Socially Networked Television Experience

• US 20070271586A1
• Filed: 05/16/2006
• Published: 11/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TiVo Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Alperin, Jordan
• Granted Patent: US 8,819,751 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/109
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2407 Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44226 on social networks
• 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 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

In one embodiment, a system for providing social interaction opportunities for people watching television is presented. The system includes: a television data source which transmits television data streams for reception by end devices, each end device being represented by an equipment code; a plurality of end devices, including a first user'"'"'s end device and a second user'"'"'s end device, each end device configured to receive a television data streams, and each user represented by an identifier code; and an interactive-information server configured to: store, at the first user'"'"'s behest, the identifier code of the second user; monitor which of the television data streams is being received by the first end device; monitor which of the television data streams is being received by the second end device; and notify the first user when the first end device and the second end device are receiving the same television data stream.

Claims

1. A system for providing social interaction opportunities for people watching television, the system comprising:

a television data source configured to transmit at least one of a plurality of television data streams for reception by a plurality of end devices, wherein each end device is represented by an equipment code;

the plurality of end devices, including a first end device used by a first user and a second end device used by a second user, wherein each end device is configured to receive at least one of the plurality of television data streams, and each user is represented by an identifier code; and

an interactive-information server configured to;

store, at the direction of the first user, an identifier code representing the second user;

monitor which of the plurality of television data streams is being received by the first end device;

monitor which of the plurality of television data streams is being received by the second end device; and

notify the first user when the same television data stream is being received by both the first end device and the second end device.

2. The system for providing social interaction opportunities for people watching television of claim 1, wherein the television data source comprises a computer configured to convert digital or analog television signals into television data streams.

3. The system for providing social interaction opportunities for people watching television of claim 1, wherein transmitting at least one of a plurality of television data streams for reception by a plurality of end devices comprises transmitting, at least in part, over the internet.

4. The system for providing social interaction opportunities for people watching television of claim 1, wherein each television data stream comprises substantially the same information transmitted in a single traditional television channel.

5. The system for providing social interaction opportunities for people watching television of claim 1, wherein each end device is selected from a group consisting of:

a television set-top box; and

a Television over Internet Protocol ready television.

6. The system for providing social interaction opportunities for people watching television of claim 1, wherein the identifier code is an alpha-numeric string.

7. The system for providing social interaction opportunities for people watching television of claim 1, wherein the equipment code is an alpha-numeric string.

8. The system for providing social interaction opportunities for people watching television of claim 1, wherein the interactive-information server is selected from a group consisting of:

a computer in communication with the television data source; and

a computer in communication with the plurality of end devices.

9. The system for providing social interaction opportunities for people watching television of claim 1, wherein notifying the first user when the same television data stream is being received by both the first end device and the second end device comprises transmitting notification data for reception by the second end device.

10. The system for providing social interaction opportunities for people watching television of claim 1, wherein the interactive-information server is further configured to:

determine the first end device is being used by the first user; and

determine the second end device is being used by the second user.

11. The system for providing social interaction opportunities for people watching television of claim 1, wherein the interactive-information server is further configured to notify the first user if a communication input device is associated with the second end device.

12. The system for providing social interaction opportunities for people watching television of claim 1, the system further comprising a communication input device, wherein the communication input device is associated with at least one end device, and is configured to communicate with at least one end device which is not associated with the communication input device.

13. A system for providing social interaction opportunities for people watching television, the system comprising:

a television data source configured to transmit at least one of a plurality of television data streams for reception by a plurality of end devices, wherein each end device is represented by an equipment code;

the plurality of end devices, including a first end device used by a first user and a second end device used by a second user, wherein each end device is configured to receive at least one of the plurality of television data streams, and each user is represented by an identifier code; and

an interactive-information server configured to;

store, at the direction of the first user, an identifier code representing the second end user;

monitor which of the plurality of television data streams is being received by the second end device; and

notify the first user of which television data stream is being received by the second end device.

14. The system for providing social interaction opportunities for people watching television of claim 13, wherein notifying the first user of which television data stream is being received by the second end device comprises transmitting notification data for reception by the second end device.

15. The system for providing social interaction opportunities for people watching television of claim 13, wherein the interactive-information server is further configured to:

determine the first end device is being used by the first user; and

determine the second end device is being used by the second user.

16. The system for providing social interaction opportunities for people watching television of claim 13, wherein the interactive-information server is further configured to notify the first user if a communication input device is associated with the second end device.

17. The system for providing social interaction opportunities for people watching television of claim 13, the system further comprising a communication input device, wherein the communication input device is associated with at least one end device, and is configured to communicate with at least one end device which is not associated with the communication input device.

18. A method of providing social interaction opportunities for people watching television, wherein the method comprises:

storing, at the direction of a first user of a first end device, an identifier code representing a second user;

monitoring which of a plurality of television data streams is being received by the first end device;

monitoring which of the plurality of television data streams is being received by a second end device used by the second user; and

notifying the first user of which television data stream is being received by the second end device.

19. The method of providing social interaction opportunities for people watching television of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises notifying the first user when the same television data stream is being received by both the first end device and the second end device.

20. The method of providing social interaction opportunities for people watching television of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises notifying the first user if a communication input device is associated with the second end device.