FR2815807A1 - Receptor for interactive systems comprises selector for interactive programme, device to store programmes and device to select them subsequently - Google Patents

Abstract

A receptor for interactive systems in a television system comprises a selector for at least one interactive programme in a list of programmes subsequently broadcast, and a device to store programmes while they are showing and a device to select them subsequently.

Description

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The present patent application is part of interactive television, allowing a user to interact with interactive services. The terminals are connected to one or two (optionally) communication networks (see Figure 1) among these:
1. A bidirectional network (modem return path, cable ...) of point-to-point type (like the telephone network).

 2. One-way distribution network (analogue, digital or digital terrestrial TV, cable, satellite broadcasting network).

 The term "interactive mass-market terminal" covers receivers equipped with an interactivity module, DVB decoders, Internet decoders, etc.

accélérée par rapport aux méthodes traditionnelles de téléchargement par la voie diffusée ou par la voie téléphonique. The context of this method is limited to the description of a mechanism for making the user of interactive services available in such a way as to

accelerated compared to traditional methods of downloading by broadcast or telephone.

 The enriched program denomination designates an audio-video program broadcast synchronously with an interactive service.

Implementation Strategy for Interactive Services
Interactive services based on a two-way distribution network
In this case, the interactive services are hosted by servers accessible by the telephone network or the cable network. These services are then accessed through references or URLs broadcast for example in addition to an audio-video program or downloaded via this bidirectional network. These references or URLs determine the server to which the terminal is addressed and the service to be solicited on this server.

 Principle of access to an interactive service available via a two-way distribution network

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The principle of access to interactive online services usually requires a telephone call. The user will first initiate a connection that will allow him to know the list of available services. Then he will select the interactive service with which he decided to interact. Depending on the type of interactive service chosen, the communication is cut off or maintained.

Interactive services based on a mono-directional distribution network
In this case, the interactive services are broadcast either in addition to a conventional audio-video program, or on a dedicated channel without any video being offered. The interactive services themselves are therefore broadcast and no longer a simple reference or URL.

Principle of access to an interactive service via a one-way distribution network
Dissemination of enriched programs
An implementation technique is to loop (carousel) the interactive content for the duration of the associated audio-video program (see Figure 2).

Reception by the terminal of a service causes a graphical or textual display superimposed on the video, inviting the user to interact with this service.

The broadcasting of the interactive service is interrupted at the end of the associated audio-video program, the user can no longer access the interactive service and the graphical or textual display disappears.

 Interactive streaming of services

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Une technique classique de mise en oeuvre consiste à réserver un canal sur lequel un ou plusieurs services interactifs sont diffusés de manière permanente. Il est courant de mettre à disposition plusieurs services interactifs sur un même canal dédié en les multiplexant temporellement ou non. Pour cela, le diffuseur crée un carrousel de plusieurs services comme décrit dans la figure 1.

A conventional implementation technique consists in reserving a channel on which one or more interactive services are broadcast permanently. It is common to provide several interactive services on the same dedicated channel by temporally multiplexing them or not. For this, the broadcaster creates a carousel of several services as described in Figure 1.

Technical problem to solve
Access to an interactive service broadcast
Rich programs
For the user who decides to interact with his terminal, we can note the following disadvantages: e It is necessary that its terminal is keyed on the channel broadcasting the enriched program for the user to have access.

 . Only one service is offered by the broadcaster at a time t.

The user therefore has no control over the content to which he has access. e The time between the moment when the user wants to use an interactive service and the moment when it is actually available is lengthened by the downloading time, which essentially depends on the size of the interactive service broadcast and the bandwidth allocated. In the case of an important content or the use of a reduced bandwidth allocated to the broadcasting of the service (a single VBI line for an analog broadcast network for example), it is likely that the user will have to wait a moment before having access to the service he requested. It should be noted that this delay is repeated each time the user invokes an interactive service.

