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US 8,266,663 B2Granted
Interactive content system and method
AssigneeAT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
InventorsMary McCarthy, Scott Pettit, John McClenny, Roland Noll
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure is directed to a system and method of providing interactive content. The method can include receiving a video signal from a first source of a television system, where the video signal includes video content but does not include data relating to an interactive application. The method can also include retrieving an interactive application from a second source of the television system.
Claims22
A method comprising:
- sending video content retrieved at a set-top box from a first source of a television system to a display device;
- receiving a first request at the set-top box for interactive content;
- sending a second request from the set-top box to at least one second source of the television system for identification of available interactive applications related to the video content in response to the first request, wherein the second request indicates one or more locations within the television system to be polled for the available interactive applications, and wherein access to the available interactive applications is authorized based on a user account associated with the television system;
- and
- sending a prioritized menu from the set-top box to the display device concurrently with the video content when one or more identifications of the available interactive applications related to the video content are received in response to the second request, wherein the prioritized menu includes a selectable menu item associated with the one or more identifications of the available interactive applications related to the video content received in response to the second request and an additional selectable menu item associated with a default interactive application retrieved from the set-top box, and wherein selectable menu items associated with the one or more identifications of the available interactive applications related to the video content have a first priority and are displayed in the prioritized menu in a position indicative of a higher priority than a position of the additional selectable menu item.
2 more elements
A set top box device, comprising:
- a memory device accessible to a processor;
- a network interface to communicate with a source of content from a distribution network of a television system;
- a buffer to receive video content from the source of content via the network interface;
- and
- an interactive application module operable to:
- send a request to the distribution network, the request indicating one or more locations of the distribution network to be polled for a first available interactive application;
- generate a prioritized menu including available interactive applications, the prioritized menu generated in response to receipt of a result identifying the first available interactive application located within the distribution network, wherein the prioritized menu includes a selectable menu item for each of the available interactive applications and for at least one default interactive application retrieved from the memory device, and wherein access to the available interactive applications is authorized based on a user account associated with the television system;
- and
- send to a display device the prioritized menu and the video content concurrently in response to a user request for interactive content, wherein the available interactive applications related to the video content have a first priority and are displayed first in the prioritized menu.
6 more elements
A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising operational instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to execute a method comprising:
- sending video content retrieved at a set-top box from a first source of a television system to a display device;
- receiving a first request at the set-top box for interactive content;
- sending a second request from the set-top box to the television system for identification of available interactive applications related to the video content in response to the first request, wherein the second request indicates one or more locations within the television system to be polled for the available interactive applications;
- and
- sending a prioritized menu from the set-top box to the display device concurrently with the video content when one or more identifications of the available interactive applications related to the video content are received in response to the second request, wherein the prioritized menu includes a selectable menu item associated with the one or more identifications of the available interactive applications related to the video content received in response to the second request and an additional selectable menu item associated with a default interactive application retrieved from the set-top box, and wherein selectable menu items associated with the one or more identifications of the available interactive applications related to the video content have a first priority and are displayed in the prioritized menu in a position indicative of a higher priority than a position of the additional selectable menu item.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.