U.S. patent application number 13/386820 was filed with the patent office on 2012-05-17 for system and method for interacting with an internet site.
This patent application is currently assigned to THOMAS LICENSING, LLC. Invention is credited to Martin Vincent Davey, Evan Michael Foote.
Application Number | 20120124475 13/386820 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42937148 |
Filed Date | 2012-05-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120124475 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Foote; Evan Michael ; et
al. |
May 17, 2012 |
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INTERACTING WITH AN INTERNET SITE
Abstract
A system and method for enabling a user to interact with a
social networking structure for an internet website on a video
device connected to a network enabled host device is provided. The
present disclosure provides for accessing an internet site in
response to a user input, the user input initiated while outputting
a program to a display, retrieving content from the internet site
based on at least one characteristic associated with the program,
and outputting the retrieved content in an overlay or user
interface on the display simultaneous with the program. The user
interface provides the ability to access multiple profiles for
determining whose content or message to display, and also includes
a rotating carousel message display system, with a current message
surrounded above and below by a previous message and a next message
in the display queue in a different size or font.
Inventors: |
Foote; Evan Michael;
(Carmel, IN) ; Davey; Martin Vincent;
(Indianapolis, IN) |
Assignee: |
THOMAS LICENSING, LLC
Issy-Les Moulineaux
FR
|
Family ID: |
42937148 |
Appl. No.: |
13/386820 |
Filed: |
August 3, 2010 |
PCT Filed: |
August 3, 2010 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/US2010/044230 |
371 Date: |
January 24, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61232196 |
Aug 7, 2009 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
715/719 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 21/812 20130101;
H04N 21/4828 20130101; G06F 3/0482 20130101; H04N 21/4314 20130101;
H04N 21/4622 20130101; H04N 21/4316 20130101; H04N 7/17318
20130101; H04L 51/32 20130101; H04N 21/4788 20130101; H04N 21/44222
20130101; G06F 16/78 20190101; H04N 21/4312 20130101; H04N 21/2668
20130101; G06F 3/04842 20130101; G06F 16/7844 20190101; H04N
21/4532 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
715/719 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/01 20060101
G06F003/01 |
Claims
1. A method for displaying content from an internet site,
comprising: accessing the internet site in response to a user
input, the user input initiated while outputting a video program
for display on a display device; retrieving content from the
internet site based on at least one characteristic associated with
the program; and outputting the retrieved content in an overlay for
display simultaneous with the program.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of outputting includes
outputting at least one message from the social network site in the
overlay.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one message includes
a link to a web site.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one message includes
a link to a uniform resource locator (URL).
5. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one message includes
a link to an identity of at least one second user.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of outputting includes
outputting at least one message for display from the social network
site in a first carousel arrangement in the overlay.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein a current message is displayed in
a first size, the current message being displayed with at least one
previous message and at least one next message in a size different
than the first size.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the current message, the at least
one previous message and the at least one next message are arranged
in a vertical column.
9. The method of claim 7, further comprising scrolling of the
current message the at least one previous message and the at least
one next message in the first carousel arrangement in response to a
user input.
10. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one message is
associated to a first identity, further comprising displaying at
least one identity from the social network site in a second
carousel arrangement in the overlay, wherein the second carousel
arrangement is displayed separate from the first carousel
arrangement.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein a current identity is displayed
as a first element, the current identity being displayed with at
least one previous identity and at least one next identity each
displayed as an element different than the first element.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the current identity, the at
least one previous identity and the at least one next identity are
arranged in a horizontal row.
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising scrolling of the
current identity, the at least one previous identity and the at
least one next identity in the second carousel arrangement in
response to a user input.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying further
comprises: outputting at least one message for display from the
social network site in a first vertical carousel arrangement in the
overlay, wherein the at least one message is associated with an
identity; and outputting at least one identity for display from the
social network site in a second horizontal carousel arrangement in
the overlay.
15. A system for displaying content from an internet site,
comprising: an input signal receiver that accesses the internet
site in response to a user input, the user input initiated while
outputting a video program for display on a display device; a
controller, coupled to the input signal receiver, that retrieves
content from the internet site based on at least one characteristic
associated with the program; and a display interface, coupled to
the controller, that outputs the retrieved content in an overlay
output to the display device simultaneous with the program.
16. The system of claim 15, wherein the display interface outputs
at least one message from the social network site in the
overlay.
17. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one message
includes a link to a web site.
18. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one message
includes a link to a uniform resource locator (URL).
19. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one message
includes a link to an identity of at least one second user.
20. The system of claim 15, wherein the display interface outputs
at least one message from the social network site in a first
carousel arrangement in the overlay.
21. The system of claim 20, wherein a current message is displayed
in a first size on the display, the current message being
surrounded above and below by at least one previous message and at
least one next message in a size on the display different than the
first size.
22. The system of claim 21, wherein the current message, the at
least one previous message and the at least one next message are
arranged in a vertical column.
23. The system of claim 21, further comprising a user interface,
coupled to the controller, that scrolls the current message, the at
least one previous message and the at least one next message in the
first carousel arrangement in response to a user input.
24. The system of claim 21, wherein the at least one message is
associated to a first identity and the display interface displays
at least one identity from the social network site in a second
carousel arrangement in the overlay, wherein the second carousel
arrangement is displayed separate from the first carousel
arrangement.
25. The system of claim 24, wherein a current identity is displayed
as a first element, the current identity being surrounded on each
side by at least one previous identity and at least one next
identity each displayed as an element different than the first
element.
