Entertainment Content Rendering Application

• US 20120174158A1
• Filed: 08/29/2011
• Published: 07/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mowrey, David, Poffenberger, Laura
• Granted Patent: US 9,788,041 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/251 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies details of learning user preferences for the retrieval of video data in a video database G06F16/739; computer systems using learning methods G06N3/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• 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 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program

Abstract

Methods and system for generating companion content for rendering on a secondary device during presentation of content on a main device include detecting execution of a local application on the secondary device by a server application. The local application establishes a wireless connection through an application programming interface (API) with the secondary device and a device that interfaces with the main device and accesses metadata defining content being rendered on the main device. The local application transmits the metadata received from the device to the server application. Historical data is generated based on the metadata received from the secondary device. The metadata within the historical data is analyzed to identify surfing paths of one or more users over time. Companion content is generated based on the surfing paths of the one or more users and forwarded to the secondary device for rendering while the secondary device is connected to the device that interfaces with the main device.

Claims

1. A method for generating companion content for rendering on a secondary device during presentation of content on a main device, comprising:

for a plurality of users,

detecting execution of a local application on the secondary device by a server application, the local application establishing a wireless connection between the secondary device and a device that interfaces with the main device, the local application connecting through an application programming interface (API) to access the device that interfaces with the main device, the API providing access to metadata regarding content being rendered on the main device and access to control selection of what is to be rendered on the main device, wherein the local application is interfaced over the internet with the server application;

communicating with the local application over the internet to receive at least a portion of the metadata from the secondary device, wherein the portion of metadata includes the metadata associated with switch streams received from the device that interfaces with the main device and metadata associated with the secondary device;

generating historical data associated with the plurality of users using the metadata received from the secondary device;

analyzing the metadata within the historical data to identify user attributes of each of the plurality of users and surfing paths followed by the plurality of users over time;

generating companion content for a particular user based on the surfing paths followed by the plurality of users; and

forwarding the companion content to the local application for rendering on the secondary device associated with the particular user while the secondary device is connected to the device that interfaces with the main device rendering the content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user attributes include user demographic data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the metadata further includes,

mining the historical data for a specific period to identify metadata of one or more of the plurality of users based on the user attributes of the plurality of users;

identifying navigation paths followed by the one or more of the plurality of users over time using the metadata mined from the historical data, the navigation paths identifying the content selected by the one or more of the plurality of users on the main device;

constructing point-to-point transitions associated with the one or more of the plurality of users using the navigation paths and the metadata; and

analyzing the point-to-point transitions associated with the one or more of the plurality of users using analysis metrics to determine a predictive pattern of viewing of the one or more of the plurality of users, the predictive pattern defining the surfing paths of the one or more of the plurality of users.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating companion content further includes,

determining content available for rendering on the main device for a given period based on the viewing metrics of the plurality of users;

and

collecting the companion content from the available content for returning to the secondary device.

5. The method of claim 1 further includes,

detecting changes to the metadata received from the secondary device, wherein the changes to the metadata include changes to one or more user attributes of one or more of the plurality of users or changes to the content selected for rendering at the main device by one or more of the plurality of users;

and

refining the companion content forwarded to the secondary device based on the changes to the user attributes of the one or more of the plurality of users or to the content selected for rendering.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating companion content further includes,

identifying a promotional media based on any one of the companion content generated, user attributes of a particular user or secondary device of the particular user;

and

integrating the promotional media into the companion content returned to the secondary device for rendering.

