Pluggable interactive television

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016150295-A1
Application number	US-201514948843-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 23, 2015
Priority date	Sep 2, 2008
Publication date	May 26, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed herein that provide a TV receiver that supports a set of existing iTV standards and proprietary iTV implementations. Further, the TV receiver can be extended to support additional iTV standards and proprietary iTV implementations. A digital television data stream is received and processed by a client. The digital television data stream is analyzed to determine which interactive television format is present. A registry of interactive television virtual machines is searched to determine whether a virtual machine is registered for the interactive television format. Each of the interactive television virtual machines is adapted for one of the interactive television formats. If a virtual machine that matches the interactive television format is found, it is loaded and hosted. Hosting the virtual includes providing services to the virtual machine through common application programming interfaces (APIs) machine includes. The common APIs may be used by any virtual machine that is loaded.

First claim

1 - 20 . (canceled)

21 . A method for processing a received signal, comprising:
receiving, from a content source, a digital stream comprising a first signal and a second signal; executing, using a processor, a plurality of detection components including a first detection component associated with a type of the first signal and a second detection component associated with a type of the second signal; receiving the type of the first signal from the first detection component; identifying, using the processor, a first software component associated with the type of the first signal based on mapping logic indicating that the first software component is associated with the type of the first signal; executing, using the processor, the first software component to generate a processed version of the first signal; and generating for display the processed version of the first signal.

22 . The method of claim 21 , further comprising:
receiving the type of the second signal from the second detection component; identifying, using the processor, a second software component associated with the type of the second signal based on the mapping logic indicating that the second software component is associated with the type of the second signal; executing, using the processor, the second software component to generate a processed version of the second signal; and generating for display the processed version of the second signal.

23 . The method of claim 22 , further comprising:
executing the first software component and the second software component simultaneously.

24 . The method of claim 21 , wherein at least one of the first software component and the second software component comprises a virtual machine.

25 . The method of claim 21 , further comprising:
identifying, using the processor, a metadata software component associated with the type of the first signal; executing, using the processor, the metadata software component to extract metadata from the first signal; and providing the metadata to the first software component.

26 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the digital stream comprises a conventional television stream and a plurality of interactive television signals, and wherein the plurality of interactive television signals comprise the first signal and the second signal.

27 . The method of claim 21 , further comprising:
monitoring, using a metadata software component associated with the type of the first signal, the first signal; and identifying a change to the first signal.

28 . The method of claim 21 , further comprising updating the mapping logic based on a program mapping table received in the first signal.

29 . The method of claim 21 , further comprising ending execution of the first software component.

30 . The method of claim 21 , further comprising splitting, using a demultiplexer, the digital stream into the first signal and the second signal.

31 . A system for processing a received signal, the system comprising:
communications circuitry configured to:
receive, from a content source, a digital stream comprising a first signal and a second signal;
transmit, to control circuitry, the digital stream comprising the first signal and the second signal;
storage circuitry configured to:
store mapping logic indicating that a first software component is associated with a type of the first signal;
transmit, to the control circuitry, the mapping logic indicating the first software component associated with the type of the first signal;
the control circuitry configured to:
receive, from the communications circuitry, the digital stream comprising the first signal and the second signal;
execute a plurality of detection components including a first detection component associated with a type of the first signal and a second detection component associated with a type of the second signal;
receive the type of the first signal from the first detection component;
receive, from the storage circuitry, the mapping logic indicating the first software component associated with the type of the first signal;
identify the first software component associated with the type of the first signal based on the mapping logic;
execute the first software component to generate a processed version of the first signal; and
generate for display the processed version of the first signal.

32 . The system of claim 31 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
receive the type of the second signal from the second detection component; receive, from the storage circuitry, the mapping logic indicating the second software component associated with the type of the second signal; identify a second software component associated with the type of the second signal based on the mapping logic; execute the second software component to generate a processed version of the second signal; and generate for display the processed version of the second signal.

33 . The system of claim 32 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
execute the first software component and the second software component simultaneously.

34 . The system of claim 31 , wherein at least one of the first software component and the second software component comprises a virtual machine.

35 . The system of claim 31 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
identify a metadata software component associated with the type of the first signal; execute the metadata software component to extract metadata from the first signal; and provide the metadata to the first software component.

36 . The system of claim 31 , wherein the digital stream comprises a conventional television stream and a plurality of interactive television signals, and wherein the plurality of interactive television signals comprise the first signal and the second signal.

37 . The system of claim 31 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
monitor, using a metadata software component associated with the type of the first signal, the first signal; and identify a change to the first signal.

38 . The system of claim 31 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
update the mapping logic based on a program mapping table received in the first signal using the communications circuitry; and store, using the storage circuitry, the updated mapping logic.

39 . The system of claim 31 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to end execution of the first software component.

40 . The system of claim 31 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to split, using a demultiplexer, the digital stream into the first signal and the second signal.

Assignees

• Rovi Tech Corp

Inventors

• Goziker Edward
• Steele Toby
• Zobel Tim
• Glozman Pavel
• Hewit Ross

Classifications

• H04N21/8166 Primary

  involving executable data, e.g. software (arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34) · CPC title

• H04N21/4437

  Implementing a Virtual Machine [VM] (virtual machines in general G06F9/45533) · CPC title

• H04N21/42615

  involving specific demultiplexing arrangements · CPC title

• H04N21/8173 Primary

  End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game · CPC title

• H04N21/8193

  dedicated tools, e.g. video decoder software or IPMP tool · CPC title