Framework for providing ancillary content in a television environment

• US 20060184579A1
• Filed: 01/05/2006
• Published: 08/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Toft, Kumiko Tanaka, Hoch, Michael, Mills, Michael, Mckay, Philip, Perkins, Rod
• Application Number:
  US11/327,665
• Publication Number:
  US 20060184579A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• 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 21/84 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 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

The present invention provides functionality for retrieving ancillary content associated with the content delivered to a given user'"'"'s client device. According to one embodiment, the method of the present invention comprises retrieving the context of a given user and identifying a plurality of characteristics associated with the user'"'"'s context. The one or more characteristics associated with the user'"'"'s context are displayed to the user and the user may select from the displayed characteristics. One or more items of content are retrieved based upon the user'"'"'s selection and presented to the user on the user'"'"'s client device.

Claims

1. A method for identifying one or more items of content associated with a user'"'"'s context, the method comprising:

retrieving the context of a user;

identifying a plurality of characteristics associated with the user'"'"'s context;

displaying the one or more characteristics associated with the user'"'"'s context on the user'"'"'s client device and allowing a user to select from the displayed characteristics;

retrieving one or more items of content based upon the user'"'"'s selection; and

presenting the one or more items of content retrieved.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein retrieving the context of a user comprises retrieving information identifying the one or more items of content displayed on the user'"'"'s client device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying a plurality of characteristics associated with a user'"'"'s context comprises identifying the genre of the content displayed on the user'"'"'s client device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying a plurality of characteristics associated with a user'"'"'s context comprises identifying one or more actors in a given item of content displayed on the user'"'"'s client device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying a plurality of characteristics associated with a user'"'"'s context comprises identifying the geographic location depicted in an item of content displayed on the user'"'"'s client device.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying a plurality of characteristics associated with a user'"'"'s context comprises identifying the director of an item of content displayed on the user'"'"'s client device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying the one or more characteristics associated with the user'"'"'s context on the user'"'"'s client device comprises displaying the one or more characteristics associated with the user'"'"'s context in conjunction with content displayed on the user'"'"'s client device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein retrieving one or more items of content based upon the user'"'"'s selection comprises:

identifying the one or more characteristics selected by the user; and

retrieving one or more items of content with characteristics that are similar or match the characteristics selected by the user.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein presenting the one or more items of content retrieved comprises presenting the one or more items of content retrieved in conjunction with content delivered to the user'"'"'s client device.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein presenting the one or more items of content retrieved comprises presenting the title of the one or more items of content retrieved.