Optimizing operation of a radio program

• US 8,725,117 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2012
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Concert Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lemi Technology, LLC (Concert Technology Corporation)
• Inventors: Amidon, Christopher M., Issa, Alfredo C., Walsh, Richard J., Pons, Juan A., Evans, Gregory M.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRINH, TAN H
• Application Number:
  US13/692,113
• Publication Number:
  US 20130217367A1
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• Field of Search: 455/550.1, 455/412.1, 455/3.05, 455/3.06, 455/414.1, 455/418, 455/185.1, 455/13.1, 455/3.2, 455/226.4, 455/31.1, 455/226.3, 455/132, 455/140, 455/150.1, 455/142, 455/554, 455/424, 455/557, 455/566, 715/757, 715/706, 709/205, 709/206, 379/265.01, 379/88.01, 370/352, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/30 characterised by the use of a return channel, e.g. for collecting users' opinions, for returning broadcast space/time information or for requesting data
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/06 Arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/66 for using the result on distributors' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments provide for optimizing operation of a radio program operated by a host process. Aspects include analyzing the contextual information received from the plurality of client devices participating in the radio program and enabling at least one feature on the host process based at least in part on the contextual information.

Claims

1. A method for operation of a radio program using a host process, the method comprising:

analyzing contextual information received from client devices participating in the radio program;

adding callers that call into the radio program to a caller queue; and

enabling at least one feature on the host process based at least in part on the contextual information, including prioritizing the caller queue based on a comparison of the contextual information to caller selection criteria.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the contextual information comprises types of participant information including one or more of:

location, environment, proximity to other people, user presence information, client computer data including software application activity, topic interests, calling history, and current caller ratings.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the types of contextual information received is participant configurable.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the contextual information is received from the participating client devices during the radio program, wherein the participating client devices include at least one of currently participating client devices and past participating client devices of the radio program.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein analyzing contextual information includes comparing the contextual information to selected criteria including at least one of radio preferences and participant preferences.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the selected criteria is selected by one of the host, a guest of the host, and automatically by the host process.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the participating client devices includes client devices participating as at least one of a listener client device, a caller client device, a host client device, and a guest client device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein enabling the at least one feature includes presenting via a host client device of the radio program at least one of results of the analysis and the contextual information.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein enabling the at least one feature includes managing a caller queue.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising managing the caller queue by at least one of:

prioritizing the caller queue;

automating the caller queue; and

automatically soliciting new callers for the radio program and adding at least a portion of the new callers to the caller queue.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein automating the caller queue further comprises performing automatic call screening, including:

receiving a request to add a caller to the caller queue;

asking the caller automated questions to determine the caller'"'"'s position on a current topic; and

based on the caller'"'"'s answers to the automated questions, accepting the request by placing the caller into the caller queue or denying the request.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising receiving a selection from the host of one of an automated call screening and a community-based call screening, wherein in the automated call screening, the host process presents the caller with the automated questions, and in the community-based call screening, the host process passes the caller to one or more of the listeners acting as call screeners who present the automated questions to the caller.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein automatically soliciting the new callers further comprises:

determining that a number of callers in the caller queue passes below a predefined caller threshold;

identifying potential callers from the participants based on the analysis of the contextual information;

prioritizing the potential callers; and

sending an electronic invitation to call to the potential callers having high priority.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the contextual information used to identify the potential callers comprises one or more of:

a history of engagement level with the radio program;

a degree to which an expertise of a potential caller matches a current topic;

client device capabilities; and

caller rating.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the selection criteria includes one or more of:

each of the caller'"'"'s context match to the participants;

each of the caller'"'"'s context match to the selected criteria; and

caller ratings.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the caller ratings are determined by community- based influences, by:

receiving ratings of the callers, wherein the ratings are received by one or more client devices for one or more of current listeners, the host, and a guest; and

prioritizing the caller queue based on the ratings of the callers.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein enabling the at least one feature includes automatically generating a topic suggestion.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein automatically generating the topic suggestion comprises:

receiving topic preferences;

determining recommended topics based on cross-referencing the topic preferences with the contextual information of the listeners; and

presenting the recommended topics to the host for selection.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein automatically generating the topic suggestion is initiated in response to monitoring an engagement level of the participants and initiating the generating of the topic suggestion when engagement level falls below a predetermined threshold.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein receiving topic preferences comprises at least one of:

receiving the topic preferences from manual input of the participants;

receiving the topic preferences from a topic repository; and

receiving the topic preferences by monitoring conversations among the participants.

21. The method of claim 18 further comprising initiating generation of the topic suggestion in response to an engagement level indicator passing below a predetermined engagement threshold.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein enabling the at least one feature includes presenting an audience engagement indicator.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein presenting the audience engagement indicator comprises:

determining an audience engagement level for the listeners based on the contextual information, wherein the contextual information includes information collected from client devices and applications of the listeners; and

presenting the audience engagement indicator to at least the host.

24. The method of claim 22 further comprising automatically initiating an action based on the engagement level passing a predefined engagement threshold.

25. The method of claim 1 wherein the participants further include at least one of the host and a guest of the host.

26. An executable software product stored on a tangible computer-readable medium containing program instructions for a radio program operated using a host process, the program instructions for:

analyzing contextual information received from client devices participating in the radio program;

adding callers that call into the radio program to a caller queue; and

enabling at least one feature on the host process based at least in part on the contextual information, including prioritizing the caller queue based on a comparison of the contextual information to caller selection criteria.

27. A server, comprising:

a network interface configured for receiving contextual information from client devices participating in the radio program; and

a processor executing a host process, wherein the host process controls operation of the radio program and is configured to;

analyze the contextual information received from the client devices participating in the radio program;

add callers that call into the radio program to a caller queue; and

enable at least one feature on the host process based at least in part on the contextual information, including prioritizing the caller queue based on a comparison of the contextual information to caller selection criteria.

28. A system, comprising:

a plurality of client devices participating in a radio program;

a server coupled to the plurality of client devices via a network;

a host process executed by the server for controlling operation of the radio program and configured to,

analyze the contextual information received from the plurality of client devices participating in the radio program;

add callers that call into the radio program to a caller queue; and

enable at least one feature on the host process based at least in part on the contextual information, including prioritizing the caller queue based on a comparison of the contextual information to caller selection criteria.