Patent ID: 7096484

Claim:
In a one way broadcast communications network including a broadcasting station for transmitting on a broadcast medium broadcast programming from at least one content provider, and a settop decoder coupled to said broadcast medium, said broadcasting station including an Internet access server for retrieving World Wide Web pages in HTML format, said broadcast communications network further including a multi-channel digital television signal formatted into a plurality of MPEG data packets, each of said of said plurality of MPEG data packets being identified by a respective packet identifier, a method for distributing World Wide Web pages over said one way broadcast communications network, said method comprising: storing World Wide Web (WWW) pages in HTML format at said broadcasting station to form a plurality of stored HTML Web pages, said WWW pages including pages associated with said broadcast programming; formatting said plurality of stored HTML Web pages into MPEG data packets while retaining said HTML format; contemporaneously transmitting said MPEG data packets and said associated broadcast programming in said digital television signal over said one way broadcast communications network; receiving said MPEG data packets at said settop decoder, said MPEG data packets including said plurality of HTML Web pages; and selecting at said settop decoder, at least one of said received plurality of HTML Web pages in said HTML format for display.