26. The system of claim 25, wherein the current identity, the at
least one previous identity and the at least one next identity are
arranged in a horizontal row.
27. The system of claim 26, further comprising a user interface,
coupled to the controller, that scrolls of the current identity,
the at least one previous identity and the at least one next
identity in the second carousel arrangement in response to a user
input.
28. The system of claim 15, wherein the display interface outputs
at least one message from the social network site in a first
vertical carousel arrangement in the overlay, wherein the at least
one message is associated with an identity and outputs at least one
identity from the social network site in a second horizontal
carousel arrangement in the overlay.
29. A graphic user interface for displaying content from an
internet site, comprising: means for accessing the internet site in
response to a user input, the user input initiated while outputting
a video program for display on a display device; means for
retrieving content from the internet site based on at least one
characteristic associated with the program; and means for
outputting the retrieved content in an overlay for display on the
display device simultaneous with the program.
Description
REFERENCE TO RELATED PROVISIONAL APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority from provisional
application No. 61/232,196, entitled "Social Networking Client for
a Video Device" filed on Aug. 7, 2009.
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to digital content
systems and the internet, and more particularly, to a system and
method for enabling a user to display and interact with an internet
site, such as a social networking structure, on a video device
connected to a network enabled host device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The world of the internet and the world of video
entertainment continue to merge, forming the potential for many new
opportunities in structures, devices and applications. Many of
these applications may be capable of providing improved convenience
of one or more of the activities associated with the internet, when
coupled with a video entertainment device, such as a set-top box or
television. One such activity is social networking through an
internet site.
[0004] Many internet social networking uses, such as microblogging,
revolve around remaining in contact with others in the social
network, while carrying on other activities. The social networking
interfaces typically involve separate devices, such as a smart
phone or personal computer. However, people may also wish to stay
connected while being entertained, while watching a television
program, or watching a movie while in their home.
[0005] Therefore, a need exists for techniques for allowing a user
to display and interact on a social network enabled client host
connected to their television (TV) or set-top box without the
necessity of any additional interface, such as a smart phone or
personal computer (PC).
SUMMARY
[0006] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a method
for displaying content from an internet site, such as a social
networking site, is provided, including accessing the internet site
in response to a user input, the user input initiated while
outputting a video program for display on a display device,
retrieving content from the social networking site based on at
least one characteristic associated with the program, and
outputting the retrieved content in an overlay for display on the
display device simultaneous with the program.
[0007] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a
system for displaying content from an internet site, such as a
social networking site, is provided, including an input signal
receiver that accesses the internet site in response to a user
input, the user input initiated while outputting a program for
display on a display device, a controller, coupled to the input
signal receiver, that retrieves content from the internet site
based on at least one characteristic associated with the program,
and a display interface, coupled to the controller, that outputs
the retrieved content in an overlay for display on the display
device simultaneous with the program.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] These, and other aspects, features and advantages of the
present disclosure will be described or become apparent from the
following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, which
is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
[0009] In the drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote
similar elements throughout the views:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system for
delivering video content in accordance with the present
disclosure;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary set-top box/host
device in accordance with the present disclosure;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an exemplary remote
controller in accordance with an embodiment of the present
disclosure;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an exemplary method for displaying
and posting content, e.g., messages, provided through a social
networking system included with an internet site in accordance with
an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0014] FIG. 5 illustrates a data storage structure for storing
messages in accordance with the present disclosure;
[0015] FIG. 6 illustrates a carousel indexing arrangement for
displaying messages in accordance with the present disclosure;
[0016] FIG. 7 is an exemplary user interface employing the carousel
indexing arrangement in accordance with one embodiment of the
present disclosure;
[0017] FIG. 8 is an exemplary user interface in accordance with
another embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0018] FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate a viewing feature that allows a
size of a message to easily be adjusted within the graphical user
interface in accordance with the present disclosure; and
[0019] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an exemplary method for searching
for content, e.g., messages, from a social networking system
included with an Internet site in accordance with an embodiment of
the present disclosure.
[0020] It should be understood that the drawing(s) is for purposes
of illustrating the concepts of the disclosure and is not
necessarily the only possible configuration for illustrating the
disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0021] It should be understood that the elements shown in the
figures may be implemented in various forms of hardware, software
or combinations thereof. Preferably, these elements are implemented
in a combination of hardware and software on one or more
appropriately programmed general-purpose devices, which may include
a processor, memory and input/output interfaces. Herein, the phrase
"coupled" is defined to mean directly connected to or indirectly
connected with through one or more intermediate components. Such
intermediate components may include both hardware and software
based components.
[0022] The present description illustrates the principles of the
present disclosure. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled
in the art will be able to devise various arrangements that,
although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the
principles of the disclosure and are included within its spirit and
scope.
[0023] All examples and conditional language recited herein are
intended for educational purposes to aid the reader in
understanding the principles of the disclosure and the concepts
contributed by the inventor to furthering the art, and are to be
construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited
examples and conditions.
[0024] Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles,
aspects, and embodiments of the disclosure, as well as specific
examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and
functional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that
such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well
as equivalents developed in the future, i.e., any elements
developed that perform the same function, regardless of
structure.
