Framework for delivering a plurality of content and providing for interaction with the same in a television environment

• US 8,230,456 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2006
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jacoby, Ronald, O'Kane, Brenda
• Primary Examiner(s): Saltarelli, Dominic D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chin, Ricky
• Application Number:
  US11/327,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20060271997A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,392 Days
• Field of Search: 725/109, 725/46, 725/9, 725/14
• US Class Current: 725/9
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2353 specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/258 Client or end-user data management, e.g. managing client capabilities, user preferences or demographics, processing of multiple end-users preferences to derive collaborative data arrangements for services using the result on the distributing side of broadcast systems H04H60/66; profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• 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 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 Games
• 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 21/63 Control signaling related to video distribution between client, server and network components; Network processes for video distribution between server and clients or between remote clients, e.g. transmitting basic layer and enhancement layers over different transmission paths, setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet between remote STB's; Communication protocols; Addressing real-time session protocols H04L65/1101; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The present invention provides messaging capabilities in conjunction with functionality for viewing and interacting with a plurality of content items t in a television environment. According to one embodiment, a method for providing one or more content items to a user comprises setting a context for a client device operated by the user and retrieving one or more representations of the context of one or more buddies associated with the user as indicated in a user profile, the one or more buddies in a social network of the user. The one or more representations of the context of the one or more buddies are displayed on the client device in conjunction with the context of the client device. A representation of a context of a given buddy is selected from the one or more representations and the context of the user is changed to the context of the given buddy.

Claims

1. A method for providing one or more content items to a user, the method comprising:

setting a context for a client device operated by the user;

for each of a plurality of buddies associated with the user as indicated in a user profile, setting a context for a client device operated by each of the plurality of buddies, the plurality of buddies in a social network of the user, wherein the plurality of buddies are identified from one or more instant messaging services to which the user has subscribed and to which the user has indicated this subscription in the user profile, the context includes at least one of a particular action being performed, a location from where that action is being performed, on what type of client device the action is being performed, and wherein the context is at least one of;

a first level context comprising playing one or more online gaming applications, displaying one or more items of television content, and displaying one or more web pages, and a second level context comprising at least one detailed level context of the first level context;

retrieving one or more representations of the context of the plurality of buddies;

displaying the one or more representations of the context of the plurality of buddies as icons in the first level context on the client device in conjunction with the context of the client device;

receiving a selection of a representation of a context of a given buddy from the one or more representations;

setting the context of the client device to the selected context of the given buddy, the user simultaneously participating in both the context of the client device and the context of the given buddy; and

displaying at the client device an interface screen for the user to participate in the selected context of the given buddy, the interface screen displaying the one or more representations, wherein the selected representation is modified from an icon in the first level context to an icon of a second level context of the given buddy with regard to the selected context and one or more representations of at least one other of the plurality of buddies participating in a context other than the selected context remain displayed as icons in the first level context.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein setting the context comprises retrieving content selected by the user.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein setting the context comprises displaying one or more recommended items of content based upon the user profile.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein retrieving one or more representations comprises:

identifying the one or more users designated as buddies in the one or more instant messaging applications; and

retrieving one or more representations of the context of users designated as buddies for display on the client device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein retrieving comprises:

retrieving one or more characteristics identified in the user profile;

traversing one or more other user profiles to identify one or more other users with characteristics that are similar to the retrieved characteristics; and

designating the one or more identified other users as buddies.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein retrieving comprises retrieving an indication of an action that a given buddy is performing at a given point in time.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying comprises displaying one or more images as the one or more representations of the context of the plurality of buddies.

8. The method of claim 1 comprising:

propagating a representation of the context of the user to the plurality of buddies; and

displaying the representation on one or more client devices operated by the plurality of buddies.

