Wink Communications Inc.

Open Tv Corporation

Timothy V Travaille

Eric E Del Sesto

Christopher J Michel

Charles Norman McCullough

Jana J Paquette

David W Brubeck

Interactive content preservation and customization technology is placed at the broadcast facility to ensure reliable transmission of the interactive content to a local subsystem. An interactive content code detector detects interactive content codes in the video stream at the broadcast facility. The interactive content code detector is placed in the transmission path before the video stream is transmitted to broadcast facility hardware that may strip out, destroy, corrupt or otherwise modify the interactive content and interactive content codes. Once an interactive content code detector detects a code, an interactive broadcast server determines what action to take, and instructs an data insertion unit accordingly. The interactive content codes or interactive content may be placed in a portion of the video that is guaranteed by the broadcast facility to be transmitted, for example, the closed caption region of the vertical blanking interval.

Interactive content delivery methods and apparatus

A system and method provide sophisticated analysis of program viewership by executing interactive applications that generate responses describing the viewers' behavior. A broadcast server maintains a database of interactive applications each preferably associated with a program that will be broadcast. The interactive applications preferably include monitoring interactive applications that are configured to selectively monitor viewership, interactive application usage, and reception terminal usage. When the program is broadcast, the monitoring interactive application is inserted into the broadcast feed and delivered to a broadcast receiver such as a television set-top box. The broadcast receiver includes a processor, memory, and other hardware necessary to execute the interactive application. When executed, the interactive application monitors usage of the broadcast receiver, including, for example, the program watched by the subscriber, the entry and exit paths to the program, whether the volume was changed during the program, and the usage of interactive applications. The monitored data is sent in a response packet to a local data center at, for example, the cable headend. The local data center supplements the response with subscriber information from one or more subscriber databases, including marketing information such as the subscriber's age, race, and income. Information about all of the subscribers is aggregated by the local data center and transmitted to a master data center. The master data center aggregates all of the received information, supplements it if possible with additional subscriber information, and provides reports to the broadcaster indicating the geographic, demographic, and psychographic profiles of the program viewers.

Configurable monitoring of program viewership and usage of interactive applications

A system and method allow for the periodic re-configuring of broadcast receivers to control their storage of responses to interactive applications during a polling period. A broadcast server maintains a database of interactive applications each preferably associated with a program that will be broadcast. When the program is broadcast, an interactive application is inserted into the broadcast feed and delivered to a broadcast receiver such as a television set-top box. The broadcast receiver includes a processor, memory, and other hardware necessary to execute the interactive application. When executed, the interactive application generates a response which is transmitted to a local data center at, for example, the cable head-end. Generated responses have specific types. To manage the number and capacity of the system to receive responses, priority values are assigned to responses of different types. The priority values are based on the value of the responses to the provider of the interactive application, and established with respect to total response capacity, and an estimated response volume during a polling period. These priority values are assigned or updated preferably once each polling period, and transmitted to and stored in the broadcast receivers. Each broadcast receiver uses the priority value assignments to determine if it will execute and store responses for a currently received interactive application, or reserve memory capacity for higher priority responses.

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Bellevue, CA, United States of America

Timothy V Travaille