Patent Application
20070300280
Embodiments of the present invention are generally directed toward methods and systems for administering ITV and creating an enhanced TV viewing experience. Although well suited for use with a television or similar type of display apparatus in conjunction with a STB, those skilled in the art can appreciated that embodiments of the present invention may also be implemented in conjunction with personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile phone devices, and the like. Moreover, the systems and methods described in the present disclosure may be implemented in any media that may be enhanced through the use of events including, but not limited to, triggers that are synchronized to user-perceptible segments in a broadcast or other type of content.
As used herein “viewer” and “user” are used synonymously to refer to any person or thing that is currently making use of and/or interacting with the enhanced television system.
Referring now to
The processor 120 may be implemented as a microprocessor or similar type of processing chip. The processor 120 may complete executable instructions or routines stored in a portion of memory 116. Alternatively, the processor 120 may be implemented in the form of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that is operable to perform predefined functions based on predetermined inputs. The processor 120 generally functions to run programming code including operating system software, and one or more applications implementing various functions performed by the STB 108.
The memory 116 may be implemented as a volatile or non-volatile memory, or combinations thereof. For example, the memory 116 may comprise a temporary or long-term storage of data or processor instructions. The memory 116 may be used in connection with the presentation of enhanced content to a viewer. The memory 116 may comprise solid-state memory resident, removable or remote in nature, such as DRAM, SDRAM, ROM, and EEPROM.
The user input 124 may comprise a receiver for communicating with the viewer control interface 128. The user input 124 may also comprise a keyboard, mouse, or the like such that the user can navigate content presented to him/her in a similar manner to navigating content on a computer.
The STB 108 is operable to communicate with the broadcast head end 104 via the transceiver 112. The transceiver 112 is essentially the interface to the head end 104 for the STB 108. The transceiver 112 may comprise a coaxial cable connection, a USB port or other type of serial port, a modem, an Ethernet adapter, a satellite adapter, or the like. Content received at the transceiver 112 is communicated to the processor 120 and/or the memory 116. Content that may be transmitted to the STB 108 includes, but is not limited to, live broadcasts from cable, satellite, or radio waves, short form advertisements, long form advertisements, static pages, customized advertisements, customized static pages, other commercials, and the like. Typically, short form advertisements, long form advertisements, static pages, and other enhanced commercial content is stored in the memory 116 when they are received at the transceiver 112. The content is typically stored in a particular address of the memory such that it can be easily retrieved at a later time. In normal operation, content is sent to the STB 108 during idle periods (i.e., when the user is not viewing a live broadcast). However, content can also be sent to the STB 108 during a live broadcast through one or more vertical blanking intervals (VBIs) as packets of information that can be stored in memory 116 while the live broadcast is being displayed.
A trigger usually contains an address, pointer, or some other sort of reference to the stored content or a live broadcast. When a user activates a trigger during a broadcast, the processor 120 uses the address of stored content associated with the trigger to retrieve the content from memory 116. In the event that the content associated with the trigger is a live broadcast, then the trigger references the channel where the live broadcast can be found. Subsequently, the content can be displayed to a user via the display apparatus 140. Thus, multiple pre-stored contents can be maintained in the memory 116 for later display at the appropriate time or a user can navigate multiple live contents via triggers.
Generally, a trigger is transmitted along with a broadcast and both are displayed to a user via the display apparatus 140. A user is able to select the displayed trigger by pressing the select button 132 on the viewer control interface 128. The command to view content associated with the displayed trigger is received at the user input 124. The processor 120 registers the request, determines the address of the stored content in memory 116, and retrieves the associated content from the memory 116. Alternatively, the processor 120 registers the request and determines the address of the live broadcast content on another channel. Thereafter, the requested content is transmitted to the display apparatus 140 for presentation to the user.
