Method and Apparatus for Providing Personalized Supplemental Programming

• US 20120291069A1
• Filed: 07/19/2012
• Published: 11/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Anthony A. Shah-Nazaroff, David N. Hackson, Jean M. Goldschmidt Iki
• Original Assignee: Anthony A. Shah-Nazaroff, David N. Hackson, Jean M. Goldschmidt Iki
• Inventors: Goldschmidt Iki, Jean M., Shah-Nazaroff, Anthony A., Hackson, David N.
• Granted Patent: US 8,656,427 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• 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 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8405 represented by keywords
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/914 Video
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/916 Audio
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/957 Multidimensional
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/961 Associative
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation

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.

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.

2. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the descriptive information comprises text.

3. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the content criteria comprises text and wherein evaluating comprising comparing the content criteria text to the descriptive information text to find a match.

4. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the content criteria comprises a keyword and wherein evaluating comprises searching the descriptive information text for the keyword.

5. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the supplemental programming database comprises a list of keywords, each keyword being associated with specific supplemental programming content.

6. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the supplemental programming database content comprises audio and video files each associated with each keyword and wherein identifying the supplemental content comprises retrieving an associated audio or video file.

7. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein if the content criteria is satisfied, then the processor applies the criteria to the supplemental programming database to identify supplemental programming content and wherein the delivery module combines the retrieved content with the primary programming to generate combined programming;

and provides the combined programming to the element of the entertainment system.

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.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a primary programming database to supply the primary programming to the search engine, wherein the primary programming database includes closed captioning text and the search engine searches the primary programming by applying a keyword to the closed captioning text.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the supplemental programming content comprises video, graphics, text, or audio.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the supplemental programming database comprises a three-dimensional relational database, the first dimension identifying genre of the content, the second dimension being characterized by user-specified text criteria, and the third dimension corresponding to different users.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the supplemental programming database comprises a multidimensional database and wherein one dimension of the database comprises a plurality of genres associated with the primary programming.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the supplemental programming database comprises a multidimensional database and wherein one dimension of the database comprises a plurality of user profiles.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor agent develops a personality profile for different entertainment system users based on search criteria for different users.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor agent generates supplemental programming in accordance with the developed personality profile.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processor agent provides the selected supplemental programming in a personality corresponding to the developed personality profile.

17. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the search criteria and associated supplemental programming is provided by a user of the entertainment system.

18. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the search criteria and associated supplemental programming is provided by the manufacturer of the entertainment system.

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.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the supplemental programming database comprises a multidimensional database and wherein one dimension of the database comprises a plurality of user profiles.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising accessing a user profile, and wherein accessing the supplemental programming further comprises applying the user profile to the supplemental programming database to identify content based on the user profile.

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.

23. The medium of claim 22, wherein searching the descriptive information comprises applying a keyword to the electronic programming database, the database

24. The medium of claim 23, wherein accessing the supplemental programming database comprises applying the keyword to the supplemental programming database, the supplemental programming database comprising a list of the searched keywords and a list of audio and video files associated with each keyword and wherein retrieving content comprises retrieving an associated audio or video file.