Facilitating interactive advertising in digital television program content through follow-up browsing of selectable advertised offerings presented within such digital television program content

• US 20090150927A1
• Filed: 12/06/2007
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Kouhi, Ross, Robotham, Robert
• Application Number:
  US11/999,586
• Publication Number:
  US 20090150927A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2542 for selling goods, e.g. TV shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• 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 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• 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 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

A method for facilitating interactive advertising in Digital Television (DTV) program content through highlighting of advertised offerings comprises a plurality of operations. An operation is performed for creating an entry in a buyable item list during presentation of DTV program content. The offering response data structure entry is created in response to selection of a buyable item that is visually highlighted within the DTV program content. An operation is performed for facilitating an order fulfillment process for the selected buyable item in response to the buyable item entry in the buyable item list being selected.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

highlighting a selectable advertisement offering presented within Digital (DTV) program content, wherein said highlighting is performed within presentation of said DTV program content;

creating an entry corresponding to said offering in an offering response data structure during said DTV program content presentation in response to notification of an interest in said offering being transmitted during said DTV program content presentation, wherein said notification being transmitted is facilitated through an DTV infrastructure through which said DTV program content presentation is facilitated; and

providing access to information corresponding to said offering in response to said offering entry in the offering response data structure being selected.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

said offering is for one of a buyable item and a supplemental information relating to said program content; and

at least one of highlighting, creating and providing is performed dependent upon a preference specified in a preference profile.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said highlighting is performed in response to the selectable advertisement offering corresponding to a category of interests specified in a preference profile.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein highlighting the selectable advertisement offering includes visually highlighting the selectable advertisement offering.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein providing access to said offer information includes enabling said offer information to be accessed through a website.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

facilitating an order fulfillment process for said offering in response to said offer information being accessed.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein:

said interest notification is transmitted from an DTV control unit connected to a television on which said DTV program content is being presented; and

said interest notification is transmitted in response to a designated signal being received by the DTV control unit from a remote control.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein highlighting the selectable advertisement offering includes visually highlighting the selectable advertisement offering.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein:

the offering response data structure includes a buyable items list; and

the entry corresponding to said offering is a buyable item entry corresponding to a buyable item presented within said DTV program content.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein providing access to said offer information includes displaying an image depicting the buyable item in its as-presented context within said DTV program content.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

facilitating an order fulfillment process for said offering in response to said offer information being accessed.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said highlighting is performed in response to the selectable advertisement offering corresponding to a category of interests specified in a preference profile.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the offering response data structure includes a buyable items list; and

the entry corresponding to said offering is a buyable item entry corresponding to a buyable item presented within said DTV program content.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein providing access to said offer information includes displaying an image depicting the buyable item in its as-presented context within said DTV program content.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

facilitating an order fulfillment process for the buyable item in response to said buyable item entry in the buyable item list being selected.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein providing access to said offer fulfillment information includes enabling said offer information to be accessed through a website.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said highlighting is performed in response to the selectable advertisement offering corresponding to a category of interests specified in a preference profile.

18. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

creating an entry in a buyable item list during presentation of Digital Television (DTV) program content, wherein said buyable item list entry is created in response to selection of a buyable item that is visually highlighted within said DTV program content; and

facilitating an order fulfillment process for said selected buyable item in response to said buyable item entry in the buyable item list being selected.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein facilitating the order fulfillment process includes enabling offer information to be accessed through a website.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein:

selection of the buyable item is performed by pressing a designated button on a remote control.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein facilitating the order fulfillment process includes displaying an image depicting the buyable item in its as-presented context within said DTV program content.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein:

selection of the buyable item is performed by pressing a designated button on a remote control.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein facilitating the order fulfillment process includes enabling offer information to be accessed through a website.

24. A Digital Television (DTV) e-commerce network configured for:

highlighting a selectable advertisement offering presented within Digital Television (DTV) program content, wherein said highlighting is performed within presentation of said DTV program content;

creating an entry corresponding to said offering in an offering response data structure during said DTV program content presentation in response to notification of an interest in said offering being transmitted during said DTV program content presentation, wherein said notification being transmitted is facilitated through an DTV infrastructure through which said DTV program content presentation is facilitated; and

providing access to offer fulfillment information corresponding to said offering in response to said offering entry in the offering response data structure being selected.

