System And Method For Providing Information Of Selectable Objects In A Television Program In An Information Stream Independent Of The Television Program

Abstract

A system and method for providing information of selectable objects in an independent information stream as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for communicating media information, the method comprising:
 determining user-selectable object information corresponding to one or more user-selectable objects in a video stream;   forming a user-selectable object data set comprising the determined user-selectable object information, where the user-selectable object data set is independent of a media data set generally representative of the video stream.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said communicating comprises concurrently communicating the user-selectable object data set and the video stream. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein said concurrently communicating comprises communicating the user-selectable object data set and the video stream on separate respective parallel communication channels. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said communicating comprises communicating the user-selectable object data set on at least one communication channel different from one or more communication channels over which the video stream is communicated. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said communicating comprises communicating the user-selectable object data set over a first communication network that is different from a second communication network over which the video stream is communicated. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said communicating comprises communicating the user-selectable object data set without regard for timing of communication of the video stream. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said forming a user-selectable object data set comprises:
 determining linking information logically linking the user-selectable object data set to the video stream; and   incorporating the linking information into the user-selectable object data set.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein said determined linking information comprises time information. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein said determined linking information comprises frame number information. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said user-selectable object data set is a data file. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the received object information describing a user-selectable object in the video stream comprises customized object information that is customized to a particular set of one or more users. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the received object information corresponding to a user-selectable object in the video stream comprises information describing a location of the user-selectable object in the video stream. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the received object information describing a user-selectable object in the video stream comprises information identifying at least one action to be performed upon user-selection of the user-selectable object. 
     
     
         14 . A display system comprising:
 at least one module operable to, at least:
 determine user-selectable object information corresponding to one or more user-selectable objects in a video; 
 form a user-selectable object data set comprising the determined user-selectable object information, where the user-selectable object data set is transmitted separate from a video data set. 
   
     
     
         15 . The display system of  claim 14 , wherein said at least one module is operable to communicate the user-selectable object data set in one or more user-selectable object data streams independent of one or more video streams. 
     
     
         16 . The display system of  claim 14 , wherein said at least one module is operable to concurrently communicate the user-selectable object data set and the video data set. 
     
     
         17 . The display system of  claim 16 , wherein said at least one module operates to concurrently communicate the user-selectable object data set and the video data set on separate respective parallel communication channels. 
     
     
         18 . The display system of  claim 14 , wherein said at least one module is operable to communicate the user-selectable object data set on at least one communication channel different from one or more communication channels over which the video data set is communicated. 
     
     
         19 . The display system of  claim 14 , wherein the received object information describing a user-selectable object in the television program comprises customized object information that is customized to a particular set of one or more users. 
     
     
         20 . A method for processing media information, the method comprising:
 receiving a media stream;   receiving, independently from the media stream, user-selectable object information corresponding to one or more user-selectable objects in a media stream;   altering the media stream in response to a user-selectable object data set.