Method and apparatus for interacting with a set-top box using widgets

• US 8,984,562 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2011
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Charania, Rahim, Sureka, Ashutosh, Naggar, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Saltarelli, Dominic D
• Application Number:
  US13/005,678
• Publication Number:
  US 20120185886A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,524 Days
• Field of Search: 725/2, 725/42, 725/43, 725/50, 725/60
• US Class Current: 725/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8173 End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game

Abstract

An approach is provided for enabling direct user interaction with specific items of content as presented by a content delivery system. Content is presented via a set-top box concurrently with a widget, indicating one or more items specified in content. User input relating to selection of one of the items is received. An interactive platform, in response to the input, generates a request specifying the selected item for purchase.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

presenting at a graphical user interface broadcast content, via a set-top box, concurrently with a widget, via the set-top box, indicating one or more items specified in the content;

initiating a rotation of a screenshot within the broadcast content to present one or more other items on the graphical user interface;

receiving user input relating to selection of one of the other items;

generating, in response to the user input, a request for purchase information regarding the selected item;

transmitting the request to an interactive platform configured to present an interactive virtual environment along with the content in response to the request for purchase information regarding the selected item, wherein the presentation of the interactive virtual environment and the content comprises presenting an image of the selected item in the graphical user interface, wherein the virtual environment is executable in real-time in connection with the content;

alternating the presentation to a panoramic view setting to include one or more additional items on the graphical user interface; and

presenting on the graphical user interface an avatar of the user applied with the image of the selected item, wherein the avatar resembles physical characteristics of the user.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

wherein an image within the virtual environment is controlled in response to another user input via the set-top box.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the broadcast content includes a current sports event, the updated content is presented at the user interface in real time with the current sports event, the request is generated from a widget presented by the set-top box, and the content includes video.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the purchase information regarding the selected item includes one or a combination of the name of the vendor, product name and type, URL, contact information for the vendor, and special features of the product.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the image of the selected item is three dimensional, the broadcast content includes a current event, and the avatar applied with the three-dimensional image of the selected item is presented at the user interface in real time with the current event.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

in response to one or more user inputs, inserting one or more information tags on one or more of the other items on the graphical user interface; and

initiating a rotation of the avatar applied with the three-dimensional image of the selected item on the graphical user interface.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the one or more information tags include one or more price tags, one or more product descriptions, or a combination thereof;

and

the historical log is maintained by the interactive platform, and the historical log of items of interest includes both items view by the particular user without purchase, and items purchased by the particular user.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the presentation of the interactive virtual environment and the content comprises:

presenting a graphical user interface that provides a split-screen including the content in one half of the screen and an image of the selected item in another half of the screen, and the content includes video.

19. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

generate a virtual environment for presentation of the one item, wherein the presentation is controlled in response to input from a user via the set-top box.

9. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

present at a graphical user interface broadcast content, via a set-top box, concurrently with a widget, via the set-top box, indicating one or more items specified in the content,

initiate a rotation of a screenshot within the broadcast content to present one or more other items on the graphical user interface,

receive user input relating to selection of one of the other items,

generate, in response to the user input, a request for purchase information regarding the selected item,

transmit the request to an interactive platform configured to present an interactive virtual environment along with the content in response to the request for purchase information regarding the selected item, wherein the presentation of the interactive virtual environment and the content comprises presenting an image of the selected item in the graphical user interface, wherein the virtual environment is executable in real-time in connection with the content;

alternate the presentation to a panoramic view setting to include one or more additional items on the graphical user interface; and

present on the graphical user interface an avatar of the user applied with the image of the selected item, wherein the avatar resembles physical characteristics of the user.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

present, via the set-top box, a virtual environment including an image of the selected item, wherein the image within the virtual environment is controlled in response to another user input via the set-top box.

11. A method comprising:

processing broadcast content to present at a user interface a plurality of items, wherein broadcast content including at least one movie;

determining that one or more of the items selected by a user in an attempt to find information thereabout is absent from metadata embedded in the content, wherein the information includes purchase information of at least one of the selected items presented in the movie and non-purchase information of one or more human characters presented in the movie and selected by the user;

performing an online search to determine the information about the one or more selected items and human characters;

updating the metadata based on the information;

presenting the updated content at the user interface; and

alternating the presentation of the updated content to a panoramic view setting to include one or more additional items on the user interface.

12. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a request, from a set-top box, specifying one of the items during presentation of the updated content via the set-top box; and

initiating presentation of the purchase information and the non-purchase information to the user interface.

13. A method according to claim 12, further comprising:

initiating a transaction for purchasing the one item in response to input from a user via the set-top box.

14. A method according to claim 12, further comprising:

storing the one item as part of a historical log of items of interest for a particular user.

15. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

generating a virtual environment for presentation of the one item, wherein the presentation is controlled in response to input from a user via the set-top box.

16. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

process broadcast content to present at a user interface a plurality of items, wherein broadcast content including at least one movie;

determine that one or more of the items selected by a user in an attempt to find information thereabout is absent from metadata embedded in the content, wherein the information includes purchase information of at least one of the selected items presented in the movie and non-purchase information of one or more human characters presented in the movie and selected by the user;

perform an online search to determine the information about the one or more selected items and human characters;

update the metadata based on the information;

present the updated content at the user interface; and

alternate the presentation of the updated content to a panoramic view setting to include one or more additional items on the user interface.

17. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

retrieve item information about the one item in response to the request; and

initiate transmission of the item information to the set-top box.

18. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the item information relates to purchase of the one item, the apparatus further comprising:

initiating a transaction for the purchase of the one item in response to input from a user via the set-top box.

20. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the request is generated from a widget presented by the set-top box, and the content includes video.