System and method for monitoring and recovering the state of user participation in interactive broadcasts

• US 7,908,618 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2001
• Issued: 03/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Pictures Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Allibhoy, Nizar, Bruckner, John Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller; John W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Montoya; Oschta
• Application Number:
  US09/859,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20020162115A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,590 Days
• Field of Search: 725 32- 36, 725/60, 725/61, 725/135, 725/136, 725/139, 725/145, 725/151
• US Class Current: 725/36
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system and method for managing interactive program and commercial content is disclosed. The system includes an interactive enabling device for receiving a broadcast stream containing interactive program and commercial triggers for retrieving interactive program and commercial content. An interactive content server communicates with a control application in the interactive enabling device. The interactive enabling device executes the control application to manage retrieval of interactive program and commercial content from the content server in response to the interactive program and commercial triggers. The interactive control application includes a gatekeeper function for selectively retrieving interactive program and commercial content in response to recognized interactive program and commercial triggers.

Claims

1. An interactive enabling system for managing a viewer'"'"'s interactive viewing experience, the system comprising:

one or more interactive enabling devices coupled for receiving a broadcast stream generated by a broadcast sponsor, the broadcast stream including at least one of time-based and event-based state-saving triggers for saving a state of the viewer'"'"'s interactive viewing experience, said state including collected information about said viewer'"'"'s participation in interactive program broadcasts; and

at least one interactive content server coupled through a communication link for receiving the viewer'"'"'s interactive state from the interactive enabling device and storing the viewer'"'"'s interactive state;

wherein upon receipt of each state-saving trigger, the interactive enabling device being used by the viewer communicates the viewer'"'"'s interactive state to the at least one interactive content server; and

wherein upon receipt of a request from the interactive enabling device to restore the viewer'"'"'s interactive state, the at least one interactive content server is programmed for communicating the viewer'"'"'s interactive state back to the interactive enabling device.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein upon receipt of a request from any one of the interactive enabling devices to restore the viewer'"'"'s interactive state, the at least one interactive content server is programmed for communicating the viewer'"'"'s interactive state back to the one interactive enabling device.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the interactive enabling device includes a randomizer for randomly time-skewing the communication of the viewer'"'"'s interactive state to the at least one interactive content server in response to the receipt of the state-saving triggers.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, the time or event-based state-saving triggers occurring at a beginning or end of a program, commercial break, a change in scene or storyline, or a new game or interactive function.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, the state of the viewer'"'"'s interactive experience including accumulated points and coupons, responses to questions, responses to voting, and time information on when the viewer turned a program interactivity on or off.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein an amount of information included in the state of the viewer'"'"'s interactive viewing experience and saved into the at least one interactive content server is dependent on a type of interactive program being viewed.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein a length of time the state of the viewer'"'"'s interactive viewing experience is saved in the at least one interactive content server is dependent on a type of interactive program being viewed.

8. An interactive enabling system for measuring a viewer'"'"'s viewership and viewing patterns, the system comprising:

an interactive enabling device coupled for receiving a broadcast stream generated by a broadcast sponsor, the broadcast stream including at least one of time-based and event-based viewership triggers for measuring viewership patterns; and

at least one interactive content server coupled through a communication link for receiving and storing a viewing indicator received from the interactive enabling device in response to said time-based and event-based viewership triggers, the viewing indicator including an indication that said viewer has selected an interactive viewing mode;

wherein upon receipt of each viewership trigger, the interactive enabling device communicates the viewing indicator to the at least one interactive content server; and

wherein the at least one interactive content server is programmed for evaluating viewership and viewing patterns and adjusting programming or advertisements based on the received viewership triggers.

9. The system as recited in claim 8, the interactive enabling device including an interactive control application for managing the retrieval of interactive program and commercial content in response to interactive program and commercial triggers embedded in the broadcast stream;

wherein the at least one interactive content server communicates control information to the interactive enabling device based on the viewership and viewing patterns for selectively retrieving interactive program and commercial content in response to the interactive program and commercial triggers.

10. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the control information configures the interactive enabling device to recognize the interactive commercial trigger from an advertiser having a specified viewership threshold as determined by the at least one interactive content server.

11. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the control information configures the interactive enabling device to recognize only one interactive commercial trigger from a group of interactive commercial triggers, the recognized interactive commercial trigger being selected according to viewership information as determined by the at least one interactive content server.

12. The system as recited in claim 8, the interactive enabling device including an interactive control application for managing the retrieval of interactive program and commercial content in response to interactive program and commercial triggers embedded in the broadcast stream;

wherein the at least one interactive content server selectively communicates interactive program and commercial content to the interactive enabling device in response to requests for the interactive program and commercial content from the interactive enabling device based on the viewership and viewing patterns.

13. A method for managing a viewer'"'"'s interactive viewing experience, comprising:

receiving a broadcast stream generated by a broadcast sponsor, the broadcast stream including at least one of time-based and event-based state-saving triggers for saving a state of the viewer'"'"'s interactive viewing experience, said state including collected information about said viewer'"'"'s participation in interactive program broadcasts;

storing the state of the viewer'"'"'s interactive viewing experience in response to said time-based and event-based state-saving triggers; and

restoring the state of the viewer'"'"'s interactive viewing experience upon receipt of a request to restore the state of the viewer'"'"'s interactive viewing experience.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, further including randomly time-skewing the storing of the state of the viewer'"'"'s interactive viewing experience in response to the receipt of the state-saving triggers.

15. The method as recited in claim 13, the time or event-based state-saving triggers occurring at a beginning or end of a program, commercial break, a change in scene or storyline, or a new game or interactive function.

16. The method as recited in claim 13, the state of the viewer'"'"'s interactive viewing experience including accumulated points and coupons, responses to questions, responses to voting, and time information on when the viewer turned a program or interactivity on or off.

17. The method as recited in claim 13, further including saving an amount of information as the state of the viewer'"'"'s interactive viewing experience dependent on a type of interactive program being viewed.

18. The method as recited in claim 13, further including saving the state of the viewer'"'"'s interactive viewing experience for a length of time dependent on a type of interactive program being viewed.

19. A method for measuring a viewer'"'"'s viewership and viewing patterns, comprising:

receiving a broadcast stream generated by a broadcast sponsor, the broadcast stream including at least one of time-based and event-based viewership triggers for measuring viewership patterns;

storing a viewership indicator generated in response to said time-based and event-based viewership triggers, the viewership indicator including an indication that said viewer has selected an interactive viewing mode; and

evaluating viewership and viewing patterns and adjusting programming or advertisements based on the received viewership indicators.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, further including:

managing the retrieval of interactive program and commercial content in response to interactive program and commercial triggers embedded in the broadcast stream; and

utilizing control information derived from the viewership and viewing patterns for selectively retrieving the interactive program and commercial content in response to the interactive program and commercial triggers.

21. The method as recited in claim 20, further including utilizing the control information to recognize the interactive commercial trigger from an advertiser having a specified viewership threshold.

22. The method as recited in claim 20, further including utilizing the control information to recognize only one interactive commercial trigger from a group of interactive commercial triggers, the recognized interactive commercial trigger being selected according to viewership information derived from the viewership and viewing patterns.

23. The method as recited in claim 19, further including adjusting advertisement fees according to viewership information derived from the viewership and viewing patterns.