Providing a Dedicated Channel Accessible to a Group of Users

• US 20110078716A1
• Filed: 09/25/2009
• Published: 03/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2009
• 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: MacWan, Sanjay
• Granted Patent: US 9,160,975 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/32 Arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations, e.g. malfunction or breakdown of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/44226 on social networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 Games
• 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 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 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

A system includes a service provider network configured to communicate with a plurality of television-based user devices. The system also includes a database storing a status of user activity with respect to each of the plurality of television-based user devices and storing indicators of user-defined relationships between respective users of the plurality of television-based user devices. The system further includes a dedicated channel accessible to a group of users of the plurality of television-based user devices. The dedicated channel is arranged to enable interactive activity between members of the group.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a service provider network configured to communicate with a plurality of television-based user devices;

a database storing a status of user activity with respect to each of the plurality of television-based user devices and storing indicators of user-defined relationships between respective users of the plurality of television-based user devices, the database coupled to the service provider network; and

a dedicated channel accessible to a group of users of the plurality of television-based user devices based on the user-defined relationships, the dedicated channel arranged to enable an interactive activity between members of the group.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the service provider network is an internet protocol television (IPTV) network or a cable television network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the status of user activity is determined by monitoring a set-top box activity or a channel changing activity.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the status of user activity is determined by a user of one of the plurality of television-based user devices.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the indicators of user-defined relationships are determined by a user inviting one or more other users to become members of the group.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein a user invites one or more members of the group to participate in the interactive activity by sending an invitation to the one or more members of the group based on the status of user activity of each of the one or more members of the group.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the one or more members of the group have an option to accept the invitation, decline the invitation, or ignore the invitation.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the interactive activity comprises one or more of video conferencing, game playing, picture sharing, watching particular content, or recommending content.

9. A method comprising:

storing a status of user activity with respect to each of a plurality of television-based user devices in a database coupled to a service provider network;

storing indicators of user-defined relationships between respective users of the plurality of television-based user devices in the database;

providing a dedicated channel accessible to a group of users of the plurality of television-based user devices based on the user-defined relationships; and

enabling an interactive activity between members of the group via the dedicated channel.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the service provider network is an internet protocol television (IPTV) network or a cable television network.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining the status of user activity by monitoring a set-top box activity or a channel changing activity.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the status of user activity for a particular device of the plurality of television-based user devices is determined by a user of the particular device.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining the indicators of the user-defined relationships by having a user invite one or more other users to become members of the group.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein a user invites one or more members of the group to participate in the interactive activity by sending an invitation to the one or more members of the group based on the status of user activity of each of the one or more members of the group.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more members of the group have an option to accept the invitation, decline the invitation, or ignore the invitation.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the interactive activity comprises one or more of video conferencing, game playing, picture sharing, watching particular content, or recommending content.

17. A system comprising:

a service provider network;

an active database storing a status of user activity with respect to each of a plurality of television-based user devices supported by the service provider network and storing indicators of user-defined relationships between respective users of the plurality of television-based user devices, the active database coupled to the service provider network; and

a dedicated user-defined channel accessible to a IPTV/CATV enabled social networking group of users of the plurality of television-based user devices, the IPTV/CATV enabled social networking group associated with the user-defined relationships, the dedicated user-defined channel to enable at least one interactive activity between members of the IPTV/CATV enabled social networking group.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the status of user activity is determined by monitoring a set-top box activity or a channel changing activity or is determined by a user of one of the plurality of television-based user devices.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the indicators of the user-defined relationships are determined by a user inviting one or more other users to become members of the IPTV/CATV enabled social networking group.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein a user invites one or more members of the IPTV/CATV enabled social networking group to participate in the interactive activity by sending an invitation to the one or more members of the IPTV/CATV enabled social networking group, wherein the one or more members of the IPTV/CATV enabled social networking group have an option to accept the invitation, decline the invitation, or ignore the invitation, and wherein the at least one interactive activity comprises one or more of video conferencing, game playing, picture sharing, watching particular content, or recommending content.