A trigger is usually initially transmitted with a broadcast during a television commercial. The trigger is, in general, associated with the same type of content as the television commercial is associated with. Thus, if the user is somewhat interested in the type of content of the broadcast television commercial, then the user may further view and interact with the enhanced content stored in memory 116. For example, there may be a number of different types of content stored in the memory 116, one of which is related to clothing. A commercial that is broadcast that also relates to clothing may be broadcast along with a trigger. The trigger may reference the clothing related content stored in memory 116. Alternatively, an actual television broadcast (not a commercial) may be transmitted with a trigger. In this circumstance, the television broadcast may be something related to clothing (i.e., a make-over reality television show), and the same trigger may be transmitted along with the actual television broadcast.
In an alternative embodiment, content may not be stored in long-term storage portion of memory 116. Rather, the content may be transmitted along with the broadcast and the associated trigger. The content associated with the trigger may be stored in a memory buffer such that if the user activates the trigger the associated content can be displayed from the buffer. Otherwise, the content is purged from memory to make room for new content. As can be appreciated, a combination of long-term and short-term memory may be utilized to store content associated with a trigger.
In a further alternative, content may not be stored in the memory 116 of the STB 108 at all. Rather, the processor 120 may request an upstream server for the content associated with the trigger when the trigger is actuated. Therefore, additional memory space on the STB 108 is not occupied by content that may or may not be viewed.
In accordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention, content associated with the trigger may be live content on a different channel. The trigger presented to the user may include a question asking the user if he/she would like to change channels. When the trigger is actuated, the live broadcast is changed from the original channel to the new channel associated with the trigger. Furthermore, the original channel may continue to be displayed to the user is a smaller portion of the display apparatus 140.
In the event the user decides that he/she does not wish to view the content associated with a particular trigger, the resume button 136 on the viewer control interface 128 may be activated to go back to the content that was previously being viewed. Thus, if the user was previously watching a television show when the trigger was activated, he/she may simply press the resume button 136 and the processor 120 will stop displaying the selected content and will resume displaying the previous content. Likewise, the user may navigate through different advertising content and live broadcast content using the select 132 and resume 136 buttons.
Although depicted as separate elements, the display apparatus 140 and STB 108 may be implemented as a single device that comprises a memory 116, processor 120, and display functionality. For example, a cell phone, PDA, Blackberry™, TREO™, or the like may be equipped with the functionality discussed herein to enhance the experience associated with using such a device.
Referring now to
The trigger 208 may include a description of the type of content that will be displayed in the event that the trigger is actuated. Assuming a user is somewhat interested in viewing content associated with the presented trigger 208, the user may press the select button 128 that consequently actuates the presented trigger 208.
Once the trigger 208 has been actuated, content associated with the trigger 208 is presented to the user via the display apparatus 140. As can be seen in
The presentation of the short form advertisement may further include a number of additional triggers. For example, a long form trigger 308 and a static page trigger 312 may be presented in conjunction with the short form advertisement. Typically, the long form advertisement associated with the long form trigger 308 and the static pages associated with the static page trigger 312 are related to the same type of content as the short form advertisement 304. Often, the triggers lead to additional information for the same product/service that is being displayed by the short form advertisement 304. Additional triggers may also be presented to the user including triggers to alternative short form, long form, live broadcast, or static pages related to similar types of content (i.e., automobiles) but may present a different product/service. Alternatively, the type of content related to the displayed triggers may be completely unrelated to the type of content of the short form advertisement 304.
As the viewer continues to watch the short form advertisement 304 he/she may select one of the triggers 308 or 312 presented therein. The user may have become interested in learning more about the product/service shown in the short form advertisement 304 and therefore may want to learn more about that product/service. In that event the user may select the long form trigger 308. The user may alternatively select the static pages trigger 312 in the event that he/she wants to view static pages about the product/service or even wants to find out where he/she can purchase the product/service.
Assuming the user actuates the static page trigger 312, the user is then presented with one or more static pages 404 as can be seen in
The static pages 404 presented to the user may be personalized to the user based on the region where the user resides, user input and personal information, and/or any other information that has been gleaned from monitoring the user. For example, static pages 404 may be presented to a user showing him/her where the closest car dealerships are for the advertised car. Additionally, the static pages 404 may present a map or directions to the user on how to get to the dealership from the user's house. The static pages 404 may also be personalized based upon user preferences. For example, if the user has expressed an interest in convertible cars in the past, the static pages 404 may present various convertibles that are similar to the car in the short form advertisement 304.