Interactive services broadcast continuously
For the user who decides to interact with his terminal, we can note the following disadvantages:

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 . The user of the terminal must select the channel broadcasting the services in loop for access. In fact, he automatically loses the thread of the television program at the risk of missing the beginning of a show he was waiting for or the resumption of the film of the evening interrupted by an advertising screen.

In the case where several services are offered to him, the user must be able to choose, his choice can be focused only on the services that the broadcaster broadcasts when it is in front of his terminal. The user therefore has no control over the content no he has access.

. Having the choice lengthens the time between when the user wants to use an interactive service and when it is actually available.

attendre la fin de la diffusion de celui-ci ainsi que la fin de la diffusion de celui qu'il a effectivement demandé (voir figure 1). On constate que cela pose vite des problèmes de performances inacceptables pour l'utilisateur. Il faut noter que ce délai se reproduit à chaque fois que l'utilisateur invoque un service interactif. The download time depends, as in the previous paragraph, on the size of the interactive service broadcast and the bandwidth allocated to it. However, another factor is to be considered in the case where several interactive services are temporally multiplexed. It is important to understand that if the user of a terminal decides to download the interactive service 1 at the beginning of the interactive service 2 broadcast, he will need

wait for the end of the broadcast of the latter and the end of the broadcast of the one he actually requested (see Figure 1). It is found that this quickly poses unacceptable performance problems for the user. It should be noted that this delay is repeated each time the user invokes an interactive service.

Access to an interactive online service
Compared to the services broadcast in a continuous manner described in the previous paragraph, we can note the following advantages compared to the 2 implementations described in the previous paragraphs:. When the user of the terminal decides to download a given interactive service, he can remain on the channel on which he was until now, waiting for example that his favorite program begins.

 . Interactive services are available on servers and it is likely that the disk space required to store them can provide a significantly larger number of services to users than was possible with the loopback principle described in the preceding paragraphs. . The lifespan of an interactive service can be extended

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 notorious for the benefit of users who would like to access certain interactive services over a very long period.

However, there are a number of disadvantages: e If the user has only one telephone line that he shares between his interactive terminal and his telephone, the line must be free when he decides to invoking an interactive service (the telephone is generally a priority over the interactive terminal: if the terminal is on the telephone line and a family member picks up the handset, the terminal automatically hangs up).

. The problem of the time lapse between the moment when the user decides to invoke an interactive service and the moment when it is actually available on his terminal can be prohibitive. Indeed, we must add to the time spent choosing the service that we want to download, the download time of the service itself and the connection setup time which increases as the Modulation used by the terminal modem allows higher data rates (about 20 seconds for some modems). It should be noted that this delay is repeated each time the user invokes an interactive service.

 So we see that to access an interactive service that interests him, the user must first make a number of operations, which in the case where the interactive terminal is a television, for example, does not go in the sense of the viewer who is supposed to be passive. On the other hand, he will at least wait for the download time of the interactive service chosen. Added to this are the additional constraints described in the above paragraphs, namely the need to change channels or to occupy the home telephone line.

l'utilisateur un service continu, fonctionnalité impossible à fournir si le service n'est pas disponible en permanence sur le terminal. Un exemple de service serait le"Qui m'appelle", service fonctionnant sur le principe de l'identification To another extent, a certain category of services can not be conceived in the form described above: request of the user / download of the service / Start of the service. Indeed, some services need to be activated as soon as the terminal is switched on in order to offer

the user a continuous service, functionality impossible to provide if the service is not available permanently on the terminal. An example of a service would be the "Who Calls Me", service operating on the principle of identification

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de l'appelant lors de la réception d'un appel téléphonique. Le terminal partageant la connexion au réseau téléphonique avec le poste du foyer et le service ayant été configuré pour associer un nom au numéro de téléphone des personnes appelant régulièrement le foyer (famille, relation), celui-ci affiche le nom de la personne qui appelle automatiquement.

the caller when receiving a phone call. The terminal sharing the telephone network connection with the home station and the service having been configured to associate a name with the telephone number of the persons regularly calling the home (family, relationship), this one displays the name of the person calling automatically.

