Interactive applications

• US 9,398,342 B1
• Filed: 11/29/2012
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Murphy, Ryan David
• Primary Examiner(s): Featherstone, Mark D
• Application Number:
  US13/689,022
• Time in Patent Office: 1,328 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/00 Arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received correcting synchronisation H04L7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234327 by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42208 Display device provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 Games
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8451 using Advanced Video Coding [AVC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8545 for generating interactive applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8547 involving timestamps for synchronizing content

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments to facilitate interactive experiences. Interactive content includes video content that is streamed to a client device, such as a set-top box. Complementary content is transmitted to a controller device, such as a tablet computing system and/or smartphone. Input obtained from the controller device can affect an update to the video content and/or complementary content.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying a program executable in at least one computing device, the program, when executed, configured to cause the at least one computing device to at least:

obtain a request to access an interactive application on behalf of a user account;

identify video content associated with the interactive application;

embed a session identifier in a barcode displayed as a part of the video content;

stream the video content to a client device associated with the user account, the client device in communication with the at least one computing device via a network;

obtain the session identifier from a controller device in communication with the at least one computing device via the network;

identify complementary content associated with the interactive application;

stream the complementary content to the controller device;

obtain a user input from the controller device;

determine whether at least one of the video content or the complementary content should be updated in response to the user input; and

update the at least one of the video content or the complementary content in response to the user input.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the complementary content comprises a controller user interface, the controller user interface facilitating obtaining the user input via an input device associated with the controller device.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 2, the program further causing the at least one computing device to at least:

obtain an input from the controller user interface in the controller device via the network;

generate an update of the video content in response to the input; and

initiate transmission of the update of the video content to the client device via the network.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 3, the program further causing the at least one computing device to at least:

generate an update of the complementary content in response to the input; and

initiate transmission of the update of the complementary content to the controller device via the network.

5. A system, comprising:

at least one computing device; and

an application executable in the at least one computing device, the application configured to cause the at least one computing device to at least;

obtain a request for interactive content from a client device via a network;

transmit video content corresponding to the interactive content via the network to the client device, the video content containing a session identifier corresponding to a controller device, the session identifier embedded in a barcode placed in the video content;

obtain the session identifier from the controller device via the network;

transmit complementary content corresponding to the interactive content to the controller device in communication with the at least one computing device via the network;

generate an interactive event corresponding to the interactive content; and

transmit an update of at least one of the video content or the complementary content in response to the interactive event.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the client device is configured to render the video content on a display device via a display interface.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the controller device is configured to render the complementary content on a controller display.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the application further causes the at least one computing device to at least:

establish a session associated with the request;

obtain a controller identifier associated with the controller device from the controller device via the network; and

register the controller device with the session based at least in part upon the controller identifier.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the interactive event further comprises a question and the at least one computing device transmits an update of at least one of the video content or the complementary content in response to the interactive event by inserting a representation of the question into the video content.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein the application further causes the at least one computing device to at least:

obtain an input from the controller device via the network; and

update at least one of the video content or the complementary content in response to the input.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the video content comprises textual content and the input from the controller device comprises a selection related to the textual content.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the video content comprises an interactive game and the input from the controller device comprises navigation input related to the interactive game.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the video content comprises interactive programming, the input from the controller device comprises a selection related to the interactive programming, and the at least one of the video content or the complementary content is updated in response to the input by selecting a video stream corresponding to the selection.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the video stream comprises an alternative camera angle associated with the video content, the video stream being transmitted to the controller device via the network.

15. A method, comprising:

obtaining, in at least one computing device, a request to execute an interactive application on behalf of a user;

identifying, in the at least one computing device, a client device associated with the user, the client device in communication with the at least one computing device via a network;

transmitting, from the at least one computing device, video content corresponding to the interactive application via the network to the client device, the video content containing a session identifier corresponding to a controller device, the session identifier embedded in a barcode placed in the video content;

obtaining, in the at least one computing device, the session identifier from the controller device via the network;

identifying, in the at least one computing device, the controller device associated with the user in response to receiving the session identifier, the controller device in communication with the at least one computing device via the network;

transmitting, from the at least one computing device, complementary content corresponding to the interactive application to the controller device;

identifying, in the at least one computing device, an interactive event corresponding to the interactive application; and

transmitting, from the at least one computing device, an update of at least one of the video content or the complementary content in response to the interactive event.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the complementary content further comprises a controller user interface, the controller user interface configured to facilitate obtaining user input via an input device of the controller device.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

generating, in the at least one computing device, a session associated with the request;

obtaining, in the at least one computing device, a controller identifier associated with the controller device from the controller device via the network; and

registering, in the at least one computing device, the controller identifier with the session.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the client device is coupled to a display device.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the controller device comprises at least one of a tablet computing device or a smartphone device.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the interactive event further comprises a question and transmitting an update of at least one of the video content or the complementary content in response to the interactive event further comprises updating the video content with the question.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the application further comprises:

obtaining, from the controller user interface, an input from the controller device via the network; and

updating, in the at least one computing device, at least one of the video content or the complementary content in response to the input.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the video content comprises textual content and the input from the controller user interface comprises a selection related to the textual content.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the video content comprises an interactive game and the input from the controller user interface comprises navigation input related to the interactive game.

24. A method, comprising:

obtaining, in a controller device, a session identifier embedded in a barcode displayed by a display of a client device;

generating, in the controller device, a request to execute interactive content, the request incorporating the session identifier;

transmitting, from the controller device, the request to at least one computing device, via a network;

obtaining, via the controller device, complementary content associated with the interactive content from the at least one computing device via the network, the complementary content further being associated with an interactive content session corresponding to the client device in communication with the at least one computing device via the network;

transmitting, via the controller device, user input to the at least one computing device, the user input being associated with the interactive content; and

obtaining, in the controller device, an update of the complementary content via the network from the at least one computing device.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising registering, via the controller device, the controller device with the interactive content session.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the controller device further comprises one of a smartphone device or a tablet computing device.