TELEVISION SIGNAL TRANSMISSION OF INTERLINKED DATA AND NAVIGATION INFORMATION FOR USE BY A CHASER PROGRAM

摘要

Methods are provided for transmitting and navigating interlinked data using an interactive programming system. Pages of interlinked data are encoded at a network node, and data navigation information is generated for each page of the interlinked data. This data is then stored at the node. A user at a subscriber location, connected to the node by a television signal distribution network, is able to view a first page of the interlinked data, provided by the interactive programming system to the user's settop for display on a display device. The interactive programming system also provides the data navigation information to the user's settop. The interpreter within the user's settop creates a chaser, which is displayed at one of the links of the interlinked data and allows the user to navigate those links. The user may use the chaser to select a link, which is interpreted within the settop to provide a command signal identifying an action, such as sending another page of the data to the user's settop.