Systems and Methods for Facilitating Access to Content Associated with a Media Content Session Based on a Location of a User

• US 20150281767A1
• Filed: 03/31/2014
• Published: 10/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Adimatyam, Venkata S., Gavade, Sameer, Roshan, Tariq
• Granted Patent: US 10,341,717 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/441 Acquiring end-user identification , e.g. using personal code sent by the remote control or by inserting a card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• 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

Abstract

An exemplary method includes a content delivery system determining that a user profile of a user is logged in to a first access device during a media content session associated with the first access device in which the first access device presents media content to the user, detecting that the user moves outside a vicinity of the first access device while the user profile is logged in to the first access device during the media content session, identifying, in response to the user moving outside the vicinity of the first access device, a second access device associated with the user and that is within a vicinity of the user, and automatically providing, in response to the identifying, session management content corresponding to the media content session associated with the first access device for presentation by the second access device while the user is outside the vicinity of the first access device. Corresponding systems and methods are also described.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a content delivery system, that a user profile of a user is logged in to a first access device during a media content session associated with the first access device in which the first access device presents media content to the user;

detecting, by the content delivery system, that the user moves outside a vicinity of the first access device while the user profile is logged in to the first access device during the media content session;

identifying, by the content delivery system in response to the user moving outside the vicinity of the first access device, a second access device associated with the user and that is within a vicinity of the user; and

automatically providing, by the content delivery system in response to the identifying, session management content corresponding to the media content session associated with the first access device for presentation by the second access device while the user is outside the vicinity of the first access device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting that the user moves outside the vicinity of the first access device comprises detecting that a wireless tracking device carried by the user moves outside a wireless range of the first access device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the wireless range comprises at least one of a Bluetooth communication range and a near field communication range.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first access device includes a set-top box device located in a first room at a user premises.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second access device is located in a second room at the user premises.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the second access device includes a mobile device associated with the user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically logging in the user profile of the user to the second access device, by the content delivery system, in response to the user moving outside the vicinity of the first access device and the identifying of the second access device associated with the user and that is within the vicinity of the user.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically logging the user profile out of the first access device, by the content delivery system, in response to the user moving outside the vicinity of the first access device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

detecting, by the content delivery system, that an additional user is within the vicinity of the first access device subsequent to the user moving outside the vicinity of the first access device; and

automatically logging, by the content delivery system in response to the detecting that the additional user is within the vicinity of the first access device, a user profile of the additional user in to the first access device after the user profile of the user is logged out of the first access device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically providing, by the content delivery system in response to the identifying, a media content program being presented by the first access device during the media content session while the user is outside the vicinity of the first access device for presentation by the second access device while the user is outside the vicinity of the first access device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the session management content corresponding to the media content session includes at least one of a notification associated with the media content session, one or more selectable options associated with the media content session, and a recommendation associated with the media content session.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising preventing, by the content delivery system while the user is outside the vicinity of the first access device, the session management content corresponding to the media content session from being presented by the first access device.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the content delivery system, an event that occurs with respect to the media content during the media content session while the user is outside the vicinity of the first access device; and

providing, by the content delivery system while the user is outside the vicinity of the first access device, a notification of the event to the user by way of the second access device.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing, by the content delivery system based on the detecting of the event, an option for the user to experience the media content by way of the second access device while the user is outside the vicinity of the first access device.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

detecting, by the content delivery system, a selection by the user of the option; and

directing, by the content delivery system in response to the selection by the user of the option, the second access device to begin presenting the media content.

16. The method of claim 1, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

17. A method comprising:

determining, by a set-top box device, that a user profile of a user is logged in to the set-top box device during a media content session associated with the set-top box device in which the set-top box device presents media content to the user;

detecting, by the set-top box device, that the user moves outside a vicinity of the set-top box device while the user profile of the user is logged in to the set-top box device during the media content session;

providing, by the set-top box device in response to the user moving outside the vicinity of the set-top box device, a command instructing a media content provider system separate from the set-top box device to automatically provide session management content corresponding to the media content session associated with the set-top box device to an access device associated with the user and that is within a vicinity of the user while the user is outside the vicinity of the set-top box device; and

preventing, by the set-top box device while the user is outside the vicinity of the set-top box device, the session management content corresponding to the media content session from being presented by way of the set-top box device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

detecting, by the set-top box device while the user is outside the vicinity of the set-top box device, that an additional user is within the vicinity of the set-top box device; and

automatically logging in, by the set-top box device in response to the detecting that the additional user is within the vicinity of the set-top box device, a user profile of the additional user to the set-top box device.

19. The method of claim 17, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

20. A system comprising:

at least one computing device that

determines that a user profile of a user is logged in to a first access device during a media content session associated with the first access device in which the first access device presents media content to the user,

detects that the user moves outside a vicinity of the first access device while the user profile is logged in to the first access device during the media content session,

identifies, in response to the user moving outside the vicinity of the first access device, a second access device associated with the user and that is within a vicinity of the user, and

automatically provides, in response to the identifying, session management content corresponding to the media content session associated with the first access device for presentation by the second access device while the user is outside the vicinity of the first access device.