METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR CORRELATED INFORMATION SERVICES

• US 20100306792A1
• Filed: 11/08/2007
• Published: 12/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Neocific Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Neocific Incorporated
• Inventors: Lo, Titus, Li, Xiaodong
• Application Number:
  US12/513,660
• Publication Number:
  US 20100306792A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/23
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41422 located in transportation means, e.g. personal vehicle arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/442 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/29; arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information H04H60/35; monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; monitoring in wireless networks H04W24/00
• 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 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed for providing correlated information services with broadcast multimedia content. In conjunction with a broadcast system offering a plurality of primary channels that carry entertainment, informational, and educational multimedia programs, the disclosed systems may provide one or more auxiliary channels containing complementary, correlated, or/and personalized information. Broadcast services are typically carried in a mass distribution system, such as a co-axial cable distribution network, a telephone distribution network, a satellite system, a radio system, a TV broadcast system, or a cellular broadcast system. The one or more auxiliary channels for delivery of the complementary, correlated, and/or personalized information service can be established in the same or different data distribution system, such as a cable modem system, a DSL system, a WiFi network, a WiMAX network, or a wireless data network.

Claims

1. A set-top box for delivering personalized information to a user in conjunction with the delivery of a television segment to the user, the set-top box comprising:

a receiver for receiving the broadcast of a television segment from a broadcast source;

a receiver for receiving the transmission of correlated data from a distribution source, the correlated data delivering supplemental information that is associated with the received television segment;

a transmitter configured to transmit the received television segment to a television display via a wired connection; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the received correlated data to a mobile device via a wireless connection, wherein a portion of the correlated data is selected for display on the mobile device to a user based on a user profile of the user.

2. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the television segment and the correlated data are received via the same distribution network.

3. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the television segment and the correlated data are received via different distribution networks.

4. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the television segment and the correlated data are received at the same time.

5. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the correlated data is received and stored prior to the receipt of the television segment.

6. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the portion of the correlated data that is selected for display to the user is selected prior to transmission of the correlated data to the mobile device.

7. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the portion of the correlated data that is selected for display to the user is selected after transmission of the correlated data to the mobile device.

8. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the user profile contains information about the preferences of the user.

9. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the television segment is a product advertisement and the correlated data contains information about the product contained in the advertisement.

10. The set-top box of claim 9, wherein the information is a coupon.

11. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the television segment is a television program and the correlated data contains additional information about the contents of the television program.

12. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the broadcast source and distribution source are operated by the same party.

13. The set-top box of claim 1, further comprising a receiver configured to receive information about the user from the mobile device via the wireless connection.

14. A method of delivering personalized information to a mobile device that is related to a television segment that is delivered to a user, the method comprising:

receiving a television segment from a broadcast source;

receiving correlated data that delivers supplemental information related to the television segment from a distribution source;

transmitting the received television segment to a television display via a wired connection; and

transmitting the received correlated data to a mobile device via a wireless connection, a portion of the correlated data being selected for display on the mobile device to a user based on a user profile of the user.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the television segment and the correlated data are received at the same time.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the correlated data is received and stored prior to the receipt of the television segment.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the television segment and the correlated data are received via the same distribution network.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the television segment and the correlated data are received via different distribution networks.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the portion of the correlated data that is selected for display to the user is selected prior to transmitting the correlated data to the mobile device.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the portion of the correlated data that is selected for display to the user is selected after transmitting the correlated data to the mobile device.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the user profile contains information about the preferences of the user.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the television segment is a product advertisement and the correlated data contains information about the product contained in the advertisement.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the information is a coupon.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein the television segment is a television program and the correlated data contains additional information about the contents of the television program.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein the broadcast source and distribution source are operated by the same party.

26. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving the user profile transmitted from the mobile device via the wireless connection.

27. A method in a mobile device of delivering personalized information to a user that is related to a television segment concurrently being delivered to the user, the method comprising:

receiving correlated information related to a television segment being displayed to a user;

retrieving a user profile associated with the user that contains information about the preferences of the user;

comparing the preferences of the user contained in the user profile with the received correlated information and identifying a portion of the correlated information that is related to the preferences of the user; and

displaying the identified portion of the correlated information to the user.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the correlated information is received at the same time that the television segment is being displayed to the user.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the correlated information is received prior to the television segment being displayed to the user.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the television segment is a product advertisement and the correlated data contains information about the product contained in the advertisement.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the information is a coupon.

32. The method of claim 27, wherein the television segment is a television program and the correlated data contains additional information about the contents of the television program.

33. The method of claim 27, wherein the correlated information is received from a set-top box.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising transmitting information about the user to the set-top box.