The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 15, 2013
Filed:
Aug. 04, 2009
Meredith Flynn-ripley, Lexington, MA (US);
Nimrod Gal-oz, Lehavim, IL;
Giora Keinan, Rishon LeZion, IL;
Meredith Flynn-Ripley, Lexington, MA (US);
Nimrod Gal-Oz, Lehavim, IL;
Giora Keinan, Rishon LeZion, IL;
MediaFriends, Inc., Cambridge, MA (US);
Abstract
A system for implementing a content-centered chat room operates to display messages received from one or more invitees of a subscriber on the subscriber's TV as program content is displayed on the subscriber's TV. The subscriber and the invitees all watch television, either a common TV program or different TV programs. Participants may be located in the same or in several different locations, and if the invitee-participants are also subscribers, the chat room may also appear on their TV screens. A subscriber invites friends to participate in the chat session for a specific TV program using the set top box (STB) of his television to send invitations, and a dedicated subscriber server coordinates notification of the invitees and directs their message-comments to a chat session displayed with the program content. In one embodiment, participants or the participants who are not also subscribers of the TVChat service or whose televisions are otherwise not chat-enabled, may receive other participants' chat messages by mobile phone.