Use of audio signals to provide interactive content to end users via smart devices

• US 10,306,332 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2016
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Inventors: Hardy, Christofer, Yarborough, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Telan, Michael R
• Application Number:
  US15/182,404
• Publication Number:
  US 20170359627A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,078 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/233 Processing of audio elementary streams monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4784 receiving rewards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

Various arrangements for providing interactive content to viewers of television programming are presented. A television service provider system may supplement broadcast television programming with a supplemental audio signal. The supplemental audio signal may not part of the broadcast television programming as received by the television service provider system from a content provider. The television service provider system may broadcast a data stream comprising the broadcast television programming and the supplemental audio signal via a television programming distribution network. A television receiver may receive the data stream and output the broadcast television programming and the supplemental audio signal. A viewer'"'"'s mobile device may detect the supplemental audio signal using an on-board microphone of the mobile device. In response to the received supplemental audio signal, the mobile device may access interactive content and provide such interactive content to the viewer.

Claims

1. A method for providing interactive content to viewers of television programming:

supplementing, by a television service provider system, broadcast television programming with a supplemental audio signal, wherein the supplemental audio signal is not part of the broadcast television programming as received by the television service provider system from a content provider;

broadcasting, by the television service provider system, a data stream comprising the broadcast television programming and the supplemental audio signal via a television programming distribution network;

receiving, by a television receiver, the data stream comprising the broadcast television programming and the supplemental audio signal;

appending, by the television receiver, a television receiver identifier to the supplemental audio signal, wherein the television receiver identifier identifies the television receiver;

outputting, by an ultrasonic transducer of the television receiver, the supplemental audio signal with the appended television receiver identifier as ultrasonic sound, wherein;

output of the ultrasonic sound by the ultrasonic transducer of the television receiver is not affected by user-set mute and volume settings provided to a separate audio system; and

the television receiver is distinct from a television;

outputting, by the television receiver, the broadcast television programming to the television;

detecting, by a plurality of mobile devices, the supplemental audio signal using an on-board microphone of each of the plurality of mobile devices, wherein;

each mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices is used by a different viewer of a plurality of viewers;

in response to the received supplemental audio signal, accessing, by each mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices, interactive content, wherein the interactive content requests a response from the viewer using each mobile device;

receiving, by the television service provider system, a plurality of responses from the plurality of viewers that are associated with a plurality of user accounts and the appended television receiver identifier transmitted via a network distinct from the television programming distribution network; and

pooling, by the television service provider system, a plurality of incentive values awarded for each response of the plurality of responses such that the plurality of incentive values are awarded to a master account associated with the television receiver.

2. The method for providing interactive content to viewers of the television programming of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to receiving the response from the viewer transmitted via the network, crediting a user account linked with the viewer with an incentive value.

3. The method for providing interactive content to viewers of the television programming of claim 1, wherein supplementing the supplemental audio signal with the television programming comprises identifying each packet of the supplemental audio signal using a packet identifier (PID) distinct from one or more PIDs that identify one or more audio programs of the television programming.

4. The method for providing interactive content to viewers of the television programming of claim 1, further comprising:

executing, on each mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices, an application that monitors for audio within a particular frequency range, wherein the supplemental audio signal is received by the mobile device within the particular frequency range.

5. The method for providing interactive content to viewers of the television programming of claim 1, wherein the interactive content requests information from the viewer about the television programming.

6. The method for providing interactive content to viewers of the television programming of claim 1, wherein an incentive value for at least some viewers of the plurality of viewers differs based on demographic groups in which each viewer of the plurality of viewers is a member.

7. An interactive content system, comprising:

a television receiver, comprising;

one or more tuners;

an ultrasonic transducer;

one or more processors; and

a memory communicatively coupled with and readable by the one or more processors and having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive a data stream comprising broadcast television programming and a supplemental audio signal transmitted by a television service provider system in association with the broadcast television programming, wherein the broadcast television programming and the supplemental audio signal is received via the one or more tuners from a television programming distribution network;

append a television receiver identifier to the supplemental audio signal, wherein the television receiver identifier identifies the television receiver;

output the supplemental audio signal with the appended television receiver identifier via the ultrasonic transducer as ultrasonic sound, wherein;

output of the ultrasonic sound by the ultrasonic transducer of the television receiver is not affected by user-set mute and volume settings provided to a television; and

output the broadcast television programming for presentation to a display device;

a plurality of mobile devices, wherein each mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices is operated by a different viewer of a plurality of viewers and is configured to;

detect the supplemental audio signal using an on-board microphone of the mobile device;

in response to detecting the supplemental audio signal, access interactive content, wherein the interactive content requests a response from a viewer; and

transmit a response to the interactive content and the appended television receiver identifier to the television service provider system via a network distinct from the television programming distribution network; and

the television service provider system that;

receives a plurality of responses from the plurality of mobile devices that are associated with a plurality of user accounts and the appended television receiver identifier; and

pools a plurality of incentive values awarded for each response of the plurality of responses such that the plurality of incentive values are awarded to a master account linked with the television receiver.

8. The interactive content system of claim 7, further comprising the television service provider system that supplements the broadcast television programming with the supplemental audio signal, wherein the supplemental audio signal is not part of the television programming as received by the television service provider system from a content provider.

9. The interactive content system of claim 8, wherein supplementing the broadcast television programming with the supplemental audio signal comprises identifying each packet of the supplemental audio signal using a packet identifier (PID) distinct from one or more PIDs that identify one or more audio programs of the broadcast television programming.

10. The interactive content system of claim 7 wherein the television receiver further comprises a packet identifier (PID) filter that is configured to capture packets from the one or more tuners for processing that are associated with a PID of the supplemental audio signal in response to supplemental audio content being enabled.

11. The interactive content system of claim 7, wherein each mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices is further configured to execute an application that monitors for audio within a particular frequency range, wherein the supplemental audio signal is received by the mobile device within the particular frequency range.

12. The interactive content system of claim 7, wherein each mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices being configured to:

access the interactive content comprises determining a supplemental content identifier included in the supplemental audio signal; and

transmit the supplemental content identifier to the television service provider system.

13. The interactive content system of claim 7, wherein an incentive value for at least some viewers of the plurality of viewers differs based on demographic groups in which each viewer of the plurality of viewers is a member.