System and method of voting via an interactive television system

• US 8,100,327 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2010
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Howcroft, Jerald Robert, Piatt, Kathy Goode
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAIL, ALLYSON NEEL
• Application Number:
  US12/948,579
• Publication Number:
  US 20110067042A1
• Time in Patent Office: 433 Days
• Field of Search: 235/386, 700/91, 705/7, 705/10
• US Class Current: 235/386
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44213 Monitoring of end-user related data arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8545 for generating interactive applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A computer implemented method includes receiving, at a server of an internet protocol television (IPTV) network, a voting selection from a set-top box device. The voting selection is associated with video content that is received at the set-top box device via the IPTV network. The computer implemented method includes not adding the voting selection to a tally of votes associated with the video content when a voting status indicates that a previous vote was received from the set-top box device. The computer implemented method also includes sending a message to the set-top box device from the server, the message indicating that the previous vote associated with the video content was received from the set-top box device.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

receiving, at a server of an internet protocol television network, a voting selection from a set-top box device, the voting selection associated with video content that is received at the set-top box device via the internet protocol television network;

not adding the voting selection to a tally of votes associated with the video content in response to determining that a voting status indicates that a previous vote was received from the set-top box device; and

sending a message to the set-top box device from the server, the message indicating that the previous vote associated with the video content was received from the set-top box device;

wherein the video content is received via a client-facing tier switch disposed within a client-facing tier of the internet protocol television network, the client-facing tier having a first interface to an access network and a second interface switchably connected through a private network to an application tier, wherein the client-facing tier is coupled to the access network and provides the video content to the set-top box device.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising sending data associated with a voting interface from the server to the set top box device to receive the voting selection, the voting interface including a ballot interface, wherein the voting selection is one of a plurality of selectable voting selections included in the ballot interface.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2, further comprising sending a payment interface from the server to the set-top box device to receive payment information when payment information is required to accept the voting selection.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 3, further comprising comparing the payment information to information stored at a billing server of the internet protocol television network, wherein the voting interface is sent to the set-top box device in response to determining that the payment information matches the stored information.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 3, further comprising establishing a secure connection with the set-top box device before sending the payment interface.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

adding, at the server, the voting selection to a tally of votes related to the video content in response to determining that the voting status indicates that a previous vote has not been received from the set-top box device; and

changing, at the server, the voting status to indicate that a vote has been received from the set-top box device after adding the voting selection to the tally of votes.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising sending a confirmation to the set-top box device from the server to indicate that the voting selection has been received.

8. A set-top box device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory device coupled to the processor;

wherein the processor is configured to;

receive data related to a voting interface from a server of an internet protocol television network;

send the voting interface to a display device to receive user input from a remote control device associated with the set-top box device; and

send the user input to the server to cast a vote associated with video content that is received at the set-top box device via the internet protocol television network;

wherein the server stores a voting status associated with the set-top box device, wherein in response to determining that the voting status indicates that a previous vote was received from the set-top box device the server does not add the vote associated with the video content to a tally of votes, and wherein the set-top box device receives a message from the server, the message indicating that the previous vote associated with the video content was received from the set-top box device; and

wherein the video content is received via a client-facing tier switch disposed within a client-facing tier of the internet protocol television network, the client-facing tier having a first interface to an access network and a second interface switchably connected through a private network to an application tier, wherein the client-facing tier is coupled to the access network and provides the video content to the set-top box device.

9. The set-top box device of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to cease sending the voting interface to the display device when the user input is not received within a predetermined period of time.

10. The set-top box device of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to receive data associated with a payment interface from the server.

11. The set-top box device of claim 8, wherein the voting interface includes at least one user selectable voting option associated with the video content.

12. The set-top box device of claim 8, wherein the video content is received from a multicast server of the internet protocol television network.

13. A server, comprising:

a processor;

a non-transitory memory device comprising operational instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive a voting selection from a set-top box device, the voting selection associated with video content received at the set-top box device via an internet protocol television network;

not add the voting selection to a tally of votes associated with the video content in response to determining that a voting status indicates that a previous vote was received from the set-top box device; and

send a message to the set-top box device, the message indicating that the previous vote associated with the video content was received from the set-top box device;

wherein the video content is received via a client-facing tier switch disposed within a client-facing tier of the internet protocol television network, the client-facing tier having a first interface to an access network and a second interface switchable connected through a private network to an application tier, wherein the client-facing tier is coupled to the access network and provides the video content to the set-top box device.

14. The server of claim 13, wherein the operational instructions are further executable by the processor to transfer the tally of votes to a storage device.

15. The server of claim 13, wherein the operational instructions are further executable by the processor to send a payment interface from the server to the set-top box device to receive payment information.

16. The server of claim 15, wherein the operational instructions are further executable by the processor to compare the payment information to information stored at a billing server of the interne protocol television network, wherein a voting interface is sent to the set-top box device in response to determining that the payment information matches the stored information.

17. The server of claim 15, wherein the operational instructions are further executable by the processor to remove information identifying at least one of a set-top box device identifier and a user identifier from each voting selection before adding the voting selection to the tally of votes.

18. The server of claim 13, wherein the operational instructions are further executable by the processor to:

add, at the server, the voting selection to a tally of votes related to the video content in response to determining that a voting status indicates that a previous vote has not been received from the set-top box device; and

change, at the server, the voting status to indicate that a vote has been received from the set-top box device after adding the voting selection to the tally of votes.

19. The server of claim 13, wherein the tally of votes includes at least one of a highest vote recipient and a range of voting recipients and their associated votes.