 The subject of the invention is an interactive service receiver in a television system, characterized in that it comprises: means for selecting at least one interactive program from a list of programs subsequently broadcast; means of means; storage of the selected programs at the time of their broadcast, - means for selecting the stored programs.

travers la description d'un exemple de réalisation non limitatif, illustré par les figures jointes parmi lesquelles : - la figure 1, déjà décrite, représente le système dans lequel est implémenté l'exemple de réalisation, - la figure 2 est un diagramme temporel indiquant la relation entre des programmes de télévision et des services interactifs, - la figure 3 est un diagramme temporel concernant le multiplexage temporel de services interactifs, - la figure 4 est un diagramme temporel concernant une autre forme de multiplexage de services interactifs, - la figure 5 est une copie d'écran d'interface utilisateur de configuration du récepteur selon l'invention, - la figure 6 est une copie d'écran d'interface utilisateur de menu d'accès aux services mémorisés conformément à l'invention. Other features and advantages of the invention will appear in

through the description of a non-limiting exemplary embodiment, illustrated by the appended figures among which: FIG. 1, already described, represents the system in which the exemplary embodiment is implemented; FIG. 2 is a timing diagram indicating the relationship between television programs and interactive services, - Figure 3 is a temporal diagram relating to the time multiplexing of interactive services, - Figure 4 is a timing diagram relating to another form of multiplexing of interactive services, - Figure 5 is a screenshot of the receiver configuration user interface screen according to the invention; - FIG. 6 is a screen copy of the service access menu user interface screen stored in accordance with the invention.

 The principle of the method is to make residents on the terminal interactive services that the user regularly wants to use or "favorite" services.

 Whenever the user wishes to use a service that he has pre-selected during a previous configuration step, are eliminated from

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 even the problem of the time of access to the service, occupation of the telephone line and change of channel.

terminal afin d'offrir à l'utilisateur un service continu. In another measure, this storage also allows the terminal to host services that are activated as soon as the power is turned on.

terminal to provide the user with continuous service.

This nevertheless requires the user to proceed: at least a first time to a service selection step during which he will designate those he wants to download to his terminal "permanently", his terminal then taking charge of transferring the designated contents into an area of its memory that is resistant to turning off the terminal (eg flash). Regularly update them if their tastes change or if new services of interest are available.

 During this so-called terminal configuration step, we find the disadvantages described in the previous paragraphs.

Terminal configuration
This step is to be done at least once so that the user can then invoke resident interactive services by avoiding the various disadvantages mentioned in the previous paragraphs. It can then be repeated as many times as the user wishes, depending on whether: the user's tastes change,. new interactive services of interest to the user are made available, e the user of the terminal changes (change of ownership, arrival of a new user), the memory of the terminal has to be reset for maintenance issues, e etc.

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 For this, the terminal must be sold equipped with a resident utility program in a protected area of its permanent memory. This program must have the following components: a user interface presenting to the user: the list of interactive services candidates to be downloaded to the permanent memory of the terminal, regardless of their origin (broadcast channel or server online), => the list of previously downloaded services that the user must be able to modify by deleting for example a service which he does not wish to access regularly. an interface (hardware and software) with the broadcast network allowing it: => to analyze and interpret the information available in the broadcast stream, ie the list of available services, => to download the services selected by the 'user.

 . an interface (hardware and software) with online servers allowing it: => to analyze and interpret the information available on these servers, namely the list of available services, dz download the services selected by the user. an interface with the terminal's permanent memory allowing it: => to securely save the services selected by the user that have been downloaded to its "volatile" memory, => to delete previously downloaded services during a configuration previous terminal.

