Apparatus and Method for Tagging Media Content and Managing Marketing

• US 20110138326A1
• Filed: 12/04/2009
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2009
• 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: King, Robert A., Chang, E-Lee, Roberts, Linda, Sung, Ja-Young, Schultz, Natasha Barrett
• Granted Patent: US 9,094,726 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/808
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0243 Comparative campaigns
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0266 based on the position of the vehicle
• 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 21/44012 involving rendering scenes according to scene graphs, e.g. MPEG-4 scene graphs
• 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 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

A method that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, the steps of transmitting media content to a group of set top boxes for presentation with an overlay superimposed onto the media content, where the overlay can include a timeline corresponding to the presentation of the media content and receiving a first comment from a first set top box of the group of set top boxes, where the first comment is presentable with the overlay and the media content by the group of set top boxes. Additional steps can include receiving a tag generated at a first set top box during presentation of the media content, presenting the tag while the media content is presented, correlating the tag to a portion of the media content timeline and analyzing metadata associated with the portion of the media content timeline that is tagged to determine a first marketing parameter. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A server, comprising a controller to:

transmit media programming to a group of set top boxes for presentation with an overlay superimposed onto the media programming, the overlay including a timeline corresponding to the presentation of the media programming;

receive a first comment generated at a first set top box of the group of set top boxes during presentation of the media programming, the first comment being associated with the media programming and being presentable in the overlay during presentation of the media programming;

receive a tag generated at a first set top box during presentation of the media programming,

wherein the tag is presented during the media program and correlated to a portion of a media programming timeline.

2. The server of claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to analyze metadata associated with the portion of the media programming timeline that is tagged to determine a first marketing parameter.

3. The server of claim 2, wherein the controller is adapted to transmit a first advertisement to the first set top box for presentation with the overlay, the first advertisement being determined based on the first marketing parameter.

4. The server of claim 2, wherein the controller is adapted to transmit a first advertisement to the second set top box for presentation with the overlay, the first advertisement being determined based on the first marketing parameter.

5. The server of claim 2, wherein the controller is adapted to transmit a first advertisement to the first and second set top boxes for presentation with the overlay, the first advertisement being determined based on the first marketing parameter.

6. The server of claim 2, wherein the first marketing parameter is associated with a product that is shown in a background of the media programming based on the metadata associated with the tagged portion of the media programming timeline.

7. The server of claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to select one or more remote media servers based on the tag and query the media servers to obtain the first advertisement.

8. The server of claim 1, wherein a tag icon is displayed at a location along the timeline corresponding to a media programming runtime at which the tag was received.

9. The server of claim 2, wherein the controller is adapted to transmit a first advertisement to a user of the first set top box via an email containing a link to the advertised goods or services.

10. A method, comprising:

transmitting media content to a group of set top boxes for presentation with an overlay superimposed onto the media content, the overlay including a timeline corresponding to the presentation of the media content;

receiving a first comment from a first set top box of the group of set top boxes, wherein the first comment is presentable with the overlay and the media content by the group of set top boxes;

receiving a tag generated at a first set top box during presentation of the media content;

presenting the tag while the media content is presented;

correlating the tag to a portion of the media content timeline; and

analyzing metadata associated with the portion of the media content timeline that is tagged to determine a first marketing parameter.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising transmitting a first advertisement to the first set top box for presentation with the overlay, the first advertisement being determined based on the first marketing parameter.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising transmitting a first advertisement to the first and second set top boxes for presentation with the overlay, the first advertisement being determined based on the first marketing parameter.

13. The method of claim 10, comprising:

querying a media server to obtain the first advertisement using the marketing parameter.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising transmitting the first advertisement to a user of the first set top box via an email containing a link to the advertised goods or services.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising transmitting instructions to the first set top box to display a pop up window with the first advertisement.

16. A computer-readable storage medium operating in a first set top box of a group of set top boxes, the storage medium being embedded with computer instructions to:

present media content;

present at the first set top box an overlay superimposed onto the media content, wherein the overlay includes a timeline corresponding to the presentation of the media content and the overlay is presentable by a second set top box of the group of set top boxes;

receive an input of a first comment at the first set top box, wherein the first comment is presentable by the overlay by the second set top box;

receive a tag generated at the first set top box during presentation of the media content;

presenting the tag while presenting the media content;

correlate the tag to a portion of the media content timeline; and

analyze metadata associated with the portion of the media content timeline that is tagged to determine a first marketing parameter.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising computer instructions to present the first advertisement at the first set top box in a carousel graphical user interface.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising computer instructions to present the first advertisement at the second set top box in a carousel graphical user interface.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein a tag icon is displayed at a location along the timeline corresponding to a media content runtime at which the tag was received.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising computer instructions to transmit a first advertisement to a user of the first set top box via an email containing a link to the advertised goods or services.