7. A method for generating companion content for rendering on a secondary device during presentation of content on a main device, comprising:

detecting execution of a local application on the secondary device by a server application, the local application establishing a wireless connection between the secondary device and a device that interfaces with the main device, the local application connecting through an application programming interface (API) to access the device that interfaces with the main device, the API providing access to metadata regarding content being rendered on the main device and access to control selection of what is to be rendered on the main device, wherein the local application is interfaced over the internet with the server application;

communicating with the local application over the internet to receive at least a portion of the metadata from the secondary device, wherein the portion of metadata includes the metadata received from the device that interfaces with the main device and metadata associated with the secondary device;

generating historical data for the particular user based on the metadata received from the secondary device;

analyzing the metadata within the historical data to identify user attributes of the particular user and surfing path followed by the particular user over time;

generating companion content based on the surfing path followed by the particular user; and

forwarding the companion content to the local application for rendering on the secondary device while the secondary device is connected to the device that interfaces with the main device rendering the content,

wherein the secondary device is associated with the particular user.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the user attributes define user demographic data.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the analysis of the metadata further includes,

determining navigation path followed by the particular user over time by mining the historical data, the navigation path identifying point-to-point traversals performed by the particular user based on the content selected by the particular user on the main device;

analyzing the navigation path of the particular user using analysis metrics to determine a predictive pattern of viewing of the particular user, the predictive pattern defining the surfing path of the particular user.

10. The method of claim 7 further includes,

detecting changes to the metadata received from the secondary device, the changes to the metadata include changes to one or more of the user attributes of the particular user or changes to the content selected for rendering at the main device;

and

refining the companion content returned to the secondary device dynamically based on the changes to the user attributes of the particular user or to the content selected for rendering.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein generating companion content further includes,

identifying a promotional media based on the user attributes of the particular user;

and

integrating the promotional media into the companion content returned to the secondary device for rendering.

12. A system for providing companion content at a secondary device for a content being rendered on a main device, comprising:

a local application executing on the secondary device, the local application configured to,

establish a wireless connection between the secondary device and a device that interfaces with the main device, wherein the local application connects to an application programming interface (API) of the device that interfaces with the main device;

detect data associated with the content being rendered on the main device through the wireless connection, wherein the local application is configured to receive data regarding the content being rendered on the main device and provide access to control selection of what is being rendered on the main device through the API of the device, wherein the data includes switch streams that identifies metadata associated with the content being rendered on the main device;

process at least a portion of the metadata locally in substantial real-time;

communicate with a server application over the internet to obtain the companion content using the metadata from the switch streams, wherein the server application is configured to analyze the metadata received from the secondary device to generate companion content that relates to the content being rendered on the main device; and

render the companion content on the secondary device while the content is being rendered on the main device,

wherein the analyzing of the metadata detects changes in the content being rendered on the main device, the detected changes results in changes to the companion content that is rendered on the secondary device.

13. The system of claim 12 further includes a repository to store the companion content of the secondary device.

14. A system for generating companion content for a secondary device based on content being rendered on a main device having a display, comprising:

a server application executing on a server, the server application configured to,

detect execution of a local application on the secondary device, wherein the local application establishes a wireless communication connection between the secondary device and a device that interfaces with the main device, the local application connects to an application programming interface (API) of the device to access the device, the API of the device provides metadata regarding content being rendered on the main device through switch streams and access to control selection of what is being rendered on the main device through the wireless communication connection, wherein the server application is interfaced with the local application executing on the secondary device over the internet;

receive the metadata from the local application executing on the secondary device in substantial real-time;

generate historical data using the metadata received from the local application;

analyze at least part of the metadata within the historical data to produce companion content;

return the companion content to the local application on the secondary device for rendering in substantial real-time; and

detect changes in the content being rendered on the main device based in part on the analysis of the metadata obtained from the local application, the detection of changes in the content is used to refine the companion content being returned to the local application, wherein the companion content rendered on the secondary device is refreshed from time to time based on detected changes in the content being rendered on the main device.

15. The system of claim 14 further includes a repository for storing the historical data for subsequent mining.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the server application is further configured to interact with a promotional media provider to identify and integrate one or more promotional media into the companion content, the identification of the promotional media based at least in part on any one of multimedia content within the companion content, a particular user associated with the secondary device or the secondary device.