= > vérifier l'intégrité des services téléchargés en mémoire"votatite" afin d'éviter le stockage de données corrompues dans la mémoire permanente du terminal. . a software module allowing it by relying on the interface (s) described above to: => download the services selected by the user, => download service updates retrieved during a previous configuration session with or without the collaboration of the user,

=> check the integrity of the services downloaded in memory "votatite" to avoid the storage of corrupted data in the permanent memory of the terminal.

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Interface Utilisateur

Il s'agit de proposer à l'utilisateur une interface graphique résidant sur le terminal et lui permettant de gérer de manière simple et conviviale ses services"préférés", à savoir ceux auxquels il souhaite pouvoir accéder rapidement en les stockant sur son terminal. Pour cela, il devra pouvoir accéder aux fonctions suivantes : e sélectionner la source à laquelle il souhaite se connecter pour mettre à jour son terminal (réseau de diffusion/canal ou serveur en ligne), e afficher la liste des services présents dans la mémoire " permanente" du terminal, comprenant :
0 la possibilité pour l'utilisateur de pouvoir sélectionner ceux qu'il souhaite conserver. e afficher la liste des services disponibles sur le réseau de diffusion ou sur le serveur en ligne auquel le terminal est connecté, comprenant :
0 une description du service proposé, un exemple d'écran présentant ce service ou un accès temporaire au service lui-même peut permettre d'aider l'utilisateur à faire son choix,
0 la possibilité pour l'utilisateur de pouvoir sélectionner ceux qu'il souhaite télécharger sur son terminal, 0 la possibilité pour l'utilisateur de pouvoir indiquer s'il souhaite ou non : = > recevoir de manière automatique des mises à jour des services qu'il s'apprête à télécharger sur son terminal dans le cas où il utilise le réseau de diffusion, = > recevoir de manière automatique (par e-mail par exemple) des

notifications lui indiquant la disponibilité de mises à jour dans le cas où il utilise le réseau bidirectionnel.

User interface

It is a question of proposing to the user a graphical interface residing on the terminal and allowing him to manage in a simple and user-friendly way his "favorite" services, namely those which he wishes to be able to access quickly by storing them on his terminal. To do this, he must be able to access the following functions: e select the source to which he wishes to connect to update his terminal (broadcast network / channel or server online), e display the list of services present in the memory ""permanent" terminal, comprising:
0 the possibility for the user to be able to select those he wishes to keep. e Display the list of services available on the broadcast network or on the online server to which the terminal is connected, including:
0 a description of the service offered, an example of a screen presenting this service or a temporary access to the service itself may help the user to make his choice,
0 the possibility for the user to be able to select the ones he wishes to download on his terminal, 0 the possibility for the user to be able to indicate whether or not he wishes to: => receive automatically updates of the services that he it is about to download on its terminal in the case where it uses the broadcasting network, => to receive automatically (by e-mail for example)

notifications indicating the availability of updates in case it uses the bidirectional network.

= > le temps indicatif de la durée de la mise à jour pour chaque service sélectionné, 0 the display, as it selects services to download, the following information: => the memory of its terminal is sufficient to complete the requested operation. This function will have to adapt to the terminal of the user in order to take into account the possible heterogeneity of the park of the terminals whose memory size could vary,

=> the time indicative of the duration of the update for each selected service,

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 => the time indicative of the duration of the update for all selected services, => the price of the update (if it is paid) for each selected service, => the price of the bet up-to-date (if paid) for all selected services.

 See Figure 1 for an example of a user interface.

 In the example above, the user chooses to keep two of the services he downloaded during a previous configuration session and delete one. At the same time, he chooses to download a new service, the price and update time indications being specified at each modification of his choice to help him in his approach. The user interface presented, deliberately simplified, can be expanded:. to allow the user to navigate through a large number of services that could be offered to him, to allow each resident interactive service to associate a shortcut on the remote control (or the keyboard) of his terminal, e or to integrate any another type of facility allowing him to better manage the configuration of his terminal among those described above and not shown in Figure 1.

