An interactive entertainment system enables presentation of supplemental interactive content along side traditional broadcast video programs, such as television shows and movies. The programs are broadcast in a conventional manner. The supplemental content is supplied as part of the same program signal over the broadcast network, or separately over another distribution network. A viewer computing unit is located at the viewer's home to present the program and supplemental content to a viewer. When the viewer tunes to a particular channel, the viewer computing unit consults an electronic programming guide (EPG) to determine if the present program carried on the channel is interactive. If it is, the viewer computing unit launches a browser. The browser uses a target specification stored in the EPG to activate a target resource containing the supplemental content for enhancing the broadcast program. The target resource contains display layout instructions prescribing how the supplemental content and the video content program are to appear in relation to one another when displayed. When the data from the target resource is downloaded, the viewer computing unit is responsive to the layout instructions obtained from the target resource to display the supplemental content concurrently with the video content program. Embedding the layout instructions in the supplemental content advantageously places control of the presentation to the content developers. The developers are free to arrange the data and video in any manner they choose.

Interactive entertainment system for presenting supplemental interactive content together with continuous video programs

An interactive entertainment system has a program provider which distributes video content programs to multiple subscribers over a distribution network. Each subscriber has a user interface unit which receives the digital video program and converts it for display on a television, monitor, or other display unit. The user interface unit has a processor and memory. An electronic programming guide (EPG) resides in the memory and is executable on the processor to organize programming information that is descriptive of the programs supplied over the interactive entertainment system. The EPG supports a user interface (UI) which visually correlates programs titles to scheduled viewing times. A hyperlink browser also resides in memory and is executable on the processor. One or more hyperlinks, which reference target resources containing interactive content related to the video programs, are integrated as part of the EPG UI. The hyperlinks can be placed in the program tiles, channel tiles, or description area, and can be situated alone or embedded within other text. When a viewer activates a hyperlink within the EPG, the user interface unit launches the browser to activate the target resource specified by the hyperlink. The data retrieved from the target resource is then displayed on the display unit. The viewer can also drag a particular program or channel label from its location within the EPG UI and drop the label at another location on the display unit. This drag-and-drop operation associates an instruction with the label that will execute in response to activation of the label. The instruction might cause the visual display unit to tune to the program or channel represented by the particular label, or to initiate procedures to record the program when it begins playing, or to jump to a related target resource, such as a Web site.

Electronic program guide with hyperlinks to target resources

An electronic program guide (EPG) organizes and presents programming information to the viewer and allows for creation of queries to facilitate both simple and complex searches of the programming information. The EPG is configured to automatically identify programs that a viewer is likely to prefer. The EPG collects viewing preferences of a viewer and, using these preferences; automatically develops queries for identifying programs that the viewer is likely to watch. The EPG also enables multiple viewers to merge their individual queries into one composite query or to run queries in background to periodically check for programs and notify the viewer when a program is identified. Queries are saved in an EPG database in a hierarchic structure with directories and sub-directories to make it easy for a viewer for organizing and retrieval. Also the EPG creates queries for a channel, network name or program using a 10-key keypad. The EPG is configured to interpret the data as representing all possible choices.

Query-based electronic program guide

This invention is in the field of base station antennas for wireless communications. The present invention refers to a slim multi-band antenna array for cellular base stations, which provides a reduced width of the base station antenna and minimizes the environmental and visual impact of a network of cellular base station antennas, in particular in mobile telephony and wireless service networks. A multiband antenna array comprises a first set of radiating elements operating at a first frequency band and a second set of radiating elements operating at a second frequency band, said radiating elements being smaller than λ/2 or smaller than λ/3, being (λ) the longest operating wavelength. The ratio between the largest and the smaller of said frequency bands is smaller than 2.

Slim Multi-Band Antenna Array For Cellular Base Stations

A feed structure ( 105 ) for a horn antenna ( 100 ). The feed structure can include a first waveguide ( 110 ) and a second waveguide ( 115 ) having a first portion at least partially disposed within the first waveguide. The second waveguide also can include a second portion intersecting a first wall ( 240 ) of the first waveguide. The first wall can include a first frequency selective surface ( 244 ) at an intersection ( 280 ) of the first wall and the second portion of the second waveguide. The first waveguide can be operatively coupled to a first horn section ( 130 ) and the second portion can be operatively coupled to a second horn section ( 135 ).

FSS feeding network for a multi-band compact horn

The target seeker system includes two radio frequency antennas consisting of two sets of radio frequency selective annular slot patch excited radiator receiver elements, one set for K-band energy, the other for X-band energy, sharing a common ground plane. The radio frequency antennas have a single multi-band image plate consisting of resonant dichroic surfaces which will selectively reflect X- and K-band energy. An image plate is formed with conductive patterns on each side of a low dielectric material. The reflective pattern acts as a quarter wavelength thick plate at the operating frequency. The top of the image plate which has X-band reflectors is spaced at one-half of the desired X-band wavelength above the ground plane and the K-band reflector on the bottom of the image plate is spaced at one-half of the desired K-band wavelength. The thickness of the image plate is adjusted to provide the appropriate relative spacing between the X-band reflecting surface on the top and the K-band reflecting surface on the bottom.

Dean W. Collins

Papers

Annular slot patch excited array