TELEVISION MESSAGE SYSTEM

• US 20140082668A1
• Filed: 05/30/2008
• Published: 03/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: UV Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: McKissick, Pamela L., Thomas, William L., Ellis, Michael D., Regouby, Mark A., Hassell, Joel G.
• Application Number:
  US12/130,606
• Publication Number:
  US 20140082668A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• 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 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• 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 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• 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 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/454 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 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• 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 21/4781 : Games
• 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 21/4782 : 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 21/6582 : 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 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 7/147 : Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 : Transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A television message system is provided that allows users at user television equipment devices that are connected to a television distribution facility to transmit messages to each other relating to a television program or other suitable subject. The television message system permits users to participate in evaluations, contests, promotions, and surveys related to a television program while watching that television program. The television message system also permits users to compose and send a message to a television program entity. The television message system also allows a user to purchase a gift related to television programming for a recipient. The gift may be an electronic gift certificate for pay-per-view programming. The television message system may be based on an interactive television program guide or a set-top box application implemented on a set-top box.

Claims

1. A method for allowing a user of a messaging system to provide a broadcast program evaluation to a designated recipient, the method comprising:

receiving, from the user, an evaluation of the broadcast program while video of the broadcast program is displayed;

receiving, from the user, an input designating a recipient of the evaluation;

automatically adding an identity of the broadcast program to the evaluation; and

sending the evaluation to the designated recipient via the messaging system, wherein the identity of the broadcast program is automatically included with the evaluation, and wherein the designated recipient is given access to the evaluation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the evaluation includes a textual commentary.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the textual commentary is selected from a list of standard messages.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the list of standard messages is predetermined by an interactive television program guide.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the list of standard messages is determined by the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a user input designating a recipient of the evaluation further comprises receiving a user selection of the recipient from an address book.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the address book groups recipients based on their interests in television programs.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the evaluation includes graphics.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the evaluation includes audio.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the evaluation includes video.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the evaluation on the message system until the recipient accesses the evaluation.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcast program is a television program.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcast program is a currently broadcast program that the user is currently viewing.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the messaging system includes a program guide application.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the evaluation comprises a qualitative rating that reflects how much the user likes the broadcast program.

16. A messaging system for allowing a user to provide a broadcast program evaluation to a designated recipient, the messaging system being configured to:

receive, from the user, an evaluation of the broadcast program while video of the broadcast program is displayed;

receive, from the user, an input designating a recipient of the evaluation;

automatically add an identity of the broadcast program to the evaluation; and

send the evaluation to the designated recipient via the messaging system, wherein the identity of the broadcast program is automatically included with the evaluation, and wherein the designated recipient is given access to the evaluation.

17. The messaging system of claim 16, wherein the evaluation includes a textual commentary.

18. The messaging system of claim 17, wherein the textual commentary is selected from a list of standard messages.

19. The messaging system of claim 18, wherein the list of standard messages is predetermined by an interactive television program guide.

20. The messaging system of claim 18, wherein the list of standard messages is determined by the user.

21. The messaging system of claim 16, wherein the user input designating a recipient of the evaluation further comprises a user selection of the recipient from an address book.

22. The messaging system of claim 21, wherein the address book groups recipients based on their interests in television programs.

23. The messaging system of claim 16, wherein the evaluation includes graphics.

24. The messaging system of claim 16, wherein the evaluation includes audio.

25. The messaging system of claim 16, wherein the evaluation includes video.

26. The messaging system of claim 16, wherein the messaging system is further configured to store the evaluation on the message system until the recipient accesses the evaluation.

27. The messaging system of claim 16, wherein the broadcast program is a television program.

28. The messaging system of claim 16, wherein the broadcast program is a currently broadcast program that the user is currently viewing.

29. The messaging system of claim 16, wherein the messaging system includes a program guide application.

30. The messaging system of claim 16, wherein the evaluation comprises a qualitative rating that reflects how much the user likes the broadcast program.