METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SUPPLEMENTING TELEVISION PROGRAMMING WITH E-MAILED MAGAZINES

• US 20070157233A1
• Filed: 12/07/2006
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: I-Requestv Incorporated
• Original Assignee: I-Requestv Incorporated
• Inventors: Woods, John, Gilman, David, Davis, T.
• Application Number:
  US11/608,218
• Publication Number:
  US 20070157233A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• 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 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An interactive television system and method for generating video programming combined with triggers and then, in turn, for viewing that video programming as the triggers present information associated with the triggers. When triggered by the viewer, the remote control will generate a request using a user interface coupled to at least one of the set top box or the television, the request being based on a user selection of the presented information associated with the triggers; that request will retrieve information at the request processing system based on the generated request; and present the retrieved information that is based on the request at a user computer system coupled to the request processing system.

Claims

1. A method for advertising services or goods by means of enhanced video programming comprising:

populating a query database with button faces;

obtaining video programming for enhancement;

identifying attachment points within the video programming for enhancement;

associating button faces from selected queries with each attachment point;

recording the video programming with associated attachment points on suitable medium;

developing content sets associated with each button face and associated attachment point;

storing content sets in association with each button face and associated attachment point in an enhancement database;

retrieving content sets upon viewer activation of associated button face at associated attachment point;

compiling retrieved content sets into e-magazines; and

e-mailing compiled e-magazines to viewer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the term button faces comprises logos of potential advertisers.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the term button faces comprises graphics depicting categories of queries.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the term button faces comprises masks with both logos of potential advertisers and categories of queries.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the masks are interactive menus.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein recording comprises placing information at an addressable site on the internet and recording an address for the addressable site with the attachment point.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the viewer activation is accomplished using any of a mobile phone, a mobile computing device, and a personal computer.

7. A system for advertising services or goods by enhanced video programming comprising:

a system for pre-production comprising;

a programming source comprising video programming itself comprising a series of attachment points;

a trigger database;

a computer communicatively linked to the programming source and the trigger database; and

a computer software product for associating triggers stored in the trigger database with the attachment points;

a system for viewing comprising;

means of communicating the video programming and attachment points to the advanced set top box; and

an advanced set top box communicatively linked to the trigger database comprising;

means of receiving the video programming and attachment points;

means of generating a television-viewable signal based upon video programming and attachment points;

means of receiving viewer requests based upon the television-viewable signal; and

means of transmitting the viewer requests to an enhancement server;

a system for production comprising;

a content database containing magazine content associated with triggers contained in the trigger database;

means of communicating with the trigger database; and

the enhancement server for;

receiving communicated requests of the viewer;

translating communicated requests of the viewer based upon the associations stored in the trigger database;

retrieving content according to the triggers associated with the viewer request;

compiling an e-magazine based upon the retrieved content; and

e-mailing the compiled e-magazine to the viewer.

9. A method for providing information comprising:

enhancing content with identifier elements;

associating the identifier elements with any of product information, service information; and

educational information.

presenting the enhanced content with identifier elements;

issuing a request for any of the product information, the service information, and the educational information using the identifier elements; and

delivering any of the product information, the service information, and the educational information.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the request is issued using any of a mobile phone, a mobile computing device, and a personal computer.