MULTI-OPTION SOURCING OF CONTENT AND INTERACTIVE TELEVISION

• US 20150334460A1
• Filed: 07/29/2015
• Published: 11/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Stern, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 10,779,045 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• 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 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/141 between two video terminals, e.g. videophone telephonic communication systems combined with television receiver for reception of entertainment or information matter H04M11/085

Abstract

A content manager receives a request to display a content guide of available content. In response to receiving the request, the content manager initiates display of the content guide on a display screen. In the displayed content guide, the content manager initiates display of multiple selectable content viewing options. A first selectable channel viewing option of the multiple content viewing options can be configured to correspond to a television channel from which to view content originating from a content sponsor. A second channel viewing option of the multiple content viewing options can be configured to correspond to an auxiliary channel with respect to the television channel from which to access available over-the-top content associated with the content originating from the content sponsor. Accordingly, a user can be easily notified of the availability of content on a television channel and over-the-top content associated with the television channel.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

while rendering a television program on a display screen, receiving a command to view supplemental content associated with the rendered television program;

mapping an identity of the television program to a network address from which the supplemental content associated with the television program is retrievable;

retrieving the supplemental content from a server resource as specified by the network address; and

initiating display of the supplemental content on the display screen.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein retrieving the supplemental content from a server resource as specified by the network address includes:

establishing a communication link with the server resource as specified by the network address; and

transmitting a command over the communication link to the server resource to retrieve the supplemental content.

3. The method as in claim 2, wherein initiating display of the supplemental content on the display screen includes:

rendering the supplemental content as a picture-in-picture in which a rendition of the supplemental content is overlaid on a rendition of the television program on the display screen.

4. The method as in claim 3, wherein rendering the display information includes:

as specified by the supplemental content, initiating display of a set of selectable content viewing options on the display screen, the set of selectable content viewing option specifying different content available for selection and retrieval over the established communication link; and

in response to selection of a given content viewing option from the set, initiating a communication over the communication link to the server resource to retrieve content as specified by the given content viewing option.

5. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

in accordance with control input received from a remote control device operated by a respective cable network subscriber, toggling between displaying a rendition of the television program on the display screen and displaying a rendition of the supplemental content on the display screen.

6. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving feedback from multiple subscribers with respect to television program; and

producing a portion of the television program to include the feedback.

7. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

mapping an identity of the television program to the network address subsequent to and in response to receiving the command.

8. A method comprising:

rendering content received over a cable network channel on a display screen, the cable network channel allocated to distribute content originating from a content sponsor assigned to the cable network channel;

in response to receiving a request to access supplemental content associated with the cable network channel;

mapping an identity of the cable network channel currently displayed on the display screen to a network address of a server resource from which the supplemental content associated with the cable network channel is retrievable;

retrieving the supplemental content from a server resource as specified by the network address; and

initiating display of the supplemental content on the display screen.

9. The method as in claim 8 further comprising:

receiving the request to access the supplemental content while rendering the content on the display screen.

10. The method as in claim 9, wherein receiving the request includes:

receiving selection of a button on a remote control device operated by a subscriber viewing the content on the display screen, selection of the button indicating the request to access and display the supplemental content associated with the cable network channel.

11. The method as in claim 8 further comprising:

in accordance with control input received from a remote control device operated by a respective cable network subscriber, toggling between displaying a rendition of the television program on the display screen and displaying a rendition of the supplemental content on the display screen.

12. The method as in claim 8, wherein the content originating from the content sponsor is broadcast content provided by the content sponsor for availability to multiple subscribers in a cable network environment;

and

wherein the supplemental content includes complementary display information with respect to the broadcast content.

13. The method as in claim 8 further comprising:

prior to receiving the request, executing an application to communicate over a network and retrieve over-the-top content; and

wherein retrieving the web content associated with the network channel includes utilizing the application to retrieve the supplemental content associated with the cable network channel at the network address.

14. A method comprising:

receiving a request to display a content guide of available content;

in response to receiving the request, initiating display of the content guide on a display screen; and

in the displayed content guide, initiating display of multiple selectable content viewing options, a first selectable channel viewing option corresponding to a cable network television channel from which to access content originating from a first content sponsor, a second selectable channel viewing option corresponding to an auxiliary channel from which to access over-the-top content available from a second content sponsor.

15. The method as in claim 14, wherein initiating display of the multiple selectable content viewing options includes:

in the first selectable channel viewing option, initiating display of a first notification specifying a title assigned to playable content available in a scheduled time slot of the television channel; and

in the second selectable channel viewing option, initiating display of a second notification specifying availability of the over-the-top content via the auxiliary channel.

16. The method as in claim 14 further comprising:

initiating display of the multiple selectable viewing options in accordance with a numerical channel sequence, each numerical channel value in the numerical channel sequence specifying a corresponding channel from which to retrieve available content;

in the first selectable content viewing option displayed in the content guide, initiating display of a first numerical channel value from the numerical channel sequence; and

in the second selectable content viewing option displayed in the content guide, initiating display of a second numerical channel value from the numerical channel sequence.

17. The method as in claim 16, wherein the first numerical value channel is a first integer value and the second numerical value channel is a second integer, the second integer value being next in the numerical value sequence following the first numerical value channel.

18. The method as in claim 16 further comprising:

responsive to receiving selection of the second numerical channel value;

mapping the second numerical channel value to a respective network address, the network address indicating a server resource from which to retrieve the over-the-top content for retrieval and viewing; and

utilizing the network address to communicate with the server resource over the auxiliary channel.

19. The method as in claim 18 further comprising:

responsive to receiving selection of the first numerical channel value;

tuning to the cable network television channel, the cable network television channel received on a shared communication link of a cable network, the cable network television channel being a broadcast channel;

decoding a video signal received on the cable network television channel; and

rendering video derived from the video signal on the display screen.

20. The method as in claim 18, wherein utilizing the network address to communicate with the server resource over the auxiliary channel includes:

transmitting a content request message over the auxiliary channel to retrieve the over-the-top content available from the second content sponsor;

receiving the over-the-top content over the auxiliary channel from the server resource; and

rendering the over-the-top content on the display screen.

21. The method as in claim 14, wherein receiving the request to display the content guide includes:

receiving the request from a subscriber in a cable network environment, the subscriber having access to the cable network television channel and the over-the-top content via a shared communication link in the cable network environment, the shared communication link supporting distribution of content to multiple subscribers in the cable network environment, a first portion of bandwidth in the shared communication link allocated to convey broadcast content originating from the content sponsor to the subscriber, a second portion of the bandwidth in the shared communication link allocated to convey the over-the-top content originating from the content sponsor to the subscriber.

22. The method as in claim 14, wherein the content guide is a cable network content guide, the method further comprising:

responsive to receiving selection of the second selectable content viewing option in the cable network content guide;

initiating retrieval of an over-the-top content guide for viewing different over-the-top content available from the second content sponsor; and

initiating display of the over-the-top content guide, the over-the-top content guide displaying the different over-the-top content available from the second content sponsor.

23. The method as in claim 14 further comprising:

responsive to receiving selection of the second selectable content viewing option in the cable network content guide;

initiating retrieval of personal social networking account information from the second content sponsor over the auxiliary channel; and

initiating display of the personal social networking account information on the display screen.