An electronic program schedule system with access to both stored television program schedule information and data feeds containing status information for live programs such as sporting events. The system includes a data processor for receiving program schedule information for a plurality of programs and data feeds containing status information for certain of the programs, and a video display generator for generating a display signal simultaneously comprising information from both the stored schedule information and the received data feed. The system is further provided with user control means such as a remote controller for generating user control commands and transmitting signals to the data processor in response thereto so as to control the content of the display signal. The display signal may be displayed on a display apparatus such as a television receiver. In addition, the program schedule system of the present invention utilizes category-specific user interfaces providing access to multiple services including television programs, received data feeds, home shopping services, and video games as well as the stored program schedule information.

Electronic television program guide schedule system and method with data feed access

A client-server interactive television program guide system is provided. An interactive television program guide client is implemented on user television equipment. The interactive television program guide provides users with an opportunity to define expressions that are processed by the program guide server. The program guide server may provide program guide data, schedules reminders, schedules program recordings, and parentally locks programs based on the expressions. Users' viewing histories may be tracked. The program guide server may analyze the viewing histories and generates viewing recommendations, targets advertising, and collects program ratings information based on the viewing histories.

Client-server electronic program guide

The present invention utilizes an aggregator for searching, packaging and delivering content. The aggregator processes requests, searches, provides search results and acquires content. The aggregator, operating in a communications network, includes a request and results processing server, a search engine server coupled to the request and results processing server and a content acquisition server coupled to the request and results processing server. A request and results processing server receives a request for content, the search engine server searches for the content and the content acquisition program acquires content for delivery to the user. The request and results processing server includes a search request processor that receives information related to a user's search request and provides the information to a search results form builder that creates an electronic search request.

Video and digital multimedia aggregator

A video teleconferencing method and apparatus for computer workstations connected by a digital data network includes a transmission source portion for a local workstation to send audio and video teleconference data across the network to one or more remote workstations, and, a receiver for the local workstation to receive audio and video teleconference data back from the remote workstations. The local workstation sends teleconference data to each of the remote workstations over a variable bandwidth digital data connection, and each of the remote workstations returns teleconference data back to the local workstation over another variable bandwidth digital data connection. The transmission source portion includes a master software process executing on the local workstation, and the receiver includes a slave software process executing the remote workstation. The master process of a local workstation causes execution of a slave process on a remote workstation for receiving video teleconference data from the local workstation. An audio data transmitter for sends an audio data stream to the remote workstation such that the audio data can be reconstructed into a continuous audio signal. A video transmitter sends video data so that each frame of video data to be sent is inserted into the audio data stream without affecting the continuity of the reconstructed audio signal at the remote workstation.

Video teleconferencing for networked workstations

A method and an apparatus are used to target interactive virtual objects to subscribers in a television delivery system. Programs are selected and virtual object locations are defined in the selected programs. The virtual objects (1265) available for targeting categorized and categories are correlated to subscriber information (1210) to determine the optimum targeting of the virtual objects (1260). The virtual objects may be targeted (1220) based on individual subscriber information (1210) or on information related to a group of subscribers. When a frame of program includes a virtual object location, a default or an alternate virtual objects is displayed. The virtual object location may change over space or time. The virtual object may be interactive, and may be used to link a subscriber to a remote location, such as an Internet web site. The television terminals record which virtual objects were displayed and report this information back to the headends and the operations center. The reported information is used to generate billing for commercial advertisers and to analyze viewer watching habits.

Method and apparatus for targeting of interactive virtual objects

An array processor topology reconfiguration system and method enables processor elements in an array to dynamically reconfigure their mutual interconnection for the exchange of arithmetic results between the processors. Each processor element includes an interconnection switch which is controlled by an instruction decoder in the processor. Instructions are broadcast to all of the processors in the array. The instructions are uniquely interpreted at each respective processor in the array, depending upon the processor identity. The interpretation of the commonly broadcast instruction is uniquely performed at each processor by combining the processor identity for the executing processor, with a value in the instruction. The resulting control signals from the instruction decoder to the interconnection switch, provides for a customized linkage between the executing processor and other processors in the array.

Selective processing and routing of results among processors controlled by decoding instructions using mask value derived from instruction tag and processor identifier

A circuit for interfacing between a digital-television circuit for producing pixel data for television images and a computer graphics display permits rapid scaling and positioning of live television images on the graphics display. In a preferred embodiment, the digital-television/computer-graphics interface circuit of the invention includes memory for storing a horizontal-scaling bit pattern and a vertical-scaling bit pattern. Such a preferred interface circuit is adapted to receive digital-television pixel data from the digital television circuit and, on a pixel-by-pixel basis depending on the state of corresponding bits in the horizontal-scaling bit pattern, to skip the pixel in the case of image contraction and to replicate the pixel in the case of image expansion. The preferred interface circuit is also adapted to receive digital-television pixel data on a television-line by television-line basis and, depending on the state of a corresponding bit of the vertical-scaling bit pattern, to skip the entire line of pixel data in the case of image contraction or to replicate the line in the case of image expansion. The interface circuit may include a hardware vector generator for generating scaling bit patterns in accordance with a procedure analogous to a vector-drawing procedure used in graphics displays, such as the "Bresenham procedure."

Color television window for a video display unit

A color display device which includes dither apparatus for each primary color to be displayed. A dither matrix provides a dither signal output as a function of the position of a pixel on the color display device. An input primary color signal includes an integer signal and a fraction signal. The integer signal is incremented by an incrementer. There is means for providing an output primary color signal which is the incremented signal whenever a predetermined relationship exists between the dither signal and the fraction signal, and which is the integer signal whenever the predetermined relationship does not exist.

A display using ordered dither

An array processor topology reconfiguration system and method enables processor elements in an array to dynamically reconfigure their mutual interconnection for the exchange of arithmetic results between the processors. Each processor element includes an interconnection switch which is controlled by an instruction decoder in the processor. Instructions are broadcast to all of the processors in the array. The instructions are uniquely interpreted at each respective processor inthe array, depending upon the processor identity. The interpretation of the commonly broadcast instruction is uniquely performed at each processor by combining the processor identity for the executing processor, with a value in the instruction. The resulting control signals from the instruction decoder to the interconnection switch, provides for a customized linkage between the executing processor and other processors in the array.

Array processor topology reconfiguration system and method

A method for frequency modulation synthesis and apparatus for performing the method. The method uses additions rather than multiplies and therefore saves the space and cost of multipliers in circuit implementations. The method saves further resources by using the coordinate rotation digital computer (CORDIC) algorithm to acquire sine values as opposed to an extensive sine look-up table. The method can be implemented with either a dedicated digital circuit or a programmed special purpose processor such as a digital signal processor. The hardware for implementing the method is normally integrated onto a semiconductor device.

Daniel Helmut Mccabe

Papers

Selective processing and routing of results among processors controlled by decoding instructions using mask value derived from instruction tag and processor identifier

Color television window for a video display unit

A display using ordered dither

Array processor topology reconfiguration system and method

Method and apparatus for frequency modulation synthesis