Method and system for linking content on a connected television screen with a browser

• US 9,043,821 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2012
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Turner Broadcasting System Incorporated (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Turner Broadcasting System Incorporated (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sinha, Nishith Kumar, Loheide, Donald Jude, Giles, Matthew Paul, Wolff-Ingham, Karl-Christian Sebastian
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Rong
• Application Number:
  US13/730,759
• Publication Number:
  US 20130205319A1
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 725 9- 21, 348/734
• US Class Current: 725/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24558 Binary matching operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/00 Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD] real-time bi-directional transmission of motion video data H04N7/14 ; broadcast or conference over packet switching networks H04L12/18
• 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 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/432 Content retrieval operation from a local storage medium, e.g. hard-disk details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video databases G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/441 Acquiring end-user identification , e.g. using personal code sent by the remote control or by inserting a card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/442 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/29; arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information H04H60/35; monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; monitoring in wireless networks H04W24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• 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 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4784 receiving rewards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

An automatic content recognition (ACR)-enabled connected TV device may be associated with a paired device and the paired device may comprise a browser. The ACR-enabled connected TV device may be operable to enable, utilizing an ACR system, the browser to display, within a section of a browser window, interactive content related to certain content being presented by the ACR-enabled connected TV device. The ACR-enabled connected TV device may be operable to enable, utilizing the ACR system, a viewer to interact with the interactive content. The section of the browser window may be changed dynamically. The certain content may comprise an advertisement of a particular product and the interactive content may comprise a link to a website and/or other information related to the particular product. The certain content may comprise a program associated with a network and the interactive content may comprise information on polling questions related to the program.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

in an automatic content recognition (ACR)-enabled connected TV device that communicates with an ACR system to handle ACR, which is paired with or associated with a paired device utilizing a companion application running on said paired device, wherein said paired device comprises a browser;

enabling, utilizing the ACR system, said browser to display, within a section of a browser window, interactive content related to certain content being presented by said ACR-enabled connected TV device; and

enabling, utilizing said ACR system, a viewer to interact with said interactive content;

wherein;

said ACR system comprise an abstraction layer that enables assignment of same interactive event identifiers to different sets of video fingerprints generated from the same video content by different video fingerprint technologies from multiple vendors based on timing of said assignment of said interactive event identifiers to said different sets of video fingerprints generated from said same video content by a common reference clock utilized by said ACR system;

said ACR-enabled connected TV device providing fingerprints to a fingerprint matching system in said ACR system for matching by said fingerprint matching system;

said ACR-enabled connected TV device receiving information and/or content from the ACR system based on interactive events associated with said interactive event identifiers indicated by the matching by the fingerprint matching system; and

said display of said interactive content is based on said interactive event identifiers.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said section of said browser window is changed dynamically.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said certain content comprises an advertisement of a particular product.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said interactive content comprises a link to a website and/or other information related to said particular product.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein, upon searching for an item related to said particular product by said viewer, said browser window comprises a list of links to websites related to said particular product.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said interactive content comprises a link to a particular website with information on said particular product shown in said advertisement, and said link to said particular website appears to be a first link on said list.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said certain content comprises an advertisement of a particular automobile.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said interactive content comprises information on taking a test drive of said particular automobile at a particular dealership.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said certain content comprises a program associated with a network.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein said interactive content comprises information on polling questions related to said program.

11. A system, comprising:

an automatic content recognition (ACR)-enabled connected TV device that communicates with an ACR system to handle ACR, said ACR-enabled connected TV device being paired with or associated with a paired device utilizing a companion application running on said paired device, wherein said paired device comprises a browser, and said ACR-enabled connected TV device is operable to;

enable, utilizing said ACR system, said browser to display, within a section of a browser window, interactive content related to certain content being presented by said ACR-enabled connected TV device; and

enable, utilizing said ACR system, a viewer to interact with said interactive content;

wherein;

said ACR system comprise an abstraction layer that enables assignment of same interactive event identifiers to different sets of video fingerprints generated from the same video content by different video fingerprint technologies from multiple vendors based on timing of said assignment of said interactive event identifiers by a common reference clock utilized by said ACR system;

said ACR-enabled connected TV device providing fingerprints to a fingerprint matching system in said ACR system for matching by said fingerprint matching system;

said ACR-enabled connected TV device receiving information and/or content from the ACR system based on interactive events associated with said interactive event identifiers indicated by the matching by the fingerprint matching system; and

said display of said interactive content is based on said interactive event identifiers.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein said section of said browser window is changed dynamically.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein said certain content comprises an advertisement of a particular product.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein said interactive content comprises a link to a website and/or other information related to said particular product.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein, upon searching for an item related to said particular product by said viewer, said browser window comprises a list of links to websites related to said particular product.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein said interactive content comprises a link to a particular website with information on said particular product shown in said advertisement, and said link to said particular website appears to be a first link on said list.

17. The system according to claim 11, wherein said certain content comprises an advertisement of a particular automobile.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein said interactive content comprises information on taking a test drive of said particular automobile at a particular dealership.

19. The system according to claim 11, wherein said certain content comprises a program associated with a network.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein said interactive content comprises information on polling questions related to said program.