Wink Communications Inc.

Open Tv Corporation

Houman Azarm

Bryan C Gebhardt

Eric E Del Sesto

Charles Norman McCullough

Charlie McCullough

Pat Ransil

Alain Delpuch

James R Collette

Steven Berriatua

Jeffrey W Yu

Edgard S Valdivia

Bryce S Catlin

Edward Valdivia

A broadcaster generates programming content and a carousel containing chunks of data defining one or more interactive applications. The programming content and carousel are received by a local gateway which distributes the carousel and content to receivers at end-users via a distribution network. A carousel proxy in the local gateway receives the inbound carousel from the broadcaster and modifies it to produce an outbound carousel suited for the distribution network, receivers, and/or end-users. The modifications performed by the carousel proxy include filtering chunks and/or data within the chunks from the inbound carousel and transforming data within the chunks to customize the interactive applications for the distribution network, receivers, and/or end-users. The carousel proxy also caches chunks in a cache of a local data store. The carousel proxy uses the cached chunks to send the outbound carousel at a rate optimized for the bandwidth available on the distribution network.

Carousel proxy

An automation server interfaces with broadcast scheduling systems of various types to automatically synchronize the behavior of interactive applications relative to various broadcast programs, such as television shows and commercials, so as to maintain the appropriate interactive application for whatever broadcast program is airing. This allows for television shows which have an associated interactive application, but which are segmented by commercials (which may have their own interactive applications) to have their interactive application displayed while the television show in on, but not during commercials, while maintaining any state information that has been created during execution of the interactive application. The automation server includes multiple channel interfaces, each having a translator and an event manager. The translator translates native control signals from the scheduling system into a fixed set of atomic commands which represent the lifecycle behavior of a broadcast program. The event manager receives these atomic commands and uses them to determine the appropriate state for any interactive application that is associated with the broadcast program. The event manager transmits commands to a broadcast server which directly manages the interactive applications by transmitting code, data, and commands to broadcast receivers that controls the execution of the interactive applications in response to the event manager's commands.

Synchronous updating of dynamic interactive applications

A method and apparatus facilitate the retirement of interactive applications in a manner associated with an external event and a program state of the interactive application. A broadcaster transmits an interactive application that includes a plurality of retirement instructions associated with external events and internal program states of the interactive application. A broadcast receiver receives an interactive application, stores the included retirement instructions, and executes the interactive application concurrently with the display of an associated television program. The broadcast receiver monitors the broadcast signal for events indicating that the executing interactive application is no longer appropriate for the current television program. Upon detection of such an event, the broadcast receiver retrieves the stored instructions, and retires the interactive application in a manner appropriate for both the detected external event and the internal program state of the interactive application, according to the stored instructions.

Automated retirement of interactive applications using retirement instructions for events and program states

A method and apparatus facilitate control of interactive application execution through use of defined time periods. A broadcaster transmits a broadcast program, an associated interactive application, and at least one definition of a time period from a set including: a first time period, during which an option to execute the application may be offered to a viewer; a second time period, during which execution of the application may be started; and a third time period, during which the application may be executed. A viewer tunes to a channel associated with the broadcast program and interactive application. A broadcast receiver offers the viewer the option to execute the interactive application, if within the first defined time period. If the user elects to so execute, the broadcast receiver starts said execution, if within the second defined time period. If the interactive application continues to execute at the end of the third defined time period, the broadcast receiver retires the interactive application.

Automated control of interactive application execution using defined time periods

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Oakland, CA, United States of America

Houman Azarm