System and method for pulling internet content onto interactive television

• US 20020157092A1
• Filed: 04/23/2001
• Published: 10/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kondo, Shigeharu, Kitsukawa, Tadamasa, Akiyama, Tsutomu
• Application Number:
  US09/840,326
• Publication Number:
  US 20020157092A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/9
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/06 Arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/40 for identifying broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/66 for using the result on distributors' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• 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 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44213 Monitoring of end-user related data arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method for pulling Internet content onto interactive television includes monitoring usage of the interactive television system by each consumer. For each consumer, a pattern of usage is established. The ITV system predicts future usage times based on prior usage patterns. Accordingly, the ITV system downloads content relevant to the usage on or about the predicted time of usage. Thus, the time that the consumer must to wait to receive the content is minimized.

Claims

1. A method for providing Internet content via an interactive television system, comprising the acts of:

monitoring usage of the interactive television system;

establishing content access patterns for at least one consumer;

predicting at least one access time at least partially based on the content access patterns; and

downloading content based on the predicted access time.

2. A method for providing Internet content via an interactive television system, comprising the acts of:

monitoring usage of the interactive television system;

establishing usage patterns for at least one consumer;

predicting at least one time of usage at least partially based on the usage patterns; and

downloading content relevant to the usage based on the predicted time of usage.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein usage by the consumer is monitored to establish content access patterns and the method further includes the acts of:

predicting at least one access time at least partially based on the content access patterns; and

downloading content based on the predicted access time.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein usage by the consumer is monitored to establish start-up patterns and the method further includes the acts of:

predicting at least one start-up time at least partially based on the start-up patterns; and

downloading content relevant to a gateway screen based on the predicted start-up time.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein usage by the consumer is monitored to establish shut-down patterns and the method further includes the acts of:

predicting at least one shut-down time at least partially based on the shutdown patterns; and

downloading content relevant to a gateway screen based on the predicted shut-down time.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein usage by the consumer is monitored to establish request for content patterns and the method further includes the acts of:

predicting at least one future request time based at least partially on the request for content patterns; and

prompting the consumer to accept content based on the predicted request time.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the act of:

if the consumer accepts the prompt, downloading content.

8. An interactive television system, comprising:

at least one Web server having Internet content stored therein;

at least one interactive television system server; and

at least one interactive television, the interactive television receiving Internet content at least from the Web server, the interactive television system server including a program for downloading Internet content to the interactive television at predicted times.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the program includes:

logic means for monitoring usage of the interactive television system by at least one consumer;

logic means for establishing usage patterns by the consumer;

logic means for predicting at least one time of usage at least partially based on the usage patterns; and

logic means for downloading content relevant to the usage based on the predicted time of usage.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein usage by the consumer is monitored to establish content access patterns and the program further includes:

logic means for predicting at least one access time at least partially based on the content access patterns; and

logic means for downloading content based on the predicted access time.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein usage by the consumer is monitored to establish start-up patterns and the program further includes:

logic means for predicting at least one start-up time at least partially based on the start-up patterns; and

logic means for downloading content relevant to a gateway screen based on the predicted start-up time.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein usage by the consumer is monitored to establish shut-down patterns and the program further includes:

logic means for predicting at least one shut-down time at least partially based on the shut-down patterns; and

logic means for downloading content relevant to a gateway screen based on the predicted shut-down time.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein usage by the consumer is monitored to establish request for content patterns and the program further includes:

logic means for predicting at least one future request time based at least partially on the request for content patterns; and

logic means for prompting the consumer to accept content based on the predicted request time.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the program further includes:

logic means for downloading content if the consumer accepts the prompt.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the acts of:

monitoring consumer usage to establish content access patterns;

predicting at least one access time at least partially based on the content access patterns; and

downloading content based on the predicted access time.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising the acts of:

monitoring consumer usage to establish start-up patterns;

predicting at least one start-up time at least partially based on the start-up patterns; and

downloading content relevant to a gateway screen based on the predicted start-up time.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising the acts of:

monitoring consumer usage to establish shut-down patterns;

predicting at least one shut-down time at least partially based on the shutdown patterns; and

downloading content relevant to a gateway screen based on the predicted shut-down time.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising the acts of:

monitoring consumer usage to establish request for content patterns;

predicting at least one future request time based at least partially on the request for content patterns; and

prompting the consumer to accept content based on the predicted request time.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the act of:

if the consumer accepts the prompt, downloading content.

15. A method for providing Internet content via an interactive television system, comprising the acts of:

predicting at least one time of usage; and

downloading, to an interactive television, Internet content relevant to the usage based on the predicted time of usage.

21. A method for providing Internet content via an interactive television system, comprising the acts of:

monitoring usage of the interactive television system;

establishing usage patterns for at least one consumer;

predicting at least one content source at least partially based on the usage patterns; and

downloading content from the predicted content source based on the usage patterns.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein usage by the consumer is monitored to establish content access patterns and the method further includes the acts of:

predicting at least one content source at least partially based on the content access patterns; and

downloading content based on the predicted content source.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein usage by the consumer is monitored to establish request for content patterns and the method further includes the acts of:

predicting at least one content source based at least partially on the request for content patterns; and

prompting the consumer to accept content based on the predicted content source.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising the act of:

if the consumer accepts the prompt, downloading content.