Memorization of interactive services
The terminal must be equipped with memory to store a reasonable number of interactive services. The use of permanent memory (Flash) ensures their continued persistence beyond the power off of the terminal. In addition, the terminal must have a permanent and protected memory area in which will be stored the software utility allowing it to manage its interactive services locally.

Access to stored interactive services
The user must be able to access the list of stored interactive services at any time by means of a user interface residing on the terminal.

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 This user interface can take the form of a menu accessible at any time using for example a key on the remote control. Each item represents a service stored during the terminal configuration steps as described in the previous paragraphs. The item may optionally be accompanied by a textual description that helps the user to remember the nature of the service. See Figure 1 for an example of a user interface.

Update of the stored interactive services
When the users have configured their terminal as described above, they then have a number of copies of interactive services that proposed the service provider at a date t. However, if this provider subsequently decides to make public a new version of one of the services which is to be stored on a certain number of terminals, it would seem interesting to be able to make available this new version, whether automatically or not .

Updated by the broadcast network
Terminals connected to the unidirectional distribution network receive a permanent signaling indicating the list of interactive services available in the stream as well as their version number. When the service provider updates an interactive service in the broadcast stream, the terminal which continuously analyzes this signaling may, depending on this analysis, decide to propose an update in the case of a manual update or proceed to an update in the case of an automatic update.

 In case of manual update, the update proposal can take the form of a message whose content would be extracted from the signaling, superimposed on the video and explaining for example to the user the changes made in the service. interactive, an update of which is proposed to him.

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 Whatever the decision of the user, it will be stored in the terminal to avoid disturbing it several times with a proposal for the same update.

 In case of automatic update, the terminal proceeds to the operation without notifying the user. If the user decides to use this service during the update, the terminal then informs him of the impossibility to access his request during the next seconds that the update lasts.

Updated by bidirectional network
Terminals connected to the bi-directional distribution network receive signaling indicating the list of interactive services available in the stream and their version number only when they are connected to the online servers of the interactive service provider.

 In case of manual update, the update proposal can take the form of a message whose content would be extracted from the signaling, superimposed on the video and explaining for example to the user the changes made in the service. which is updated.

concernant la même mise à jour. Une mise en oeuvre élémentaire de ce procédé consiste pour le fournisseur de services à garder en mémoire la configuration de tous les terminaux qu'il alimente et à utiliser le courrier électronique pour envoyer un message indiquant aux utilisateurs concernés lorsqu'une mise à jour d'un service est susceptible de les intéresser. Whatever the decision of the user, it will be stored in the terminal to avoid disturbing it several times with a proposal

concerning the same update. A basic implementation of this method is for the service provider to keep in memory the configuration of all terminals it feeds and to use the email to send a message indicating the users concerned when an update of a service is likely to interest them.

 In case of automatic update, the terminal proceeds to the operation without notifying the user. If the user decides to use this service during the update, the terminal then informs him of the impossibility to access his request during the next seconds that the update lasts.

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 With this device, the user can access his favorite interactive services very quickly, without having to change channels or navigate through several selection screens. On the other hand, this process gives him access to a whole family of services: which makes sense only if they are resident on the terminal, whose list can evolve with the provision of new services as and when as they are developed, e that can evolve over time, in case of adding features for example, debug, etc.

pour lequel l'utilisateur paye lorsqu'il utilise le service (minitel). Ici, l'utilisateur paye un forfait d'utilisation sans limite du service interactif qu'il choisit. For the service provider, this process allows him:. If necessary, use a different economic model than

for which the user pays when using the service (minitel). Here, the user pays a usage fee without limit of the interactive service he chooses.

Optionally, it can for example choose for a surcharge to benefit from all or part of subsequent updates. e To offer a new type of service offering the user a 24-hour service, at least when the terminal is active.

Claims (1)

claims  1. Receiver of interactive services in a television system, characterized in that it comprises: - means for selecting at least one interactive program in a list of programs subsequently broadcast, - means for memorizing the selected programs at the moment of their diffusion, - means for selecting the stored programs.