[0025] Thus, for example, it will be appreciated by those skilled
in the art that the block diagrams presented herein represent
conceptual views of illustrative circuitry embodying the principles
of the disclosure. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow
charts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudocode, and
the like represent various processes which may be substantially
represented in computer readable media and so executed by a
computer or processor, whether or not such computer or processor is
explicitly shown.
[0026] The functions of the various elements shown in the figures
may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware as well as
hardware capable of executing software in association with
appropriate software. When provided by a processor, the functions
may be provided by a single dedicated processor, by a single shared
processor, or by a plurality of individual processors, some of
which may be shared. Moreover, explicit use of the term "processor"
or "controller" should not be construed to refer exclusively to
hardware capable of executing software, and may implicitly include,
without limitation, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, read
only memory (ROM) for storing software, random access memory (RAM),
and nonvolatile storage.
[0027] Other hardware, conventional and/or custom, may also be
included. Similarly, any switches shown in the figures are
conceptual only. Their function may be carried out through the
operation of program logic, through dedicated logic, through the
interaction of program control and dedicated logic, or even
manually, the particular technique being selectable by the
implementer as more specifically understood from the context.
[0028] In the claims hereof, any element expressed as a means for
performing a specified function is intended to encompass any way of
performing that function including, for example, a) a combination
of circuit elements that performs that function or b) software in
any form, including, therefore, firmware, microcode or the like,
combined with appropriate circuitry for executing that software to
perform the function. The disclosure as defined by such claims
resides in the fact that the functionalities provided by the
various recited means are combined and brought together in the
manner which the claims call for. It is thus regarded that any
means that can provide those functionalities are equivalent to
those shown herein.
[0029] The present disclosure relates to a system and method that
allows a user to display and enter messages through an Internet
social networking structure, program, or website, such as twitter,
on a video display such as a television, through a connection to an
Internet enabled host, such as a set-top box that is also capable
of displaying video delivered through a video broadcast network,
such as a cable or satellite network. First, a user interface (UI)
is provided for displaying the content (e.g., tweets) in a box or
overlay on the screen while program video is playing. The UI
includes the ability to access multiple profiles for determining
whose messages to display, and also includes a carouselling, or
rotating, message display system, with a current message surrounded
above and below by a previous and next message in the display queue
in a smaller font or size. Furthermore, a search mechanism is
provided for accessing and retrieving the messages. The search may
include identifying information, such as keywords, germane to the
current program being viewed. The search may also include user
input to search for specific keywords in content, including the
current broadcast content (e.g., closed caption data) or
advertising.
[0030] In order to provide a high value service to end consumers,
it is desirable for a video delivery service to provide access to a
broad range of content, for example, social networking web sites.
As social networking on the Internet becomes more and more popular,
new posting and viewing mechanisms are needed. The embodiments
below describe a system and method of displaying and posting
content, e.g., messages, provided through a social networking
system on a display device, e.g., a television. FIG. 1 shows a
block diagram of an exemplary system 100, and includes a host
device 108, with an interface to a broadcast delivery network 106
and an interface to a broadband delivery network 112, e.g., the
internet. The host device 108 may be a set-top box (STB) device,
where the host device 108 also connects to a TV for video display.
The host device 108 allows an over-the-top interface to interact
with the social networking service on an Internet site. The host
device may be a cable STB, internet protocol (IP) STB, or satellite
STB with each capable of including an application interface to a
social networking client for an internet site.
[0031] Initially, systems for delivering various types of content
to a user will be described. Subsequently, a user interface and
method for displaying and posting content (e.g., messages) provided
through a social networking system on an internet website in
accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure will then be
detailed.
[0032] Turning now to FIG. 1, a block diagram of an embodiment of a
system 100 for delivering content to a home or end user is shown.
The content originates from a content source 102, such as a movie
studio or production house. The content may be supplied in at least
one of two forms. One form may be a broadcast form of content. The
broadcast content is provided to the broadcast affiliate manager
104, which is typically a national broadcast service, such as the
American Broadcasting Company (ABC), National Broadcasting Company
(NBC), Columbia Broadcasting Systems (CBS), etc. The broadcast
affiliate manager may collect and store the content, and may
schedule delivery of the content over a deliver network, shown as
delivery network 1 (106). Delivery network 1 (106) may include
satellite link transmission from a national center to one or more
regional or local centers. Delivery network 1 (106) may also
include local content delivery using local delivery systems such as
over the air broadcast, satellite broadcast, or cable broadcast.
The locally delivered content is provided to a user's set top
box/digital video recorder (DVR) 108 in a user's home, where the
content will subsequently be displayed to the user.
[0033] A second form of content is referred to as special content.
Special content may include content delivered as premium viewing,
pay-per-view, or other content otherwise not provided to the
broadcast affiliate manager. In many cases, the special content may
be content requested by the user. The special content may be
delivered to a content manager 110. The content manager 110 may be
a service provider, such as an internet website, affiliated, for
instance, with a content provider, broadcast service, or delivery
network service. The content manager 110 may also incorporate
internet content into the delivery system, or explicitly into a
search only such that content may be searched that has not yet been
delivered to the user's set top box/digital video recorder 108. The
content manager 110 may deliver the content to the user's set top
box/digital video recorder 108 over a separate delivery network,
delivery network 2 (112). Delivery network 2 (112) may include
high-speed broadband Internet type communications systems. It is
important to note that the content from the broadcast affiliate
manager 104 may also be delivered using all or parts of delivery
network 2 (112) and content from the content manager 110 may be
delivered using all or parts of Delivery network 1 (106). In
addition, the user may also obtain content directly from the
internet via delivery network 2 (112) without necessarily having
the content managed by the content manager 110. For example, the
user may obtain content from web sites hosted on various servers,
where the servers are coupled to Delivery network 2 (112) without
passing through content manager 110. In one embodiment, server 116
will host a social networking internet web site.
