System for presenting media content

• US 9,100,711 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2014
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: White, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheleheda, James R
• Application Number:
  US14/246,415
• Publication Number:
  US 20140223493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 484 Days
• Field of Search: 725/34, 725/133, 725/58, 725/61
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42209 for displaying non-command information, e.g. electronic program guide [EPG], e-mail, messages or a second television channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• 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

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a process that monitors consumption of media content of equipment of a user. A tout message associated with a media content item is constructed based on the consumption. The tout message includes information including a selectable link. The selectable link provides instructions to direct a media processor of the subscriber to access the media content item without receiving additional input from equipment of the subscriber. A mobile communication device of the subscriber is selected based on a determined likelihood of reaching the subscriber, and the tout message is transmitted to the mobile communication device. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A machine-readable storage device, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

constructing a tout message associated with a media content item;

including, in the tout message, information associated with the media content item without providing images associated with the media content and further including in the tout message a selectable link including instructions for directing a media processor of a subscriber to access the media content item without the subscriber providing additional input;

determining a prediction of a likelihood of reaching the subscriber based on presence information associated with the subscriber;

selecting a communication device of the subscriber from amongst a group of communication devices associated with the subscriber based on the prediction, wherein the communication device is remote from the media processor;

transmitting the tout message to the communication device of the subscriber, wherein the transmitting of the tout message causes the communication device to replace a buy button with another button in a graphical user interface in which the tout message is presented; and

directing the media processor, responsive to selection of the selectable link and by way of the instructions, to supply media content remotely to the communication device.

2. The machine-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise monitoring the media processor for consumption of media content, wherein the constructing of the tout message is based on the consumption.

3. The machine-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the presence information is determined from detecting a handover transition between base stations, and wherein the media content item corresponds to video content.

4. The machine-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise selecting the media content item according to preferences of the subscriber, and wherein the another button comprises a preview button to access a preview of the media content item.

5. The machine-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the presence information is determined from network activity emanating from the group of communication devices.

6. The machine-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the tout message is transmitted using an email message, and wherein the instructions include a time, duration and media channel specified for accessing the media content item.

7. The machine-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the selectable link comprises instructions that establish communications between the communication device of the subscriber and the media processor when selected, and wherein the presence information is determined from global positioning system coordinate information supplied by global positioning system receivers in the group of communication devices.

8. A device, comprising:

a memory that stores executable instructions; and

a processor coupled with the memory, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the executable instructions, facilitates performance of operations comprising;

constructing a tout message associated with a media content item;

including, in the tout message, information associated with the media content item and a selectable link with instructions to access the media content item without additional input from equipment of a subscriber; and

transmitting the tout message to a communication device of the subscriber to enable the communication device to access the media content item via a media processor remote from the communication device, wherein the transmitting of the tout message causes the communication device to replace a buy button with another button in a graphical user interface in which the tout message is presented, wherein selection of the selectable link within the tout message directs the media processor, by way of the instructions, to supply the media content item to the communication device.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein presence information is determined from detecting a handover transition between base stations, from global positioning system coordinate information supplied by global positioning system receivers in a group of communication devices, from network activity emanating from the group of communication devices, or combinations thereof, wherein the group of communication devices includes the communication device, and wherein the presence information is used for identifying the communication device.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein the media content item is selected according to a history of media content consumed by the subscriber, and wherein the another button comprises a preview button to access a preview of the media content item.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise determining a prediction of a likelihood of reaching the subscriber based on presence information associated with the subscriber and selecting a communication device of the subscriber from amongst a group of communication devices associated with the subscriber according to the prediction.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein the media content item is selected according to preferences of the subscriber, and wherein the instructions include a time, duration and media channel for recording.

13. The device of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise monitoring for consumption of media content by the equipment of the subscriber, wherein the constructing of the tout message is based on the consumption of the media content.

14. The device of claim 8, wherein the tout message does not include images associated with the media content.

15. A method comprising:

constructing, by a system including a processor, a tout message associated with a media content item;

including, in the tout message, information associated with the media content item and further including in the tout message a selectable link including instructions for directing a media processor of a subscriber to access the media content item without receiving additional input from equipment of the subscriber;

determining, by the system, a prediction of a likelihood of the tout message reaching the subscriber based on presence information associated with the subscriber;

selecting, by the system, a communication device of the subscriber from amongst a group of communication devices associated with the subscriber according to the prediction; and

transmitting, by the system, the tout message to the communication device of the subscriber, wherein selection of the selectable link causes the media processor, by way of the instructions, to supply the communication device with the media content item.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the presence information is determined from detecting a handover transition between base stations, from global positioning system coordinate information supplied by global positioning system receivers in the group of communication devices, from network activity emanating from the group of communication devices, or combinations thereof.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the communication device is a mobile communication device, wherein the tout message is transmitted using an email message, and wherein the transmitting of the tout message causes the mobile communication device to replace a buy button with another button in a graphical user interface in which the tout message is presented.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising selecting, by the system, the media content item according to preferences of the subscriber, wherein the another button comprises a preview button to access a preview of the media content item.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising monitoring, by the system, for consumption of media content by the equipment of the subscriber, wherein the tout message does not include images associated with the media content.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the instructions include a time, duration and media channel for recording.