Enhanced custom content television

• US 20030033157A1
• Filed: 08/08/2001
• Published: 02/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services GmbH (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Dempski, Kelly L., Horner, Ryan C., Fohl, Dax A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,631,327 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/106 Receiver-side switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• 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 21/4532 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 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/466 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies services using the results of monitoring in broadcast systems H04H60/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47205 for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4784 receiving rewards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 the inserted signal being digital

Abstract

The present invention includes a system and method for combining television broadcast programming content with customized or personalized information and educational or entertainment content. The system includes a set-top box capable of receiving data transmissions and locally rendering video animation for display with, instead of and/or synchronized with television broadcast programs in a way that the television viewer sees a coherent seamless merging of the television program content and supplemental content sources in an indistinguishable format. Preferably, the viewer may interact in real-time with the enhanced television programming to provide a higher level of engagement and customization potential.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing a television broadcast program comprising:

(a) receiving the television broadcast program;

(b) receiving replacement adverting data from a first memory storage, the advertising data representing an instruction set for rendering into an animated video replacement advertising segment by a client processor;

(c) rendering on the client processor the replacement advertising segment;

(d) blocking the display of a television broadcast advertisement;

(e) displaying the replacement advertising segment instead of the television broadcast advertisement on a television display; and

(f) displaying the television broadcast program after completion of the replacement advertising segment.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the replacement advertising segment based on a viewer profile.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising developing a viewer profile based on past interaction with the replacement advertising segment.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising creating the viewer profile based on a set of preferences selected by the viewer.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising displaying an on-screen query of optional modifications to the replacement advertising segment, and rendering the modifications to the replacement advertising segment in response to the modifications selected by the viewer.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising storing the selected modifications and for subsequent receipt of the same replacement advertising segment, rendering the segment with the previously selected modifications.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein said modifications comprise color, component in displayed objects, viewing perspective, zoom, play-back speed, background audio sound track, and special effects.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein said modifications are accompanied by computer-generated special effects.

9. The method of claim 5 further comprising determining whether television broadcast program has resumed after end of the television broadcast advertising, determining whether replacement advertising segment has ended, and if replacement advertising segment has not ended, storing the resumed television broadcast program on a storage device from a beginning point, and displaying the resumed broadcast program from the beginning point.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising providing a plurality of audio accompaniments to the advertising segment, and selecting the audio accompaniment based either on the viewer profile or on the music used most by the viewer on their set-top box or personnel music catalog on a storage device external to the set-top box.

11. A method for enhancing a television broadcast program comprising:

(a) receiving programming data representing synchronization data for a plurality of sequential program segments in a television broadcast program;

(b) receiving information related to a plurality of replacement program segments;

(c) selecting a desired replacement segment;

(d) synchronizing the replacement segment with one of said plurality of television broadcast segments;

(e) receiving data representing the selected replacement segments;

(f) blocking the display of the television broadcast segment; and

(g) displaying the selected replacement segment on a television display in place of the synchronized television broadcast segment.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising selecting the desired replacement segments based on a viewer profile.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising developing the viewer profile based on past selections of replacement segments.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising developing the viewer profile based on a set of preferences selected by the viewer.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising augmenting the viewer preferences based on the viewer'"'"'s past selection of fast-forwarding or skipping through selected segments.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising receiving data representing an advertisement segment, wherein said advertising segment is selected based on the viewer profile or the selected replacement segment.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the data representing an advertising segment is in an instruction set for rendering into an animated video segment by a client processor.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising displaying an on-screen query of optional replacement segments, and selecting the desired replacement segments in response to a command received from the viewer.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the programming data is received from data encoded with television broadcast program, from an electronic programming guide or from an internet server.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the data representing the selected replacement segments is a digitized video, or an instruction set for rendering into an animated video segment by a client processor.

21. A method for enhancing a television broadcast program comprising:

(a) receiving the television broadcast program;

(b) receiving supplemental informational data from a first memory storage;

(c) rendering on a client processor supplemental video content images from the supplemental data; and

(d) displaying the television program with supplemental video images displayed over portions of the television program on a television display.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the first memory storage resides in an internet server.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the first memory storage resides in a personal computer proximate to the television display.

24. The method of claim 21 further comprising the steps of decoding resource data transmitted with said television program, examining said data to determine a URL encoded on said data, and retrieving the supplemental data from the first memory storage associated with the URL.

25. The method of claim 21 further comprising synchronizing the starting time and ending time for display of the supplemental video content with a portion the television program, wherein the supplemental video content is informationally related to the synchronized portion of the television program.

26. The method of claim 21 further comprising selecting the supplemental data based on a viewer profile.

27. The method of claim 21 further comprising selecting the supplemental data in response to a command received from a viewer.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein the receiving supplemental data comprises a viewer selecting information of interest, and in response to the selection identifying a location for the memory storage storing the supplemental data, and sending a request for the information to be transmitted to the client processor.

29. The method of claim 21 where in the supplemental data comprises a software applet and financial data for rendering a graphical display of the financial information.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the graphical display comprises a ticker tape of financial quotes, or a chart of historical financial quotes.

31. The method of claim 29 wherein the financial information comprises information associated with the content of the displayed television program.

32. The method of claim 29 wherein the financial information comprises information associated with a viewer.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the financial data is obtained from an internet server from a content provider preferred or selected by the viewer.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the content provider is a financial services company with whom the viewer has an investment account.

35. The method of claim 29 further comprising altering the graphical display in response to an input from a manual input device under control of a viewer.

36. The method of claim 21 wherein the memory storage contains financial data associated with the viewer.

37. A system for displaying enhanced television broadcast programs comprising:

a multimedia controller having a television broadcast signal tuner receiver, a communication port in communication with external sources of supplemental content data, a first memory storage for storing the television broadcast signals, a second memory storage for storing the supplemental content data, and a processor capable of rendering photo-realistic video images from the supplemental content data;

a video display monitor in communication with the multimedia controller; and

a manual input device in communication with the multimedia controller.

38. The system of claim 37 further comprising a personal computer in communication with the multimedia controller.

39. The system of claim 37 further comprising a third memory storage for storing viewer profiles.

40. The system of claim 37 further comprising a fourth memory storage for storing television broadcast programs in digitized format for later recall and display.

41. The system of claim 37 wherein the multimedia controller further comprises means to generate selectively a signal for display on the video display monitor wherein the signal comprises the television broadcast signal, the rendered video images, or a combination thereof.

42. The system of claim 37 wherein the manual input device comprises a mouse, a joystick, a keyboard or a remote control.

43. The system of claim 42 wherein the remote control comprises a personal digital assistant having an infrared transceiver for communication with the multimedia controller, said personal digital assistant having a configurable display on a touch sensitive screen, said configurable display being configured to correspond to the active selections available to a user for a given images on the video display monitor.