Method and system for delivery of content over disparate communications channels including an electronic book channel

• US 9,832,541 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2016
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• 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:
  US15/232,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20160373835A1
• Time in Patent Office: 475 Days
• 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 over a plurality of disparate transmission channels including an e-book transmission channel, 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 that transmits the content to a first computing device for display to the user, wherein pre-defined metadata associated with the content identifies a content event trigger at a point in the content, wherein the content event trigger is associated with a user accessing a page of an e-book;

when the content event trigger is reached, transmitting supplemental content to the user via a second transmission channel in the plurality of disparate transmission channels, the second transmission channel transmitting the supplemental content to a second computing device;

wherein the first computing device and the second computing device are different computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a receiving system is configured to receive a response from the user during continued presentation of the content via the first transmission channel, wherein, when a response is received from the user, the response from the user triggers a transformation of the content being presented via the first transmission channel.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein text, audio, image, film, or video content from the response from the user is incorporated into the content that is provided via the first transmission channel.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein a first possible future content portions is selected based on a determination that the response from the user is not related to the content.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein

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

and

a display of text from the text message or electronic-mail is incorporated into the content.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein

the response from the user is received via telephone;

and

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

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the transformed content includes an image response or a video response from the user.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the content is transformed based on responses from a plurality of users.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the receiving system is wholly separate from a first presentation system that provides the content;

wherein, when the response is received from the user, the response from the user triggers a transformation of the content, wherein the transformation includes 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.

10. The method of claim 9, 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 9, wherein the content providing system and the response receiving system are one or more telephone systems.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein

the response is received via telephone;

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

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

13. The method of claim 1, wherein

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

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the supplemental content is transmitted to the user during continued presentation of the content via the first transmission channel.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the supplemental content is transmitted to the user as a reward for reaching the page.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the supplemental content is an SMS or an MMS message.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the supplemental content activates a notification to the user.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the notification is presented on a mobile computing device of the user.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the notification is presented on a cellular telephone of the user.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the content event trigger is based on the user reading a particular number of pages.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the content event trigger is based on the user reaching a particular page.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the first transmission channel and the second transmission channel are both wireless transmission channels.

23. A computer-implemented system for providing content to a user via communications between a content provider and the user over a plurality of disparate transmission channels including an e-book transmission channel, comprising:

one or more data processors;

one or more computer-readable mediums encoded with instructions to command the one or more data processors to execute steps of a method including;

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 that transmits the content to a first computing device for display to the user, wherein pre-defined metadata associated with the content identifies a content event trigger at a point in the content, wherein the content event trigger is associated with a user accessing a page of an e-book;

when the content event trigger is reached, transmitting supplemental content to the user via a second transmission channel in the plurality of disparate transmission channels, the second transmission channel transmitting the supplemental content to a second computing device;

wherein the first computing device and the second computing device are different computing devices.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with instructions for commanding one or more data processors to execute steps of a method of providing content to a user via communications between a content provider and the user over a plurality of disparate transmission channels including an e-book transmission channel, the 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 that transmits the content to a first computing application for display to the user, wherein pre-defined metadata associated with the content identifies a content event trigger at a point in the content, wherein the content event trigger is associated with a user accessing a page of an e-book;

when the content event trigger is reached, transmitting supplemental content to the user via a second transmission channel in the plurality of disparate transmission channels, the second transmission channel transmitting the supplemental content to a second computing application;

wherein the first computing application and the second computing application are different computing applications on a same computing device.