Methods and systems for providing relevant supplemental content to a user device

• US 8,917,971 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2011
• Issued: 12/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UV Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Korbecki, William J., Woods, Thomas S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): MESA, JOSE M
• Application Number:
  US13/341,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20130170813A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,089 Days
• Field of Search: 386/200
• US Class Current: 386/200
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for presenting a supplemental content asset on a secondary device that is relevant to a primary content asset that is being presented on a primary user device, to enhance the user experience of the primary content asset. A relevant supplemental content asset may be selected based on characteristics of the primary content asset and/or user profile information. Presentation of the supplemental content asset and primary content asset may be coordinated and synchronized by exchange of messages between the primary user device and secondary device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a primary user device within a proximity of a secondary user device;

receiving, from the primary user device, an electronic communication at the secondary user device, wherein the electronic communication includes playback information about a primary content asset being accessed at the primary user device;

in response to receiving the electronic communication and while the primary user device is within the proximity of the secondary user device, automatically searching, using the received playback information, a content listings database to identify a content listing that is relevant to the primary content asset, wherein the searching comprises;

automatically computing, for each content listing in the database, a relevancy metric for a supplemental content asset associated with the respective content listing based on a characteristic of the primary content asset, and

selecting, as the identified content listing, the content listing associated with the supplemental content asset for which the relevancy metric exceeds a threshold;

retrieving the supplemental content asset associated with the identified content listing in response to selecting the identified content listing; and

generating for display at the secondary user device, the retrieved supplemental content asset that is relevant to the primary content asset being accessed at the primary user device, based in part on the received playback information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the content listings database, wherein the content listings database includes at least one content listing associated with a supplemental content asset accessible to the secondary user device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the secondary user device is a nexus device, further comprising:

detecting a slave secondary device within a proximity of the nexus device;

receiving, from the slave secondary device, a second electronic communication,

wherein the second electronic communication includes content listing information about at least one supplemental content asset accessible to the slave secondary device;

updating the content listings database, based on the received second electronic communication, to include the content listing information about the supplemental content asset accessible to the slave secondary device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic of the primary content asset comprises metadata, timing information, user profile information, mood information, play back information, or feature information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the feature information of the primary content asset or content listing further comprises a feature vector;

wherein the computing, for each content listing in the database, the relevancy metric for the supplemental content asset associated with the respective content listing further comprises;

preprocessing a feature vector of the primary content asset.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the preprocessing further comprises resizing a feature vector, combining elements of a feature vector, or normalizing a feature vector;

and wherein the computing the relevancy metric further comprises calculating a result vector.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the feature information comprises a mel-frequency cepstral coefficient, cepstral coefficient, formant, frequency, brightness, contrast, color range, edge count, or corner count.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating, using a processor, a feedback information message that includes metadata, or timing information about the identified content listing; and

transmitting the feedback information message to the primary user device.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, from the primary user device, a synchronization information message, wherein the synchronization information message includes timing information; and

the presenting of the retrieved supplemental content asset is in response to receiving the synchronization information message and based on the timing information included in the synchronization information message.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the primary user device a request to purchase a content asset from a content source over the Internet.

11. A secondary user device comprising:

storage; and

control circuitry configured to;

detect a primary user device within a proximity of the secondary user device;

receive, from an I/O path, an electronic communication from the primary user device, wherein the electronic communication includes playback information about a primary content asset being accessed at the primary user device;

in response to receiving the electronic communication and while the primary user device is within the proximity of the secondary user device, automatically search, using the received playback information, a content listings database to identify a content listing that is relevant to the primary content asset, by;

automatically computing, for each content listing in the database, a relevancy metric for a supplemental content asset associated with the respective content listing based on a characteristic of the primary content asset, and

selecting, as the identified content listing, the content listing associated with the supplemental content asset for which the relevancy metric exceeds a threshold;

retrieve the supplemental content asset associated with the identified content listing in response to selecting the identified content listing; and

generate for display at the secondary user device, the retrieved supplemental content asset that is relevant to the primary content asset being accessed at the primary user device, based in part on the received playback information.

12. The secondary user device of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

generate the content listings database, wherein the content listings database includes at least one content listing associated with a supplemental content asset accessible to the secondary user device.

13. The secondary user device of claim 12, wherein the secondary user device is a nexus device, and the control circuitry is further configured to:

detect a slave secondary device within a proximity of the nexus device;

receive, from the slave secondary device, a second electronic communication,

wherein the second electronic communication includes content listing information about at least one supplemental content asset accessible to the slave secondary device;

update the content listings database, based on the received second electronic communication, to include the content listing information about the supplemental content asset accessible to the slave secondary device.