Alternatively, the user may have selected the long form trigger 308 when the short form advertisement 304 was presented. In that event, the user may be presented with the short form advertisement 304 at substantially the same time as the long form advertisement 504 as can be seen in
The long form advertisement 504 is typically a longer more informative version of the short form advertisement 304 for the same product/service, although the long form advertisement 504 does not need to be directed toward the same product/service or even the same type of content.
In accordance with at least one embodiment, a user selects the long form advertisement 504 to learn more about the displayed product/service. The long form advertisement 504 may include a number of different facts and may discuss the features of the product/service in much greater detail than the short form advertisement 304. By displaying the long 504 and short 304 form of the advertisement, the user is able to learn a great amount about a product/service in a short amount of time and the products/services being advertised can achieve greater exposure at the same. Additional triggers (i.e., the static page trigger 312) may be displayed to the user while the long 504 and short 304 form advertisements are simultaneously displayed to the user.
Referring to
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, by allowing the user to view multiple contents at the same time, a user is able to choose whether he/she wishes to view a live broadcast and a previously stored content at substantially the same time, two different previously stored contents at substantially the same time, one content stored in short term memory and a second content stored in long term memory, and/or one or more live broadcasts that are not stored in memory.
As can be seen in
The content that is stored in memory 116 and then subsequently displayed to the viewer at a later time may be replaced with different content based upon recovered information about the user (i.e., input information or monitored information). For example, if it is determined that the user prefers to watch sporting events as opposed to situational comedies, then sports related content may transmitted from the head end 104 to the STB 108 to be stored in memory 116 in place of other content that may appeal to a user who watches more situational comedies. Optimizing the number of contents in memory 116 that the user may be interested in helps to increase the odds with which a user will choose to view a particular advertising content 604. Moreover, if triggers to content are only displayed when a related show or advertisement is shown, more content will be available from memory 116 that relates to what the user typically views. This can increase the number of triggers that will be presented to the user, which in turn helps to increase market exposure of different products/services. As can be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the targeting and optimization of content for a particular user can help increase the chances of a sale based on viewing a particular advertisement, since it is more likely that a product/service will be presented to a user that might have an interest in such a product/service.
Referring now to
If the trigger associated with the long form advertisement is selected or otherwise actuated, then the long form advertisement is displayed to the user (step 820). As can be appreciated, the long form advertisement may be displayed at substantially the same time as the short form advertisement or it may simply be displayed by itself. As the long form advertisement is being displayed (or after the trigger was actuated but before the long form advertisement is displayed) it is determined if any related interactive pages are available for viewing (step 824). In the event that no interactive pages are available for viewing, the method returns to step 820 and the long form advertisement continues to be displayed, whether by itself or with another short form advertisement. However, in the event that interactive static pages are available, a trigger or number of triggers are displayed along with the long form advertisement (step 828). As the user views the long form advertisement with the accompanying trigger to static interactive pages, the method waits until the trigger is selected (step 832). If the trigger is not selected, the long form advertisement continues to be displayed in step 820. However, if the trigger associated with the static interactive pages is actuated, then user information is determined (step 836). As noted above, user information that may be determined includes, but is not limited to, user input information like gender, race, likes, dislikes, hobbies, age, marital status, and other interests, monitored information like product preferences, TV show preferences, viewing schedule, viewing frequency, and purchase history, and location or regional information.
