System for converting television commercials into interactive networked video games

• US 8,246,454 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2009
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Zalewski, Gary M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US12/604,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20100273553A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• Field of Search: 463 29- 33, 463/42, 705/14, 725/42
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/215 comprising means for detecting acoustic signals, e.g. using a microphone
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/338 using television networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/53 involving additional visual information provided to the game scene, e.g. by overlay to simulate a head-up display [HUD] or displaying a laser sight in a shooting game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/61 using advertising information
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/655 by importing photos, e.g. of the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/833 Hand-to-hand fighting, e.g. martial arts competition A63F13/837 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/88 Mini-games executed independently while main games are being loaded
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/409 Data transfer via television network
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/513 server hierarchy, e.g. local, regional, national or dedicated for different tasks, e.g. authenticating, billing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5506 using advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5573 player location
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/572 Communication between players during game play of non game information, e.g. e-mail, chat, file transfer, streaming of audio and streaming of video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/575 for trading virtual items
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1089 by adding media; by removing media
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 : Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 : for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 : for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 : intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 : Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43074 : of additional data with content streams on the same device, e.g. of EPG data or interactive icon with a TV program
• 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 21/47205 : for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 : for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 : Games
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8545 : for generating interactive applications

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer programs for converting television commercials into interactive network video games are presented. In one method, a broadcast or streamed commercial is accompanied by an interactive segment. A media player coupled to the broadcast or streaming media source identifies the existence of the interactive segment and presents the user with an enhanced and interactive mini-game commercial that can be played with other “viewers” in a common or disperse demographic. Multiple methods for content delivery are provided, including a model where television commercial is inserted within consecutive frames of the television program, and a model where the commercial is overlaid on frames of the television program allowing the user to play the game while the television program is displayed. In a preferred embodiment, the termination of the interactive mini-game commercial is set within a fixed time period commensurate with traditional spot television advertising.

Claims

1. A method executed by a processor for delivering interactive multimedia content, the method comprising:

obtaining a media segment lacking interactive capabilities, the media segment being defined for presentation at a display;

obtaining an interactive package containing interactivity instructions for adding interactive functions to the media segment, the interactivity instructions including player input processing instructions, instructions for adding additional display elements to the media segment, and information regarding native objects in the media segment lacking interactive capabilities, wherein the native objects are not defined for interactive play in the media segment and the interactivity instructions enable the interactive play with the native objects;

combining the media segment with the interactive package to obtain an interactive segment which responds to player input;

displaying the interactive segment while checking for the player input; and

dynamically updating the interactive segment being displayed in response to the player input, wherein operations of the method are executed through the processor.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein combining the media segment further includes:

inserting an interactive game between at least two video frames of the media segment.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the interactive package includes one or more of a video clip, an audio clip, an object definition, insertion instructions, programming instructions, input types, input processing, input responses, random elements, inter-player communication, and server identification.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein combining the media segment further includes:

adding game objects to video frames of the media segment, the game objects being defined for interaction with the player.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the interactive segment includes a game selected from a group consisting of a target shooting game, a ball throwing game, a ball hitting game, a fighting game, or a racing game.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the interactive segment includes choosing an action, the action selected from a group consisting of buying an item, voting on the media segment, voting on the interactive segment, or selecting an option from a multiple-choice question.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the interactivity instructions include:

information regarding a location of the native objects in the media segment; and

information regarding interactive objects absent from the media segment to be displayed together with the native objects, wherein the native objects and the interactive objects are responsive to the player input.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the interactivity instructions include information regarding a location of the native objects in the media segment.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein dynamically updating the interactive segment further includes:

selecting a segment of interactive media from a plurality of segments based on the player input, wherein displaying the interactive segment includes displaying the selected segment.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, where the plurality of segments include a segment that enables a player to enter input to end display of a commercial early before an end of the commercial.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, further including:

assigning a reward to the player based on player interaction with the interactive segment.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, further including:

transmitting the reward to a mobile device.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the reward includes skipping a future commercial during the displaying of the interactive segment.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein combining the media segment further includes:

taking a picture of the player; and

adding an image of the player based on the picture to the media segment.

