Offering Items Identified in a Media Stream

• US 20110167456A1
• Filed: 01/07/2010
• Published: 07/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schermerhorn, Charles Porter, Kokenos, Danae M., Tavis, Matthew T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,627,379 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/60
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• 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

Abstract

Disclosed herein are techniques to enable users to purchase or receive information regarding items identified in a stream output by a content output device, regardless of whether the users are previously associated with the content output device or a device that monitors the stream. With these techniques, for instance, a user watching a video stream displayed on a television may see an advertisement for an item offered for purchase. In response, the user may choose to initiate a purchase of the item from an item offering service, to add the item to a shopping cart of the user at the item offering service, or to receive information regarding the item from the item offering service.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

monitoring, by a device that is coupled to a content output device, a stream being output by the content output device;

detecting when the stream outputs an advertisement for an item offered for sale;

receiving a request to initiate a purchase of the item for sale from the advertisement;

at least partly in response to the receiving of the request, facilitating entry of an identifier of a user associated with the request;

receiving, at the device that is monitoring the stream, the identifier of the user associated with the request; and

providing (i) the identifier of the user or another identifier of the user, and (ii) an identifier of the item for sale to a retailer offering the item.

2. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the device that is coupled to the content output device is integral with or separate from the content output device.

3. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the content output device comprises a television, a radio, a kiosk or a personal computing device.

4. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the stream comprises an audio stream or a video stream.

5. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the stream comprises a video stream, and wherein the device that is coupled to the content output device is a set-top box that receives the stream being output by the content output device before causing output of the video stream by the content output device.

6. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the stream comprises a video stream, and wherein the facilitating entry of the identifier of the user comprises causing display on the content output device of an overlay to the video stream, the overlay facilitating textual entry of the identifier of the user.

7. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the identifier of the user comprises an email address, a phone number, a user account name or a phrase associated with the user.

8. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the device that is coupled to the content output device is unassociated with the user identified by the identifier prior to the entry of the identifier.

9. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the request to initiate the purchase of the item is received at the device coupled to the content output device via an input device configured to control the content output device via the device.

10. One or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

monitoring, by a device that is coupled to a content output device, a stream being output by the content output device;

identifying an offer from within the stream being output by the content output device;

receiving, at the device that is that is coupled to the content output device, a request from a user to receive at least one of information or an item that is associated with the identified offer,

at least partly in response to the receiving of the request, facilitating entry of an identifier associated with the user making the request;

receiving, at the device that is coupled to the content output device, the identifier associated with the user; and

providing, to an entity configured to fulfill the request;

(i) the request for the information or the item, and (ii) the identifier or another identifier associated with the user.

11. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein the identifying of the offer comprises monitoring the stream to detect an advertisement for an item offered for sale.

12. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 11, wherein the request comprises a request for information about the item in the advertisement or a request to purchase the item in the advertisement.

13. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein the entity that is configured to fulfill the request is separate from a content provider that provides the stream.

14. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein the entity that is configured to fulfill the request is also a content provider that provides the stream.

15. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein:

the identifying of the offer comprises monitoring the stream to detect an advertisement for an item offered for sale;

the request comprises a request for information about the item in the advertisement or a request to purchase the item in the advertisement; and

the entity that is configured to fulfill the request is separate from a content provider that provides the stream.

16. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein the device that is coupled to the content output device is a set-top box that receives the stream being output by the content output device before causing output of the stream by the content output device.

17. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein the identifier of the user comprises an email address, a phone number, a user account name or a phrase associated with the user.

18. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein the stream comprises a video stream, and wherein the facilitating entry of the user identifier comprises causing display on the content output device of an overlay to the video stream, the overlay facilitating textual entry of the identifier of the user.

19. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein the facilitating entry of the user identifier comprises facilitating textual or audible entry of the user identifier.

20. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein the device that is coupled to the content output device is free from a linking to a user account of the user at the entity that is configured to fulfill the request.

21. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein the offer comprises a first offer and the user comprises a first user, and further storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

identifying a second offer from within the stream being output by the content output device;

receiving, at the device that is coupled to the content output device, a request from a second user to receive information or an item associated with the identified second offer;

at least partly in response to the receiving of the request from the second user, facilitating entry of an identifier associated with the second user making the request;

receiving, at the device that is that is coupled to the content output device, an identifier associated with the second user; and

providing, to the entity configured to fulfill the request;

(i) the request for the information or the item, and (ii) the identifier or another identifier associated with the second user.

22. A method comprising:

under control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions,

receiving, from a device coupled to a content output device and over a first communication channel, an identifier of a first user and an identifier of a first item identified in a stream output by the content output device;

sending, over a second communication channel that is different than the first communication channel, a message to the first user regarding the first item;

receiving, from the device coupled to the content output device and over the first communication channel, an identifier of a second, different user and an identifier of a second item identified in the stream output by the content output device; and

sending, over a third communication channel that is at least different than the first communication channel, a message to the second user regarding the second item.

23. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein the content output device comprises a personal computing device, a television or a radio.

24. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein the device coupled to the content output device monitors the stream being output by the content output device to identify the first and second items within the stream.

25. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein the stream comprises a video stream, and wherein the device coupled to the content output device comprises a set-top box or a game console that receives the video stream being displayed by the content output device before causing display of the video stream on the content output device.

26. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein the device coupled to the content output device is integral with the content output device.

27. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein the second communication channel is the same as the third communication channel.

28. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein the message sent to the first user comprises a request to approve a purchase of regarding the first item identified in the stream being output by the content output device.

29. A method as recited in claim 28, further comprising:

receiving, from the first user, an approval of the purchase of the first item; and

at least partly in response to the receiving of the approval, completing the purchase and initiating fulfillment of the first item.

30. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein the message sent to the first user comprises information regarding the first item identified in the stream being output by the content output device.

31. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein the message sent to the first user comprises an indication that the first item has been added to a shopping cart associated with the first user.

32. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein the sending of the message to the first user over the second communication channel comprises sending an email to the first user, sending a short messaging service (SMS) text message to the first user, sending a multimedia messaging service (MMS) text message to the first user, or sending a message to an account associated with the first user and accessible to the first user over a public network.

33. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein an entity that offers the first item receives the identifier of the first user, and further comprising:

at least partly in response to the receiving of the identifier of the first user;

mapping the identifier of the first user to an account of the first user at the entity; and

determining a preference of the first user stored in the account of the first user at the entity;

and wherein the second communication channel used to send the message is identified based at least in part on the determined preference of the first user.