PROVIDING VIRTUAL MARKETS FOR VIDEO PROGRAMS

• US 20110055880A1
• Filed: 08/27/2009
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Archer, Donald Gene
• Application Number:
  US12/548,845
• Publication Number:
  US 20110055880A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/87
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• 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 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A network device may receive a request for content from a device, identify a virtual market that is associated with the content by looking up a table entry associating the content with the virtual market, and transmit, to the device, the content and data for creating the virtual market within a memory of the device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a request for content from a device;

identifying a virtual market that is associated with the content by looking up a table entry associating the content with the virtual market; and

transmitting, to the device, the content and data for creating the virtual market within a memory of the device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating the virtual world, the content, and an amount of time for playing the content before the user is presented to the virtual market.

3. A method comprising:

receiving input that specifies content from a user;

sending a request for the content to a content server device;

receiving the content and data that includes information for creating a virtual market in a memory and emulating the virtual market;

emulating the virtual market;

receiving commands from the user for interacting in the virtual market; and

terminating the emulation of the virtual market.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein receiving input includes:

receiving, from a remote control, signals that select the content.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein receiving the content and data includes at least one of:

receiving the data from a content storage device;

or

receiving the data from a content server device.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein sending a request includes:

requesting a video-on-demand service;

or

changing a channel.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein emulating the virtual market includes:

creating a model of the virtual market in the memory; and

providing a view of the model to a user via a content presentation device.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein receiving commands includes:

receiving user input via at least one of a sensory feedback device, remote control, keyboard, mobile phone, or mouse.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein receiving commands includes at least one of:

receiving commands to manipulate virtual objects in the virtual market on behalf of the user;

receiving commands to provide views of the virtual market at different locations in the virtual market;

or

receiving a command to purchasing a product in the virtual market.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein purchasing the product includes at least one of:

accepting an order for the product from the user;

or

sending the order over a network to a provisioning system.

11. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

stopping the content from playing; and

resuming playing the content when the emulation of the virtual market terminates.

12. A system comprising:

a controller to;

receive user input that specifies a unit of content,

send a request for the unit of content over a network,

receive virtual market data that is associated with the unit of content over the network,

emulate a virtual market based on the virtual market data, and

play the unit of content; and

a network device to;

receive the request for the unit of content from the controller,

obtain the unit of content and the virtual market data from a storage device, and

send the unit of content and the virtual market data to the controller.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the controller comprises:

a set-top box;

a cable card;

a computer;

or a digital video disk (DVD) player.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein when the controller emulates a virtual market, the controller is configured to require the user to traverse the virtual market before resuming playing the content.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the unit of content includes at least one of:

a movie, video clip, piece of music, or song.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the virtual market comprises:

a virtual store including virtual products.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the storage device includes at least one of:

videos, the virtual market data, or programs that describe virtual markets.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the network includes:

a passive optical network (PON).

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the virtual market data includes:

a program that, when executed by the controller, creates the virtual market in a memory of the controller.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to:

purchase a product at a provisioning system over a network when a user orders a product via the virtual market.