METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING INFORMATION REFERRED TO BY CONTENT

• US 20080271088A1
• Filed: 07/14/2008
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Digital Network Shopping, LLC
• Original Assignee: Digital Network Shopping, LLC
• Inventors: Robinson, Maryse, Thomas, John G.
• Application Number:
  US12/172,407
• Publication Number:
  US 20080271088A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/61
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• 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

Abstract

Disclosed herein, in various embodiments, are methods and apparatus incorporating, among other things, the concept of using, in particular but without limitation, traditionally non-commercial programming as a medium for selling products or services on-line, and again in particular over the Internet. Using this concept, for example, a content element identified in a broadcast can be made identifiable by a user of the broadcast, and thereby enabling a user to determine the source, location, or other information referred to by the content element. Using this concept, for example, a user viewing a soap opera is able to use a device to electronically select a content element identified in the broadcast. In turn, information referred to by the content element can be displayed to the user, including purchase information. Using this particular concept of the invention, traditionally non-commercial programming can be efficiently used to indirectly advertise goods or services and offer them for sale on-line.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying a content element of a broadcast;

storing digital information referred to by the content element;

providing a content selection element to a user; and

in response to the user selecting the content selection element, delivering the stored digital information about the content element to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein there is no direct correlation between the content element and the digital information referred to by the content element.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the digital information is referred to by the content element, but different from the content element.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcast includes motion picture programming.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcast includes an audio broadcast.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital information is stored during the editing process of the broadcast.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital information is stored after the broadcast is recorded, but before the delivery of the broadcast.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital information is stored before the broadcast is recorded.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcast is stored in a digital format for delivery to the user, and the digital information is stored as part of the digital broadcast data.

10. A system comprising:

a processor coupled to a viewing device, the processor configured to;

(a) store digital information referred to by a content element identified in a broadcast;

(b) provide to the viewing device a content selection element; and

(c) deliver to the viewing device at least some of the stored digital information; and

a computer program operating on the viewing device to deliver at least a portion of the stored digital information to a user in response to a user selecting the content selection element from the viewing device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein there is no direct correlation between the content element and the digital information referred to by the content element.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the digital information is referred to by the content element, but different from the content element.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the broadcast includes motion picture programming.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the broadcast includes an audio broadcast.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to store the digital information during the editing process of the broadcast.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to store the digital information after the broadcast is recorded, but before the delivery of the broadcast.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to store the digital information before the broadcast is recorded.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the broadcast is stored in a digital format for delivery to the user, and the digital information is stored as part of the digital broadcast data.

19. A method comprising:

identifying a content element in motion picture programming;

obtaining, from the motion picture programming, a still image having the content element;

storing the still image;

storing digital information referred to by the content element, but different from the content element;

displaying the still image to a viewer;

in response to viewing the still image, the viewer selecting the content element in the still image; and

in response to the viewer selecting to the content element in the still image, displaying the stored digital information referred to by the content element to the viewer.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein there is no direct correlation between the content element and the digital information referred to by the content element.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the digital information is referred to by the content element, but different from the content element.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the digital information is stored before the broadcast is recorded.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the broadcast is stored in a digital format for delivery to the user, and the digital information is stored as part of the digital broadcast data.

24. A system comprising:

a processor coupled to a viewing device, the viewing device including an input device, the processor used to;

a) store a still image obtained from motion picture programming, wherein the still image contains a content element identified in the motion picture programming;

b) store digital information referred to by the content element, but different from the content element;

c) deliver to the viewing device the still image; and

d) deliver to the viewing device at least some of the stored digital information; and

a computer program operating on the viewing device to display at least a portion of the stored digital information to a viewer in response to a viewer selecting the content element in the still image using the input device.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein there is no direct correlation between the content element and the digital information referred to by the content element.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the digital information is referred to by the content element, but different from the content element.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the processor is configured to store the digital information before the broadcast is recorded.

28. The system of claim 24, wherein the broadcast is stored in a digital format for delivery to the user, and the digital information is stored as part of the digital broadcast data.