METHODS, SYSTEMS AND APPARATUSES TO ENHANCE BROADCAST ENTERTAINMENT

• US 20080244676A1
• Filed: 03/27/2007
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: DaCosta, Behram
• Granted Patent: US 9,654,737 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/116
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The present embodiments provide methods and systems to access additional, enhanced and/or interactive content associated with a broadcast program received over a closed broadcast network. Some embodiments provide methods of enhancing broadcast content by receiving broadcast content from a broadcast content source over a closed network, receiving a request to tune in a broadcast program, tuning in the broadcast program from the broadcast content, extracting a program identification of the broadcast program from the broadcast content, and communicating the program identification to a remote network access device to allow access over a network to additional content associated with the broadcast program.

Claims

1. A method of enhancing broadcast content, comprising:

receiving broadcast content from a broadcast content source over a closed network;

receiving a request to tune in a broadcast program;

tuning in the broadcast program from the broadcast content;

extracting a program identification of the broadcast program from the broadcast content; and

communicating the program identification to a remote network access device to allow access over a network to additional content associated with the broadcast program.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request from the remote network access device for the program identification; and

implementing the communicating of the program identification in response to the request for the program identification.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprises:

periodically recommunicating the program identification.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprises:

periodically recommunicating the program identification.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the periodically recommunicating comprises periodically recommunicating the program identification while the broadcast program is tuned in.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the communicating of the program identification comprises limiting access to the communication to the remote network access device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the extracting the program identification of the broadcast program for the broadcast content comprises identifying a broadcaster and a time, and incorporating the broadcaster and the time into the program identification.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a predefined information source on the network;

directing access from the remote network access device over the network to the predefined information source on the network;

supplying the broadcast program identification from the remote network access device to the predefined information source;

receiving at the remote network access device a first identification of a first information source on the network;

accessing over the network from the remote network access device the first information source based on the first identification of the first information source; and

receiving and providing access from the remote network access device to additional content related to the broadcast program accessed.

9. A method of enhancing broadcast content, comprising:

receiving a first program identification from a broadcast content receiving device, where the first program identification is extracted from broadcast content and identifies a first broadcast program accessed from the broadcast content received from a content provider over a closed network;

accessing a network;

directing the access over the network to a predefined information source on the network;

supplying the first program identification to the predefined information source;

receiving a first identification of a first information source on the network;

accessing over the network the first information source based on the first identification of the first information source; and

receiving and providing access to the additional content related to the first broadcast program accessed.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

transmitting a request to the broadcast content receiving device requesting the first program identification such that the receiving the first program identification is in response to the transmitted request.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the accessing the first content source comprises accessing a chat room relating to the first broadcast program accessed.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising;

evaluating the first program identification; and

wherein the directing the access over the network to the predefined information source comprises selecting the predefined information source from a plurality of information sources based on the evaluation of the first program identification.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the evaluating the first program identification comprises determining whether a broadcaster can be identified, and identifying the predefined information source as being associated with the identified broadcaster.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the predefined information source is associated with a manufacturer of a device receiving the program identifier from the broadcast content receiver.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving from the predefined information source a list of one or more other users accessing the first content source.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the first program identification comprises a tuned channel selected to access the first broadcast program through the broadcast content receiving device.

17. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

transmitting the first broadcast identification over the network to the first content source such that the receiving the additional content related to the first broadcast program is in response to the transmission of the first broadcast identification.

18. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a second program identification from the broadcast content receiving device that identifies a second broadcast program subsequently accessed from the broadcast content received from the content provider over a closed network, where the second program identification is extracted from the broadcast content;

accessing the network;

directing the access over the network to the predefined information source on the network;

supplying the program identification to the predefined information source;

receiving a second identification of a second content source on the network;

accessing over the network the second content source; and

receiving and providing access to additional content related to the second broadcast program accessed.

19. A system providing access to additional content associated with broadcast content, the system comprising:

a broadcast content receiving device coupled with a broadcast content source over a closed network to receive broadcast programs, where the broadcast content receiving device comprises;

a tuner to tune in one or more broadcast programs;

an extractor that extracts a broadcast program identification of at least one of the one or more broadcast programs; and

a transmitter that transmits the broadcast program identification to a remote and separate network access device.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

a remote network access device distant and separate from the broadcast content receiving device, where the remote network access device is communicationally coupled with the broadcast content receiving device, and the remote network access device comprises;

a receiver that is communicationally coupled with the transmitter of the broadcast content receiving device to receive the broadcast content identification;

a memory storing a network access to a predefined information source; and

a network interface coupled with a distributed network such that the network interface utilizes the network access to the predefined information source to communicate the broadcast program identification over the network to the predefined information source, to receive a first identification of a first information source on the network, and to access over the network the first information source utilizing the first identification of the first information source.