Method and apparatus for content information related to a media program

• US 8,566,877 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2011
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Genesis Star Management Limited
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gibbon, David, Johnston, Michael, Shahraray, Behzad
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN BA, HOANG VU A
• Application Number:
  US13/252,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20120030709A1
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: 725/45, 725/46, 715/745, 715/811
• US Class Current: 725/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26603 for automatically generating descriptors from content, e.g. when it is not made available by its provider, using content analysis techniques
• 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 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

In one embodiment, a system generates a customized interface based on displayed programming. The system stores a program that a user displayed through a media device; searches through a network for information related to the displayed program; and extracts data associated with the information related to the displayed program. A custom interface is generated based substantially on the data associated with the information related to the displayed program.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a watched program log to store a plurality of locally displayed programs presented by a media device, wherein each of the plurality of locally displayed programs is provided by a video content server;

a data extractor to provide a search query to a network of servers for content information related to each of the plurality of locally displayed programs, and to extract data associated with the content information related to each of the plurality of locally displayed programs;

a database to store the data associated with the content information related to each of the plurality of locally displayed programs, wherein the data associated with the content information is stored in the database responsive to each of the plurality of locally displayed programs being displayed for at least a predetermined duration; and

a custom interface generator, wherein an interface generated by the custom interface generator is accessible over a distributed data network, wherein the interface is customized according to the data associated with the content information related to each of the plurality of locally displayed programs, and wherein the interface is configured to display information identifying a locally displayed program from the watched program log and the data associated with the content information related to the locally displayed program that has been displayed for at least the predetermined duration.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface is configured for display by the media device as a prompt feature to access the content information related to the locally displayed program, wherein the prompt feature is one of a toolbar, a sidebar or a menu page.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the data is associated with at least one of a discussion group, a web log, a transcript, a program rating system, a promotional product link, an actor non-streamed webcast link, or other episodes of the locally displayed program.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface does not include information for a recorded program when the recorded program has not been played.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface is accessible for display by a mobile device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the network of servers is independent of the video content server.

7. A method comprising:

searching a network of servers for content information related to a media program presented at a media device;

extracting data associated with the content information related to the presented media program;

storing the data associated with the content information related to the presented media program; and

generating an interface based on the data associated with the content information related to the presented media program that has been displayed for at least a threshold duration.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising configuring the interface for display by the media device as a prompt feature to access the content information related to the presented media program, wherein the prompt feature is one of a toolbar, a sidebar or a menu page.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the media device is a mobile device and wherein the method comprises configuring the interface for display by the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the network of servers is independent of a video content server that provides the media program to the media device.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the interface excludes information for a recorded program of the media program when the recorded program has not been played at the media device.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the data is associated with at least one of a discussion group, a web log, a transcript, a program rating system, a promotional product link, an actor non-streamed webcast link, or other episodes of the media program.

13. A system comprising:

a video content server to process displayed program information when a program is displayed at a media device; and

a transmitter to transmit the displayed program information to a data extraction server for obtaining data from a network of servers, the data being related to the program displayed, the data being used to generate a customized interface based on at least a portion of the displayed program information that is related to locally displayed content having been displayed for a predetermined duration at the media device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the program is displayed for a threshold duration before the transmitter transmits the displayed program information.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising a database to store the program.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the network of servers is independent of the video content server.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the data is associated with at least one of a web link to the information related to locally displayed content, a discussion group, or a web log.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the data is associated with at least one of a transcript, a program rating system, a promotional product link, an actor non-streamed webcast link, information of a related program, other episodes of the displayed program, or a program summary.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the customized interface comprises a displayed content section that describes locally displayed content presented at the media device.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the customized interface comprises a plurality of displayed content sections arranged to display first information for a first program more prominently than second information for a second program.