Apparatus and method for the execution of interactive television applications on a set top boxes

摘要

This invention provides a tool for executing interactive TV applications on set-top units (130) by representing the Interactive TV Application (ITVA) into a high level format such as the Interactive Application Description (210). This abstraction level will make it easier to port and share the ITVA between different tools and hence various Applications Providers. Besides, it conveys down ITVA to the decoder using this IAD discipline so that the Navigation Engine (NE) takes advantage of this high level representation through its memory management strategy and through the navigation support it can provide. The present model separates the navigation structure of the Interactive Application Description (210), from the way it is rendered on the display by implementing Metaphor Elements (220). In fact, the MEs not only take care of the screen management but also manage the user inputs (240), that is to say the look and feel which can thus be dynamically changed. According to the present invention, the Navigation Engine (230) which runs on decoders are to perform three main functions that are to load the Interactive TV Application on decoders; to Associate of the Interactive Application Description elements with particular Metaphor Elements and to make them operating together. In addition with this well-defined interface between the IAD and the ME, a library of ME can be stored in the decoder, which saves bandwidth and RAM. Thus, the NE can select which type of ME should be used on each particular decoder depending on their hardware and software requirements so that an application can run on a stock of heterogeneous decoders. IMAGE