Interactive map and related content for an entertainment program

• US 9,015,759 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2012
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CBS Interactive Inc. (Paramount Global (f/k/a ViacomCBS Inc.))
• Original Assignee: CBS Interactive Inc. (Paramount Global (f/k/a ViacomCBS Inc.))
• Inventors: ELEND, Adam, Lynch, Michelle, Ferreira, Joe, Tice, Sean
• Primary Examiner(s): IDOWU, OLUGBENGA O
• Application Number:
  US13/355,429
• Publication Number:
  US 20130024891A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: 725/40, 725/43, 725/61, 725/13, 725/16
• US Class Current: 725/43
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4516 involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

A system and method for providing interactive content that is correlated to events of an entertainment program.

Claims

1. A method implemented by one or more processors and comprising:

using the one or more processors to perform steps comprising;

during a broadcast of an entertainment program, generating an interactive map correlating a plurality of geographic locations with locations of one or more characters of the entertainment program;

publishing the interactive map on a website associated with the entertainment program;

generating a plurality of selectable markers on the interactive map, each selectable marker correlating to a respective geographic location of the plurality of geographic locations;

associating, with each of the plurality of selectable markers, content corresponding to the respective geographic location correlated to the selectable marker; and

in response to a new event occurring in the entertainment program during the broadcast, generating a notification on the interactive map identifying a location associated with the new event;

wherein the website includes a webpage comprising (i) a media player to present the entertainment program, (ii) the interactive map having the plurality of selectable markers correlated to the respective geographic locations of the one or more characters of the entertainment program, and (iii) a user feedback region to poll users in order to affect a storyline of the entertainment program.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the content comprises an image or a video file of the respective geographic location.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a user-generated content region on the website in conjunction with generating the interactive map;

receiving user-generated content, from one or more users, corresponding to the respective geographic location; and

generating, on the interactive map, a selectable feature for the respective geographic location enabling users to display the user-generated content provided by the one or more users.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

segmenting a route, connected by the plurality of selectable markers, into a plurality of segments, each segment associated with video content forming a portion of the entertainment program.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein individual segments of the plurality of segments are associated with an episode of the entertainment program.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

on the generated interactive map, displaying geographic elements related to one or more additional entertainment programs.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing advertising content on an advertising region of the web page, the advertising content corresponding to one or more business establishments related to the location associated with the new event.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the entertainment program is a reality-based entertainment program, and wherein the one or more characters correspond to one or more characters of the reality-based entertainment program.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein correlating the plurality of geographic locations with the one or more characters includes detecting geographic information originating from electronic devices carried by the one or more characters in the reality-based entertainment program in order to generate the plurality of selectable markers on the interactive map.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

detecting geo-tags in communications provided by the one or more characters in the reality-based entertainment program in order to attach the content to each of the plurality of selectable markers, wherein the attached content corresponds to the communications provided by the one or more characters.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the communications corresponds to text content or image content provided by the one or more characters via one or more social media applications.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

during a broadcast of an entertainment program, generating an interactive map correlating a plurality of geographic locations with one or more characters of the entertainment program;

publishing the interactive map on a website associated with the entertainment program;

generating a plurality of selectable markers on the interactive map, each selectable marker correlating to a respective geographic location of the plurality of geographic locations;

associating, with each of the plurality of selectable markers, content corresponding to the respective geographic location correlated to the selectable marker; and

in response to detecting a new event occurring in the entertainment program during the broadcast, generating a notification on the interactive map identifying a location associated with the new event;

wherein the website includes a webpage comprising (i) a media player to present the entertainment program, (ii) the interactive map having the plurality of selectable markers correlated to the respective geographic locations of the one or more characters of the entertainment program, and (iii) a user feedback region to poll users in order to affect a storyline of the entertainment program.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the content comprises an image or a video file.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processor to perform further operations comprising:

providing a user-generated content region on the website in conjunction with generating the interactive map;

receiving user-generated content, from one or more users, corresponding to the respective geographic location; and

generating, on the interactive map, a selectable feature for the respective geographic location enabling users to display the user-generated content provided by the one or more users.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processor to perform further operations comprising:

segmenting a route, connected by the plurality of selectable markers, into a plurality of segments, each segment associated with video content forming a portion of the entertainment program.