Patent ID: 7757251

Claim:
Apparatus for providing information concerning at least one program delivered through a communications network, the apparatus comprising: an interface for receiving over the communications network a data object containing the information, the data object including a string reference providing information on the location of a string descriptive of the program, the string reference including a value in a predetermined location indicating whether the string is located within the data object or is located within a global string table external to the data object, said global string table including strings which can be referenced by a plurality of different data objects; a processor for determining based on the value at the predetermined location whether the string reference indicates that the string is located within the data object or in the global string table; and wherein, when said value in the string reference indicates that the string is located within the data object, the string reference also includes a set of bits indicating a position of the string descriptive of said program in a block of local strings located within the data object.