PROVIDING ALTERNATIVE PROGRAMMING ON A RADIO IN RESPONSE TO USER INPUT

• US 20100105315A1
• Filed: 10/26/2009
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cufer Asset Ltd LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Refractor Applications LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Albrett, Adam
• Granted Patent: US 8,290,425 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/3.40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/106 Receiver-side switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/26 Arrangements for switching distribution systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/31 using in-band signals, e.g. subsonic or cue signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/34 using an out-of-band subcarrier signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/16 on playing information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/23 using cryptography, e.g. encryption, authentication, key distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/40 for identifying broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/43 for identifying broadcast channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/72 using electronic programme guides [EPG] focusing on identifying broadcast space time H04H60/39 ; menu type display of EPG in television receivers H04N21/47
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/74 using programme related information, e.g. title, composer or interpreter
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/80 characterised by transmission among terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 : Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 : Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/472 : End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 : for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 : Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• 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 21/8113 : comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method of and apparatus for allowing a user using a communications device to interact with first media material that is broadcast on a first broadcast channel by a first broadcast media source and second media material that is broadcast on a second broadcast channel by a second broadcast media source, the first media material and the second media material include a first media item and a second media item, respectively, the first media item and the second media item are associated with a first representation of the first media item and a representation of the second media item, respectively, that are received and presented by a broadcast reception device while the broadcast reception device is tuned to a third broadcast channel. The method includes maintaining in a temporary storage an item identifier, the item identifier identifies one of a first media item-related information and a second media item-related information. Additionally, when the broadcast reception device is tuned to the third broadcast channel and presents the first representation of the first media item, the method includes providing the item identifier as a basis for identifying the first media item-related information, the first media item-related information is a basis for a response to an interactivity activation made in reaction to presentation of the first representation of the first media item by the broadcast reception device. When the broadcast reception device is tuned to the third broadcast channel and presents the first representation of the second media item, the method includes providing the item identifier as a basis for identifying the second media item-related information, the second media item-related information is a basis for a response to an interactivity activation made in reaction to presentation of the representation of the second media item by the broadcast reception device.

Claims

1. A method for automatically substituting programming with alternative programming, comprising:

receiving information indicating a first item of programming for playback at a radio;

automatically determining whether the first item of programming is acceptable, wherein said automatically determining does not receive user input directly specifying whether the first item of programming is acceptable; and

in response to determining that the first item of programming is not acceptable, providing playback of alternative programming on the radio instead of the first item of programming.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said providing playback of the alternative programming is provided from a digital media source in communication with the radio.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first item of programming is received for immediate playback.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said automatically determining is performed using programming acceptability information of a current user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the alternative programming meets minimum time spacing constraints, wherein the minimum time spacing constraints are used to prevent items recently heard from being heard again in a certain period of time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the alternative programming meets minimum time spacing constraints, wherein the minimum time spacing constraints are used to prevent items recently heard from being heard again in a certain period of time.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the alternative programming has a length of time that is close to the length of time of the first item of programming.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first item of programming comprises an advertisement.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the alternative programming comprises one or more songs.

10. A memory medium storing program instructions for automatically substituting programming with alternative programming, wherein the program instructions are executable to:

receive information indicating a first item of programming for playback;

automatically determine whether the first item of programming is acceptable, wherein said automatically determining does not receive user input directly specifying whether the first item of programming is acceptable; and

in response to determining that the first item of programming is not acceptable, provide playback of alternative programming instead of the first item of programming.

11. The memory medium of claim 10, wherein said providing playback of the alternative programming is provided from a digital media source.

12. The memory medium of claim 10, wherein the first item of programming is received for immediate playback.

13. The memory medium of claim 10, wherein said automatically determining is performed using programming acceptability information of a current user.

14. The memory medium of claim 10, wherein the alternative programming has a length of time that is close to the length of time of the first item of programming.

15. A system, comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) antenna configured to receive radio signals from radio stations;

a memory;

an input for receiving user input to control operation of the radio;

an output for providing audio signals to one or more speakers; and

processing logic coupled to the RF antenna, the memory, the input, and the output, wherein the processing logic is configured to;

receive information indicating a first item of programming for playback;

automatically determine whether the first item of programming is acceptable, wherein said automatically determining does not receive user input directly specifying whether the first item of programming is acceptable; and

in response to determining that the first item of programming is not acceptable and that the memory has stored therein one or more audio files, process a first audio file of the one or more audio files to provide audio file audio signals to the output, wherein the audio file audio signals correspond to an alternative item of programming

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first item of programming is received for immediate playback via the RF antenna after said receiving the information.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein said automatically determining is performed using programming acceptability information of a current user, wherein the acceptability information is stored in the memory.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the alternative programming has a length of time that is close to the length of time of the first item of programming.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the first item of programming comprises an advertisement.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the alternative programming comprises one or more songs.