Method and system for providing subscription data

• US 8,528,033 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2007
• Issued: 09/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2007
• 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: McCarthy, Mary, Noll, Roland, Cardenas, Bryan M.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHUNG, JASON
• Application Number:
  US11/876,475
• Publication Number:
  US 20090106796A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,143 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/110
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/251 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies details of learning user preferences for the retrieval of video data in a video database G06F16/739; computer systems using learning methods G06N3/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4508 Management of client data or end-user data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

Methods and systems for providing subscription data are described. Subscription data may be received from a subscription data source. The video content may be provided for presentation. A determination may be made of whether the subscription data is contextually relevant to the video content. The subscription data may be provided for presentation in accordance with the determination and the providing of the video content.

Claims

1. A method at a set top box comprising:

receiving subscription data at the set top box from a subscription data source, wherein the receiving of the subscription data is in accordance with a subscription to a syndicated feed, wherein the subscription data comprises syndication data, textual data, advertisement data, and combinations thereof;

providing from the set top box video content for presentation;

accessing keywords associated with the video content by accessing an electronic programming guide associated with the video content, by accessing closed captioning data associated with the video content, by accessing metadata associated with the video content, by accessing a watermark associated with the video content, by accessing image recognition data associated with the video content and by accessing an audio recognition output associated with the video content;

detecting a relationship between the keywords and the subscription data;

making a determination at the set top box whether the subscription data is contextually relevant to the video content responsive to detecting the relationship between the keywords and the subscription data;

providing from the set top box the subscription data for presentation in accordance with the determination;

generating a feed identification of the syndicated feed at the set top box, wherein the feed identification is provided in accordance with a combination of geographic information associated with or determined from a subscriber account, a viewing profile based on video content viewing habits, and demographic information of a subscriber associated with the set top box;

receiving a feed request at the set top box;

subscribing to the syndicated feed in accordance with the feed request;

presenting the feed identification of the syndicated feed from the set top box,

wherein the feed request is received in response to presenting the feed identification,

wherein the feed identification is presented in accordance with;

the viewing profile based on the video content viewing habits detected at the set top box, a user profile, the demographic information of the subscriber, and the geographic information associated with the subscriber account, and

wherein the syndicated feed is at least one of an Really Simple Syndication feed, an Atom feed, or combinations thereof.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the subscription data is in accordance with the viewing profile.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising:

selecting the syndicated feed in accordance with the viewing profile of the subscriber of the set top box, the syndicated feed being capable of providing the subscription data.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

identifying previous video content provided for presentation; and

developing the viewing profile in accordance with identification of the previous video content.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying the video content provided for presentation to a presentation device communicatively coupled to the set top box;

wherein the determination of whether the subscription data is contextually relevant to the video content is in accordance with the identifying of the video content.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a content source of the video content,

wherein the determination whether the subscription data is contextually relevant to the video content in accordance with an identification of the content source.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing the demographic information of the subscriber;

wherein the receiving of the subscription data is in accordance with the demographic information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the subscription data is in accordance with the geographic information of the subscriber.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the subscription data is in accordance with the user profile.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the subscription data is provided for presentation in an overlapping portion of the video content.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the subscription data is provided through a multicast feed.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the video content is provided through a multicast feed.

13. A method at a set top box comprising:

receiving subscription data at the set to box from a subscription data source, wherein the receiving of the subscription data is in accordance with a subscription to a syndicated feed, wherein the subscription data comprises syndication data, textual data, advertisement data, and combinations thereof;

providing from the set top box video content for presentation;

accessing keywords associated with the video content by accessing an electronic programming guide associated with the video content, by accessing closed captioning data associated with the video content, by accessing metadata associated with the video content, by accessing a watermark associated with the video content, by accessing image recognition data associated with the video content and by accessing an audio recognition output associated with the video content;

detecting a relationship between the keywords and the subscription data;

making a determination at the set top box whether the subscription data is contextually relevant to the video content responsive to detecting the relationship between the keywords and the subscription data;

providing from the set top box the subscription data for presentation in accordance with the determination;

generating a feed identification of the syndicated feed at the set top box, wherein the feed identification is provided in accordance with a combination of geographic information associated with or determined from a subscriber account, a viewing profile based on video content viewing habits, and demographic information of a subscriber associated with the set top box;

receiving a feed request at the set top box;

subscribing to the syndicated feed in accordance with the feed request;

presenting the feed identification of the syndicated feed from the set top box,

wherein the feed request is received in response to presenting the feed identification,

wherein the feed identification is presented in accordance with;

the viewing profile based on the video content viewing habits detected at the set top box, a user profile, the demographic information of the subscriber, and the geographic information associated with the subscriber account,

wherein the syndicated feed is at least one of an Really Simple Syndication feed, an Atom feed, or combinations thereof;

accessing the user profile associated with the set top box; and

presenting the subscription data at an additional device in accordance with the user profile.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the additional device includes at least one of a mobile telephone, a gaming device, a personal digital assistant, or combinations thereof.

15. A method at a set top box comprising:

receiving subscription data at the set to box from a subscription data source, wherein the receiving of the subscription data is in accordance with a subscription to a syndicated feed, wherein the subscription data comprises syndication data, textual data, advertisement data, and combinations thereof;

providing from the set top box video content for presentation;

accessing keywords associated with the video content by accessing an electronic programming guide associated with the video content, by accessing closed captioning data associated with the video content, by accessing metadata associated with the video content, by accessing a watermark associated with the video content, by accessing image recognition data associated with the video content and by accessing an audio recognition output associated with the video content;

detecting a relationship between the keywords and the subscription data;

making a determination at the set top box whether the subscription data is contextually relevant to the video content responsive to detecting the relationship between the keywords and the subscription data;

providing from the set top box the subscription data for presentation in accordance with the determination;

generating a feed identification of the syndicated feed at the set top box, wherein the feed identification is provided in accordance with a combination of geographic information associated with or determined from a subscriber account, a viewing profile based on video content viewing habits, and demographic information of a subscriber associated with the set top box;

receiving a feed request at the set top box;

subscribing to the syndicated feed in accordance with the feed request;

presenting the feed identification of the syndicated feed from the set top box, wherein the feed request is received in response to presenting the feed identification,

wherein the feed identification is presented in accordance with;

the viewing profile based on the video content viewing habits detected at the set top box, a user profile, the demographic information of the subscriber, and the geographic information associated with the subscriber account,

wherein the syndicated feed is at least one of an Really Simple Syndication feed, an Atom feed, or combinations thereof;

altering billing information associated with the subscriber account in accordance with the providing of the subscription data.