Method and system for delivery of immersive content over communication networks

• US 9,432,746 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2010
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ipar LLC
• Original Assignee: Ipar LLC
• Inventors: Spears, Joseph L.
• Primary Examiner(s): HANCE, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US12/868,249
• Publication Number:
  US 20120054811A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,197 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0291 for reading, e.g. e-books constructional details of portable computers G06F1/1613
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/237 Communication with additional data server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• 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 21/6106 specially adapted to the downstream path of the transmission network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6137 involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/854 Content authoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8541 involving branching, e.g. to different story endings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot

Abstract

Computer-implemented systems and methods of providing content to a user via communications between a content provider and a user over a plurality of disparate communication channels are provided. Content is provided to a user via a first transmission channel for presentation. Metadata associated with the content identifies a content event trigger at a point in the content. The content is displayed using a first presentation system. When the content event trigger is reached, supplemental content is provided to the user via a second transmission channel. The supplemental content is provided to the user during continued presentation of the content, and the supplemental content is provided to the user using a content providing system that is wholly separate from the first presentation system.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of providing content to a user via communications between a content provider and the user over a plurality of disparate transmission channels, comprising:

providing content to the user via a first transmission channel in the plurality of disparate transmission channels for presentation, wherein the first transmission channel is an e-book transmission channel, wherein pre-defined metadata associated with the content identifies a content event trigger at a point in the content, wherein the content is displayed using a first presentation system;

when the content event trigger is reached, providing supplemental content to the user via a second transmission channel in the plurality of disparate transmission channels by making a call to the user via telephony, sending a text message to the user, sending an instant message to the user, or sending electronic-mail to the user, wherein the supplemental content is provided to the user during continued presentation of the content via the first transmission channel, wherein the supplemental content is provided to the user using a content providing system that is wholly separate from the first presentation system, wherein the event trigger is a user accessing a page associated with the event trigger;

wherein a receiving system is configured to receive a response from the user, wherein, when a response is received from the user, the response from the user triggers a transformation of the content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transformation of the content is based on content associated with a first predetermined path in a plurality of predetermined paths, wherein the first predetermined path is automatically selected based on the response received from the user and is provided via the first transmission channel and presented using the first presentation system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein

the response is received via telephone;

and

voice recognition software or telephone key presses are utilized to select the first predetermined path.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein

the response is received via text message or electronic-mail;

and

the text message or electronic mail is utilized to select the first predetermined path.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein

the response from the user is compared to the supplemental content provided to the user;

and

the first predetermined path is selected when the comparison between the response from the user and the supplemental content provided to the user indicates a match.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein

the content includes display of a telephone number;

and

a match is indicated when the user forwards the supplemental content provided to the user to the telephone number included in the content.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the first predetermined path is selected based on a determination that the response from the user is not related to the content.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein

the response is received via telephone;

voice recognition software is utilized to select the first predetermined path; and

the incorporating the content from the response from the user into the content includes incorporating a recording of audio of the response received via telephone into the content.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein

the response is received via text message or electronic-mail;

and

the incorporating the content from the response from the user into the content includes incorporating a display of text from the text message or electronic-mail into the content.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein, when no response is received from the user, the content that is provided via the first transmission channel and displayed using the first presentation system includes content associated with a second predetermined path in the plurality of predetermined paths that is designated for incorporation when no response is received from the user.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the content providing system and the response receiving system are the same system.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the content providing system and the response receiving system are one or more telephone systems.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the content providing system or the response receiving system comprise a text messaging system.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein

the supplemental content is provided to the user via telephone, text message, or electronic-mail, and

the response from the user is received via telephone, text message, or electronic-mail.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the response is received via text message or electronic-mail.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the content that is provided via the first transmission channel and displayed using the first presentation system is video content.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the content that is provided via the first transmission channel and displayed using the first presentation system is audio content.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the content that is provided via the first transmission channel and displayed using the first presentation system is text content.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the response from the user is an audio response.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising performing automatic speech recognition on the audio response from the user prior to performing the comparison.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the response from the user is an image response or a video response.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the next content portion provided via the first transmission channel includes the image response or the video response from the user.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the next content portion is provided based the response from a single user.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the next content portion is provided based on responses from a plurality of users.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular predetermined standard comprises one or more words associated with a particular one of the plurality of predetermined possible future content portions.

