PROGRAMMING BASED INTERACTIVE CONTENT

• US 20130132999A1
• Filed: 03/06/2012
• Published: 05/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: PANDEY, Siddharth
• Granted Patent: US 8,869,196 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/35
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• 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 21/6582 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 21/8173 End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game

Abstract

A method may include receiving an identification of a device; receiving at least one of device information, which includes a location of the device or a viewing history for the device, or preference information, which includes preferences by a user or a third party, associated with the identification of the device from the device; identifying interactive content based on the at least one of the device information or the preference information; and receiving trigger information, which includes a time and a place for a trigger, the trigger information to identify an event relating to a provisioning of video content. The method may further include mapping the identification of the device and the identified interactive content with the trigger information; detecting that the event has occurred; and sending the identified interactive content based on the mapping and the trigger information.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a server, an identification of a device;

receiving, by the server, at least one of device information, which includes a location of the device or a viewing history for the device, or preference information, which includes preferences by a user or a third party, associated with the identification of the device from the device;

identifying, by the server, interactive content based on the at least one of the device information or the preference information;

receiving, by the server, trigger information, which includes a time and a place for a trigger, the trigger information to identify an event relating to a provisioning of video content;

mapping, by the server, the identification of the device and the identified interactive content with the trigger information;

detecting, by the server, that the event has occurred; and

sending, by the server, the identified interactive content based on the mapping and the trigger information.

2. The method of claim 1, where identifying the interactive content based upon the at least one of the device information or the preference information includes identifying the interactive content based on programmed content provided to the device and/or a history of the programmed content accessed via the device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting additional content based upon information from the server, where the additional content is provided by the server based on at least one of the device information or the preference information.

4. The method of claim 3, where selecting the additional content based upon information from the server includes selecting additional content based on programmed content and/or a history of the programmed content accessed through the device.

5. The method of claim 1, where receiving at least one of the device information or the preference information comprises receiving the preference information by:

receiving user information about a user viewing programmed content provided to the device or receiving user information from preferences entered into the device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending the interactive content via an internet protocol (IP) channel when the triggering event is detected; and

sending additional content via an IP channel when a selection from the interactive content is received.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending programmed content via a first Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) channel to the device; and

sending the mapping of the device identification and identified interactive content and/or additional content via a second QAM channel to the device.

8. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a server, an identification of a device;

receiving, by the server, selection information to select interactive content or additional content for the device;

associating, by the server, the identification of the device with the selection information;

identifying, by the server, interactive content based upon the selection information;

identifying, by the server, an event within programmed content;

receiving, by the server, trigger information associated with the event within the programmed content;

mapping, by the server, the identification of the device and the identified interactive content with the trigger information; and

detecting, by the server, an occurrence of the event; and

sending, by the server and based on detecting the occurrence of the event, the identified interactive content to supplement or replace the programmed content according to the mapping.

9. The method of claim 8, where identifying the interactive content based upon the selection information includes identifying the interactive content based on information about the programmed content provided to the device and/or a history of the programmed content accessed via the device.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

mapping additional content to the mapping of the identification of the device and the identified interactive content with the trigger information;

providing the interactive content as one or more options for additional content via the device;

receiving a selection of one of the one or more options via the device;

selecting the additional content based upon the selection of the one of the one or more options and the mapping of the additional content to the mapping of the identification of the device and the identified interactive content with the trigger information; and

sending the selected additional content to supplement and/or replace the programmed content or the interactive content on the device.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

gathering user information about a user viewing the programmed content, where identifying the interactive content includes identifying the interactive content based upon the user information.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

sending the identified interactive content via an internet protocol (IP) channel when the occurrence of the event is detected; and

sending additional content via an IP channel upon selection of the additional content from options provided in the interactive content.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

sending the programmed content via a first Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) channel; and

sending the mapping via a second QAM channel.

14. A method comprising:

storing, by a digital device, a mapping of an identification of the digital device to a triggering event and interactive content related to the triggering event;

detecting, by the digital device, the triggering event;

providing, by the digital device, the interactive content related to the triggering event based on the detection of the triggering event;

receiving, by the digital device, a selection of interactive content;

sending, by the digital device, a request for additional content based on the selection of the interactive content;

receiving, by the digital device, the additional content; and

providing, by the digital device, the additional content for display.

15. The method of claim 14, where detecting the triggering event comprises:

identifying triggering event information from the mapping, where the triggering event information comprises a time and program associated with the triggering event;

monitoring the time and the program that is accessed on the digital device; and

determining that the triggering event is occurring when the time and program that is accessed on the digital device corresponds to the triggering event information.

16. The method of claim 14, where providing the interactive content related to the triggering event comprises:

identifying the interactive content based upon the stored mapping;

sending a request for the interactive content over the Internet;

receiving the interactive content over the Internet; and

displaying the interactive content as a replacement or supplement to programmed content being displayed by the digital device.

17. The method of claim 14, where sending the request for additional content comprises:

storing a mapping of the interactive content to additional content;

identifying the additional content based on the selection of the interactive content and the mapping of the interactive content to the additional content; and

sending a request for the identified additional content.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

displaying a request for user preferences to provide the interactive content;

receiving the user preferences regarding the interactive content; and

sending the user preferences regarding the interactive content and the identification of the digital device to a server, where the mapping of the identification of the digital device to the triggering event and the interactive content relating to the triggering event includes using the user preferences to select the interactive content relating to the triggering event.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving the interactive content related to the triggering event via an internet protocol (IP) channel when the event is detected; and

receiving the additional content as requested via an IP channel after the request for additional content is sent.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving the mapping of the identification of the digital device to the triggering event and the interactive content related to the triggering event, for storing by the digital device, via a Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) channel.