System and method for delivering interactive trigger events

• US 10,397,647 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2018
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Di Bernardo, Paul, Bonvolanta, Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Shepard, Justin E
• Application Number:
  US16/007,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20180295417A1
• Time in Patent Office: 440 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4884 for displaying subtitles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a method in which a media processor identifies a first key and a second key associated with media content received over a network, and prepares a display object according to the first key that includes a selectable object. The media processor transmits a request to a remote server including the second key; the server returns first additional content and control code associated with the second key. The media processor merges the first additional content with the display object to produce an overlay for presentation with the media content in accordance with the control code. The overlay is associated with a provider of the first additional content; the first key is independent of the provider, and the second key corresponds to the provider. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a processing system including a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations comprising;

receiving media content over a network, the media content including a first key portion and a second key portion;

retrieving, in accordance with the first key portion, a reusable graphical object;

receiving, in accordance with the second key portion, first additional content including a control code; and

merging the first additional content with the reusable graphical object, in accordance with the control code, to produce an overlay for display with the media content.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the first additional content is obtained in response to a query sent by the processing system to a content server, wherein the query includes the second key portion, and wherein the content server retrieves images specific to the overlay, in accordance with the second key portion.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the first additional content comprises advertising content provided by an advertiser, and wherein the reusable graphical object is reusable in projects of a plurality of different advertisers.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the first additional content comprises a selectable object and a graphic specific to the advertiser.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the first additional content comprises text prompting input from equipment of a viewer of the overlay corresponding to selection of the selectable object.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the control code specifies a location of the overlay on a display of the media content, and wherein the control code specifies a location on the overlay of the graphic, the text, the selectable object, or any combination thereof.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein the control code includes instructions for presenting second additional content responsive to the selection of the selectable object, wherein the instructions include a uniform resource locator for the second additional content.

8. The device of claim 3, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving an updated list of projects of the plurality of different advertisers; and

receiving an updated set of reusable graphical objects associated with the listed projects.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise displaying the overlay with the media content for a duration according to instructions included in the control code.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the media content comprises an advertisement and a closed captioning line associated with the advertisement, and wherein the first key portion and the second key portion are provided on the closed captioning line.

11. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processing system including a processor, media content including a first key portion and a second key portion;

retrieving, by the processing system and in accordance with the first key portion, a reusable graphical object;

receiving, by the processing system and in accordance with the second key portion, first additional content including a control code, wherein the first additional content comprises advertising content provided by an advertiser and a graphic specific to the advertiser; and

merging, by the processing system, the first additional content with the reusable graphical object, in accordance with the control code, to produce an overlay for display with the media content.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the reusable graphical object is reusable in projects of a plurality of different advertisers.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, by the processing system, an updated list of projects of the plurality of different advertisers; and

receiving, by the processing system, an updated set of reusable graphical objects associated with the listed projects.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first additional content comprises a selectable object and text prompting input from equipment of a viewer of the overlay corresponding to selection of the selectable object.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying, by the processing system, the overlay with the media content for a duration according to instructions included in the control code.

16. A machine-readable medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations comprising:

receiving media content over a network, the media content including a first key portion and a second key portion;

retrieving, in accordance with the first key portion, a reusable graphical object;

receiving, in accordance with the second key portion, first additional content including a control code; and

merging the first additional content with the reusable graphical object, in accordance with the control code, to produce an overlay for display with the media content.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the first additional content comprises advertising content provided by an advertiser, and wherein the reusable graphical object is reusable in projects of a plurality of different advertisers.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the first additional content comprises a selectable object and text prompting input from equipment of a viewer of the overlay corresponding to selection of the selectable object.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the control code includes instructions for presenting second additional content responsive to the selection of the selectable object, wherein the instructions include a uniform resource locator for the second additional content.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the media content comprises an advertisement and a closed captioning line associated with the advertisement, and wherein the first key portion and the second key portion are provided on the closed captioning line.