[0034] The set top box/digital video recorder 108 may receive
different types of content from one or both of delivery network 1
and delivery network 2. The set top box/digital video recorder 108
processes the content, and provides a separation of the content
based on user preferences and commands. The set top box/digital
video recorder may also include a storage device, such as a hard
drive or optical disk drive, for recording and playing back audio
and video content. Further details of the operation of the set top
box/digital video recorder 108 and features associated with playing
back stored content will be described below in relation to FIG. 2.
The processed content is provided to a display device 114. The
display device 114 may be a conventional two-dimensional (2-D) type
display or may alternatively be an advanced three-dimensional (3-D)
display. It should be appreciated that other devices having display
capabilities such as wireless phones, personal digital assistants
(PDAs), computers, gaming platforms, remote controls, multi-media
players, or the like, may employ the teachings of the present
disclosure and are considered within the scope of the present
disclosure.
[0035] Turning now to FIG. 2, a block diagram of an embodiment of
the core of a set top box/host device 200 is shown. The device 200
shown may also be incorporated into other systems including the
display device 114 itself. In either case, several components
necessary for complete operation of the system are not shown in the
interest of conciseness, as they are well known to those skilled in
the art.
[0036] In the device 200 shown in FIG. 2, the content is received
in an input signal receiver 202. The input signal receiver 202 may
be one of several known receiver circuits used for receiving,
demodulation, and decoding signals provided over one of the several
possible networks including over the air, cable, satellite,
Ethernet, fiber and phone line networks. The desired input signal
may be selected and retrieved in the input signal receiver 202
based on user input provided through a control interface (not
shown). It is to be appreciated that the input signal receiver 202
may in certain embodiments be a transceiver for two way
communication to and from the set top box/digital video recorder
108. In certain embodiments, the transceiver will output
information, e.g., a search request to delivery network 2 (112) to
search for Internet content.
[0037] The decoded output signal from the input signal receiver 202
is provided to an input stream processor 204. The input stream
processor 204 performs the final signal selection and processing,
and includes separation of video content from audio content for the
content stream. The audio content is provided to an audio processor
206 for conversion from the received format, such as compressed
digital signal, to an analog waveform signal. The analog waveform
signal is provided to an audio interface 208 and further to the
display device 114 or an audio amplifier (not shown).
Alternatively, the audio interface 208 may provide a digital signal
to an audio output device or display device using a High-Definition
Multimedia Interface (HDMI) cable or alternate audio interface such
as via a Sony/Philips Digital Interconnect Format (SPDIF). The
audio processor 206 also performs any necessary conversion for the
storage of the audio signals.
[0038] The video output from the input stream processor 204 is
provided to a video processor 210. The video signal may be one of
several formats. The video processor 210 provides, as necessary a
conversion of the video content, based on the input signal format.
The video processor 210 also performs any necessary conversion for
the storage of the video signals.
[0039] A storage device 212 stores audio and video content received
at the input. The storage device 212 allows later retrieval and
playback of the content under the control of a controller 214 and
also based on commands, e.g., navigation instructions such as
fast-forward (FF) and rewind (Rew), received from a user interface
216. The storage device 212 may be a hard disk drive, one or more
large capacity integrated electronic memories, such as static
random access memory, or dynamic random access memory, or may be an
interchangeable optical disk storage system such as a compact disk
drive or digital video disk drive.
[0040] The converted video signal, from the video processor 210,
either originating from the input or from the storage device 212,
is provided to the display interface 218. The display interface 218
further provides the display signal to a display device of the type
described above. The display interface 218 may be an analog signal
interface such as red-green-blue (RGB) or may be a digital
interface such as HDMI. It is to be appreciated that the display
interface 218 will generate the various screens for presenting the
search results or message in an overlay as will be described in
more detail below.
[0041] The controller 214 is interconnected via a bus to several of
the components of the device 200, including the input stream
processor 202, audio processor 206, video processor 210, storage
device 212, and a user interface 216. The controller 214 manages
the conversion process for converting the input stream signal into
a signal for storage on the storage device or for display. The
controller 214 also manages the retrieval and playback of stored
content. Furthermore, as will be described below in relation to
FIG. 4, the controller 214 performs searching of content, either
stored or to be delivered via the delivery networks described
above. The controller 214 is further communicatively connected, or
coupled, to control memory 220 (e.g., volatile or non-volatile
memory, including RAM, static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), ROM,
programmable ROM (PROM), flash memory, electronically programmable
ROM (EPROM), electronically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM),
etc.) for storing information and instruction code for controller
214. Further, the implementation of the memory may include several
possible embodiments, such as a single memory device or,
alternatively, more than one memory circuit communicatively
connected, or coupled, together to form a shared or common memory.
Still further, the memory may be included with other circuitry,
such as portions of bus communications circuitry, in a larger
circuit.
[0042] To operate effectively, the user interface 216 of the
present disclosure employs an input device that moves a cursor
around the display. In one embodiment, the input device is a remote
controller, with a form of motion detection, such as a gyroscope or
accelerometer, which allows the user to move a cursor freely about
a screen or display. In another embodiment, the input device is a
controller in the form of a touch pad device or other touch
sensitive device that will track the user's movement on the pad,
and display it on the screen. In yet another embodiment, a
conventional remote control device having navigational buttons may
be used.
