Patent ID: 7249367

Claim:
A hyperlinked video broadcast system including a plurality of multiplexed program streams, said system comprising: a mask generator generating a plurality of masks, each mask corresponding to a particular video frame of a video program, each mask including graphics data associated with one or more video objects in the particular video frame, each mask including an identifier to an object mapping table including an entry associated with each of the one or more video objects in the particular video frame, each entry in the object mapping table referencing one or more information data structures including information associated with the corresponding video object; an annotation source providing a plurality of object data packets including the object mapping table and the one or more information data structures for the one or more video objects, a particular one of the information data structures including an indicia indicative that a particular one of the one or more video objects is linked to one of the plurality of multiplexed program streams, and an identifier for a particular one of the plurality of multiplexed program streams; and an encoder encoding the plurality of masks and the plurality of object data packets into a television broadcast signal; and a transmitter transmitting the television broadcast signal and the plurality of multiplexed program streams to a receiver, wherein the receiver is programmed to retrieve and overlay the graphics image corresponding to the particular video object on the corresponding video frame, receive viewer actuation of the overlaid graphics image, and in response to the viewer actuation, review the indicia in the particular information data structure corresponding to the particular video object for determining whether the particular video object is linked to one of the plurality of multiplexed program streams, and in response to a determination that the particular video object is linked to one of the plurality of multiplexed program streams, retrieve from the data particular information data structure the identifier of the particular one of the plurality of multiplexed program streams, and switch from presenting a current multiplexed program stream to presenting the particular one of the plurality of multiplexed program streams.