15. A client device for delivery of interactive multimedia content, the client device comprising:

a commercial content manager that receives an interactive package from an interactive content server, the interactive package containing interactivity instructions for adding interactive functions to a media segment, the interactivity instructions including player input processing instructions and instructions for adding additional display elements to the media segment;

a content manager that receives the media segment without interactive capabilities, wherein the content manager combines the media segment with the interactive package to obtain an interactive segment responsive to player input; and

a display manager that shows the interactive segment while checking for the player input, wherein the content manager dynamically updates the interactive segment being displayed in response to the player input, wherein the interactive segment is a multiplayer game where players play each other.

16. The client device of claim 15, further including:

a user interface manager that receives input from the player via one peripheral selected from a group consisting of a game controller, a camera, an infrared remote control, a blue tooth device, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, or a floor pad.

17. The client device of claim 16, wherein the user interface manager receives voice commands from the player.

18. The client device of claim 16, further including:

a controller with light emitting capabilities, wherein the user interface manager communicates with the controller, wherein the controller emits a predetermined light color to indicate that the client is in interactive mode.

19. An interactive content server for delivery of interactive multimedia content, the interactive content server comprising:

a user manager that receives a request from a client device for an interactive package that contains interactivity instructions for adding interactive functions to a media segment lacking interactive capabilities, the interactivity instructions including player input processing instructions and instructions for adding additional display elements to the media segment;

a commercial manager that selects an interactive package to be sent to the user; and

a commercial delivery administrator that sends the selected interactive package to the user, wherein the commercial manager coordinates the display of the interactive package contemporaneously at additional client devices, wherein the client device and the additional client devices facilitate an interactive multiplayer game where players play each other.

20. The interactive content server of claim 19, wherein the interactive multiplayer game is a team game where two or more teams compete, wherein the user manager compiles team scores which are sent to the client device and the additional client devices.

21. The interactive content server of claim 19, wherein at least one player is simulated by the user manager based on previously played games.

22. The interactive content server of claim 19, wherein the interactive package is customized according to demographic characteristics of a player sending the request.

23. The interactive content server of claim 19, wherein the commercial manager selects additional interactive packages to create a plurality of interactive passages that are combined with the media segment to be displayed at different times at the client device.

24. The interactive content server of claim 23, wherein the additional interactive packages form a sequence for playing a game.

25. A computer program embedded in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, when executed by one or more processors, for delivering interactive multimedia content, the computer program comprising:

program instructions for obtaining a media segment lacking interactive capabilities, the media segment being defined for presentation at a display;

program instructions for obtaining an interactive package containing interactivity instructions for adding interactive functions to the media segment, the interactivity instructions including player input processing instructions and instructions for adding additional display elements to the media segment;

program instructions for combining the media segment with the interactive package to obtain an interactive segment which responds to player input, wherein the interactive segment is a multiplayer game where players play each other;

program instructions for displaying the interactive segment while checking for the player input; and

program instructions for dynamically updating the interactive segment being displayed in response to the player input.

26. The computer program as recited in claim 25, wherein at least one player in the multiplayer game is simulated.

27. The computer program as recited in claim 26, wherein the simulated game corresponds to a previously played game.

28. A method executed by a processor for converting television commercials into interactive network video games, the method comprising:

obtaining a television program lacking interactive capabilities;

obtaining a television commercial which includes an interactive network video game;

obtaining instructions for adding the television commercial to the television program;

combining the television program with the television commercial according to the instructions to obtain an interactive segment responsive to player input; and

displaying the interactive segment to enable a user to play the interactive network video game, wherein the interactive segment is operable to receive user input to end display of the interactive segment early before an end of the interactive segment when the user input is not received, wherein operations of the method are executed through the processor.

29. The method as recited in claim 28, wherein the instructions cause the television commercial to be inserted between two consecutive frames in the television program.

30. The method as recited in claim 28, wherein the instructions cause the combining to overlay the interactive network video game on top of a plurality of consecutive frames of the television program.

31. The method as recited in claim 28, wherein the instructions include:

metadata information regarding a location of native objects in the television program; and

metadata information regarding interactive objects to be displayed together with the native objects, wherein the interactive objects are responsive to the player input.

32. The method as recited in claim 28, wherein the interactive network video game is played in several game segments, wherein each of the several segments is inserted in a different place within the television program.