Television message system

• US 20070124795A1
• Filed: 01/24/2007
• Published: 05/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Ellis, Michael, Thomas, William, Hassell, Joel, McKissick, Pamela, Regouby, Mark
• Application Number:
  US11/657,775
• Publication Number:
  US 20070124795A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/135
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2408 Monitoring of the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. client requests monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• 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 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• 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 21/4755 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 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 : Games
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 : Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• 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 21/6582 : Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 7/147 : Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 : Transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A television message system is provided that allows users at user television equipment devices that are connected to a television distribution facility to transmit messages to each other relating to a television program or other suitable subject. The television message system permits users to participate in evaluations, contests, promotions, and surveys related to a television program while watching that television program. The television message system also permits users to compose and send a message to a television program entity. Users can send messages through the television message system to users at personal computers who are connected to the user'"'"'s television distribution facility through a communications network. The television message system also allows a user to purchase a gift related to television programming for a recipient. The gift may be an electronic gift certificate for pay-per-view programming. The television message system may be based on an interactive television program guide or a set-top box application implemented on a set-top box.

Claims

1. A method for distributing messages in a television messaging system, comprising:

receiving from a first user a list of identities corresponding to a plurality of users that belong to a group of users;

storing the received list of identities;

receiving from the first user a command to transmit at least one message to the plurality of users; and

transmitting the at least one message to at least one user television equipment device of the plurality of users in response to receiving the command.

2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the group of users is defined by an interest.

3. The method defined in claim 2 wherein the interest is an interest in at least one of a television program, a channel, a category of programs, a movie and a news segment.

4. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising receiving identity information from the plurality of users.

5. The method defined in claim 4 further comprising including the identity information in the list of identities.

6. The method defined in claim 4 wherein receiving identity information from the plurality of users comprises obtaining permission to receive the identity information.

7. The method defined in claim 6 wherein obtaining permission to receive the identity information comprises sending the plurality of users a message indicating that the first user has requested the identity information.

8. The method defined in claim 7 further comprising allowing the first user to receive the identity information from the plurality of users in response to the plurality of users accepting the first user'"'"'s request.

9. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising determining whether there is at least one messaging option available for a particular television program.

10. The method defined in claim 9 further comprising receiving the first user'"'"'s selection of the at least one messaging option in response to determining that there is at least one messaging option available for the particular television program.

11. A system for distributing messages, the system comprising:

an interactive application implemented at least partially on control circuitry configured to;

receive from a first user a list of identities corresponding to a plurality of users that belong to a group of users;

store the received list of identities;

receive from the first user a command to transmit at least one message to the plurality of users; and

transmit the at least one message to at least one user television equipment device of the plurality of users in response to receiving the command.

12. The system defined in claim 11 wherein the group of users is defined by an interest.

13. The system defined in claim 12 wherein the interest is an interest in at least one of a television program, a channel, a category of programs, a movie and a news segment.

14. The system defined in claim 11 wherein the interactive application is further configured to receive identity information from the plurality of users.

15. The system defined in claim 14 wherein the interactive application is further configured to include the identity information in the list of identities.

16. The system defined in claim 14 wherein the interactive application is configured to obtain permission to receive the identity information.

17. The system defined in claim 16 wherein the interactive application is configured to send the plurality of users a message indicating that the first user has requested the identity information.

18. The system defined in claim 17 wherein the interactive application is further configured to allow the first user to receive the identity information from the plurality of users in response to the plurality of users accepting the first user'"'"'s request.

19. The system defined in claim 11 wherein the interactive application is further configured to determine whether there is at least one messaging option available for a particular television program.

20. The system defined in claim 19 wherein the interactive application is further configured to receive the first user'"'"'s selection of the at least one messaging option in response to determining that there is at least one messaging option available for the particular television program.