SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR COMMERCE IN MEDIA PROGRAM RELATED MERCHANDISE

• US 20100198691A1
• Filed: 03/31/2010
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UV Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Yates, Doug
• Granted Patent: US 8,612,310 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.58
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• 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 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• 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 21/6582 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 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence

Abstract

The disclosed technology provides systems and methods for delivering a media program and purchase opportunities related to the media program to user equipment. A media program and its related merchandise information can be located at a distribution facility. The distribution facility can tailor the purchase opportunities it provides to the user equipment based on the user equipment'"'"'s equipment category. When user equipment receives purchase opportunities, the user equipment can select the opportunities based on which types of merchandise are supported by the user equipment. The user equipment and/or a distribution facility may be able to determine the location of the user equipment. When the distribution facility provides merchandise information for physical merchandise to the user equipment, the merchandise information can be selected to include physical merchandise that are available for purchase at stores that are, for example, near the location of the user equipment.

Claims

1-32. -32. (canceled)

33. A method for providing a media program and merchandise information for physical merchandise related to the media program, comprising:

receiving a requested media program associated with a user equipment;

determining a location of the user equipment;

selecting physical merchandise based on the relative locations of the user equipment and the physical merchandise, wherein the merchandise is related to the requested media program;

accessing merchandise information for the selected physical merchandise, wherein the merchandise information specifies a location where the physical merchandise is available for purchase; and

communicating the merchandise information to the user equipment.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein determining a location of the user equipment comprises computing the location of the user equipment using location triangulation.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein selecting physical merchandise comprises selecting physical merchandise which meet at least one location criterion associated with the relative locations of the user equipment and the physical merchandise.

36. The method of claim 33, further comprising periodically re-determining the location of the user equipment.

45. The method of claim 35, wherein the location criterion comprises at least one of:

the location of the physical merchandise matching a zip code of the location of the user equipment, the location of the physical merchandise matching a neighboring zip code of the location of the user equipment, the location of the physical merchandise being within a particular distance radius of the user equipment.

37. A system for providing a media program and merchandise information for physical merchandise related to the media program, comprising:

a communication circuit configured to;

receive a requested media program associated with a user equipment, and

communicate merchandise information related to a media program to the user equipment;

a location determination circuit configured to determine a location of the user equipment;

a storage configured to store;

at least one location criterion, and

merchandise information for physical merchandise, wherein the physical merchandise is related to the requested media program and the merchandise information specifies a location where the physical merchandise is available for purchase; and

a processor that executes machine instructions to select physical merchandise based on the relative locations of the user equipment and the physical merchandise and access the stored merchandise information for the selected physical merchandise.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the location determination circuit is configured to determine the location of the user equipment by computing the location of the user using location triangulation.

39. The system of claim 37, wherein the processor executes machine instructions to select physical merchandise which meet at least one location criterion associated with the relative locations of the user equipment and the physical merchandise.

40. The system of claim 37, wherein the location determination circuit is configured to periodically re-determine the location of the user equipment.

46. The system of claim 39, wherein the location criterion comprises at least one of:

the location of the physical merchandise matching a zip code of the location of the user equipment, the location of the physical merchandise matching a neighboring zip code of the location of the user equipment, the location of the physical merchandise being within a particular distance radius of the user equipment.

41. A method for providing a media program and merchandise information for physical merchandise related to the media program through an interactive program guide, comprising:

receiving a requested media program associated with a user equipment implementing an interactive program guide;

determining a location of the user equipment;

selecting physical merchandise based on the relative locations of the user equipment and the physical merchandise, wherein the merchandise is related to the requested media program;

accessing merchandise information for the selected physical merchandise, wherein the merchandise information specifies a location where the physical merchandise is available for purchase; and

communicating the merchandise information to the user equipment.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein determining a location of the user equipment comprises computing the location of the user equipment using location triangulation.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein selecting physical merchandise comprises selecting physical merchandise which meet at least one location criterion associated with the relative locations of the user equipment and the physical merchandise.

44. The method of claim 41, further comprising periodically re-determining the location of the user equipment.

47. The method of claim 41, wherein the location criterion comprises at least one of:

the location of the physical merchandise matching a zip code of the location of the user equipment, the location of the physical merchandise matching a neighboring zip code of the location of the user equipment, the location of the physical merchandise being within a particular distance radius of the user equipment.