Based on the determined user information, the types of static pages that will be displayed to the user are determined (step 840). Static pages are basically chosen in an attempt to maximize the users viewing experience while increasing the likelihood that the user may be interested in purchasing the product/service. For example, for a single product, like an automobile, there may be two categories of static pages. One set of static pages for males and a second set of static pages for females. The static pages may all be directed toward the same exact model of automobile (i.e., the BMW® 3 Series). However, the set of static pages aimed at male viewers may highlight certain aspects of the vehicle that a male might be more interested in like engine specifics and performance data. On the other hand, the set of static pages aimed at female viewer may highlight certain aspects of the vehicle that a female might be more interested in like cockpit design and safety. If it is determined that the viewer is a female, then the corresponding female set of static pages may be displayed to the user.
As can be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the customization of content is not confined to static pages. Rather, there may be customized short form advertisements that target a specific user. These customized short form advertisements may be designed to peak the interest of a particular viewer, and the long form advertisements may be customized to highlight those aspects of the product/service that the user may find appealing.
In step 844, the interactive page(s) are displayed to the user along with or in replacement of the short form and/or long form advertisement. The user is then able to navigate the interactive pages through the use of triggers or by way of the navigation bar 408 (step 848). In step 852 it is determined if the user is finished viewing the advertisement. If the user continues to view the advertisement or continues to navigate the static pages then the method returns to step 848. Once the user is done viewing the advertisement content the method ends in step 856.
Referring now to
Additional information may be collected as the user navigates either television broadcasts or advertisement content. In step 912, the user navigates advertisement content either through the use of triggers or through a navigation bar 408 if one is provided. While the user navigates content, the STB 108 monitors the activity of the user (step 916). The activities that may be monitored include, but are not limited to, channel selection, content selection, viewing frequency, viewing schedule, and so on. Based on the monitored activity, user interests may be further determined and marked (step 920). The determined interests may also be stored in the memory 116 and/or sent to a content server for further evaluation of the user's potential interests. Based on the accumulation of information from the user, the STB 108 and/or a content server may make a determination of possible related interests for the given user and may further determine what types of content to provide to the STB 108 for possible future display (step 924).
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, content may be stored in memory 116 for a predetermined amount of time. Once the predetermined amount of time has lapsed, new content may be transmitted to the STB 108 to replace the expired content. Likewise, if a user continues to express an interest in only certain types of contents, the server may transmit new content to the STB 108 to replace content that has a lower possibility of being viewed by the user.
As noted above, the determined user information may be used not only to customize static pages or the like for viewing by the user, but determined user information may be employed to customize short and long form advertisements that are presented to the user. Specifically, determined user information can be applied to selecting different contents that should be sent to a specific STB 108, which may result in an increased viewership of advertisements for products/services.
Referring now to
Once the selected trigger is determined, the activity associated with the selected trigger is monitored for all users (or their respective STBs 108) to whom the trigger has been or may be sent (step 1008). In step 1012, it is determined if a user has selected or otherwise actuated the selected trigger (step 1012). In the event that the user has not actuated the selected trigger, the method returns to step 1008 where user activity is monitored for the selected trigger. However, in the event that the selected trigger is actuated, the variable corresponding to the number of selected triggers is incremented (step 1016). The notice of a selected trigger is typically sent from a STB 108 to a content server or other type of server where the count for all user activity is monitored. After a predetermined amount of time, when a certain number of triggers have been actuated, or after each actuation of the trigger, an update of the selected trigger count is sent to the originator of the selected trigger or the content associated with the selected trigger. For example, if company X has recently launched an advertisement campaign for a new set of basketball shoes, the update of selected triggers associated with that advertising campaign can be sent to company X at the determined point in time or after the count has reached a certain level. This allows the update process to be automated between the counting server and an information server associated with company X. Moreover, if a live count is desired, company X may be given access to the counting server or a continuous link between the counting server and company X's server may be implemented such that real-time updates are possible.
The foregoing discussion of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. Furthermore, the description is not intended to limit the invention to the form disclosed herein. Consequently, variations and modifications commensurate with the above teachings, within the skill and knowledge of the relevant art, are within the scope of the present invention. The embodiments described hereinabove are further intended to explain the best modes presently known of practicing the invention and to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention in such, or in other embodiments, and with the various modifications required by their particular application or use of the invention. It is intended that the appended claims be construed to include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted by the prior art.
