Systems, methods, and computer program products for providing interactive content

• US 8,161,412 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2006
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Weeks, Phillip, Ruckart, John
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, RUAY L
• Application Number:
  US11/332,685
• Publication Number:
  US 20070168884A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,286 Days
• Field of Search: 715200-277, 715700-867, 705 50- 79, 709201-229
• US Class Current: 715/854
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/93 which locates resources of other pieces of information, e.g. URL [Uniform Resource Locator]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2542 for selling goods, e.g. TV shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments include a system for providing interactive content including: an input for receiving a hot key signal related to interactive content, the hot key signal indicative of an availability and a location of an alternate content; and a processor which indicates that the hot key signal has been received, and responsive to receiving an indication that the hot key is accepted, redirects a user to the alternate content, wherein the alternate content is an interactive user interface related to the interactive content.

Claims

1. A system for providing interactive content, the system comprising:

an input to receive a hot key signal, the hot key signal indicating an availability and a location of alternate content; and

a processor to;

send primary content to a display device;

initiate sending an advertisement that temporarily interrupts at least a portion of the primary content to the display device, wherein the advertisement includes a hot key indicator responsive to the hot key signal, wherein the hot key indicator obscures at least a portion of the primary content, wherein the hot key signal comprises an Internet Protocol data packet, the Internet Protocol data packet having a header portion and a body portion, the body portion having a data field indicating the location of the alternate content,

initiate an interactive session to enable access to the alternate content responsive to receiving an indication that the hot key signal is accepted, wherein the alternate content is related to the primary content, wherein the interactive session replaces the advertisement that is displayed at the display device, and wherein the interactive session enables a user to initiate an instant messaging session;

when the interactive session is completed before the advertisement has finished, automatically resume sending the primary content to the display device after the advertisement has finished; and

when the interactive session is not completed before the advertisement has finished, automatically record the primary content until the advertisement has finished and send the recorded primary content to the display device after the advertisement has finished.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the primary content is an advertisement and the alternate content includes additional information about a product advertised via the primary content.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the interactive session includes an option to initiate a phone call with a customer service representative.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor determines whether the hot key signal is relevant based on whether the alternate content is related to the primary content being displayed when the hot key signal is received.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a digital video recorder that automatically records the primary content when the interactive session is not completed before the advertisement has finished.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein after playback of a recording of the primary content, the digital video recorder automatically erases the recording.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the interactive session enables the user to play along with a game show.

8. A method for providing interactive content, the method comprising:

sending primary content to a display device for display;

receiving an advertisement that temporarily interrupts at least a portion of the primary content, the advertisement including a hot key signal related to the primary content, the hot key signal indicating availability of alternate content, wherein the hot key signal comprises an Internet Protocol data packet, the Internet Protocol data packet having a header portion and a body portion, the body portion having a data field indicating a location of the alternate content;

receiving a request for the alternate content;

initiating an interactive session to enable access to the alternate content via an alternate content source in response to the request, wherein the interactive session replaces the advertisement that is displayed at the display device, and wherein the interactive session enables a user to initiate an instant messaging session;

when the interactive session is completed before the advertisement has finished, automatically resuming sending the primary content to the display device after the advertisement has finished; and

when the interactive session is not completed before the advertisement has finished, automatically recording the primary content until the advertisement has finished and sending the recorded primary content to the display device after the advertisement has finished.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the alternate content includes a link to enable access to a website and the interactive session enables the user to make a purchase related to the advertisement.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the interactive session includes initiating a phone call to a customer service representative to place an order related to the advertisement.

11. A method, comprising:

receiving primary content at a receiver device;

sending the primary content from the receiver device to a display device that is coupled to the receiver device;

receiving advertising content that temporarily interrupts display of at least a portion of the primary content at the receiver device;

sending the advertising content to the display device from the receiver device;

receiving a hot key signal at the receiver device, the hot key signal including information to access additional content, wherein the hot key signal comprises an Internet Protocol data packet, the Internet Protocol data packet having a header portion and a body portion, the body portion having a data field indicating a location of the additional content;

sending a hot key indicator to the display device for presentation concurrently with the advertising content, the hot key indicator including instructions to access the additional content and instructions to dismiss the hot key indicator;

initiating an interactive session to enable access to the additional content in response to determining that the hot key indicator is accepted, wherein the interactive session replaces the advertising content that is displayed at the display device, and wherein the interactive session enables a user to initiate an instant messaging session;

when the interactive session is completed before the advertising content has finished, automatically resuming sending the primary content to the display device after the advertising content has finished; and

when the interactive session is not completed before the advertising content has finished, automatically recording the primary content until the advertising content has finished and sending the recorded primary content to the display device after the advertising content has finished.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining at the receiver device whether the additional content is related to the advertising content, wherein the hot key indicator is sent to the display device when the additional content is related to the advertising content, and wherein the hot key indicator is not sent to the display device when the additional content is not related to the advertising content.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising ceasing to display the hot key indicator at the display device and continuing to display the advertising content in response to determining that the hot key indicator is dismissed.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

displaying the hot key indicator for a predetermined period of time; and

when no user input related to the hot key indicator is received at the receiver device during the predetermined period of time after the hot key indicator is sent to the display device, ceasing to display the hot key indicator and continuing to display the advertising content.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the hot key indicator includes an auditory alert.