SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ACTIVELY MANAGING PLAY BACK OF DEMO CONTENT BY A DISPLAY DEVICE BASED ON CUSTOMER ACTIONS

• US 20110149160A1
• Filed: 12/21/2009
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Candelore, Brant L., Shintani, Peter
• Application Number:
  US12/643,746
• Publication Number:
  US 20110149160A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/564
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/176 Dynamic expression
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44213 Monitoring of end-user related data arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4508 Management of client data or end-user data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

An embodiment of the invention involves an apparatus, such as a television, that comprises a memory, an optical sensor and a processor. The optical sensor is configured to capture at least one image present in front of the apparatus. The processor is coupled to the optical sensor. The processor is configured to (i) analyze the at least one image and determine if the at least one image depicts a specific action, (ii) render a first type of content for a first time period in lieu of rendering a second type of content that is rendered by the processor at times when the specified action is not detected, and (iii) render the second type of content for a second period of time after the first period of time for rendering the first type of content has elapsed, potentially even if another the specified action is detected during the second period of time. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method for automatically controlling a display device to display demo content intermittently between segments of streaming advertising content, the method comprising:

receiving advertising content;

displaying the advertising content by the display device;

monitoring for a first visual triggering event by an optical sensor of the display device, the first visual triggering event being at least one image visually captured by the optical sensor that prompts play back of the demo content;

automatically displaying the demo content for a first predetermined period of time, the first predetermined time period being less than fifteen minutes; and

continuing the display of the streaming advertising content by the display device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to monitoring for the first visual triggering event, the method further comprises:

displaying a text message over a portion of the advertising content, the text message requesting a viewer of the display device to perform a particular action.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the monitoring of the first visual triggering event includes capturing the at least one image and analyzing the at least one image to determine if the image captures the viewer performing the particular action requested in the text message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring of the first visual triggering event includes capturing the at least one image on the optical sensor being an integrated component of the display device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second predetermined period of time is greater in duration than the first predetermined period of time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to automatically displaying the demo content for the first predetermined period of time, the method further comprises:

repeating to monitor for a second visual triggering event, and upon detecting of the second visual triggering event, the demo content is automatically displayed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the display of the streaming advertising content by the display device occurs for a second predetermined period of time even if a second visual triggering event is detected during the second predetermined period of time.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second predetermined period of time is less than the first predetermined period of time.

9. A software stored within a memory and executed by a processor implemented within a display device being an electronic device with display capability, to perform the operations of:

displaying advertising content by the display device, the advertising content being routed from a first storage device that is remotely located from the display device;

monitoring for a first visual triggering event by an optical sensor of the display device, the first visual triggering event being at least one image visually captured by the optical sensor that signals the processor to play back demo content from a second storage device separate from the first storage device;

automatically displaying the demo content for a first predetermined period of time; and

continuing the display of the streaming advertising content by the display device for a second predetermined period of time even if a second visual triggering event is detected during the second predetermined period of time.

10. The software of claim 9, wherein during display of the advertising content and execution by the processor, performs an operation of displaying a text message over a portion of the advertising content, the text message requesting a viewer of the display device to perform a particular action.

11. The software of claim 10, wherein the monitoring for the first visual triggering event caused by execution of the software by the processor performs an operation of capturing the at least one image and analyzing the at least one image to determine if the at least one image captures the viewer performing the particular action requested in the text message.

12. The software of claim 9, wherein the monitoring of the first visual triggering event caused by execution of the software includes capturing of the at least one image on the optical sensor being an integrated component of the display device.

13. The software of claim 9, wherein the second predetermined period of time is greater in duration than the first predetermined period of time.

14. An apparatus comprising:

a memory;

an optical sensor to capture at least one image present in front of the apparatus;

a processor coupled to the optical sensor, the processor to (i) analyze the at least one image and determine if the at least one image depicts a specific action, (ii) render a first type of content for a first time period in lieu of rendering a second type of content that is rendered by the processor at times when the specified action is not detected, and (iii) render the second type of content for a second period of time after the first period of time for rendering the first type of content has elapsed regardless if another the specified action is detected during the second period of time.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor further renders the first type of content after the second period of time has elapsed and the specified action is again detected.