9. A system for providing one or more content items to a user, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory having executable instructions stored thereon that when executed by the processor cause the processor to;

set a context for a client device operated by the user;

for each of a plurality of buddies associated with the user as indicated in a user profile, set a context for a client device operated by each of the plurality of buddies, the plurality of buddies in a social network of the user, wherein the plurality of buddies are identified from one or more instant messaging services to which the user has subscribed and to which the user has indicated this subscription in the user profile, the context includes at least one of a particular action being performed, a location from where that action is being performed, on what type of client device the action is being performed, and wherein the context is at least one of;

a first level context comprising playing one or more online gaming applications, displaying one or more items of television content, and displaying one or more web pages, and a second level context comprising at least one detailed level context of the first level context;

retrieve one or more representations of the context of the plurality of buddies;

display the one or more representations of the context of the plurality of buddies as icons in the first level context on the client device in conjunction with the context of the client device;

receive a selection of a representation of a context of a given buddy from the one or more representations;

set the context of the client device to the selected context of the given buddy, the user simultaneously participating in both the context of the client device and the context of the given buddy; and

display at the client device an interface screen for the user to participate in the selected context of the given buddy, the interface screen displaying the one or more representations, wherein the selected representation is modified from an icon in the first level context to an icon of a second level context of the given buddy with regard to the selected context and one or more representations of at least one other of the plurality of buddies participating in a context other than the selected context remain displayed as icons in the first level context.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein setting the context comprises retrieving content selected by the user.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein setting the context comprises displaying one or more recommended items of content based upon the user profile.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein retrieving one or more representations comprises:

identifying the one or more users designated as buddies in the one or more instant messaging applications; and

retrieving one or more representations of the context of users designated as buddies for display on the client device.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein retrieving comprises:

retrieving one or more characteristics identified in the user profile;

traversing one or more other user profiles to identify one or more other users with characteristics that are similar to the retrieved characteristics; and

designating the one or more identified other users as buddies.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein retrieving comprises retrieving an indication of an action that a given buddy is performing at a given point in time.

15. Non-transitory computer readable media comprising program code that when executed by a programmable processor causes execution of a method for providing one or more content items to a user, the computer readable media comprising:

computer program code for setting a context for a client device operated by the user;

computer program code for each of a plurality of buddies associated with the user as indicated in a user profile, setting a context for a client device operated by each of the plurality of buddies, the plurality of buddies in a social network of the user, wherein the plurality of buddies are identified from one or more instant messaging services to which the user has subscribed and to which the user has indicated this subscription in the user profile, the context includes at least one of a particular action being performed, a location from where that action is being performed, on what type of client device the action is being performed, and wherein the context is at least one of;

a first level context comprising playing one or more online gaming applications, displaying one or more items of television content, and displaying one or more web pages, and a second level context comprising at least one detailed level context of the first level context;

computer program code for retrieving one or more representations of the context of the plurality of buddies;

computer program code for displaying the one or more representations of the context of the plurality of buddies as icons in the first level context on the client device in conjunction with the context of the client device;

computer program code for receiving a selection of a representation of a context of a given buddy from the one or more representations;

computer program code for setting the context of the client device to the selected context of the given buddy, the user simultaneously participating in both the context of the client device and the context of the given buddy; and

computer program code for displaying at the client device an interface screen for the user to participate in the selected context of the given buddy, the interface screen displaying the one or more representations, wherein the selected representation is modified from an icon in the first level context to an icon of a second level context of the given buddy with regard to the selected context and one or more representations of at least one other of the plurality of buddies participating in a context other than the selected context remain displayed as icons in the first level context.

16. The computer readable media of claim 15 wherein the computer program code for setting the context comprises computer program code for retrieving content selected by the user.

17. The computer readable media of claim 15 wherein computer program code for setting the context comprises computer program code for displaying one or more recommended items of content based upon the user profile.

18. The computer readable media of claim 15 wherein computer program code for retrieving one or more representations comprises:

computer program code for identifying the one or more users designated as buddies in the one or more instant messaging applications; and

computer program code for retrieving one or more representations of the context of users designated as buddies for display on the client device.

19. The computer readable media of claim 15 wherein computer program code for displaying comprises computer program code for displaying one or more images as the one or more representations of the context of the plurality of buddies.

20. The computer readable media of claim 15 comprising:

computer program code for propagating a representation of the context of the user to the plurality of buddies; and

computer program code for displaying the representation on one or more client devices operated by the plurality of buddies.