Method and system to provide interactive television content

• US 8,843,989 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2007
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Manthoulis, Orestis
• Primary Examiner(s): Bruckart, Benjamin R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bantamoi, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US11/704,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20080196071A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,783 Days
• Field of Search: 725 59- 61, 725/135
• US Class Current: 725/135
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• 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 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• 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

Methods and systems for providing interactive television are provided. A method may include sending television content received from a content source to a user device. The method may also include sending at least one interactive program trigger. The interactive program trigger may be adapted to cause the user device to initiate execution of processor executable instructions stored at the user device to provide at least one interactive display related to the television content at a display device.

Claims

1. A method of providing interactive television content, the method comprising:

sending a type of interactive content as processor executable instructions associated with television content to a user device to be stored at the user device as stored processor executable instructions, wherein the type of interactive content is selected based on historical information associated with the user device and based on sponsorship settings associated with an advertiser, wherein the historical information includes a programming requests previously received from the user device;

after the processor executable instructions associated with the television content are sent, sending the television content to the user device;

after the processor executable instructions associated with the television content are sent, sending a first interactive program trigger adapted to cause the user device to initiate execution of the stored processor executable instructions to provide a first interactive display related to the television content at a display device, wherein the interactive display includes a plurality of user selectable elements;

in response to receiving data related to a user selection of a particular user selectable element, sending data to the user device indicating selections received from a plurality of other user devices with respect to the plurality of user selectable elements.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the television content is sent substantially simultaneously with the interactive program trigger.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactive program trigger is sent via a vertical blanking interval of the television content.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a program scheduling request requesting the television content, and sending the television content after the processor executable instructions associated with the television content are sent by an instruction source to the user device to be stored at the user device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the television content comprises a television program.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the television content comprises an advertisement.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor executable instructions associated with the television content are sent to the user device from an instruction source.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the processor executable instructions are further selected based on user adjustable settings.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the type of interactive content comprises at least one of an information gathering interactive feature, an informative interactive feature, a product request interactive feature, or a combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of user selectable elements includes a plurality of voting elements.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of voting elements is operable to enable a user to select a favorite character in a program.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of voting elements is operable to enable a user to select a preferred episode of a program.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular user selectable element is selected using a hot key of a remote control device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the historical information associated with the user device further includes historical user participation information with respect to interactive content.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the historical user participation information includes a user participation rating compared to the plurality of other user devices.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of user selectable elements includes generic user selectable elements that are not associated with specific television content.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the interactive program trigger includes data that relates the generic user selectable elements to the television content.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the television content is associated with a game show, wherein a game show question and a plurality of user selectable answers associated with the game show question are provided via the interactive program trigger, and wherein one or more of the generic user selectable elements is populated with one of the plurality of user selectable answers.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the data indicating selections received from a plurality of other set-top box devices cause the user device to provide a second interactive display, wherein the second interactive display is distinct from the first interactive display.

20. An interactive television system, comprising:

output to;

send a type of interactive content as processor executable instructions associated with television content to a remote user device to be stored at the remote user device as stored processor executable instructions, wherein the type of interactive content is selected based on sponsorship settings associated with an advertiser, and

after the processor executable instructions associated with the television content are sent, send the television content and a trigger signal to the remote user device, wherein the trigger signal is adapted to cause the remote user device to initiate execution of the stored processor executable instructions to provide an interactive display related to the television content at a display device, and wherein the interactive display includes a plurality of user selectable elements;

a user interface module to;

receive data related to a user selection of a particular user selectable element from the remote user device; and

send data to the remote user device indicating selections received from a plurality of other user devices with respect to the plurality of user selectable elements.

21. A set-top box device, comprising:

a memory to receive and store a type of interactive content as processor executable instructions, the processor executable instructions to provide an interactive display at a display device in communication with the set-top box device, wherein the interactive display includes a plurality of user selectable elements, wherein the processor executable instructions are associated with a data stream, wherein the type of interactive content is selected based on sponsorship settings associated with an advertiser;

an input to receive the data stream from a remote network device after the processor executable instructions have been received and stored at the memory, wherein the data stream includes data content and a trigger signal; and

logic to execute the processor executable instructions in response to receiving the trigger signal to provide the interactive display that includes the plurality of user selectable elements;

a user interface module to receive a user selection of a particular user selectable element;

an output to send data related to the user selection of the particular user selectable element to the remote network device; and

a display device interface to communicate data indicating selections received from a plurality of other set-top box devices with respect to the plurality of user selectable elements to the display device.

22. The set-top box device of claim 21, wherein the data stream and the processor executable instructions associated with the data stream are received via an access network of an internet protocol television system.

23. A method comprising:

receiving and storing, at a user device, a type of interactive content as first processor executable instructions at a first time, wherein the first processor executable instructions are associated with content of a first data stream, wherein the type of interactive content is selected based on historical information associated with the user device and based on sponsorship settings associated with an advertiser, and wherein the historical information includes a programming request previously received from the user device;

receiving, at the user device, the first data stream from a remote network device at a second time, wherein the second time is different from the first time and wherein the first data stream includes first content and a first trigger signal;

executing, at the user device, the first processor executable instructions stored at the user device based on the first trigger signal to generate a first interactive display at a display device associated with the user device, wherein the first interactive display includes a plurality of user selectable elements;

sending data related to a user selection of a particular user selectable element to the remote network device; and

displaying data indicating selections received from a plurality of other user devices with respect to the plurality of user selectable elements.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the first processor executable instructions associated with the content of the first data stream are received via a first communication path, and wherein the first data stream including the first content and the first trigger signal are received via a second communication path.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the first interactive display is associated with first television content, and wherein the first trigger signal is received substantially simultaneously with the first television content.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the first interactive display is associated with first television content, and wherein the method further comprises synchronizing the first interactive display with the first television content based on the first trigger signal.

27. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

receiving and storing, at the user device, second processor executable instructions, wherein the second processor executable instructions are associated with content of a second data stream, wherein the second processor executable instructions associated with the content of the second data stream are selected based at least in part on the historical information associated with the user device;

receiving, at the user device, the second data stream from the remote network device, wherein the second data stream includes second content and a second trigger signal; and

executing, at the user device, the second processor executable instructions stored at the user device based on the second trigger signal to generate a second interactive display at the display device associated with the user device.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the second interactive display is associated with second television content, and wherein the method further comprises synchronizing the second interactive display with the second television content based on the second trigger signal.

29. A computer-readable storage device comprising computer readable instructions, wherein the computer readable instructions are executable by a processor to:

receive and store, at a set-top box device, a type of interactive content as processor executable instructions at a first time, wherein the processor executable instructions are associated with content of a data stream, wherein the type of interactive content is selected based on sponsorship settings associated with an advertiser;

receive, at the set-top box device, input at a second time, wherein the second time is different from the first time, the input comprising the data stream including content and a trigger signal associated with specific content;

execute, at the set-top box device, the processor executable instructions to generate an interactive display including an interactive feature related to the specific content based on the trigger signal, wherein the interactive display includes a plurality of user selectable elements; and

in response to receiving a user selection of a particular user selectable element, displaying data indicating selections received from a plurality of other set-top box devices with respect to the plurality of user selectable elements.