering user input to the central processing unit; and    a script stored in the memory of the controller, the script including a control frame that includes a name field identifying a particular user interface display overlaying a video segment and an action field that indicates an application to launch based on a single user input received from the user input device while the user interface display is displayed on the television.    
     
     
         11 . The interactive television system of  claim 10  wherein the script further includes: 
 a script object including a name field that identifies at least two different series of video segments and timing information related to an amount of time the different series of video segments are played on the television.  
 
     
     
         12 . The interactive television system of  claim 10  wherein the control frame further includes position information indicating the position that the user interface display is displayed on a video segment.  
     
     
         13 . The interactive television system of  claim 10  wherein each of the video segments has a title associated therewith and based on user input, the title of the current video segment is passed to the launched application.  
     
     
         14 . A method of providing user control in an interactive television system, comprising the steps of: 
 reading a script that identifies a plurality of video segments and provides timing information identifying a duration that the video segments are displayed on a television;    providing an action field within the script, the action field for identifying an application associated with a video segment to launch in response to user input;    displaying the video segments on the television in accordance with the timing information identified in the script;    in response to a single input from a user input device, reading the script to obtain the action field within the script that is associated with the current video segment; and    using the application identified in the action field to launch the application.    
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the script includes a script object that includes a name field for identifying multiple series of video segments, only one of which is displayed on the television at a time, the script object further including a timing field indicating a start time for each of the multiple series of video segments identified in the name field.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the script includes titles associated with the video segments and further including transferring at least one of the titles to the application when user input is received, the title relating to a currently displayed video segment.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the title is transferred to the application as a global argument.  
     
     
         18 . A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions capable of causing a computer to execute the method steps of  claim 14 .  
     
     
         19 . In an interactive viewing system having a head end in two-way communication with a plurality of viewer stations, the viewer stations having a video display operatively coupled to a controller and an input device for providing user commands to the controller, the interactive viewer system allowing a user to selectively launch at least one of a plurality of applications, a method for launching a selected application comprising the steps of: 
 providing from the head end to a viewer station a plurality of video segments, at least one of the video segments being associated with one of the plurality of applications;    providing a hierarchical database identifying the order the video segments are to be played, the titles of the video segments, and timing information related to the length of the video segments;    displaying the plurality of video segments, one segment at a time, on the video display;    overlapping the sequentially played video segments with bitmap informational displays;    monitoring to detect from the input device a command indicating selection of the currently displayed video segment;    launching an application associated with the currently displayed video segment in response to the detection of the command; and    transferring a parameter associated with the currently displayed video segment to the launched application.    
     
     
         20 . A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions capable of causing a computer to execute the method steps of  claim 19.