Method and apparatus for internet TV
View Patent ↗A telephone interface and voice recognition driven Internet browser system and method for accessing/browsing the Internet or other remote computing services on a cable or satellite television includes a phone for receiving a voice signal from a user. The voice signal controls a telephone interface, which displays Internet contents or other computing services on the television via a cable or satellite television channel/media. The system also includes a voice recognizer, preferably operated on a supercomputer or located in the phone, for recognizing/interpreting/analyzing a plurality of voice signals and generating command signals to access/browse the Internet or other computer services. The voice recognizer is capable of recognizing/interpreting/analyzing voice signals transmitted from a plurality of users in real time. The system further includes a stack of computers and an Internet browser. Each of the stack of computers is capable of accessing/browsing the Internet and retrieving/organizing requested Internet contents via the Internet browser. The requested Internet contents are sent to the user via a cable or satellite television channel/media with a frame grabber, an intelligent router, or a pre-downloaded system.
1. A method for managing data received at a set-top box, the method comprising:
receiving, at the set-top box, data on an Internet-designated cable channel, the data comprising at least a first frame representing a first Web page;
determining, at the set-top box, whether the data from the Internet is bound for the set-top box;
storing data corresponding to the at least first frame locally to the set-top box;
providing the at least first frame for display;
continuously refreshing the display of the at least first frame using the stored data corresponding to the at least first frame, until a second data frame is received on the Internet-designated cable channel;
receiving the second data frame on the Internet-designated cable channel, the second data frame representing a second Web page; and
continuously refreshing the display using the received second frame.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data comprises:
data from the world-wide web.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the at least one frame comprises:
a portion of a video clip.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the at least one frame comprises:
a Web page.
5. A set-top box comprising:
a processor; and
a memory device connected to the processor, the memory device including a plurality of instructions configured to cause the processor to:
identify the data from the Internet on an Internet-designated cable channel that may be available to the set-top box, the data comprising at least one frame;
determine whether the data from the Internet is bound for the set-top box;
initiate storage of the data corresponding to the at least one frame, wherein the data includes a Web page;
provide the at least one frame for display; and
refresh the display of the at least one frame using the stored data corresponding to the at least one frame.
6. A method for managing data received at a set-top box, the method comprising:
transmitting, from the set-top box, a request for a Web page;
receiving, on an Internet-designated cable channel at the set-top box, a data frame corresponding to the Web page;
storing the data frame locally to the set-top box;
providing the first data frame for display; and
refreshing the display of the first data frame using the stored data corresponding to the first frame.
7. A method for managing data received at a set-top box, the method comprising:
receiving a voice command to retrieve data corresponding to a static Web page;
transmitting the voice command to a cable hub system;
receiving, on an Internet-designated cable channel at the set-top box, a data frame corresponding to the static Web page;
storing the data frame locally to the set-top box;
providing the first data frame for display; and
refreshing the display of the first data frame using the stored data corresponding to the first frame.
8. A method for managing data received at a set-top box, the method comprising:
receiving a voice command to retrieve data corresponding to a Web page;
converting the voice command into a computer control instruction;
transmitting the computer control instruction to a television distribution system;
receiving, on an Internet-designated cable channel at the set-top box, a data frame corresponding to the Web page;
storing the data frame locally to the set-top box;
providing the first data frame for display; and
refreshing the display of the first data frame using the stored data corresponding to the first frame until a new data frame is received at the set-top box.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the television distribution system comprises:
a cable hub.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the television distribution system comprises:
a satellite TV system.