Television interaction information and related iconography

• US 9,236,965 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2009
• Issued: 01/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Adimatyam, Venkata S., Gavade, Sameer Vasant
• Primary Examiner(s): Goodarzi, Nasser
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, AN V
• Application Number:
  US12/631,898
• Publication Number:
  US 20110138408A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,227 Days
• Field of Search: 725/9, 725/14, 725/39, 725/46, 725/52, 725/110, 725/132, 725/146, 725/28, 725/36, 725/15, 725/53, 725/49, 725/107, 725/131, 725/114, 725/116, 725/88, 709/218, 709/231, 704/1, 386/124
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/372 Programme
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/47 for recognising genres
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/64 for providing detail information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/74 using programme related information, e.g. title, composer or interpreter

Abstract

A method may include receiving identification information associated with each of one or more users. Interactions may be received from the one or more users relating to content displayed on a television device. Interaction information associated with the interactions may be captured, wherein the interaction information includes at least interaction type information, interaction status information, interaction origin information, and user identification information. The captured interaction information may be stored. A request to display at least some of the captured interaction information may be received. At least some of the captured information may be retrieved and displayed responsive to the request.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving identification information associated with each of one or more users;

receiving interactions from the one or more users relating to content displayed on a television device;

capturing interaction information associated with the interactions, wherein the interaction information for one of the interactions includes at least;

interaction type information identifying a type of action associated with the interaction,

interaction status information identifying a status of the interaction, wherein the status information indicates whether the interaction is completed,

interaction origin information identifying a user device, of a plurality of user devices associated with the one or more users, that is used by the user to initiate the interaction, and

user identification information identifying a user, of the one or more users, initiating the interaction;

dentifying profile information associated with the one or more users, wherein the profile information associated with each of the one or more users includes;

a user identification for the user, and

a non-textual, graphical element representative of the user;

receiving a request to display at least some of the captured interaction information;

retrieving at least some of the captured information responsive to the request wherein the retrieved information relates to a first action, wherein the first action is initiated by a first user of the one or more users using a first user device, and wherein the first action is associated with a first status during a first time period;

determining, based on the profile information, a first graphical element associated with the first user;

modifying the first graphical element to include a first graphical indication associated with the first user device and a second graphical indication associated with the first status;

displaying at least a portion of the retrieved information and the modified first graphical element during the first time period;

determining a second status associated with the first action during a second time period that is after the first time period, wherein the second status is associated with a third graphical indication;

updating the modified first graphical element to form an updated first graphical element, wherein updating the modified first graphical element include replacing, in the modified first graphical element, the second graphical indication with the third graphical indication; and

displaying the updated first graphical element during the second time period.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first graphical indication comprises an avatar associated with the first user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second graphical indication is selected from a plurality of status elements based on the first status, and the third graphical indication is selected from the plurality of status elements based on the second status.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of status elements include:

a done status element indicating that the interaction is completed,

a pending status element indicating that at least a portion of the interaction is still occurring when the indicator icon is displayed, and

a failed status element indicating that the interaction stopped before completion.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first graphical indication is selected from a plurality of origin indicator elements based on the retrieved information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of origin indicator elements includes:

a set-top box (STB) origin indicator element indicating that the interaction was initiated by an STB associated with the television device,

a mobile origin indicator element indicating that the interaction was initiated by a mobile device, and

a web origin indicator element indicating that the interaction was initiated by a computing device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the interaction type information includes at least one of:

content scheduling information indicating that the interaction relates to scheduling a viewing or a recording of the content,

content viewing information indicating that the interaction relates to viewing the content by the user, or

content purchase information indicating that the interaction relates to a purchase by the user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request to display at least some of the captured interaction information further comprises:

receiving a request to display a purchase history associated with the one or more users during a particular time period;

receiving a request to display a listing of recorded and scheduled content associated with the one or more users during the particular time period;

or

receiving a request to display a listing of content viewed by the one or more users during the particular time period.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the television device is coupled to a set-top box (STB), wherein the captured interaction information is stored on a storage device remote from the television device or the STB, and

wherein the request to display at least some of the captured interaction information is received at the remote storage device.