26. A computer-implemented system of providing content to a user via communications between a content provider and a user over a plurality of disparate transmission channels, comprising:

one or more processors;

a computer-readable memory encoded with instructions for the one or more processors to execute steps that include;

providing content to the user via a first transmission channel in the plurality of disparate transmission channels for presentation, wherein the first transmission channel is an e-book transmission channel, wherein pre-defined metadata associated with the content identifies a content event trigger at a point in the content, wherein the content is displayed using a first presentation system;

when the content event trigger is reached, providing supplemental content to the user via a second transmission channel in the plurality of disparate transmission channels by making a call to the user via telephony, sending a text message to the user, sending an instant message to the user, or sending electronic-mail to the user, wherein the supplemental content is provided to the user during continued presentation of the content via the first transmission channel, wherein the supplemental content is provided to the user using a content providing system that is wholly separate from the first presentation system, wherein the event trigger is a user accessing a page associated with the event trigger;

wherein a receiving system is configured to receive a response from the user, wherein, when a response is received from the user, the response from the user triggers a transformation of the content.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the transformation of the content is based on content associated with a first predetermined path in a plurality of predetermined paths, wherein the first predetermined path is automatically selected based on the response received from the user and is provided via the first transmission channel and presented using the first presentation system.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein, when no response is received from the user, the content that is provided via the first transmission channel and displayed using the first presentation system includes content associated with a second predetermined path in the plurality of predetermined paths designated for incorporation when no response is received from the user.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein

the response is received via telephone;

and

telephone key presses are utilized to select the first predetermined path.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein

the response is received via telephone;

and

voice recognition software is utilized to select the first predetermined path.

31. The system of claim 27, wherein

the response from the user is compared to the supplemental content provided to the user;

and

the first predetermined path is selected when the comparison between the response from the user and the supplemental content provided to the user indicates a match.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein

the content includes display of a telephone number;

and

a match is indicated when the user forwards the supplemental content provided to the user to the telephone number included in the content.

33. The system of claim 27, wherein the first predetermined path is selected based on a determination that the response from the user is irrelevant to the content.

34. The system of claim 27, wherein

the response is received via telephone;

and

voice recognition software is utilized to select the first predetermined path, wherein incorporating the response from the user into the content includes incorporating a recording of audio of the response received via telephone into the content.

35. The system of claim 26, wherein the content providing system and the response receiving system are the same system.

36. The system of claim 26, wherein the content providing system and the response receiving system are one or more telephone systems.

37. The system of claim 26, wherein the content providing system or the response receiving system comprise a text messaging system.

38. The system of claim 26, wherein

the supplemental content is provided to the user via telephone, text message, or electronic-mail;

and

the response from the user is received via telephone, text message, or electronic-mail.

39. The system of claim 26, wherein the response is received via text message or electronic-mail.

40. The system of claim 26, wherein

the response is received via text message or electronic-mail;

and

the incorporating the content from the response from the user into the content includes incorporating a display of text from the text message or electronic-mail into the content.

41. The system of claim 26, wherein the content that is provided via the first transmission channel and displayed using the first presentation system is video content.

42. The system of claim 26, wherein the content that is provided via the first transmission channel and displayed using the first presentation system is audio content.

43. The system of claim 26, wherein the content that is provided via the first transmission channel and displayed using the first presentation system is text content.

44. A computer-readable memory encoded with instructions for commanding a data processor to execute a method, said method comprising:

providing content to the user via a first transmission channel in the plurality of disparate transmission channels for presentation, wherein the first transmission channel is an e-book transmission channel, wherein pre-defined metadata associated with the content identifies a content event trigger at a point in the content, wherein the content is displayed using a first presentation system;

when the content event trigger is reached, providing supplemental content to the user via a second transmission channel in the plurality of disparate transmission channels by making a call to the user via telephony, sending a text message to the user, sending an instant message to the user, or sending electronic-mail to the user, wherein the supplemental content is provided to the user during continued presentation of the content via the first transmission channel, wherein the supplemental content is provided to the user using a content providing system that is wholly separate from the first presentation system, wherein the event trigger is a user accessing a page associated with the event trigger;

wherein a receiving system is configured to receive a response from the user, wherein, when a response is received from the user, the response from the user triggers a transformation of the content.