25. The network of claim 24 wherein:

said offering is for one of a buyable item and a supplemental information relating to said program content; and

at least one of highlighting, creating and providing is performed dependent upon a preference specified in a preference profile.

26. The network of claim 24 wherein said highlighting is performed in response to the selectable advertisement offering corresponding to a category of interests specified in a preference profile.

27. The network of claim 24 wherein highlighting the selectable advertisement offering includes visually highlighting the selectable advertisement offering.

28. The network of claim 24 wherein providing access to said offer information includes enabling said offer information to be accessed through a website.

29. The network of claim 24 being further configured for:

facilitating an order fulfillment process for said offering in response to said offer information being accessed.

30. The network of claim 24 wherein:

said interest notification is transmitted from an DTV control unit connected to a television on which said DTV program content is being presented; and

said interest notification is transmitted in response to a designated signal being received by the DTV control unit from a remote control.

31. The network of claim 30 wherein highlighting the selectable advertisement offering includes visually highlighting the selectable advertisement offering.

32. The network of claim 31 wherein:

the offering response data structure includes a buyable items list; and

the entry corresponding to said offering is a buyable item entry corresponding to a buyable item presented within said DTV program content.

33. The network of claim 32 wherein providing access to said offer information includes displaying an image depicting the buyable item in its as-presented context within said DTV program content.

34. The network of claim 33 being further configured for:

facilitating an order fulfillment process for said offering in response to said offer information being accessed.

35. The network of claim 24 wherein:

the offering response data structure includes a buyable items list; and

the entry corresponding to said offering is a buyable item entry corresponding to a buyable item presented within said DTV program content.

36. The network of claim 35 wherein providing access to said offer information includes displaying an image depicting the buyable item in its as-presented context within said DTV program content.

37. The network of claim 36 being further configured for:

facilitating an order fulfillment process for the buyable item in response to said buyable item entry in the buyable item list being selected.

38. The network of claim 37 wherein providing access to said offer fulfillment information includes enabling said offer information to be accessed through a website.

39. An application server, comprising:

instructions for facilitating creation of an entry in a buyable item list during presentation of program content delivered to a viewer through a computer network system, wherein said offering response data structure entry is created in response to selection of a buyable item that is visually highlighted within said program content; and

instructions for facilitating completion of an order fulfillment process for the selected buyable item in response to said buyable item entry in the buyable item list being selected.

40. The server of claim 39 wherein facilitating the order fulfillment process includes enabling offer information to be accessed through a website.

41. The server of claim 39 wherein:

selection of the buyable item is performed by pressing a designated button on a remote control.

42. The server of claim 39 wherein facilitating the order fulfillment process includes displaying an image depicting the buyable item in its as-presented context within said DTV program content.

43. The server of claim 42 wherein:

selection of the buyable item is performed by pressing a designated button on a remote control.

44. The method of claim 43 wherein facilitating the order fulfillment process includes enabling offer information to be accessed through a website.

45. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

creating an entry in an offering response data structure during presentation of Digital Television (DTV) program content, wherein said offering response data structure entry is created in response to matching a selectable advertisement offering presented within said DTV program content with an interest designated in a preference profile; and

providing access to information corresponding to the selectable advertisement offering in response to selecting said offering response data structure entry.

46. The method of claim 45, further comprising:

facilitating an order fulfillment process for said selected advertisement offering in response to said offering response data structure entry being selected.

47. The method of claim 46 wherein facilitating the order fulfillment process includes enabling offer information to be accessed through a website.

48. The method of claim 46 wherein facilitating the order fulfillment process includes displaying an image depicting the buyable item in its as-presented context within said DTV program content.

49. The method of claim 45 wherein facilitating the order fulfillment process includes enabling offer information to be accessed through a website.

50. The method of claim 45 wherein providing said access includes enabling offer information to be accessed through a website.

51. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

televising program content having an advertisement offering presented therein, wherein the advertisement offering can be acted on via a respective offer fulfillment process;

during said televising, creating an entry in an offering response data structure corresponding to at least one of the advertisement offering and a notification reference point associated with the advertisement offering; and

accessing offer fulfillment information corresponding to the advertisement offering in response to selecting said offering response data structure entry.