Abstract: A viewer can initiate and then defer a transaction conducted via an interactive television system. The transaction can involve obtaining information or ordering goods or services available from a network, such as the Internet, that is accessible via the interactive television system. As an example, while the viewer is watching a television commercial, the viewer can begin a transaction to order a product advertised in the commercial. If for some reason the viewer does not complete the transaction by the time the commercial has finished broadcasting, the viewer can complete the transaction at a later time. A user input device is useable to initiate the transaction, to store information related to the transaction, and then to use the stored information to complete the transaction if the transaction has been previously deferred.

Abstract: A method of displaying multimedia content on a display area of a broadband Internet-enabled television system includes providing a remote control to control contents being displayed on the display area. A television content is displayed on the display area. A first instruction transmitted by the remote control in response to activation of a first button is received. A first synthetic channel page is displayed in response to the first instruction. The first synthetic channel page includes a television content section and an Internet content section.

Abstract: A method of viewing multi-media content on a television having a display area includes providing a remote control to control images being displayed on the display area. A first image of first type is displayed on the display area. The first image substantially fills the display area and has a first length and a first width. The first image has a length-to-width ratio of a first value. A first instruction is initiated on the remote control to modify the first image being displayed on the display area. A reduced image of the first image is displayed on the display area overlaid on a second image of second type in response to the first instruction. The reduced image of the first image has a second length and a second width and has a length-to-width ratio of a second value. The first and second length-to-width ratios are substantially the same.

Abstract: A viewer can initiate and then defer a transaction conducted via an interactive television system. The transaction can involve obtaining information or ordering goods or services available from a network, such as the Internet, that is accessible via the interactive television system. As an example, while the viewer is watching a television commercial on a first screen, the viewer can begin a transaction to order a product advertised in the commercial on a second screen. If for some reason the viewer does not complete the transaction by the time the commercial has finished broadcasting, the viewer can complete the transaction at a later time. A user input device is useable to initiate the transaction, to store information related to the transaction, and then to use the stored information to complete the transaction if the transaction has been previously deferred.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods and systems of providing automatic prompting for printer ink refill of a printer connected to a communication device. A printer monitoring component is configured to monitor the printer for an ink refill signal. A user notification component within the communication device is configured to automatically notify a user of the communication device in response to receipt of the ink refill signal. In some embodiments, an information retrieval component is configured to retrieve ink refill information for the printer. An information delivery component is configured to deliver the retrieved information to the communication device in response to receipt of the ink refill signal. A communication channel reservation component is configured to reserve a communication channel for delivery of information to the communication device. An on-line shopping component is configured to facilitate on-line shopping of one or more ink refill products on the Internet.

Abstract: The inventive mechanism allows an application to switch modes during its operation, between a compatibility or legacy mode for a previous architecture, and a native mode for a current architecture. The mechanism includes an official function descriptor which describes information for accessing a function which resides in one module. The OFD has a legacy portion is useable by a legacy module and a native portion is useable by a native module. The mechanism also includes a linkage table that resides in a second module which references the function in the first module. The portion of the OFD which corresponds to the mode of the linkage table module is copied into the linkage table. Each portion contains one entry that corresponds to an address location of the function, and another entry that is a value for a register which refers to the data segment corresponding to the load module containing the function. The information in the OFD depends on whether the function is a legacy function or a native function.