10. A device, comprising:

a communication interface that receives data associated with user interactions relating to television content, wherein the user interactions comprise actions by one or more users of the device with respect to the television content;

a memory that stores interaction information relating to the user interactions, wherein the interaction information for one of the user interactions includes;

interaction type information identifying a type of action associated with the user interaction,

user identification information identifying a user, of the one or more users, performing the action associated with the user interaction,

user device identification information identifying a user device, of a plurality of user devices associated with the user, that is used by the user to initiate the user interactions, and

status information identifying a status of the user interaction, wherein the status information indicates whether the user interaction is completed, and store profile information associated with the one or more users, wherein the profile information associated with each of the one or more users includes;

a user identification for the user, and

a non-textual, graphical element representative of the user;

an output interface that provides content for display; and

a processor that receives a request to display at least some of the stored interaction information,

retrieve, from the memory, at least some of the stored interaction information responsive to the request, wherein the retrieved information relates to a first action, wherein the first action is initiated by a first user of the one or more users using a first user device, and wherein the first action is associated with a first status during a first time period,

determine, based on the profile information, a first graphical element associated with the first user,

modify the first graphical element to include a first 2-raohical indication associated with the first user device and a second graphical indication associated with the first status,

present for display, during the first time period, the retrieved information and the modified first graphical element via the output interface,

determine a second status associated with the first action during a second time period that is after the first time period, wherein the second status is associated with a third graphical indication,

update the modified first graphical element to form an updated first graphical element, wherein updating the modified first graphical element include replacing, in the modified first graphical element, the second graphical indication with the third graphical indication, and

present for display, during the second time period, the updated first graphical element via the output interface.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the graphical element comprises an avatar associated with the user.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein processor further selects the second graphical indication from a plurality of status elements based on the first status, and

select the third graphical indication from the plurality of status elements based on the second status.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the plurality of status elements include:

a done status element indicating that the interaction is completed,

a pending status element indicating that at least a portion of the interaction is still occurring when the indicator icon is displayed, and

a failed status element indicating that the interaction stopped before completion.

14. The device of claim 10, wherein the processor further selects the first graphical indication from a plurality of origin indicator elements based on the interaction information.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the plurality of origin indicator elements includes:

a set-top box (STB) origin indicator element indicating that the interaction was initiated by an STB associated with the television device,

a mobile origin indicator element indicating that the interaction was initiated by a mobile device, and

a web origin indicator element indicating that the interaction was initiated by a computing device.

16. The device of claim 10, wherein the interaction type information includes at least one of:

content scheduling information indicating that the interaction relates to scheduling a viewing or a recording of the content,

content viewing information indicating that the interaction relates to viewing the content by the user, or

content purchase information indicating that the interaction relates to a purchase by the user.

17. The device of claim 10, wherein the processor further presents the retrieved information and the modified first graphical element for display via at least one of a television device or a set-top box (STB) that is remote from the device.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

receive identification information associated with one or more users;

identify interactions from the one or more users relating to content displayed on a television device, wherein the interactions relate to actions performed by the one or more users with respect to the content;

determine interaction information associated with the interactions, wherein the interaction information for one of the interaction includes;

interaction type information identifying one or more of the actions performed by a user, of the one or more users, in connection with the interaction,

interaction status information identifying whether the interaction is completed,

interaction origin information identifying a device used by the user to initiate the interaction, and

user identification information identifying the user;

store the interaction information;

receive a request to display a portion of the interaction information;

retrieve the portion of the interaction information based on receiving the request, wherein the retrieved information relates to a first action, wherein the first action is initiated by a first user of the one or more users using a first user device, and wherein the first action is associated with a first status during a first time period;

determine, based on the profile information, a first graphical element associated with the first user;

modify the first graphical element to include a first graphical indication associated with the first user device and a second graphical indication associated with the first status;

present, during the first time period, the retrieved portion of the interaction information;

determine a second status associated with the first action during a second time period that is after the first time period, wherein the second status is associated with a third graphical indication;

update the modified first graphical element to form an updated first graphical element, wherein updating the modified first graphical element include replacing, in the modified first graphical element, the second graphical indication with the third graphical indication; and

present for display, during the second time period, the updated first graphical element.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the interaction information further includes data identifying respective digital content associated with the interactions.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the actions performed by the one or more users with respect to the content include:

viewing a first portion of the contents,

making a purchase related to a second portion of the contents, and

causing a third portion of the contents to be recorded.