[0043] An exemplary hand-held angle-sensing remote controller 300
is illustrated in FIG. 3. Remote controller 300 includes a thumb
button 302, positioned on the top side of controller 300 so as to
be selectively activated by a user's thumb. Activation of thumb
button 302 will also be referred to as a "click," a command often
associated with activation or launch of a selected function.
Controller 300 further includes a trigger button 304, positioned on
the bottom side of controller 300 so as to be selectively activated
by a user's index (or "trigger") finger. Activation of trigger
button 304 will also be referred to as a "trigger," and angular
movement (i.e. pitch, yaw and/or roll) of the controller 300 while
the trigger is depressed will be referred to as a "trigger-drag." A
trigger-drag command is often associated with movement of a cursor,
virtual cursor or other indication of the user's interactive
position on the display, such as a change of state (i.e., a
highlighted or outlined cell), and is commonly used to navigate in
and select entries from the interactive display. Additionally, a
plurality of buttons 306 are provided for entering numbers and/or
letters. In one embodiment, the plurality of buttons 306 is
configured similar to a telephone-type keypad.
[0044] The use of a hand-held angle-sensing remote controller
provides for a number of types of user interaction. When using an
angle-sensing controller, changes in yaw map to left-and-right
motions, changes in pitch map to up-and-down motions and changes in
roll map to rotational motions along a longitudinal axis of the
controller. These inputs are used to define gestures and the
gestures, in turn, define specific contextual commands. As such, a
combination of yaw and pitch can be used to define any
two-dimensional motion, such as a diagonal, and a combination of
yaw, pitch and roll can be used to define any three-dimensional
motion.
[0045] In one embodiment, the host device 108, 200 is interfaced
with a head end device in a network, e.g., a cable network, and the
internet. The host device 108, 200 receives program content, such
as television programs and movies, from the head end over the cable
network. The head end also provides a downloadable software
application as a client service to the host device. The
downloadable application provides the interface for the social
networking service provided over the internet. It is important to
note that the physical internet interface may be over the same
cable or medium that the video content from the head end is
provided.
[0046] It is to be appreciated that the set top box/digital video
recorder includes an operating system and/or a micro instruction
code. The various processes and functions described herein may
either be part of the micro instruction code or part of the
software application (or a combination thereof) which is executed
via the operating system. In one embodiment, the software
application is tangibly embodied on a program storage device, which
may be uploaded to and executed by any set top box/digital video
recorder.
[0047] The software application, which may be called, for example,
ThomTweet, is a software application that may be written in Java
language, stored in a memory of the host device, that scans the
social networking service for relevant content, often referred to
as tweets, based on the video programming content received or
viewed at the time, as well as content based on selected profile
options. It is to be appreciated that in one embodiment the memory
is control memory 220 of FIG. 2 where the instructions stored
thereon are executed by controller 214. In another embodiment, the
memory and a corresponding processor or controller to perform the
scanning or searching may be a separate, stand-alone integrated
circuit such as a digital processing processor (DSP) or an
application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The application may
be bound, so that the application is specifically linked to a tuned
channel in the host set-top box. The application may also be
unbound, allowing to be directly invoked by a user regardless of
set-top box operation. The application may be downloaded and run
specifically based on the channel being viewed. It may also be
downloaded as a stand alone application.
[0048] A method for displaying and posting content, e.g., messages,
provided through a social networking system in accordance with the
present disclosure will now be described in relation to FIGS.
4-7.
[0049] Initially, in step 402, the software application will start
by either being invoked by the user via the user interface or
downloaded to the host device 108. Once started, the application
will enable the host device 108 to access the social networking
site in response to a user input. After, some security checking the
application establishes its operation by looking at user profile
information, step 404. The user profile will contain settings on
how certain aspects of the user interface will be displayed to the
user. Furthermore, as will be described in more detail below, the
user profile may include priority lists established by the user for
prioritizing which identities or accounts are to be followed.
[0050] In step 406, while the user is watching or viewing a video,
e.g., a movie or television program, the application monitors
current channel activity, e.g., which channels are being viewed,
which channels are being recorded, which channels are in the user's
favorites list, etc. Based on the channel activity of the user, the
application generates keywords for searching the social networking
site, the details of which will be described below. Based on the
generated keywords, the application creates a list of possible
social networking identities or accounts to scan for content, step
408. Next, in step 410, the application scans the various
identities or accounts on a periodic basis and retrieves and stores
some or all of the interactions as messages or tweets. The
application will then generate a user interface which will display
or present the messages and associated identities to the user, step
412.
[0051] Each message or tweet is typically represented as text
content limited to less than 140 characters, and may also include a
link to a uniform resource locater (URL) or website or to another
user profile, identity, or account associated with the network
service. The application stores or caches these tweets. It may
prioritize the storage based on date, total number, or a user
priority. The tweets may be recalled by the user for display on the
video screen in conjunction with the current video programming. The
tweets may also be instantly displayed when received depending on
user preference. The user may also browse through the tweets. The
tweets may also be transferred to other devices through, for
instance, a home network structure.
