TELEVISION CHAT SYSTEM

• US 20130332957A1
• Filed: 05/22/2013
• Published: 12/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UV Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: DeWeese, Toby, McKissick, Pamela L., Thomas, William L., Ellis, Michael D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,521,451 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/37
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2408 Monitoring of the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. client requests monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• 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 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8173 End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 : Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8545 : for generating interactive applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 : Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A television chat system is provided that allows television viewers to engage in real-time communications in chat groups with other television viewers while watching television. Users of the television chat system may engage in real-time communications with other users who are currently watching the same television program or channel.

The system allows real-time communications in a chat group to be transmitted between users at user television equipment devices via a television distribution facility. The television chat system of the present invention permits users to join chat groups related to television programs, channels, or categories of programs that the user may be interested in. Real-time communications may be textual messages, audio communications, or video communications.

The television chat system may also allow users to send chat requests to ask other users to enter a chat group. The system also permits users to establish chat groups that television viewers are permitted to join. The television chat system may be based on an interactive television program guide or set top box application implemented on a set top box.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method for providing a user at user television equipment with an opportunity to join a chat group, the method comprising:

receiving a user request to join a chat group;

connecting the user to the requested chat group; and

in response to connecting the user to the requested chat group, generating a display including an interface to the chat group and a selectable option to view a program.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising automatically tuning to a channel that is broadcasting the program in response to a user selection of the option to view the program.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the program is displayed in the interface to the chat group.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the program is a subject of the requested chat group.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising receiving chat group information for the requested chat group, wherein information on which channel is broadcasting the program is transmitted to the user television equipment along with the chat group information.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising receiving a chat request, wherein the chat request comprises the chat group information.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the chat request includes a selectable option to join the requested chat group.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the chat request includes the selectable option to view the program.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the chat request includes an identity of a user.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the chat request includes a selectable option to decline the chat request.

31. A system for providing a user at user television equipment with an opportunity to join a chat group, the system comprising:

control circuitry configured to;

receive a user request to join a chat group;

connect the user to the requested chat group; and

generate for display an interface to the chat group and a selectable option to view a program in response to connecting the user to the requested chat group.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to automatically tune to a channel that is broadcasting the program in response to a user selection of the option to view the program.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the program is displayed in the interface to the chat group.

34. The system of claim 31, wherein the program is a subject of the requested chat group.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to receive chat group information for the requested chat group, wherein information on which channel is broadcasting the program is transmitted to the user television equipment along with the chat group information.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to receive a chat request, wherein the chat request comprises the chat group information.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the chat request includes a selectable option to join the requested chat group with the chat request.

38. The system of claim 36, wherein the chat request includes the selectable option to view the program.

39. The system of claim 36, wherein the chat request includes an identity of a user.

40. The system of claim 36, wherein the chat request includes a selectable option to decline the chat request.