Systems and methods for scheduling interactive media and events

• US 9,143,833 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2013
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: StratosAudio, Inc.
• Original Assignee: StratosAudio, Inc.
• Inventors: Christensen, Kelly M., Hansen, John Phillip, Mock, Thomas Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Alcon, Fernando
• Application Number:
  US14/137,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20140109152A1
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47205 for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8173 End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The user can respond to a media segment wherein the media segment may be associated with a schedulable event. Software on the device can then schedule the event into an electronic calendar system, and/or may use data associated with the media segment. At the appropriate time, the electronic calendar system may notify the user of the scheduled broadcast and/or event.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for scheduling at least one option selection, the method comprising:

receiving, through a computer network, from an interactive media receiver a unique identifier specific to a scheduling opportunity and a responder identifier associated with the interactive media receiver;

accessing, using a computer system, a first electronic database entry associated with the unique identifier specific to the scheduling opportunity;

accessing, using the computer system, a second electronic database entry associated with the responder identifier;

determining, using the computer system, at least one selectable option associated with the scheduling opportunity;

determining, using the computer system, a first selectable option from the at least one selectable option based at least in part on information corollary to the second database entry associated with the responder identifier and information corollary to the first database entry associated with the unique identifier specific to the scheduling opportunity;

storing, in an electronic database, the first selectable option in association with the responder identifier; and

transmitting, through the computer network, at least the first selectable option to the interactive media receiver;

wherein the computer system comprises a computer processor and electronic memory.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, through the computer network, from the interactive media receiver a second unique identifier that enables unique identification of a specific instance of a broadcast segment associated with the scheduling opportunity.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the responder identifier enables identification of at least one of the following:

a user associated with the interactive media receiver, the interactive media receiver, an account associating the user with the interactive media receiver, an account associated with the interactive media receiver.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first database entry and the second database entry are stored in at least one of the following configurations:

the first database entry is stored in a first database and the second database entry is stored in the first database, the first database entry is stored in a first database and the second database entry is stored in a second database.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first selectable option is associated with at least one of the following:

a location, a time, a date, a description of the first selectable option, a business associated with the first selectable option.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the determination of the first selectable option is made using at least one of the following criteria:

demographics associated with the responder identifier, preferences associated with the responder identifier, a calendar associated with the responder identifier, a location associated with the responder identifier, a schedule associated with the responder identifier, information associated with the scheduling opportunity, information received from the interactive media receiver distinct from the unique identifier specific to the scheduling opportunity and the responder identifier, information stored in association to the first database entry, information stored in association to the second database entry, information associated with the at least one selectable option.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the determination of the at least one selectable option is made using at least one of the following criteria:

demographics associated with the responder identifier, preferences associated with the responder identifier, a calendar associated with the responder identifier, a location associated with the responder identifier, a schedule associated with the responder identifier, information associated with the scheduling opportunity, information received from the interactive media receiver distinct from the unique identifier specific to the scheduling opportunity and the responder identifier, information stored in association to the first database entry, information stored in association to the second database entry, information associated with the first selectable option.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a report, the report including at least one of the following;

the unique identifier specific to the scheduling opportunity, the responder identifier, a date and time associated with the unique identifier specific to the scheduling opportunity, a location associated with the interactive media receiver, information associated with the responder identifier, information associated with the scheduling opportunity, information associated with the at least one selectable option, information associated with the first selectable option, a date and time associated with the first selectable option.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the interactive media receiver, through the computer network, subsequent to the transmission to the interactive media receiver, at least one of the following;

an acceptance of the first selectable option, a rejection of the first selectable option, a request for a second selectable option distinct from the first selectable option, a request for additional information associated with the first selectable option, a purchase associated with the first selectable option.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the transmission, through the computer network, to the interactive media receiver is accompanied by at least one of the following:

a second selectable option, information associated with the first selectable option, information associated with the second selectable option, information associated with the scheduling opportunity.

