System and method of scheduling an event related to an advertisement

• US 20080148320A1
• Filed: 12/15/2006
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Howcroft, Jerald Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,079,048 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/61
• 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 21/4113 PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• 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 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• 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 5/781 on disks or drums

Abstract

A method of scheduling an event related to an advertisement includes transmitting media content to a set-top box. The media content includes an advertisement having a selectable reminder indicator related to the advertisement. The method further includes receiving an input selection related to the selectable reminder indicator and scheduling a reminder related to the advertisement for transmission to one or more selected devices based on the input selection.

Claims

1. A method of scheduling an event related to an advertisement, the method comprising:

transmitting media content to a set-top box, the media content including an advertisement having a selectable reminder indicator related to the advertisement;

receiving an input selection related to the selectable reminder indicator; and

scheduling a reminder related to the advertisement for transmission to one or more selected devices based on the input selection.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the one or more selected devices based on at least one user preference; and

identifying a data format associated with each of the one or more selected devices.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating the reminder in a first format related to a first device of the one or more selected devices; and

transmitting the reminder to the first device in the first format.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

generating the reminder in a second format related to a second device of the one or more selected devices; and

transmitting the reminder to the second device in the second format.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the reminder is transmitted in the first format at a first time and wherein the reminder is transmitted in the second format at a second time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement comprises a commercial related to an upcoming scheduled television program.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement comprises a commercial related to an upcoming community event.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement comprises a commercial related to an upcoming sale event.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a reminder menu according to the input selection;

providing the reminder menu to the set-top box for configuration of associated reminder options.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving selections of reminder options related to the reminder menu; and

scheduling the reminder according to the selected reminder options.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the reminder to at least one of the one or more selected devices in a selected data format.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the selected data format is selected from a group consisting of an email message, a text message, an audio announcement, and a pop-up visual indicator.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more selected devices includes a mobile phone.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more selected devices includes a portable digital assistant (PDA).

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more selected devices comprises a personal computer.

16. A method of scheduling an event related to an advertisement, the method comprising:

receiving media content from a content source at a set-top box coupled to a display device, the media content including an advertisement having one or more selectable indicators related to the advertisement;

providing the media content to the display device; and

receiving an input selection related to the one or more selectable indicators.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising providing an option menu to the display device in response to the input selection to schedule a future action.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more selectable indicators comprises a record indicator and a reminder indicator.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the option menu comprises a record option menu when the input selection comprises a record indicator selection.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the record option menu includes options to configure a digital video recorder function to record a program related to the advertisement.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the option menu comprises a reminder option menu when the input selection comprises a reminder indicator selection.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the reminder option menu includes options to configure a reminder function to schedule transmission of one or more reminders to one or more selected devices.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein providing the option menu comprises:

transmitting the input selection to the content source;

receiving the option menu from the content source; and

providing the option menu to the display device.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein providing the option menu comprises:

identifying a function related to the input selection;

retrieving the option menu related to the identified function from a memory of the set-top box; and

providing the option menu to the display device.

25. A system comprising:

an input responsive to a network to receive an input selection related to a selectable indicator embedded within an advertisement of a media stream;

a record module to schedule a record operation of a program associated with the advertisement when the input selection comprises a record input; and

a reminder module to schedule transmission of a reminder related to the advertisement to a selected device when the input selection comprises a reminder input.

26. The system of claim 25, further comprising a text-to-speech converter module to generate an audio reminder for transmission to the selected device.

27. The system of claim 25, further comprising a reminder generator to generate the reminder in one or more formats for transmission to the selected device.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the advertisement comprises a commercial related to an upcoming event, and wherein the reminder is related to the upcoming event.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein the reminder module is adapted to determine a data format for the reminder that is associated with the selected device.

30. A processor readable medium embodying processor readable instructions to schedule an event related to an advertisement, the processor readable instructions comprising:

instructions to transmit media content to a set-top box, the media content including an advertisement having a selectable reminder indicator related to the advertisement;

instructions to receive an input selection related to the selectable reminder indicator; and

instructions to schedule a reminder related to the advertisement for transmission to one or more selected devices based on the input selection.

31. The processor readable medium of claim 30, further comprising instructions to generate the reminder in a particular format for transmission to at least one of the one or more selected devices.