Claims
- 1-22. Canceled.
- 23. A method comprising:
receiving a broadcast signal including data associated with the broadcast signal and a data identifier that identifies the data associated with the broadcast signal, wherein the data associated with the broadcast signal includes an indicator to ignore the data identifier contained in the broadcast signal; and decoding the data encoded in the broadcast signal.
- 24. A method as recited in claim 23 further comprising ignoring the data identifier contained in the broadcast signal.
- 25. A method as recited in claim 24 wherein ignoring the data identifier contained in the broadcast signal includes ignoring the data identifier if the data identifier matches another data identifier associated with the indicator.
- 26. A method as recited in claim 23 wherein the indicator to ignore the data identifier contained in the broadcast signal includes a time period during which the data identifier should be ignored.
- 27. A method as recited in claim 23 wherein the broadcast signal defines a broadcast image, and wherein the data identifier is broadcast in line twenty-one of the broadcast image.
- 28. A method as recited in claim 23 wherein the data identifier identifies a data source that stores the same data that is encoded in the broadcast signal.
- 29. A method as recited in claim 23 wherein the broadcast signal defines a broadcast image, and wherein the data associated with the broadcast signal is encoded in vertical blanking interval lines of the broadcast image.
- 30. A method comprising receiving a television broadcast signal including a data identifier that identifies data associated with the broadcast signal, the data identifier being broadcast in a particular line of a broadcast image defined in the broadcast signal, the broadcast signal further including the data associated with the broadcast signal encoded in vertical blanking interval lines of the broadcast image, and wherein the data associated with the broadcast signal includes an indicator to ignore the data identifier contained in the broadcast signal.
- 31. A method as recited in claim 30 further comprising:
decoding the data encoded in the broadcast signal; and ignoring the data identifier contained in the broadcast signal.
- 32. A method as recited in claim 30 wherein the indicator to ignore the data identifier contained in the broadcast signal includes an associated time period during which the data identifier should be ignored.
- 33. A method as recited in claim 30 wherein the data identifier identifies a data source that stores the same data that is encoded in the broadcast signal.
- 34. One or more computer-readable memories containing a computer program that is executable by a processor to perform the method recited in claim 30.
- 35. A method comprising:
identifying data associated with a television broadcast; and generating a television broadcast signal including a data identifier that identifies the data associated with the television broadcast and including the data associated with the television program, wherein the data associated with the broadcast signal includes an indicator to ignore the data identifier contained in the broadcast signal.
- 36. A method as recited in claim 35 further comprising transmitting the television broadcast signal to a plurality of television receivers.
- 37. A method as recited in claim 35 wherein the data identifier identifies a data source that stores the same data that is included in the broadcast signal.
- 38. A method as recited in claim 35 wherein the data that is included in the broadcast signal is contained in vertical blanking interval lines of a broadcast image.
- 39. One or more computer-readable memories containing a computer program that is executable by a processor to perform the method recited in claim 35.
- 40. An apparatus comprising a television receiver configured to receive a television broadcast signal including a data identifier that identifies data associated with the broadcast signal, the broadcast signal further including the data associated with the broadcast signal encoded in the broadcast signal, wherein the data associated with the broadcast signal includes an indicator to ignore the data identifier contained in the broadcast signal.
- 41. An apparatus as recited in claim 40 wherein the television receiver further decodes the data encoded in the broadcast signal and ignores the data identifier contained in the broadcast signal.
- 42. An apparatus as recited in claim 40 wherein the television receiver decodes data associated with the broadcast signal from vertical blanking interval lines of a broadcast image.
- 43. An apparatus as recited in claim 40 wherein the indicator to ignore the data identifier contained in the broadcast signal includes an associated time period during which the data identifier should be ignored.
- 44. An apparatus as recited in claim 40 wherein the apparatus is a set top box.
- 45. An apparatus as recited in claim 40 wherein the apparatus is a television.
- 46. One or more computer-readable media having stored thereon a computer program that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to receive a broadcast signal including a data identifier that identifies data associated with the broadcast signal, the broadcast signal further including the data associated with the broadcast signal encoded in the broadcast signal, and wherein the data associated with the broadcast signal includes an indicator to ignore the data identifier contained in the broadcast signal.
- 47. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 46 wherein the one or more processors further:
decode the data encoded in the broadcast signal; and ignore the data identifier contained in the broadcast signal.
- 48. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 46 wherein the data identifier is broadcast in line twenty-one of a broadcast image defined in the broadcast signal.
- 49. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 46 wherein the data associated with the broadcast signal is encoded in vertical blanking interval lines of a broadcast image defined in the broadcast signal.
- 50. An apparatus comprising:
means for receiving a broadcast signal including a data identifier that identifies data associated with the broadcast signal, the broadcast signal further including the data associated with the broadcast signal encoded in the broadcast signal, wherein the data associated with the broadcast signal includes an indicator to ignore the data identifier contained in the broadcast signal; and means for decoding the data encoded in the broadcast signal, wherein the means for decoding ignores the data identifier contained in the broadcast signal.
- 51. An apparatus as recited in claim 50 wherein the means for decoding decodes data associated with the broadcast signal from vertical blanking interval lines of a broadcast image.
- 52. An apparatus as recited in claim 50 wherein the indicator to ignore the data identifier contained in the broadcast signal includes an associated time period during which the data identifier should be ignored.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/608,339, filed Jun. 29, 2000, which is now U.S. Pat. No. ______, that application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09/412,839, filed Oct. 5, 1999, entitled “Trigger Having A Time Attribute”, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,415,438, and is a continuation-in-part of co-pending application Ser. No. 09/345,247, filed Jun. 30, 1999, entitled “Interactive Television Triggers Having Connected Content/Disconnected Content Attribute”.
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09608339 |
Jun 2000 |
US |
Child |
10869483 |
Jun 2004 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (2)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09412839 |
Oct 1999 |
US |
Child |
09608339 |
Jun 2000 |
US |
Parent |
09345247 |
Jun 1999 |
US |
Child |
09412839 |
Oct 1999 |
US |