Moderated Interactive Media Sessions

• US 20100070999A1
• Filed: 09/12/2008
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Malik, Dale, Morris, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 8,225,348 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/39
• 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 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Systems and methods to provide interactive moderated collaborative sessions are disclosed. In a particular embodiment, a method is disclosed that includes receiving a media stream and associating moderator controls with the media stream to create an interactive media session. The interactive media session enables multiple remote users to interact with one another with respect to the media stream. The moderator controls enable a moderator to facilitate the interaction of the multiple remote users. The method also includes sending display data to display devices of the multiple remote users. The display data is based on moderator control input received via the moderator controls, interactive input received from the multiple remote users, and the received media stream.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a media stream from a content provider;

associating moderator controls with the media stream to create an interactive media session, wherein the interactive media session enables multiple users to interact with one another with respect to the media stream, and wherein the moderator controls enable a moderator to facilitate the interaction of the multiple users in real-time; and

sending display data to display devices of the multiple users, wherein the display data is based on moderator control input received via the moderator controls, interactive input received from the multiple users, and the received media stream.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the moderator controls include filters to inhibit display of selected types of content in the interactive media session.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the moderator controls include automatic actions to be performed in response to specified conditions that occur during the interactive media session.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the moderator controls include an interface to select a front row of users from the multiple users, wherein interactive input received from the front row of users is included within the display data.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein interactive input received from a user of the multiple users that is not in the front row of users is not included in the display data.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein each of the multiple users is represented by a user avatar, and wherein the display data includes user avatars associated with each user in the front row of users.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein user avatars associated with users of the multiple users that are not in the front row of users are not included in the display data.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising sending the interactive input received from the user that is not in the front row of users to a moderator display device for display to the moderator.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the moderator controls include an interface to rate one of more users of the multiple users based on interactive input received from the one or more users during the media session.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating second display data, wherein the second display data is based on the interactive input received from the multiple users and from the received media stream, and wherein the second display data includes moderator selectable elements associated with the moderator controls.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising associating second moderator controls with a second interactive media session that is communicated concurrently with the first interactive media session, wherein the second moderator controls enable the moderator to facilitate interaction of second users in real-time, wherein the second display data further includes second moderator selectable elements associated with the second moderator controls.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the moderator controls include a provisioning interface to enable distribution of one or more virtual items to one or more of the multiple users.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an interactive input from at least one of the multiple users, and

storing the interactive input in a database with a timestamp indicating a time index of the media stream indicating when the interactive input was received.

14. A system, comprising:

a content interface to receive a media stream including media content;

an interactive media system to receive interaction input from multiple users to interact with one another with respect to the media stream;

a moderator control system to provide moderator controls, wherein the moderator controls enable a moderator to facilitate interaction of the multiple users; and

a display interface to send display data to a moderator display device, wherein the display data includes the media content and includes interaction input received from one or more of the multiple users and from a moderator control panel, wherein the moderator control panel includes selectable elements associated with the moderator controls.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising an invitation engine, wherein the invitation engine sends interaction invitations to users of the interactive media system, the interaction invitations inviting the users to interact with the multiple users with respect to the media stream.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the display interface sends second display data to user devices of the multiple users, wherein the second display data includes user avatars associated with one or more of the multiple users based on settings of the moderator controls.

17. The system of claim 14, further comprising an invitation engine, wherein the invitation engine sends interaction invitations to one or more moderators of the interactive media system, the interaction invitations inviting the one or more moderators to moderate interactions with respect to the media stream.

18. The system of claim 14, further comprising a rating engine to receive input rating one or more of the multiple users.

19. The system of claim 14, further comprising a rating engine to receive input rating a moderator.

20. The system of claim 14, further comprising a search engine to facilitate selection of a moderator, wherein the search engine accesses moderator profiles associated with one or more moderators and sends the moderator profiles to one or more of the multiple users.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the moderator profiles includes saved portions of interactive media sessions previously facilitated by the respective moderator.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the moderator profiles further include user comments associated with the saved portions of the interactive media sessions and portions of media content associated with the saved portions of the interactive media sessions.

23. The system of claim 14, further comprising an electronic program guide (EPG) module, wherein the EPG module generates EPG display data including one or more moderator profiles.

24. The system of claim 14, wherein the interactive media system comprises an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) system.

25. The system of claim 14, further comprising an availability module to provide presence information with respect to one or more users, wherein the presence information indicates whether the one or more users are available for interaction.

26. The system of claim 14, further comprising an availability module to provide availability information with respect to one or more moderators, wherein the availability information indicates whether the one or more moderators are available to moderate an interactive media session.

27. A computer-readable medium, comprising:

instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to associate a set of moderator controls with a media stream, and to receive a media stream to create an interactive media session, wherein the interactive media session enables multiple users to interact with one another with respect to the media stream and wherein the set of moderator controls enable a moderator to facilitate the interaction of the multiple users during display of the media steam; and

instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to send display data to display devices of the multiple users, wherein the display data is based on moderator control input received via the moderator controls, interactive input received from the multiple users, and based on the received media stream.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to send moderator display data to the display devices of one or more of the multiple users, wherein the moderator display data identifies moderators available to moderate the interactive media session.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to send moderator display data to the display devices of one or more of the multiple users, wherein the moderator display data indicates a fee charged by a moderator to moderate the interactive media session.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to send moderator display data to the display devices of one or more users of the multiple users, wherein the moderator display data indicates whether the one or more users are authorized to participate in the interactive media session moderated by a particular moderator.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to invite one or more available users to join the interactive media session based on group search information associated with one or more available users.