14. The secondary user device of claim 11, wherein the characteristic of the primary content asset comprises metadata, timing information, user profile information, mood information, play back information or feature information.

15. The secondary user device of claim 14, wherein the feature information of the primary content asset or content listing further comprises a feature vector;

wherein the control circuitry is further configured to;

preprocess a feature vector of the primary content asset.

16. The secondary user device of claim 15, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

resize a feature vector, combine elements of a feature vector, or normalize a feature vector;

and calculate a result vector to compute the relevancy metric.

17. The secondary user device of claim 14 wherein the feature information comprises a mel-frequency cepstral coefficient, cepstral coefficient, formant, frequency, brightness, contrast, color range, edge count, or corner count.

18. The secondary user device of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

generate, using a processor, a feedback information message that includes metadata, or timing information about the identified content listing; and

transmit the feedback information message to the primary user device.

19. The secondary user device of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

receive, from the primary user device, a synchronization information message, wherein the synchronization information message includes timing information and the presenting the retrieved supplemental content is in response to receiving the synchronization information message and based on the timing information included in the synchronization information message.

20. The secondary user device of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

receive, from the primary user device, a request to purchase a content asset from a content source over the Internet.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable media, the computer-readable media comprising machine-readable instructions encoded thereon for:

detecting a primary user device within a proximity of a secondary user device;

receiving, from the primary user device, an electronic communication at the secondary user device, wherein the electronic communication includes playback information about a primary content asset being accessed at the primary user device;

in response to receiving the electronic communication and while the primary user device is within the proximity of the secondary user device, automatically searching, using the received playback information, a content listings database to identify a content listing that is relevant to the primary content asset, wherein the searching comprises;

automatically computing, for each content listing in the database, a relevancy metric for a supplemental content asset associated with the respective content listing based on a characteristic of the primary content asset, and

selecting, as the identified content listing, the content listing associated with the supplemental content asset for which the relevancy metric exceeds a threshold;

retrieving the supplemental content asset associated with the identified content listing in response to selecting the identified content listing; and

generating for display at the secondary user device, the retrieved supplemental content asset that is relevant to the primary content asset being accessed at the primary user device, based in part on the received playback information.

22. A method comprising:

detecting a primary user device within a proximity of a secondary user device;

receiving, from the primary user device, an electronic communication at the secondary user device, wherein the electronic communication includes playback information about a primary content asset being accessed at the primary user device;

in response to receiving the electronic communication and while the primary user device is within the proximity of the secondary user device, automatically searching, using the received playback information, for a supplemental content asset associated with the primary content asset;

automatically computing a relevancy metric for the supplemental content asset associated with a content listing in a database based on a characteristic of the primary content asset; and

generating for display at the secondary user device, the retrieved supplemental content asset that is relevant, based on the computed relevancy metric, to the primary content asset being accessed at the primary user device, based in part on the received playback information.

23. A secondary user device comprising:

storage; and

control circuitry configured to;

detect a primary user device within a proximity of the secondary user device;

receive, from an I/O path, an electronic communication from the primary user device, wherein the electronic communication includes playback information about a primary content asset being accessed at the primary user device;

in response to receiving the electronic communication and while the primary user device is within the proximity of the secondary user device, automatically search, using the received playback information, for a supplemental content asset associated with the primary content asset;

automatically compute a relevancy metric for the supplemental content asset associated with a content listing in a database based on a characteristic of the primary content asset; and

generate for display at the secondary user device, the retrieved supplemental content asset that is relevant, based on the computed relevancy metric, to the primary content asset being accessed at the primary user device, based in part on the received playback information.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable media, the computer-readable media comprising machine-readable instructions encoded thereon for:

detecting a primary user device within a proximity of a secondary user device;

receiving, from the primary user device, an electronic communication at the secondary user device, wherein the electronic communication includes playback information about a primary content asset being accessed at the primary user device;

in response to receiving the electronic communication and while the primary user device is within the proximity of the secondary user device, automatically searching, using the received playback information, for a supplemental content asset associated with the primary content asset;

automatically computing a relevancy metric for the supplemental content asset associated with a content listing in a database based on a characteristic of the primary content asset; and

generating for display at the secondary user device, the retrieved supplemental content asset that is relevant, based on the computed relevancy metric, to the primary content asset being accessed at the primary user device, based in part on the received playback information.