Method to deliver messaging templates in digital broadcast service guide

• US 20060019618A1
• Filed: 08/26/2005
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Seppala, Martta
• Granted Patent: US 8,607,271 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/121
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/93 which locates resources of other pieces of information, e.g. URL [Uniform Resource Locator]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/37 via a different channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/72 using electronic programme guides [EPG] focusing on identifying broadcast space time H04H60/39 ; menu type display of EPG in television receivers H04N21/47

Abstract

Provided are apparatuses and methods for transmitting and receiving ESG fragments associated with an event or program. The event or program may have an interaction service component in which a subscriber can interact with the program in real-time. The program content information, such as audio and video data associated with the program may be transmitted to a subscriber in an ESG fragment. The ESG fragment may have associated metadata in which information pertaining to the interaction service component of the event or program may be mapped. The subscriber terminal or receiver can parse the ESG fragment data to determine attributes for displaying a message template associated with the interaction service component of the event or program. Subscriber interaction with the program can be provided through the message template.

Claims

1. A transmitter for transmitting electronic service guide (ESG) fragments associated with an event, the event including an interaction service, the transmitter comprising:

an input for receiving data associated with the event to be included in an ESG fragment for transmission, the data including an interaction template element associated with a message template, the message template associated with an interaction service of the event;

a processor for processing an ESG fragment associated with the event, the ESG fragment including metadata;

a mapping module for mapping at least one element associated with the interaction service of the event into the metadata of the ESG fragment; and

an output for delivering the ESG fragment in a broadcast transmission.

2. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein the interaction template element comprises a pointer for identifying the at least one element associated with the interaction service of the event.

3. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein the at least one element associated with the interaction service of the event comprises at least one sub-element associated with the message template, the at least one sub-element indicating an application to request for the interaction service of the event.

5. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein the element associated with the interaction service of the event comprises at least one attribute associated with the message template, the at least one attribute indicating one of an e-mail recipient and a subject header for requesting the interaction service of the event.

4. The transmitter of embodiment 1, wherein the at least one element associated with the interaction service of the event comprises at least one attribute associated with the message template, the at least one attribute indicating one of a recipient of a message and message content for requesting the interaction service of the event.

6. A receiver for receiving an electronic service guide (ESG) fragment, the receiver comprising:

an input for receiving the ESG fragment from a service provider;

a parsing module for identifying a pre-configured interaction element in the ESG fragment relating to an event in received broadcast transmission and creating a message template based on the predetermined interaction element; and

a template compiler for compiling information fields of the message template based on the predetermined interaction element.

7. The receiver of claim 6, wherein the predetermined interaction element comprises a pointer.

8. The receiver of claim 7, wherein the pointer identifies at least one element associated with an interaction service of an event of a received broadcast transmission associated with the ESG fragment, the ESG fragment including metadata.

9. The receiver of claim 8, wherein the at least one element associated with the interaction service of the event is mapped into the metadata.

10. The receiver of claim 6, wherein the predetermined interaction element indicates at least one element associated with the interaction service of an event, the at least one element associated with an interaction service including at least one sub-element.

11. The receiver of claim 10, wherein the at least one sub-element indicates an application to request for the interaction service of the event.

12. The receiver of claim 6, wherein the pre-configured interaction element indicates at least one element associated with the interaction service of an event, the at least one element associated with an interaction service including at least one attribute.

13. The receiver of claim 10, wherein the message template is based on the at least one attribute.

14. The receiver of claim 12, wherein the at least one attribute indicates one of a recipient of a message and message content for requesting the interaction service of the event.

