Dynamic help content presentation methods and systems

• US 9,380,331 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2010
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Roberts, Brian F., Relyea, Donald H., Lemus, Anthony M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Levy, Amy M
• Application Number:
  US12/976,652
• Publication Number:
  US 20120166945A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,015 Days
• Field of Search: 715/708, 715/705
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G06F 9/453 Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• 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 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• 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 21/47214 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 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71

Abstract

An exemplary method includes a dynamic help content presentation system detecting a user input command provided by a user, the user input command requesting help with content being presented by a media content access subsystem, identifying, in response to the user input command, a context of the content being presented by the media content access subsystem, and automatically presenting help content associated with the identified context by way of a mobile device while the content is being presented by the media content access subsystem. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting, by a dynamic help content presentation system, a user input command provided by a user, the user input command requesting help with interactive content being presented by a media content access device, the interactive content comprising at least one of an interactive program guide and a digital video recorder (“

DVR”

) interactive user interface and including a selectable option for accessing a feature associated with the media content access device;

identifying, by the dynamic help content presentation system in response to the user input command, a context of the interactive content being presented by the media content access device;

automatically presenting, by the dynamic help content presentation system, help content associated with the identified context by way of a mobile device physically distinct from the media content access device while the interactive content is being presented by the media content access device, the help content comprising;

a view of at least a portion of the interactive content being presented by the media content access device including the selectable option; and

instructions for accessing the feature associated with the media content access device by way of the selectable option, the instructions superimposed on the view of the at least the portion of the interactive content being presented by the media content access device including the selectable option;

detecting, by the dynamic help content presentation system, a user selection of the selectable option of the interactive content presented by the media content access device;

accessing, by the dynamic help content presentation system in response to the detecting of the user selection of the selectable option, the feature associated with the media content access device;

detecting, by the dynamic help content presentation system in response to the accessing of the feature associated with the media content access device, a change in the context of the interactive content being presented by the media content access device; and

dynamically updating, by the dynamic help content presentation system in response to the detecting of the change in the context and without additional user input requesting additional help, the help content being presented by way of the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting of the change in the context of the interactive content being presented by the media content access device comprises detecting the user selection of the selectable option transmitted to the media content access device by a remote control device associated with the media content access device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying of the context of the interactive content comprises directing the media content access device to transmit data representative of the context of the interactive content to the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user input command is provided by way of a remote control device separate from the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic help content presentation system is implemented entirely by the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the view of the interactive content being presented by the media content access device is acquired by a camera included in the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the dynamic help content presentation system, another user input command provided by the user, the another user input command requesting graphical help with the interactive content being presented by the media content access device,

wherein the automatically presenting of the help content is performed in response to the detection of the another user input command.

9. A method comprising:

presenting, by a dynamic help content presentation system, help content by way of a mobile device physically distinct from a media content access device, the help content associated with interactive content being presented by the media content access device, the interactive content comprising at least one of an interactive program guide and a digital video recorder (“

DVR”

) interactive user interface and including a selectable option for accessing a feature associated with the media content access device, and the help content comprising;

a view of at least a portion of the interactive content being presented by the media content access device including the selectable option; and

instructions for accessing the feature associated with the media content access device by way of the selectable option, the instructions superimposed on the view of the at least the portion of the interactive content being presented by the media content access device including the selectable option;

detecting, by the dynamic help content presentation system, a user selection of the selectable option of the interactive content presented by the media content access device;

accessing, by the dynamic help content presentation system in response to the detecting of the user selection of the selectable option, the feature associated with the media content access device;

detecting, by the dynamic help content presentation system in response to the accessing of the feature associated with the media content access device, a change in a context of the interactive content being presented by the media content access device; and

dynamically updating, by the dynamic help content presentation system in response to the detecting of the change in the context and without additional user input requesting additional help content, the help content being presented by way of the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the detecting of the change in the context of the interactive content being presented by the media content access device comprises detecting the user selection of the selectable option transmitted to the media content access device by a remote control device associated with the media content access device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the presenting of the help content is performed automatically based on a user profile associated with a user of the media content access device.

12. The method of claim 9, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

13. A system comprising:

at least one computing device including;

a detection facility that detects a user input command provided by a user, the user input command requesting help with interactive content being presented by a media content access device, the interactive content comprising at least one of an interactive program guide and a digital video recorder (“

DVR”

) interactive user interface and including a selectable option for accessing a feature associated with the media content access device;

a context identification facility communicatively coupled to the detection facility and that identifies, in response to the user input command, a context of the interactive content being presented by the media content access device; and

a help content management facility communicatively coupled to the detection facility and the context identification facility and that automatically presents help content associated with the identified context by way of a mobile device physically different from the media content access device while the interactive content is being presented by the media content access device, the help content comprising;

a view of at least a portion of the interactive content being presented by the media content access device including the selectable option; and

instructions for accessing the feature associated with the media content access device by way of the selectable option, the instructions superimposed on the view of the at least the portion of the interactive content being presented by the media content access device including the selectable option;

wherein;

the detection facility further detects a user selection of the selectable option of the interactive content presented by the media content access device;

the context identification facility further detects, in response to an accessing of the feature associated with the media content access device, a change in the context of the interactive content being presented by the media content access device; and

the help content management facility further

accesses, in response to the detecting of the user selection of the selectable option, the feature associated with the media content access device, and

updates, in response to the detecting of the change in the context and without additional user input requesting additional help, the help content being presented by way of the mobile device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the context identification facility identifies the context of the interactive content by directing the media content access device to transmit data representative of the context of the interactive content to the mobile device.

15. A mobile device comprising:

a display screen; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the display screen and that

detects a user input command provided by a user, the user input command requesting help with interactive content being presented by a media content access device, the interactive content comprising at least one of an interactive program guide and a digital video recorder (“

DVR”

) interactive user interface and including a selectable option for accessing a feature associated with the media content access device, and the media content access device being physically different from the mobile device,

identifies, in response to the user input command, a context of the interactive content being presented by the media content access device,

directs the display screen to display help content associated with the identified context while the interactive content is being presented by the media content access device, the help content comprising;

a view of at least a portion of the interactive content being presented by the media content access device including the selectable option; and

instructions for accessing the feature associated with the media content access device by way of the selectable option, the instructions superimposed on the view of the at least the portion of the interactive content being presented by the media content access device including the selectable option,

detects a user selection of the selectable option of the interactive content presented by the media content access device,

detects, in response to an accessing of the feature associated with the media content access device, a change in the context of the interactive content being presented by the media content access device, and

updates, in response to the detecting of the change in the context and without additional user input requesting additional help, the help content being presented by the display screen.