METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING PERSONALIZED SUPPLEMENTAL PROGRAMMING
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A set-top box comprising:
- a receiver to receive primary programming;
an electronic program guide, the electronic program guide containing descriptive information regarding programs of the primary programming;
a supplemental programming database having content criteria and associated supplemental programming, the supplemental programming being programming that supplements the primary programming;
a processor agent to evaluate the descriptive information of the electronic program guide for a selected program using the content criteria and to identify the supplemental programming associated with the used content criteria using the database;
a delivery module, coupled to the processing agent, to provide the identified supplemental programming to an element of an entertainment system together with the selected program.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for providing personalized supplemental programming is provided. In one embodiment, the invention can include searching text for a keyword, the text associated with primary programming to be provided to an element of an entertainment system, accessing a database upon finding the keyword, retrieving content associated with the keyword from the database, combining the retrieved content with the primary programming to generate combined programming, and providing the combined programming to the element of the entertainment system.
-
Citations
24 Claims
-
1. A set-top box comprising:
-
a receiver to receive primary programming; an electronic program guide, the electronic program guide containing descriptive information regarding programs of the primary programming; a supplemental programming database having content criteria and associated supplemental programming, the supplemental programming being programming that supplements the primary programming; a processor agent to evaluate the descriptive information of the electronic program guide for a selected program using the content criteria and to identify the supplemental programming associated with the used content criteria using the database; a delivery module, coupled to the processing agent, to provide the identified supplemental programming to an element of an entertainment system together with the selected program. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
-
-
8. An apparatus comprising:
-
an electronic program guide, the electronic program guide containing descriptive information regarding programs of primary programming; a supplemental programming database including supplemental programming content associated with search criteria; a search engine to search the descriptive information based on the criteria, the criteria being satisfied when it is associated with descriptive information that describes primary programming being provided to an element of an entertainment system; a processor agent, communicatively coupled to the search engine, the processor agent to access the supplemental programming database upon the criteria being satisfied, to retrieve supplemental programming content associated with the criteria from the database, and to combine the retrieved content with the respective primary programming; and a delivery component, communicatively coupled to the processor agent, the delivery component to provide the combined programming to a tangible element of the entertainment system. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
-
-
19. A method comprising:
-
receiving primary programming; searching descriptive information of an electronic programming guide based on search criteria, the criteria being satisfied when it is associated with descriptive information that describes primary programming being provided to an element of an entertainment system, the descriptive information being information of an electronic program guide and describing programs of the primary programming, the search criteria being of a supplemental programming database including supplemental programming content associated with the search criteria; accessing the supplemental programming database upon the criteria being satisfied, to retrieve supplemental programming content associated with the criteria from the database; combining the retrieved content with the respective primary programming program; and providing the combined programming to a tangible element of the entertainment system. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
-
-
22. A machine-readable medium, having stored thereon data representing sequences of instructions which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:
-
receiving primary programming; searching descriptive information of an electronic programming guide based on search criteria, the criteria being satisfied when it is associated with descriptive information that describes primary programming being provided to an element of an entertainment system, the descriptive information being information of an electronic program guide and describing programs of the primary programming, the search criteria being of a supplemental programming database including supplemental programming content associated with the search criteria; accessing the supplemental programming database upon the criteria being satisfied, to retrieve supplemental programming content associated with the criteria from the database; combining the retrieved content with the respective primary programming program; and providing the combined programming to a tangible element of the entertainment system. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
-
Specification