METHOD FOR PROVIDING INTERACTIVE SERVICES

• US 20140359686A1
• Filed: 09/22/2011
• Published: 12/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Madison Patent Holdings (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Chen, Jianfeng, Ma, Xiaojun
• Granted Patent: US 10,477,256 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/110
• 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 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/437 Interfacing the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. for transmitting client requests to a VOD server flow control in data networks H04L47/10; streaming protocols, e.g. RTP or RTCP, H04L65/65; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests in data packet switching networks H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4508 Management of client data or end-user data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64738 Monitoring network characteristics, e.g. bandwidth, congestion level data switched network analysis H04L41/14; monitoring functioning in data switched networks H04L43/0817; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416

Abstract

It is provided a method for providing an interactive service. At the side of a device among a plurality of devices, each being assigned one of two types, the method comprises the steps of receiving a first request associated with the interactive service requesting for responses associated with the interactive service, wherein the first request includes conditional information associated with the devices; and in response to an input from a user, if said device is of a first type, sending the response; and if said device is of a second type, sending the response only if the device meets the conditional information included in the first request.

Claims

1. A method for providing an interactive service, comprising, at the side of a device among a plurality of devices, each being assigned one of two types, the steps of

receiving a first request associated with the interactive service requesting for responses associated with the interactive service, wherein the first request includes conditional information associated with the devices;

and

in response to an input from a user, if said device is of a first type, sending the response; and

if said device is of a second type, sending the response only if the device meets the conditional information included in the first request.

2. The method of the claim 1, wherein, if the device is of the second type and the device does not meet the conditional information included in the first request, storing the input from the user.

3. The method of the claim 2, wherein, in the case that the device is of the second type and the device does not meet the conditional information included in the first request, it further comprises the steps of

receiving a second request associated with the interactive service having same request content displayed to prompting the user to respond as the first request but different conditional information, wherein, the device meets the conditional information in the second request;

and

sending the stored response.

4. The method of the claim 1, wherein, in the case that the device does not receive any input from the user after receiving the first request, it further comprises the steps of

determining if a response from the user has been stored responsive to a previous request that has the same request content as the first request;

and

if it is determined that the response responsive to the previous request has been stored, sending the stored response only if the device meets the conditional information included in the first request.

5. The method of the claim 1, wherein, the type change of the device between the two types is based on statistics of responses historically sent by the device.

6. The method of the claim 5, wherein, the statistics of responses includes average number of responses sent by the device in a program or in a day.

7. The method of the claim 6, wherein, if the average number is above a predefined value, the device is determined to be of the first type, or it is of the second type.

8. The method of the claim 1, wherein, the conditional information includes information about device ID, location and idle time.

9. A receiver in an interactive service network, wherein the receiver is assigned one of two types, the receiver comprising

a receiving module for receiving a first request associated with an interactive service requesting for responses associated with the interactive service, wherein, the first request includes conditional information associated with the receiver;

a sending module for sending data; and

a processing module for in response to an input from a user, if the receiver is of a first type, using the sending module to send the response; and

if the receiver is of a second type, using the sending module to send the response only if the receiver meets the conditional information included in the first request.

10. A method for transmitting an interactive service in a network comprising an interactive service server and at least one receiver, said method comprising, at the level of the server, the steps of:

sending a first request associated with the interactive requesting for responses associated with the interactive service to the at least one receiver, wherein, the first request includes conditional information associated with the interactive service; and

receiving responses from one or more receivers of a first type and one or more receivers of a second type that meet the conditional information included in the first request.