DISTRIBUTED CONTRIBUTION OF DISPARATE INTERACTIVE ELEMENTS

• US 20110145848A1
• Filed: 12/10/2009
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MobiTV Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MobiTV Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Chung, Do H., Dennedy, Daniel, Moskowitz, Alan
• Granted Patent: US 9,264,159 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/13
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/85 which are mobile communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/91 Mobile communication networks for accessing the Internet H04H60/85

Abstract

Mechanisms are provided for collecting user response information corresponding to a request transmitted as a part of unidirectional media broadcast. Mobile devices used to display media broadcast containing the request, such a survey, are also configured to send information using other communication networks, such as cellular networks. Mobile devices collect users'"'"' responses to the request and send information corresponding to these responses to a response processing server. The response processing server in turn processes the information, generate a report, and transmit this report to the broadcasting service. These reports may be used for a variety of purposes. In one example, reports are used to update broadcasted content such that mobile device user can view results of their responses as a part of the updated broadcast.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

collecting user response information at a response processing server from a plurality of user devices over a cellular network, wherein the user response information corresponds to a request transmitted as a part of media broadcast to the plurality of user devices tuned to a unidirectional broadcast channel provided by a broadcasting service;

processing the user response information based on a predetermined set of criteria;

generating a report based on the user response information; and

transmitting the report to the broadcasting service over a network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the report is used by the broadcasting service to modify the media broadcast transmitted to the plurality of user devices.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is transmitted from the broadcast service to the plurality of user devices using a mobile digital TV transmission protocol.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the mobile digital TV transmission protocol is Advanced Television Systems Committee-Mobile/Handheld (ATSC-M/H) protocol.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the cellular network is a 3G network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user response information is collected over a plurality of cellular networks utilizing one or more of standards selected from the group consisting of TDMA Single-Carrier, CDMA Multi-Carrier, CDMA Direct Spread, CDMA TDD, FDMA/TDMA, and IP-OFDMA.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein information corresponding to the request is displayed on user interfaces of the plurality of user devices tuned to a predetermined TV channel.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is transmitted as a part of the media broadcast for a predetermined duration.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the predetermined duration is between about 3 and 15 seconds.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing of the user response information comprises:

waiting for a predetermined period of time after the transmission of the request;

aggregating data provided in the user response information received during the predetermined period of time; and

filtering the data based on a predetermined factors.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission of the report to the broadcasting service comprises a plurality of transmissions each containing an intermediate report generated based on a sub-set of the user responses collected at the response processing server.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a user device report based on the user response information; and

transmitting the user device report to a subset of the plurality of user devices over the cellular network.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the user device report is in one or more of forms selected from the group consisting of a text message, an e-mail, and a voice mail.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the subset of the plurality of user devices comprises devices tuned away the broadcast channel used to transmit the request before the report is transmitted to the broadcasting service.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the user response information further comprises user demographic information.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the user response information further comprises user device information.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the user response information further comprises user'"'"'s current geographic location.

18. The method of claim 1, the broadcasting service is a content provider.

19. The method of claim 1, the broadcasting service is a service provider.

20. An apparatus comprising:

an input interface operable to collect user response information from a plurality of user devices over a cellular network, wherein the user response information corresponds to a request transmitted as a part of media broadcast to the plurality of user devices tuned to a unidirectional broadcast channel provided by a broadcasting service;

a processor operable to process the user response information based on a predetermined set of criteria and to generate a report based on the user response information; and

an output interface operable to transmit the report to the broadcasting service over a network.

21. A device, comprising:

means for collecting user response information at a response processing server from a plurality of user devices over a cellular network, wherein the user response information corresponds to a request transmitted as a part of media broadcast to the plurality of user devices tuned to a unidirectional broadcast channel provided by a broadcasting service;

means for processing the user response information based on a predetermined set of criteria;

generating a report based on the user response information; and

transmitting the report to the broadcasting service over a network.