15. A method for providing an interaction service offering associated with an event comprising:

obtaining information associated with the event, the event having a subscriber interaction component and the information including data corresponding to a message template associated with the interaction component of the event;

assembling the information associated with the event into an electronic service guide (ESG) fragment, the ESG fragment having corresponding metadata;

mapping the data corresponding to the message template associated with the event into the metadata corresponding to the ESG fragment; and

delivering the ESG fragment in a broadcast transmission.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the event is related to a television program.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the data corresponding to the message template comprises a pointer.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the pointer identifies at least one element associated with an interaction service of an event of a received broadcast transmission.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one element includes at least one sub-element indicating an application to request for the interaction service of the event.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one element includes at least one attribute associated with the message template indicating one of a recipient of a message and message content for requesting the interaction service of the event.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the interaction component of the event includes receiving subscriber input through the message template.

22. A device comprising a receiver, a display, a memory, and a processor configured to perform the steps of:

(1) displaying program content from a broadcast stream received by the receiver;

(2) extracting from one or more electronic service guide (ESG) fragments associated with the broadcast stream information relating to an interaction template that permits a user of the device to interact with an entity affiliated with the program content;

(3) displaying information relating to the interaction template on the along with the program content;

(4) receiving user input relating to the interaction template; and

(5) transmitting the interaction template corresponding to user input to the entity.

23. The device of claim 22, further comprising a cellular network interface for transmitting the interaction template corresponding to the user input to the entity.

24. The device of claim 22, wherein the information relating to the interaction template is displayed on a predefined display area based on the information extracted from the ESG fragments.

25. A method for providing an interaction service offering associated with an event comprising:

transmitting a content file, the content file including a video or audio stream of an event;

providing data to be associated with the event, the data including an interaction template element associated with a message template, the message template associated with an interaction service of the event;

transmitting the message template in an electronic service guide (ESG) fragment of the video or audio data stream; and

receiving from a device that receives the video or audio data stream a subscriber input via the message template.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein message template is associated with a pointer in the ESG fragment.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the message template is associated with at least one of at least one sub-element and at least one attribute in metadata of the ESG fragment.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the at least one sub-element indicates an application for the receiving device to transmit subscriber input via the message template

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the at least one attribute indicates one of a recipient of a message and message content.

30. A method for receiving an interaction service offering associated with an event comprising:

receiving an electronic service guide (ESG) fragment associated with the event, the ESG fragment having corresponding metadata and the event having an interaction service component;

determining an element corresponding to a pre-configured message template associated with the interaction service component of the event, the element being within the metadata corresponding to the ESG fragment; and

compiling the pre-configured message template based on the element.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the element comprises an attribute that indicates one of a recipient of a message and a message content.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the element comprises an attribute that indicates one of an e-mail recipient and a subject header.

33. The method of claim 30, further comprising displaying information relating to the pre-configured message template, wherein the information relating to the pre-configured message template includes a list of options.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein the step of determining comprises:

parsing the ESG fragment;

obtaining a pointer element and associated attributes based on the parsing; and

compiling a predetermined interaction service offering based on the pointer element and associated elements.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the elements are mapped into metadata corresponding to the ESG fragment.

36. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing the steps of:

receiving an electronic service guide (ESG) fragment associated with an event, the ESG fragment having corresponding metadata and the event having an interaction service component;

determining an element corresponding to a pre-configured message template associated with the interaction service component of the event, the element being within the metadata corresponding to the ESG fragment; and

compiling the pre-configured message template based on the element.

37. The computer program product of claim 36, further comprising further computer-executable instructions for displaying information relating to the pre-configured message template, wherein the information relating to the pre-configured message template includes a list of options.

38. The computer program product of claim 36, wherein the step of determining comprises:

parsing the ESG fragment;

obtaining a pointer element and associated attributes based on the parsing; and

compiling a predetermined interaction service offering based on the pointer element and associated elements.

39. The computer program product of claim 38, wherein the elements are mapped into metadata corresponding to the ESG fragment.

40. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing the steps of:

obtaining information associated with the event, the event having a subscriber interaction component and the information including data corresponding to a message template associated with the interaction component of the event;

assembling the information associated with the event into an electronic service guide (ESG) fragment, the ESG fragment having corresponding metadata;

mapping the data corresponding to the message template associated with the event into the metadata corresponding to the ESG fragment; and

delivering the ESG fragment in a broadcast transmission.