11. A computer-implemented method for coordinated scheduling, the computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving using a first device a broadcast segment, an interactive media transmission associated with the broadcast segment and a unique identifier specific to a scheduling opportunity corollary to the interactive media transmission;

determining at least one selectable option associated with the scheduling opportunity and a responder identifier associated with the first device;

presenting using the first device the broadcast segment and the at least one selectable option associated with the scheduling opportunity;

determining a second device to coordinate scheduling of the scheduling opportunity;

communicating with the second device, through a computer network, information corresponding to the scheduling opportunity including at least the unique identifier specific to a scheduling opportunity corollary to the interactive media transmission and the responder identifier associated with the first device;

selecting using at least the first device the at least one selectable option associated with the scheduling opportunity and the responder identifier associated with the first device; and

communicating the selection of the at least one selectable option including at least the unique identifier specific to a scheduling opportunity corollary to the interactive media transmission and the responder identifier associated with the first device to the second device through the computer network.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving using at least the first device a unique identifier that enables unique identification of a specific instance of the broadcast segment; and

communicating to a database, through the computer network, the unique identifier specific to the scheduling opportunity, the responder identifier associated with the first device, and the unique identification of the specific instance of the broadcast segment.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the information corresponding to the scheduling opportunity includes at least one of the following:

a location, a time, a date, the at least one selectable option, a description of the scheduling opportunity, an identification associated with the first device, data derived from the interactive media transmission, a website associated with the scheduling opportunity, a business associated with the scheduling opportunity.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the selection of the at least one selectable option enables at least one of the following:

a calendar entry on the first device, a calendar entry on the second device, a calendar entry in a database distinct from the first device and the second device, an alert on the first device, an alert on the second device, a purchase corollary to the broadcast segment, a website associated with the first device, a website associated with the first device, an appointment corollary to the broadcast segment, scheduling an event on a recording device.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the determination of the first selectable option uses at least one of the following:

information received using the first device in association with the interactive media transmission, information received using the first device in association with the unique identifier specific to the scheduling opportunity, information received subsequent to the receiving of the interactive media transmission, information received subsequent to the receiving of the unique identifier specific to the scheduling opportunity, information derived from communicating with a database.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the second device executes a second selection distinct from the selectable option selected using at least the first device.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving using the first device from the second device through the computer network, a communication including a responder identifier associated with the second device and at least one of the following;

an acceptance of the at least one selectable option, a rejection of the at least one selectable option, a second selectable option, a query associated with the at least one selectable option, a query associated with the scheduling opportunity.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the determination of the second device is made based at least in part on one of the following:

a pre-established parameter associated with a first user of the first device, an association of the second device with the first user of the first device, a select group to which the first user of the first device belongs, a select group to which a second user of the second device belongs, ownership of the first device, ownership of the second device, a relationship between a first user associated with the first device and a second user associated with the second device.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the communication between the first device and the second device includes at least one of the following:

audio, video, text, data.

20. Non-transitory computer storage having stored thereon instructions that, when executed, direct a computing system to perform a method for scheduling at least one option selection, the method comprising:

receiving, through a computer network, from an interactive media receiver a unique identifier specific to a scheduling opportunity and a responder identifier associated with the interactive media receiver;

accessing, using the computer system, a first electronic database entry associated with the unique identifier specific to the scheduling opportunity;

accessing, using the computer system, a second electronic database entry associated with the responder identifier;

determining, using the computer system, at least one selectable option associated with the scheduling opportunity;

determining, using the computer system, a first selectable option from the at least one selectable option based at least in part on information corollary to the second database entry associated with the responder identifier and information corollary to the first database entry associated with the unique identifier specific to the scheduling opportunity;

storing, in an electronic database, the first selectable option in association with the responder identifier; and

transmitting, through the computer network, at least the first selectable option to the interactive media receiver;

wherein the computer system comprises a computer processor and electronic memory.