[0052] FIG. 5 illustrates the data storage structure for the
application. As the messages are retrieved and stored in the memory
of the host device 108, 200, each message or tweet 502, 504, 506,
508 is saved as a list including a name 510, the message or tweet
512, a date 514 and a URL 516, if necessary, among other pieces of
data. All messages 502, 504, 506, 508 are stored in date order. An
iterator function 518 pulls each message based on an identity or
account selected by the user and reassembles the pulled messages in
date order again. The iterator function 518 identifies the first
message 520, the last message 526 and links all the messages in
between by identifying which message is the previous message 522
and next message 524 relative to each message. In this manner, once
a user selects an identity or account to follow, the user can
easier scroll forward and backward through the plurality of
messages, i.e., tweets. The storage structure facilitates recalling
and viewing the individual messages or tweets through a carousel
indexing system, or arrangement. It is to be appreciated that other
storage structures may be employed in accordance with the
principles of the present disclosure.
[0053] FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate the carousel indexing arrangement
for viewing the messages on a video display, where FIG. 6
illustrates a carousel indexing arrangement and FIG. 7 is an
exemplary user interface employing the carousel indexing
arrangement. The user may quickly toggle through the stored
messages related to a particular set. The set may be identified by
the identities or accounts in the social networking system, or
site, or may be established through a user profile or user defined
parameters. An important property of the carousel arrangement
includes the direct viewing of at least one message as a currently
displayed message, and may preferably include viewing of the
previous message and the next message in the carousel at the same
time. Referring to FIG. 6, the currently displayed message 602 is
located in the center of the carousel 600 with the largest size
font or display area. The previous messages 604, 606, 608 are
displayed in a continuously decreasing font or display area size
relative to the currently displayed message 602. That is as the
message becomes "older" the size or font of message will decrease
or get smaller. For example, message 608 is the oldest message
displayed so is the smallest in size. Likewise, the next messages
610, 612, 614 increase in size or font as the message approaches
the currently displayed message 602. In the example shown in FIG.
6, message 610 is the newest or earliest message shown on the
carousel 600 and therefore is the smallest in size or font of the
next messages. As the remaining next messages 612, 614 approach the
currently displayed message 602, the size of the next messages 612,
614 will increase. It is important to note that although display
size or font size is used to represent the carouseling messages,
other distinguishing differences may also be used such as color or
font type in the message.
[0054] Referring to FIG. 7, an exemplary user interface 700
employing the carousel indexing system, or arrangement, is
illustrated. It is to be appreciated that the user interface 700
may be placed as an overlay on any portion of the display device
114, e.g., the user interface 700 may be overlaid along a bottom,
horizontal portion of the screen of the display device. In other
embodiments, the screen of the display device may be segmented into
separate portions where the video being viewed is in a first
portion and the user interface is in a second portion.
[0055] The user interface 700 displays a current message 702 in a
first font size with the current message 702 being surrounded above
and below by at least one previous message 706 and at least one
next message 714 in a font size smaller than the first font size.
The first font size may be chosen, or determined, during design or
manufacture of device including the user interface 700 or may be
selected by the user. The successive displaying of messages may be
configured to auto-scroll through the messages with each message
being displayed for a predetermined period of time. In addition,
the user may control the movement and viewing through the carrousel
by using remote control commands via arrow icons 720, 722. When
arrow icon 720 is activated via the remote controller 300, the
messages will scroll upwards revealing previously viewed messages.
When arrow icon 722 is activated via the remote controller 300, the
messages will scroll downwards revealing previously unviewed or
next messages. The indexing may include a one button push single
increment operation, and may also include a button hold down
carousel index scanning operation, allowing rapid viewing of
successive entries.
[0056] It is to be appreciated that the number of messages
displayed at one time could vary and need not be three messages as
shown in the example of FIG. 7. Furthermore, the text of the next
and previous message 706, 714 may be hidden, smaller, covered,
faded or in a different format to distinguish these messages from
the currently displayed message 702.
[0057] The user interface 700 further displays at least one
identity from the social network site in a second carousel
arrangement in the overlay, where the identity is associated to the
messages currently being displayed. The at least one identity is
represented by various sized predetermined elements. As with the
displaying of messages, the identities are displayed in a carousel
arrangement so a user can easily switch between various identities
the user wants to follow. The identity associated with the
currently displayed message 702, i.e., the current identity, is
represented by the largest element, in this example element 724.
The current identity 724 is then surrounded on each side by at
least one previous identity 726, 728 and at least one next identity
730, 732 represented by an element smaller than the first
predetermined element, i.e. the current identity 724. Left and
right arrow icons, 734 and 736 respectfully, are provided to enable
a user, when activated, to switch between various identities that
the user is following. When a user switches to a second, different
identity, the messages displayed, e.g., messages 702, 706, 714,
will change to correspond to the newly selected identity. It is
important to note that although display size or font size is used
to represent the carouseling identities, other distinguishing
differences may also be used such as color, font type, or line type
for the identity.
[0058] It is to be appreciated that the elements representing the
at least one identity may be a picture of the person, e.g., a
celebrity, actor, athlete, etc., associated to the identity, an
icon, a symbol, etc. Furthermore, the number of elements displayed
at one time could vary and need not be five elements as shown in
the example of FIG. 7.
