Method and apparatus for presenting media programs

• US 9,380,349 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2014
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2009
• 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: Roberts, Linda, Chang, E-Lee, Sung, Ja-Young, Schultz, Natasha Barrett, King, Robert Arthur
• Primary Examiner(s): Dubasky, Gigi L
• Application Number:
  US14/316,903
• Publication Number:
  US 20140310736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: 725 9- 21, 725/26, 725/46
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a computing device, including a controller to: transmit a client program having a graphical user interface to a media device operating in an interactive television network, wherein the client program presents a symbolic overlay that superimposes onto media content received by the media device and enables the media device to associate commentary with the media content received at the media device; and conduct searches for one of consumer products or consumer services associated with the media content based on the commentary regarding the media content. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A server, comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

a controller coupled to the memory, wherein responsive to executing the instructions, the controller performs operations comprising;

providing media content to a media device for display on a display screen of a display device;

providing an overlay superimposed on the media content, the display screen accordingly having an overlaid area, the overlaid area comprising a graphical user interface;

receiving a commentary from the media device during presentation of the media content;

identifying a cluster of commentaries in accordance with a frequency of occurrence of the commentaries during the presentation of the media content;

exporting the cluster of commentaries and a portion of the media content associated with the cluster, in response to a request from the media device;

using the commentary to conduct searches for products associated with the media content,

wherein, when the commentary is associated with a first product associated with the media content;

conducting a first search for the first product,

highlighting an image of the first product in the overlaid area,

conducting a second search for a second product, wherein the second product is of a similar type as the first product and has a brand other than a product brand in the commentary, and

simultaneously presenting results of the first search and the second search in the overlaid area.

2. The server of claim 1, wherein the first product is shown in a scene during the presentation of the media content, wherein the overlay comprises a timeline associated with the presentation of the media content and a selectable icon positioned along the timeline representing the commentary, and wherein the result of the second search comprises an image of the second product.

3. The server of claim 2, wherein the selectable icon comprises an avatar representation of a user of the media device, a webcam image of the user of the media device, a still image of the user of the media device, or an animated representation of the user of the media device.

4. The server of claim 2, wherein the media content is presented at a plurality of media devices, and wherein the selectable icon represents a user of each of the media devices respectively.

5. The server of claim 1, wherein the first search and the second search are based on a comparison of the commentary to meta tags in a frame associated with the media content.

6. The server of claim 1, wherein the media content comprises video content, and wherein the operations further comprise presenting an option to the media device to click on a product image to receive additional information relating to the first product.

7. The server of claim 1, wherein the overlaid area comprises an area for advertisements.

8. The server of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise receiving an input from the media device to invoke a search.

9. The server of claim 8, wherein the input from the media device comprises a dragging and a dropping of the selectable icon representing the commentary to a shopping icon in the overlaid area.

10. A computer-readable storage device comprising executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

providing a media program at a media device, wherein the media device delivers the media program to a display device having a display screen;

providing an overlay superimposed on the media program displayed on the display screen, the display screen accordingly having an overlaid area;

receiving a commentary from the media device during presentation of the media program;

identifying a cluster of commentaries in accordance with a frequency of the commentaries during the presentation of the media program;

exporting the cluster of commentaries and a portion of the media program associated with the cluster, in response to a request from the media device;

using the commentary to conduct searches for products associated with the media program,

wherein, when the commentary is associated with a first product shown in a scene during the presentation of the media program;

conducting a first search for the first product,

conducting a second search for a second product, wherein the second product is of a similar type as the first product and has a brand other than a product brand in the commentary, and

simultaneously presenting results of the first search and the second search in an area for advertisements in the overlaid area.

11. The computer-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise highlighting an image of the first product in the overlaid area, wherein the overlay comprises a graphical user interface, and wherein the overlay further comprises a timeline associated with the presentation of the media program and a selectable icon positioned along the timeline representing the commentary.

12. The computer-readable storage device of claim 11, wherein the selectable icon comprises an avatar representation of a user of the media device, a webcam image of the user of the media device, a still image of the user of the media device, or an animated representation of the user of the media device.

13. The computer-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise presenting an image of the second product in the area for advertisements.

14. The computer-readable storage device of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise receiving an input from the media device to invoke a search.

15. The computer-readable storage device of claim 14, wherein the input from the media device comprises a dragging and a dropping of the icon representing the commentary to a shopping icon or to a search engine icon in the overlaid area.

16. A method comprising:

presenting, by a server comprising a processor, media content at a media device, wherein the media device delivers the media content for display on a display screen of a display device;

presenting, by the server, an overlay superimposed on the media content, the display screen accordingly having an overlaid area;

receiving, by the server, a commentary during presentation of the media content;

identifying, by the server, a duster of commentaries in accordance with a frequency of occurrence of the commentaries during the presentation of the media content;

exporting, by the server the cluster commentaries and a portion of the media content associated with the cluster, in response to a request from the media device;

using the commentary to conduct, by the server, searches for products associated with the media content,

wherein, when the commentary is associated with a first product shown in a scene during the presentation of the media content;

conducting a first search for the first product,

conducting a second search for a second product, wherein the second product has a brand other than a product brand in the commentary, and

simultaneously presenting results of the first search and the second search in the overlaid area.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising highlighting an image of the first product in the overlaid area, wherein the overlay comprises a timeline associated with the presentation of the media content and a selectable icon positioned along the timeline representing the commentary.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the selectable icon comprises an avatar representation of a user of the media device, a webcam image of the user of the media device, a still image of the user of the media device, or an animated representation of the user of the media device.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the overlaid area on the screen comprises an area for advertisements.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the second product is of a similar type as the first product, and further comprising presenting an image of the second product in the area for advertisements.