Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Amazon Technologies, Inc.

Alexei Pineda

Enrique De La Garza

Diana Finster

Karin Zilberstein

Donald Keller

Jonathan Winslow Anderson

Adrian Chiu

Jason White

Paul Anthony Kotas

Kenneth Alan Lobb

Jason Adrian Galep

Stuti Jain

Kelly Bork

McKenzie Lee Eggers

Nir Sheep

Joshua Lawrence Munsee

Pedro Emilio Gutierrez, Jr

Karen Woessner Smith

Mike Lucero

Shawn Prutsman

Devices and methods are provided for using an interactive wrapper for media content. A method may include identifying, by a first device, a software container including a call to action. The method may include identifying non-interactive advertising content. The method may include generating an interactive advertisement by adding the advertising content to the software container, and sending the interactive advertisement to a second device for presentation. The method may include receiving an indication of a user interaction with the interactive advertisement, and determining, based on the user interaction, an action. The method may include sending data associated with the action to the second device or a third device for presentation.

User interactive wrapper for media content

Various embodiments allow, as an alternative to skippable content, creation and delivery of secondary or supplemental content which renders differently in fast-forward or another adjusted-speed mode and presents a call for interaction. When primary content on a client device is determined fast-forwarded, through indicators such as embedded markers, an overlay, replacing, or otherwise enhancing supplemental content is selected from a plurality of options and displayed on the device such that it provides a perceptible message and an opportunity for interaction through hyperlinks in the supplemental content. Supplemental content may be in the form of an icon or other static images, a banner display, a series of still images from the primary content, a hyperlinked landing page for interaction, animations, a video clip, or text. Assisting in supplemental content selection, metrics including number of views, quartile reporting, or click-through rates are compiled.

Supplemental content determinations for varied media playback

A function intelligence engine receives input regarding application program content, including functions or capabilities of the application program that can be separately purchasable, and can further receive information regarding advertisements that can be displayed to users within the context of the application program. User-specific information is also received, including a user's current status and context within the application program, as well as a user's history, both within the application program, as well as in other application programs. Based on such information, the function intelligence engine determines and compares the probability of a user purchasing, versus the probability of the user consuming advertising, to acquire the separately purchasable function. The function intelligence engine then generates, and presents to the user, options that increase the chances of the user obtaining the separately purchasable function and maximize the benefit received by an application program author for providing the separately purchasable function.

Usability of supplemental application functions through dynamic modification of user-presented options

Improved operation of a content presentation device is achieved by displaying, to a user, user-desired primary content on the physical display device. Content pod metadata can be received specifying a predefined duration of a content pod for displaying auxiliary content, different from primary content, within a break from the primary content for the predetermined duration. The content pod metadata also specifies a plurality of subdivision time slots of the content pod, each time slot for different auxiliary content. The auxiliary content can be displayed on the physical display device within a time slot of the content pod. User input can be received while displaying the auxiliary content on the physical display device, where the user input indicates user interest in the auxiliary content. The auxiliary content can then be adjusted based on the user interest in the auxiliary content.

Increased user efficiency and interaction performance through dynamic adjustment of auxiliary content duration

Automated content interruption point identification improves the accuracy with which potential content interruption points are identified, and increases the efficiency of content interruption point identification and content distribution. Potential interruption points are automatically identified based on transitions occurring within the content, including changes in the sound level, changes in the light, or brightness, level, changes in people visible in a scene of the content, transitions that are identified by content metadata, and other types of transitions. In providing content to a content consumer, a determination is made whether to interrupt the provision of the content, at one or more of the identified potential content interruption points, based on factors including interruption point metadata, metadata associated with auxiliary content that would be inserted, and user information, which includes explicitly specified user settings, as well as detected user information.

Content interruption point identification accuracy and efficiency

Electronic program guide descriptions, of content referenced by the electronic program guide, are user-targeted based on user data. Such user-targeted electronic program guide descriptions aid users in identifying desirable content, thereby increasing user interaction performance with a content presentation device providing such user-targeted electronic program guide descriptions. To generate user-targeted electronic program guide descriptions, received electronic program guide information includes different, alternative or mutually exclusive, content descriptions of a given content item. Such electronic program guide information is compared with the user data and user-targeted content item descriptions is generated from the different content descriptions. A visual electronic program guide, including the user-targeted content item description, is displayed to a user on a physical display device.

Increased user efficiency and interaction performance through user-targeted electronic program guide content descriptions

Improved operation of a content presentation device is achieved by one application, presenting content to users, automatically identifying an independent second application, available on the content presentation device, based on remotely-sourced information, and invoking that second application based on explicit or implicit user input. Bidirectional notifications are enabled between the two applications whereby activity within one application can affect the other. The first application displays an advertisement and can also, based on metadata received with the advertisement, identify the second application and invoke it, based upon explicit or implicit user action, such that both are simultaneously visible in separate content display areas on a physical display device. User interaction with the second application is independent of the display of the corresponding advertisement by the first application. The bidirectional notifications enable the second application to integrate with, respond to, or extend, content being presented by the first application.

Independent multi-panel display with cross-panel interactivity

Embodiments of the present invention generate linked advertisements. Linked advertisements may include a preliminary advertisement and one or more subsequent advertisements. In one embodiment, the viewer is only shown the subsequent advertisement upon detecting a positive reaction to the preliminary advertisement. The subsequent advertisement is associated with presentation triggers that specify a context in which the subsequent advertisement should be presented. The context may be defined by a time of day, location, user activity, and/or other parameters. For example, the presentation trigger may specify a context in which the user is able to purchase an advertised good or service. For example, the context could be the user driving (activity context) near a coffee shop (location context) in the morning (time context). The reaction to the preliminary advertisement may be explicit or implicit.

Linked advertisements

An interaction hint is presented with a video segment. Upon receiving a user response to the interaction hint, a message is automatically sent to update information associated with a user profile without interrupting presentation of the video segment.

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Bellevue, WA, United States of America

Alexei Pineda