System for interactive chat without a keyboard

• US 6,519,771 B1
• Filed: 12/14/1999
• Issued: 02/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Steven Ericsson Zenith
• Inventors: Zenith, Steven Ericsson
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehta, Bhavesh
• Assistant Examiner(s): LONSBERRY, HUNTER B
• Application Number:
  US09/461,564
• Time in Patent Office: 1,155 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14.08, 348/564, 725/13, 725/16, 725/32, 725/109, 725/120, 725/136, 725/141, 725/113, 725/110, 345/751-759, 709/230, 709/231, 709/204-207
• US Class Current: 725/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42676 for modulating an analogue carrier signal to encode digital information or demodulating it to decode digital information, e.g. ADSL or cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• 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 21/4622 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 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• 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 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration

Abstract

Abstract of the Disclosure A user interface device has a graphical user interface that can simultaneously display a combination of television and related Internet content, along with predetermined responses to the television or video content. The predetermined responses may offer a set of choices, and selecting one of the choices results in sending the chosen response to a chat room to be added to the chat stream. Selecting a choice may alternatively cause a second set of responses to be displayed, the second set corresponding to the choice that was selected. The predetermined responses may be standardized responses that are broadcast to many user interface devices, or the predetermined responses may be customized responses input by the user. Alternatively, the user may define a profile that provides a subset of the available predetermined responses, the subset having a particular style selected by the viewer. The predetermined responses may take the form of text communications, static or dynamic graphic icons, audio or video. Having the predetermined responses available allows for interactive communication without the need for a keyboard to type in responses.

Claims

1. In a device having a display with a graphical user interface, a method comprising:

receiving a video signal at the device;

receiving at the device chat communications relating to the video signal;

displaying the video signal and the chat communications on the display;

storing, by a user of the device, one or more custom chat responses personalized by the user for subsequent selection; and

displaying with the video signal and the chat communications the one or more custom chat responses to the video signal or chat communications.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting at least one of the one or more custom chat responses and thereby sending the at least one response to a chat server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the one or more custom chat responses occurs prior to receiving the video signal at the device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the one or more custom chat responses occurs while receiving the video signal at the device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the video signal is a television show.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more custom chat responses comprises audio content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more custom chat responses comprises a graphic content.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more chat responses are grouped according to one or more user communication styles, and wherein the method further comprises selecting one of the one or more user communication styles.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more custom chat responses correspond to one or more general response categories.

8. In a device having a display with a graphical user interface, a method comprising:

receiving a video signal and a plurality of chat responses for user selection at the device, wherein the plurality of chat responses are grouped according to one or more user communication styles,

selecting a user communication style, and

displaying the video signal and one or more chat responses that correspond to the selected user communication style.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one of the one or more chat responses provides a link to one or more additional chat responses.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the video signal is a television show.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more chat responses correspond to the video signal.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising storing the one or more chat responses in the device prior to receiving the video signal at the device.

13. The method of claim 8, the plurality of chat responses are received at the device along with the video signal.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one of the one or more chat responses comprises graphic content.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising displaying chat communications on an area on the display adjacent to the one or more chat responses.

24. The method of claim 8, further comprising sending from the device to a server at least one of the one or more displayed chat responses.

25. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one of the one or more chat responses comprises audio content.

26. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one of the one or more chat responses comprises a custom response personalized by the user for subsequent selection.

16. A device having a graphical user interface and a display, comprising:

means for displaying video and chat corresponding to the video,

means for displaying a plurality of responses to the video or chat, wherein the plurality of responses are either (i) grouped according to one or more user communication styles, or (ii) personalized by a user for subsequent selection, and

means for actuating a response of the responses, and thereby adding that response to the chat.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the responses comprise text communications.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the responses comprise graphic icons.

19. The device of claim 16, wherein the responses comprise audio communications.

20. The device of claim 16, wherein the responses comprise video communications.

21. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of:

displaying, according to a set of instructions stored on the medium, video, chat regarding the video, and a plurality of responses to the video or chat, wherein the plurality of responses are either (i) grouped according to one or more user communication styles, or (ii) personalized by a user for subsequent selection;

selecting at least one response of the plurality of responses, and thereby sending the at least one response to a chat server; and

displaying, according to the set of instructions, the video, the chat, and the at least one response.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the computer-executable instructions perform the steps of:

selecting a user communication style, and

displaying one or more responses that correspond to the selected user communication style.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the computer-executable instructions perform the steps of:

storing at least one custom response personalized by the user for subsequent selection; and

displaying the at least one custom response.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein the at least one custom response corresponds to on e or more general response categories.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 21 , wherein the computer-executable instructions perform the step of sending the at least one response to a chat server.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the one or more custom responses comprises at least one of (i) audio content, (ii) graphic content, or (iii) video content.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein at least one of the plurality of responses provides a link to one or more additional responses.