Method and apparatus for disconnected chat room lurking in an interactive television environment

• US 20030078972A1
• Filed: 09/12/2002
• Published: 04/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: OpenTV, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Original Assignee: Open TV, Inc. (Naspers Limited)
• Inventors: Delpuch, Alain, Tapissier, Frederic
• Application Number:
  US10/242,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20030078972A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• 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 21/25816 involving client authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• 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 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• 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 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• 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 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• 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 21/6181 involving transmission via a mobile phone network arrangements for providing broadcast or conference services to substation in data switching networks in combination with wireless systems H04L12/189; wireless uplink channel access H04W74/004
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A chat room is broadcast in an interactive television environment for lurking “in” a chat room, without the need for establishing a back channel connection. The present invention provides a mode of chat room broadcasting and communication that can be easily handled by a client device, typically a set top box (STB) processor, an interactive television server and its subscriber clients. The present invention broadcasts chat rooms to clients who may either connect through a back channel to participate in a chat room or simply lurk, that is, to watch the chat room content and discussion in the broadcast without participating or registering in the chat room.

Claims

1. A method for broadcasting a chat room in an interactive television environment, comprising:

broadcasting a chat-room to at least one client device associated with a user in an interactive television system; and

displaying the broadcast chat room content on a display associated with the user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

connecting the user to participate in the chat room via a return path in the interactive television system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

connecting the user to participate in the chat room via mobile phone or Short Messaging Service.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

connecting the user to participate in the chat room via a personal computer and the Internet.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selectively removing objectionable content based on a user profile.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

registering a plurality of users for participation in the chat room;

allowing at least one registered user to vote to exclude a second registered user from the chat room.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

broadcasting chat room content along with television content to at least one client device associated with a user.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

collecting viewer profile information from a chat room user; and

creating meta data for the chat room based on the viewer profile.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

broadcasting the meta data to at least one client device associated with a user.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

broadcasting a plurality of chat rooms content to at least one client device associated with a user in an interactive television system; and

displaying at least one of the chat rooms content in a display associated with the client device.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the broadcast comprises a single stream of information.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a community of chat room users from a group of chat room users; and

sending an notice of activity relating to the chat room to the community of chat room users.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a list of available chat rooms to the user; and

promoting a chat room in the list according to meta data for the chat room and a viewer profile for the user.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending targeted advertisements to client devices a user'"'"'s participation in a chat room.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating meta data for chat room based on the chat room content.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising;

connecting a user to a chat server internal or external to the interactive television system.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing a nickname for a first chat room participant in a memory associated with a second chat room participant; and

sending a notice to the second chat room participant when the first chat room participant signs into the chat room.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a chat room for broadcast from available chat rooms based on a user'"'"'s viewer profile.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

promoting chat rooms in the list by highlighting, sorting, color-coding, voice tagging or flashing a chat room entry in the list.

18. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

sending a notice to the second chat room participant when the first chat room participant signs into any chat room.

21. A method for disseminating chat room content in a distributed computing system comprising:

registering a plurality of users for participation in a chat room; and

allowing at least one registered user to vote to exclude another registered user from the chat room.

22. A computer readable medium containing computer executable instruction for implementing a method for broadcasting a chat room in an interactive television environment, comprising:

broadcasting a chat-room to at least one client device associated with a user in an interactive television system; and

displaying the broadcast chat room content on a display associated with the user.

23. The medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions for:

connecting the user to participate in the chat room via a return path in the interactive television system.

24. The medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions for:

connecting the user to participate in the chat room via mobile phone or Short Messaging Service.

25. The medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions for:

connecting the user to participate in the chat room via a personal computer and the Internet.

26. The medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions for:

selectively removing objectionable content based on a user profile.

27. The medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions for:

registering a plurality of users for participation in the chat room;

allowing at least one registered user to vote to exclude a second registered user from the chat room.

28. The medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions for:

broadcasting chat room content along with television content to at least one client device associated with a user.

29. The medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions for:

collecting viewer profile information from a chat room user; and

creating meta data for the chat room based on the viewer profile.

30. The medium of claim 29, further comprising instructions for:

broadcasting the meta data to at least one client device associated with a user.

31. The medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions for:

broadcasting a plurality of chat rooms content to at least one client device associated with a user in an interactive television system; and

displaying at least one of the chat rooms content in a display associated with the client device.

32. The medium of claim 31 wherein the broadcast comprises a single stream of information.

33. The medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions for:

creating a community of chat room users from a group of chat room users; and

sending an notice of activity relating to the chat room to the community of chat room users.

34. The medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions for:

sending a list of available chat rooms to the user; and

promoting a chat room in the list according to meta data for the chat room and a viewer profile for the user.

35. The medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions for:

sending targeted advertisements to client devices a user'"'"'s participation in a chat room.

36. The medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions for:

generating meta data for chat room based on the chat room content.

37. The medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions for:

connecting a user to a chat server internal or external to the interactive television system.

38. The medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions for:

storing a nickname for a first chat room participant in a memory associated with a second chat room participant; and

sending a notice to the second chat room participant when the first chat room participant signs into the chat room.

40. The medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions for:

selecting a chat room for broadcast from available chat rooms based on a user'"'"'s viewer profile.

41. The medium of claim 34, further comprising instructions for:

promoting chat rooms in the list by highlighting, sorting, color-coding, voice tagging or flashing a chat room entry in the list.

39. The medium of claim 39, further comprising instructions for:

sending a notice to the second chat room participant when the first chat room participant signs into any chat room.

42. A method for disseminating chat room content in a distributed computing system comprising:

registering a plurality of users for participation in a chat room; and

allowing at least one registered user to vote to exclude another registered user from the chat room.