[0059] The user interface 700 includes a control section 738 for
accessing and adjusting various parameters. In one embodiment, the
user interface 700 appears as a banner across the bottom of the
screen of the display device, but may be adjusted by the user
through a graphical profile interface invoked by a "profile" icon
740. Various settings can be changed via commands invoked by a
"settings" icon 742. Table I below provides a listing of commands
associated with the graphical user interface. Each of these
commands allows for the user to adjust the graphical display as
well as alter the current operation mode for the application and
also adjust user profile information. Multiple user profiles may be
established using the same application. An "about" icon 744 is
provided for giving details about the software application, e.g.,
revision number and date. The interface display may be recalled or
hid by a set of user commands via a remote control device invoking
the "hide" icon 746.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE I Command Feature Start Option of passing in a
list of twitter accounts (specifying advert or related accounts to
current programming) Running Automatically grabs tweets every so
often Idle Displays an advertisement or Auto-scrolls through tweets
or Hides off screen User Pressing up on remote automatically grabs
new tweets off twitter Display Fits text on screen based on words
and lines rather than absolute position Shows time as how long ago
rather than absolute "posted at this time" Arrows at top and bottom
give feedback to let user know the box is getting input Arrows at
top and bottom disappear if user is at beginning or end of list
Settings Allow user to change text size, spacing and position Allow
user to change text color Allow user to set time zone Allow user to
log into their account Allow user to change auto updates Allow user
to change box position based on television Allow user to follow
topics mentioned Allow user to follow mentioned tweeters Only
update graphics when needs to, majority of thread time is spent
idling (freeing up resources for other programs in a limited
environment Different Allow user to specify how many tweets to view
Size Modes More Arrows allow users to look at specific profiles on
their features following list, display previous 20 updates Post to
user's account what the user is watching, i.e., what's on TV
Embedded links allow user to view full stories or images
[0060] FIG. 8 illustrates an alternate user interface display 800
associated with a new message. The new message alert feature may be
activated through user control. When a new message is posted, the
user interface 800 is displayed to a user for a predetermined
period of time, e.g., a few seconds. If the user interacts with the
user interface 800 via the remote control device 300 within the
predetermined time period, the user interface will take the form as
shown in FIG. 7, where the user can now scroll through messages and
identities. If the user does not interact with the user interface
800 within the predetermined time period, the user interface 800
will disappear until a new message is retrieved.
[0061] FIG. 9 illustrates a viewing feature that allows the size of
the message to easily be adjusted within the graphical interface
while in a settings or configuration mode. In FIG. 9A, the user
interface 900 displays a current message 902 with arrow icons 903
and 905 for increasing and decreasing the size of the message
respectively. FIG. 9B illustrates how the size of the message is
smaller than that shown in FIG. 9A after depressing the down arrow
icon 905 via the remote control 300.
[0062] The system, method and user interface for accessing and
displaying content from a social networking service will allow a
user to follow friends or family also linked into the social
networking service and to keep tabs on their activities while
watching TV. As the friends or family place new content or postings
in the service, the new postings (messages or tweets) may be viewed
on the screen while still viewing TV programs. Additional features
include viewing content (tweets) of friends and family of people
who they are following with a personal account.
[0063] In another embodiment, the system, method and user interface
will also allow program specific content to be displayed and
followed. A method is provided for displaying content or a message
from a social networking site including accessing the social
networking site in response to a user input, the user input
initiated while viewing a program on a display and generating at
least one keyword for searching the social networking site based on
at least one characteristic associated with the program being
viewed.
[0064] Referring to FIG. 10, a flowchart of an exemplary method for
searching for content, e.g., messages, from a social networking
system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure
is shown. Initially, in step 1002, a user selects a channel or
programmed to be view on the display device 114. The channel or
program is selected either via a user input directly into the host
device 108 or via a graphic user interface 216 displayed on the
display device 114 used in conjunction with remote control device
300. While the user is viewing the selected channel or program, a
social networking Internet site will be accessed in response to a
user input. The host device 108 will provide access to the social
networking internet site via the input signal receiver 202.
[0065] In step 1006, the controller 214 generates at least one
keyword based on the channel or program being viewed and uses the
generated keyword to search for content from the social networking
internet site. The search information or keyword(s) used for
scanning or searching the social network service may be derived
from descriptions provided through an electronic program guide
(EPG), including stars or celebrities in the program, or
descriptions of events. Furthermore, the keyword(s) may be derived
from closed caption data, i.e., a transcription of the audio
portion of the channel or program being viewed. The content of the
actual broadcast station, such as a news service may also be
included as a search criteria or keyword. In step 1008, the
content, e.g., a message or tweet, is then retrieved from the
social networking, or internet, site based the at least one keyword
and displayed in an overlay, e.g., user interface 700, on the
display device 114 simultaneous with the channel or program being
viewed, in step 1010. As a result, the system and method of the
present disclosure allows viewing of content (e.g., tweets) of
celebrities associated with current programming, content (e.g.,
tweets) of people and organizations related to current programming,
and content (e.g., tweets) of commercial products advertised.
[0066] In one example of the search method of the present
disclosure, assume a user is watching a talk show and the EPG
provided by the service associated to the host device 108 lists at
least two celebrity guests appearing on the talk show, e.g., guest
1 and guest 2. The controller 214 will then use the name of guest 1
and guest 2 as keywords for searching the social networking, or
Internet, site. The content, e.g., messages or tweets, of guest 1
and guest 2 will then be retrieved from the social networking
Internet site. The identities of guest 1 and guest 2 will then be
displayed on the overlay 700 as an element, for example, element
724 and element 730. Depending on which identity is selected as the
current identity via user input or by an automatic selection by the
controller 214, the content associated to the current identity will
be displayed on the overlay 700 as message 702.
