LOCALLY STORED ADVERTISEMENTS

• US 20150201252A1
• Filed: 03/27/2015
• Published: 07/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Landow, Kate Megan Carney, Fernandes, David J., Overbaugh, Daniel, Short, Michael R., Heckathorn, Timothy
• Granted Patent: US 9,955,236 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/106 Receiver-side switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/93 which locates resources of other pieces of information, e.g. URL [Uniform Resource Locator]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2353 specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8545 for generating interactive applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a system and method for providing supplemental content during a broadcast. The supplemental content is provided by the operation of an interactive application resident on a receiver. The interactive application is initiated through a trigger that is received during an otherwise standard broadcast. The trigger includes an interactive prompt that is to be displayed during a particular portion of the broadcast. The prompt including a means for enabling receipt of a user input. The user input may be a request for further information.

Claims

1. A method of providing content, comprising:

building an interactive application and a number of other interactive applications from information received from a plurality of different vendors;

compressing the interactive applications and the number of other interactive applications together in a compressed file;

sending the compressed file to a receiver via a first communication path;

sending a broadcast to the receiver via the first communication path, the broadcast having a trigger including processor executable code for an interactive prompt and a pointer to the interactive application, the interactive application and the other interactive applications having been decompressed and stored on the receiver;

receiving a message from the interactive application running on the receiver via a second communication path, the interactive application initiated in response to a user input, the message including a postal address of the user; and

sending information to the postal address of the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the trigger uniquely identifies the interactive application.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein prior to sending the compressed file to the receiver, the method further comprising:

associating an expiration date with the interactive application, wherein the interactive application is associated with an advertising campaign and the expiration date specifies a time past which offers in the advertising campaign are no longer valid.

4. A content broadcasting system comprising:

a head-end system, located remotely from a plurality of content receivers, and configured to;

building an interactive application and a number of other interactive applications from information received from a plurality of different vendors;

compress the interactive applications and the number of other interactive applications together in a compressed file;

send the compressed file to a content receiver of the plurality of content receivers via a first communication path;

send a broadcast to the receiver via the first communication path, the broadcast having a trigger including processor executable code for an interactive prompt and a pointer to the interactive application, the interactive application and the other interactive applications having been decompressed and stored on the receiver;

receive a message from the interactive application running on the receiver via a second communication path, the interactive application initiated in response to a user input, the message including a postal address of the user; and

send information to the postal address of the user.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein:

the trigger uniquely identifies the interactive application.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein prior to sending the compressed file to the receiver, the head-end system is further configured to:

associate an expiration date with the interactive application, wherein the interactive application is associated with an advertising campaign and the expiration date specifies a time past which offers in the advertising campaign are no longer valid.