INTERACTIVE VIDEO PROGRAMMING METHODS

• US 20020085024A1
• Filed: 11/30/1998
• Published: 07/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: WHITE, CHRISTOPHER, BRUCK, TIMO
• Granted Patent: US 6,628,302 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/738
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

An entertainment head-end provides broadcast programming, video-on-demand services, and HTML-based interactive programming through a distribution network to client terminals in subscribers'"'"' homes. A number of different features are provided, including novel user interfaces, enhanced video-on-demand controls, a variety of interactive services (personalized news, jukebox, games, celebrity chat), and techniques that combine to provide user experiences evocative of conventional television.

Claims

1. A method of presenting video entertainment comprising:

defining plural viewing channels;

on certain of said channels, presenting television programs;

on at least one of said channels, presenting customized dynamic news, said news automatically cycling through plural categories, and presenting to the user news items in said categories identified in accordance with stored user news preferences.

2. The method of claim 1 which includes receiving user input identifying a news category to be viewed immediately, and interrupting said cycling to immediately present news items in said identified category.

3. The method of claim 1 in which said presenting of customized dynamic news includes rendering HTML instructions.

4. The method of claim 1, including listing the customized dynamic news channel in an electronic program guide of available programming.

5. A method of presenting video entertainment at one of plural user terminals, comprising:

defining plural viewing channels;

on certain of said channels, presenting television programs;

on at least one of said channels, presenting interactive celebrity chat programming;

said celebrity chat programming being produced by;

transmitting questions from plural users—

through respective user terminals, to a moderator—

the moderator selecting questions to be presented to a celebrity;

the selected questions and celebrity responses being transmitted to the user terminal for viewing by a user.

6. The method of claim 5 including establishing a dial-up link between said user terminal and a central station for transmission of the user question, and interrupting said dial-up link thereafter, the selected questions and celebrity responses being transmitted to said user terminal by a non-dial-up link, wherein minimal dial-up charges are incurred.

7. The method of claim 5 in which the a user types a question on a keyboard associated with the terminal for transmission to the moderator.

8. The method of claim 5 in which said interactive celebrity chat programming presented on the user terminal includes a transcript of questions posed by the moderator to the celebrity and the celebrity'"'"'s answers.

9. The method of claim 5 in which said interactive celebrity chat programming presented on the user terminal includes audio.

10. The method of claim 5 in which said interactive celebrity chat programming presented on the user terminal includes image data.

11. The method of claim 5, including listing the celebrity chat channel in an electronic program guide of available programming.

13. The method of claim 12, including awarding prizes for superior achievement in said contest.

14. The method of claim 12, in which the game is a multi-player contest, the method including awarding at least one prize to a winner of the contest.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the players compete during a contest period, and the prize is awarded to one or more high scorers during said period.

16. The method of claim 12, including downloading client game software to a user terminal in advance of commencement of the game.

17. The method of claim 12, including anticipatorily downloading to a user terminal code and/or data that are expected—

but not certain—

to be required as a user progresses through the game.

18. The method of claim 12, including listing the interactive game channel in an electronic program guide of available programming.

20. The method of claim 19 in which the particular music is selected by reference to one or more of the following categories:

musical genre, artist, and title.

21. The method of claim 19, including presenting additional data relating to a particular music selected by the user.

22. The method of claim 19, including providing a user interface through which the user can order a CD containing a requested musical selection.

12. A method of presenting video entertainment comprising:

defining plural viewing channels;

on certain of said channels, presenting television programs;

on at least one of said channels, presenting an interactive game, the game comprising a contest sponsored by an advertiser.

19. A method of presenting video entertainment comprising:

defining plural viewing channels;

on certain of said channels, presenting television programs;

on at least one of said channels, presenting an interactive jukebox, the jukebox comprising a user interface for user selection of particular music;

transmitting, from a server, data corresponding to the particular music selected by the user, and presenting same to the user;

storing data related to the particular music selected by a user; and

using said stored data to pre-select said particular music when the user next visits said channel.