Method and apparatus for interactive video on demand

• US 20040210947A1
• Filed: 04/15/2003
• Published: 10/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mediaip LLC
• Original Assignee: Mediaip LLC
• Inventors: Shusman, Chad W.
• Application Number:
  US10/414,863
• Publication Number:
  US 20040210947A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/136
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/30 characterised by the use of a return channel, e.g. for collecting users' opinions, for returning broadcast space/time information or for requesting data
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23 Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234 Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing of video streams or manipulating encoded video stream scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23605 Creation or processing of packetized elementary streams [PES]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• 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 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/40 Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43 Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43079 of additional data with content streams on multiple devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/85 : Assembly of content; Generation of multimedia applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/854 : Content authoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8541 : involving branching, e.g. to different story endings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8545 : for generating interactive applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 : the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 : Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

Method and apparatus for generation of interactive programming. An interactive programming server embeds interactive components into a video signal. The interactive programming server receives content from a content source and interactive components from an interactive component source and uses the content and interactive components to generate an interactive Video On Demand (iVOD) interactive program. The iVOD interactive program is transmitted to a participant who views the content and interacts with the interactive components of the iVOD interactive program. The participant'"'"'s responses to the content is transmitted back to the interactive programming server where the participant responses are incorporated into new content which is used to generate new iVOD interactive programming.

Claims

1. A method of generating an interactive program by an interactive programming server for transmission to an interactive programming transceiver, comprising:

receiving content for an interactive program by the interactive programming server;

receiving a participant response by the interactive programming server from the interactive programming transceiver through a back channel;

generating interactive program content by the interactive programming server using the content and the participant response;

receiving an interactive component by the interactive programming server;

generating the interactive program by the interactive programming server using the interactive program content and the interactive component; and

transmitting the interactive program by the interactive programming server to the interactive programming transceiver through a forward channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the content is a television signal having a vertical blanking interval and the interactive program is generated by embedding the interactive component in the vertical blanking interval.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the content is a digital video signal and generating the interactive program further includes:

encapsulating the interactive components in a first elementary stream of a digital video broadcast transport stream; and

adding the content to a second elementary stream of the video broadcast transport stream.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the forward channel and the back channel are included in a communications medium.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the communications medium is a cable television network.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the communications medium is a wide area network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the forward channel is included in a first communication medium and the back channel is included in a second communications medium.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first communications medium is a satellite television network.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the second communications medium is a wide area network.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the second communications medium is a telephone network.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the participant response includes an audience approval rating.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the participant response includes an answer to a poll question.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactive component includes additional information about the content.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactive component is a uniform resource locator of a resource coupled to the interactive programming transceiver through a wide area network.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactive component includes an advertisement.

16. A data processing apparatus for generating an interactive program by an interactive programming server for transmission to an interactive programming transceiver, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having program instructions executable by the processor stored therein, the program instructions including;

receiving content for an interactive program by the interactive programming server;

receiving a participant response by the interactive programming server from the interactive programming transceiver through a back channel;

generating interactive program content by the interactive programming server using the content and the participant response;

receiving an interactive component by the interactive programming server;

generating the interactive program by the interactive programming server using the interactive program content and the interactive component; and

transmitting the interactive program by the interactive programming server to the interactive programming transceiver through a forward channel.

17. The data processing apparatus of claim 16, wherein the content is a television signal having a vertical blanking interval and the interactive program is generated by embedding the interactive component in the vertical blanking interval.

18. The data processing apparatus of claim 16, wherein the content is a digital video signal, the program instructions for generating the interactive program further including:

encapsulating the interactive components in a first elementary stream of a digital video broadcast transport stream; and

adding the content to a second elementary stream of the video broadcast transport stream.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the forward channel and the back channel are included in a communications medium.

20. The data processing apparatus of claim 19, wherein the communications medium is a wide area network.

21. The data processing apparatus of claim 19, wherein the communications medium is a cable television network.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the forward channel is included in a first communication medium and the back channel is included in a second communications medium.

23. The data processing apparatus of claim 22, wherein the communications medium is a satellite television network.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the second communications medium is a wide area network.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the second communications medium is a telephone network.

26. The data processing apparatus of claim 16, wherein the participant response includes an audience approval rating.

27. The data processing apparatus of claim 16, wherein the participant response includes an answer to a poll question.

28. The data processing apparatus of claim 16, wherein the interactive component includes additional information about the content.

29. The data processing apparatus of claim 16, wherein the interactive component is a uniform resource locator of a resource coupled to the interactive programming transceiver through a wide area network.

30. The data processing apparatus of claim 16, wherein the interactive component includes an advertisement.