# US 11,910,065 B2 · Automatic contact information transmission system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,910,065 B2 - Document ID: US11910065B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/405,534 - Filed: 2021-08-18 - Published: 2021-12-09 - Granted: 2024-02-20 - Earliest claimed: 2009-04-08 - Assignees: TiVo Solutions Inc. - Applicants: TiVo Solutions Inc. - Inventors: James M. Barton; Brian Lanier - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11910065B2 ## CPC - H04N 21/4758: {for providing answers, e.g. voting} - G11B 27/3081: {used signal is a video-frame or a video-field (P.I.P)} - H04N 21/4147: PVR [Personal Video Recorder] (H04N5/76 takes precedence {; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40}) - H04N 21/4312: {involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations} - H04N 21/437: Interfacing the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. for transmitting client requests to a VOD server {(flow control in data networks H04L47/10; streaming protocols, e.g. RTP or RTCP, H04L65/65; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests in data packet switching networks H04L67/60)} - H04N 21/44008: {involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream (arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59)} - 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)} - H04N 21/4725: using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots {(details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94)} - H04N 21/47815: {Electronic shopping (payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12)} - 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)} - H04N 21/8166: {involving executable data, e.g. software (arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34)} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - G11B: INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER (recording measured values in a way that does not require playback through a transducer G01D9/00; recording or playback apparatus using mechanically marked tape, e.g. punched paper tape, or using unit records, e.g. punched or magnetically marked cards G06K; transferring data from one type of record carrier to another G06K1/18; circuits for coupling output of reproducer to radio receiver H04B1/20; gramophone pick-ups or like acoustic electromechanical transducers or circuits therefor H04R) ## Abstract According to one aspect, a DVR sends a user's contact information over a network to a third party. Upon determining that a television program or advertisement contains a special tag that is associated with a third party, the DVR displays, to the user, a prompt that invites the DVR user to allow the DVR to send the user's contact information to the third party. If the user gives permission for the DVR to send the contact information to the third party, then the DVR sends the contact information to the third party (e.g., over the Internet). ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: detecting, by a multimedia device, a request associated with content being displayed on the multimedia device for the multimedia device to send a user's contact information, wherein the request for the multimedia device to send the user's contact information comprises an information code specifying which subset of the user's contact information is to be transmitted; generating for display a prompt associated with the information code requesting permission from the user to send the user's contact information; and in response to receiving input granting permission that is responsive to the prompt: identifying in storage of the multimedia device the subset of the user's contact information specified by the information code; and causing the subset of the user's contact information specified by the information code to be retrieved from the storage of the multimedia device and to be sent to an external device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the user's contact information comprises the user's name and at least one of: (a) the user's street address, (b) the user's telephone number, (c) the user's e-mail address, and (d) the user's instant messaging identifier. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the user's contact information to a third party over a network. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the multimedia device receives the user's contact information from the user through the user's manipulation of a remote control to navigate a user interface generated by the multimedia device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the content being displayed on the multimedia device is media content, a television program or an advertisement, and wherein the information code is embedded in the media content, the television program or the advertisement prior to a time that the multimedia device receives the media content, the television program or the advertisement, and wherein the information code identifies at least one of: (a) a uniform resource locator (URL) that is associated with a third party, or (b) an e-mail address of the third party. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the multimedia device sends the user's contact information by sending the user's contact information to at least one of: (a) the URL, (b) the e-mail address of the third party, or (c) an instant messaging identifier of the third party. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein, during the multimedia device's display of the content, a particular icon signifies, to the user, that a party associated with the television program or advertisement is interested in obtaining the user's contact information. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, further comprising: in response to receiving the information code, requesting the user's contact information from the user during a presentation of recorded content, Internet-received content, television program, or advertisement. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the multimedia device stores the user's contact information by storing the user's contact information on one or more storage devices within the multimedia device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the multimedia device requests user's permission to send the user's contact information by displaying an overlay over a presentation of recorded content, Internet-received content, television program, or advertisement; and wherein the overlay identifies a third party to which the user's contact will be sent. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the contact information includes data that identifies the multimedia device, and wherein after sending the user's contact information the multimedia device facilitates live communication between the user and a third party to which the user's contact information was sent. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the multimedia device facilitates live communication between the user and the third party to which the user's contact information was sent using voice-over-IP (VOID) protocol. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the multimedia device facilitates live communications between the user and the third party to which the user's contact information was sent using instant messaging. ### Claim 14 A system comprising: storage; control circuitry configured to: detect a request associated with content being displayed on a multimedia device for the multimedia device to send a user's contact information, wherein the request for the multimedia device to send the user's contact information comprises an information code specifying which subset of the user's contact information is to be transmitted; input/output circuitry configured to: generate for display a prompt associated with the information code requesting permission from the user to send the user's contact information; and wherein the control circuitry is further configured to: in response to receiving input granting permission that is responsive to the prompt: identify in the storage the subset of the user's contact information specified by the information code; and cause the subset of the user's contact information specified by the information code to be retrieved from the storage and to be sent to an external device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, wherein the user's contact information comprises the user's name and at least one of: (a) the user's street address, (b) the user's telephone number, (c) the user's e-mail address, and (d) the user's instant messaging identifier. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to: to send the user's contact information to a third party over a network. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to receive the user's contact information from the user through the user's manipulation of a remote control to navigate a user interface generated by the system. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, wherein the content being displayed on the multimedia device is media content, a television program or an advertisement, and wherein the information code is embedded in the media content, the television program or the advertisement prior to a time that the system receives the media content, the television program or the advertisement, and wherein the information code identifies at least one of: (a) a uniform resource locator (URL) that is associated with a third party, or (b) an e-mail address of the third party. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The system of claim 18, wherein the control circuitry is configured to send the user's contact information by sending the user's contact information to at least one of: (a) the URL, (b) the e-mail address of the third party, or (c) the instant messaging identifier of the third party. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The system of claim 18, wherein, during the display of the content, a particular icon signifies, to the user, that a party associated with the television program or advertisement is interested in obtaining the user's contact information. ### Claim 21 (depends on 18) The system of claim 18, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to: in response to receiving the information code, request the user's contact information from the user during a presentation of recorded content, Internet-received content, a television program, or advertisement. ### Claim 22 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to store the user's contact information by storing the user's contact information on one or more storage devices within the system. ### Claim 23 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to request user's permission to send the user's contact information by displaying an overlay over a presentation of recorded content, Internet-received content, television program, or advertisement; and wherein the overlay identifies a third party to which the user's contact information will be sent. ### Claim 24 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, wherein the contact information includes data that identifies a user device, and wherein after the sending of the user's contact information, the control circuitry facilitates live communication between the user and a third party to which the user's contact information was sent. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The system of claim 24, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to facilitate live communication between the user and the third party to which the user's contact information was sent using voice-over-IP (VOIP) protocol. ### Claim 26 (depends on 24) The system of claim 24, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to facilitate live communications between the user and the third party to which the user's contact information was sent using instant messaging.