[0067] In a further example, assume the user is watching a
broadcast news program. In the broadcast news program, a particular
company or organization is mentioned by the news anchors. The
controller 218 will derive the name of the company or organization,
e.g., company ABC, from the closed caption data being provided by
the service associated to the host device 108. The controller 214
will then use the name of company, i.e., company ABC, as the
keyword for searching the social networking internet site. The host
device 108 will then display any content retrieved associated to
company ABC and allow further searching into an internet site as
described above.
[0068] Keyword generation and search may also be performed manually
by the user. The user may use the remote control or other keyboard
type entry device to type in one or more keywords into an entry
screen. Controller 218 then searches these keywords and then
display any content retrieved associated to the keywords as
described above.
[0069] The system and method of the present disclosure may also
store additional information related to the social networking
content. Some of this additional information may include pictures,
account history, social network profiles, that may sometimes be
included and may be needed by a user. Additionally, the application
may allow linking to other user accounts, identities, or network
microblogs through the links or hyperlinks that were included in
the text content currently displayed.
[0070] As noted above, keywords for social network searching may
also be extracted from other video services provided to the host
device from the head end, such as the EPG, closed caption data,
etc. The user profile in the software application client may allow
for the creation of, or maintenance of, a priority list. The
priority list may permit scanning of a list of "likely" identities
or accounts associated to keywords found in the program guide or
other program descriptions, in addition to scanning for
predetermined identities selected by the user. For example, assume
the user is watching a particular show, e.g., Oprah. The first tier
of the user's priority list would be their user profile (whoever
the user is following is always shown in the list, i.e., at least
one predetermined identity or account). Next, the second tier would
include keywords like The Oprah Show, Oprah Winfrey. Then, the
program, i.e., Oprah, might also have a guest or a topic, which
would be added to the third tier.
[0071] As content is retrieved from each tier of the search, the
controller 214 will prioritize the content and display the content
in the overlay 700. In one embodiment, the content is prioritized
and the identities associated to the prioritized content are sorted
in order in the second carousel with the identity having the
highest priority being represented as the current identity 724. The
remaining prioritized identities will be queued up in the second
carousel as next identities. For example, referring to FIG. 7, a
result of the first tier search will be represented by element 724,
a result of the second tier search will be represented by element
730 and a result of the third tier search will be represented by
element 732. In this manner, all of the retrieved content is
displayed and available to the user in a defined manner, i.e.,
according to the priority list.
[0072] It is to be appreciated that the priority list may be
defined by a user setting or by the controller 214 based on usage
patterns of the user. For example, as the user changed channels,
more and more topics would be added to the priority list, but, in
one embodiment, the user's settings would always take priority and
stay in the list. Additionally, as items became outdated they would
be removed from the priority list (i.e., user is watching
adult-oriented programming, e.g., entertainment sports programming
network (ESPN), now instead of child-oriented programming, e.g.,
the Disney channel).
[0073] The user profile may also include an interactive keyword
selection process, based on the electronic program guide or other
descriptions. The user profile may also allow keyword analysis and
selection of keywords found in the currently stored downloaded
social network content in the host client. The application may
present keywords in a mapping structure, using entries such as
"follow like" or "search further like" for keyword association. The
keyword search of content may be invoked based on words found in
the currently displayed message, allowing quick access to a
"breadcrumb trail" of similar content either stored within the host
device or alternately available and accessible through the social
network service. For example, assume the user is watching a
football game, e.g., the Colts playing the Patriots on ESPN.
Possible topics would be Roster, Schedule, Injuries. The user
selects Schedule, and a list of teams is populated. From there the
user can find more information about those teams, all through
embedded links. For instance, the user may go back to the start
page and select Roster. The user is then presented with topics such
as Manning, Clark, and Saturday. Additionally, the software
application client would remember what the user was interested in,
to more quickly populate the list in the future. For instance, the
next time the user was watching the Colts, the selections might be
slightly different, such as Schedule, Colts versus Ravens, Manning,
Clark, and Saturday.
[0074] It is to be appreciated the mapping structure is mostly text
based due to the size of the user interface, and in one embodiment,
may include a string of tags presented below the currently
displayed message, for example:
[0075] colts patriots roster schedule injuries manning clark
saturday
In other embodiments, the mapping structure for selecting further
content may be a visual mapping structure showing how the content
is linked enabling the user to select a particular path to
follow.
[0076] The system and method of the present disclosure may also
allow direct advertising to viewers, through the linking of the
social networking service with the television programming content.
The feature may include the use of conditional profiles when
initializing or updating the service. The software application
client may identify a link to an advertising service and may
provide the content directly to the user as a message or tweet, or
may alternately provide the advertisement to the screen outside the
graphical user interface. Such an advertising structure,
particularly related to the text display within the graphical
interface as a message or tweet, may provide an effective product
advertising tool to reach consumers while viewing programs.
[0077] Although embodiments which incorporate the teachings of the
present disclosure have been shown and described in detail herein,
those skilled in the art can readily devise many other varied
embodiments that still incorporate these teachings. Having
described preferred embodiments of a system and method for enabling
a user to display and interact with a social networking structure
on a video device connected to a network enabled host device (which
are intended to be illustrative and not limiting), it is noted that
modifications and variations can be made by persons skilled in the
art in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be
understood that changes may be made in the particular embodiments
of the disclosure disclosed which are within the scope of the
disclosure as outlined by the appended claims.
* * * * *