Method of substituting content during program breaks

• US 8,434,103 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2001
• Issued: 04/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ARRIS Group, Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tsuchida, Ted, Miller, Douglas A., Novak, Robert E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Kristine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Sumaiya A
• Application Number:
  US09/963,136
• Publication Number:
  US 20020194593A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,236 Days
• Field of Search: 725/34, 725109-114, 725/32, 725/36, 725 39- 43
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/10 Arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or the distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• 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 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• 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 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/437 Interfacing the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. for transmitting client requests to a VOD server flow control in data networks H04L47/10; streaming protocols, e.g. RTP or RTCP, H04L65/65; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests in data packet switching networks H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• 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 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• 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 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 : Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 : for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• 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 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 5/76 : Television signal recording
• 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 5/781 : on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 : on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 : on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 : the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 : Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 : Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 : Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

A method of substituting content during a program break, includes: detecting a break in a broadcast program, and in response to the break, showing substitute content. A method of substituting broadcast content displayed on a screen, includes: determining an occurrence of a break in a broadcast content; and in response to the occurrence of the break, displaying substitute content on the screen. The method may further include: displaying the broadcast content when the break terminates.

Claims

1. A method for performing a substitution for a broadcast content, the method comprising:

receiving broadcast content and one or more user-selectable triggers associated with the broadcast content, the one or more user-selectable triggers comprising addresses to respective interactive sites corresponding to the broadcast content;

marking, during a presentation of the broadcast content, at least one of the one or more user-selectable triggers in the broadcast content in response to a user command, wherein marking comprises, without first displaying information from a selected interactive site associated with the at least one marked trigger, storing address information for the selected interactive site associated with the at least one marked trigger;

detecting a break in the broadcast content, wherein the break comprises one or more of a commercial segment, a broadcast stoppage, or non-activity in a broadcast event; and

automatically displaying without user intervention, the information from the same selected interactive site associated with the at least one trigger that was marked during the presentation of the broadcast content in response to the break in the broadcast content.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the broadcast content when the break terminates.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcast content comprises live programming content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcast content comprises buffered programming content.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcast content comprises video telecast content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcast content comprises teleconference content.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the teleconference content comprises remote learning session broadcast content.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the teleconference content comprises video conference content.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the break in the broadcast content also comprises a commercial skip segment.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the information from the selected interactive site comprises live broadcast content.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the information from the selected interactive site comprises buffered broadcast content.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the information from the selected interactive site comprises recorded broadcast content.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the information from the selected interactive site comprises Internet Protocol channel content.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the Internet Protocol channel content comprises streaming video.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the Internet Protocol channel content comprises electronic mail interaction.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the information from the selected interactive site is displayed in full screen mode.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the information from the selected interactive site is displayed as a main screen view and the broadcast content is displayed as a picture-in-picture.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the information from the selected interactive site is displayed in the screen foreground and the broadcast content is displayed in the screen background.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the information from the selected interactive site is displayed in a first screen area and the broadcast content is displayed in a second screen area.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a timer to indicate a time length for showing the information from the selected interactive site.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

recording the broadcast content when the information from the selected interactive site is displayed.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

pausing the broadcast content when the break ends.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

including a tag to prevent disruption of the display of the broadcast content during the occurrence of the break.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

paying an operator to include the tag in the broadcast content.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

paying an operator to disable the tag.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the information from the selected interactive site is loaded prior to the break in the broadcast content.

27. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

aggregating at least one substitute content based upon a viewer preference.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcast content is recorded to permit viewing of a missed segment in the broadcast content when the display of the information from the selected interactive site terminates.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein a pre-selected segment of the broadcast content is recorded during display of the information from the selected interactive site.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the pre-selected segment is content replayed during the showing of the broadcast content.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the pre-segment is viewed while displaying close caption text from the broadcast content.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactive site can receive a purchase or request from the viewer.

33. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a non-transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions to;

receive broadcast content;

receive a user-selectable trigger associated with the broadcast content, the user selectable trigger comprising an address corresponding to a location of information associated with the broadcast content;

mark, during a presentation of the broadcast content, the user-selectable trigger in the broadcast content in response to a user command, wherein marking comprises storing the address corresponding to the location of information associated with the broadcast content;

identify an occurrence of a break in the broadcast content, wherein the break comprises one or more of a commercial segment, a broadcast stoppage, or non-activity in a broadcast event; and

delay, until the occurrence of the break, using the marked trigger to automatically download, without user intervention, the information associated with the broadcast content from the same location corresponding to the stored address marked during the presentation of the broadcast content.

34. An apparatus for substituting broadcast content displayed on a screen, the apparatus comprising:

means for displaying broadcast content and at least one trigger associated with the broadcast content;

means for marking, during the display of the broadcast content, the at least one trigger in the broadcast content in response to a user command, wherein marking comprises downloading, without displaying, information from an address corresponding to the broadcast content;

means for determining an occurrence of a break in the broadcast content, wherein the break comprises one or more of a commercial segment, a broadcast stoppage, or non-activity in a broadcast event; and

means for automatically displaying, without user intervention, the same downloaded information associated with the trigger that was marked during the presentation of the broadcast content in response to the occurrence of the break.