Automatic contact information transmission system
View Patent ↗According to one aspect, a DVR sends a user's contact information over a network to a third party. Upon determining that a television program or advertisement contains a special tag that is associated with a third party, the DVR displays, to the user, a prompt that invites the DVR user to allow the DVR to send the user's contact information to the third party. If the user gives permission for the DVR to send the contact information to the third party, then the DVR sends the contact information to the third party (e.g., over the Internet).
1. A method for transmitting contact information, the method comprising:
receiving, at a multimedia device from a content server, particular content;
detecting, by the multimedia device, a data stream portion among a plurality of data stream portions that are received along with the received particular content, the data stream portion including both a request for the multimedia device to send a user's contact information to a third party other than the content server and a communication address of the third party, wherein the request for the multimedia device to send a user's contact information comprises an information code specifying which subset of the user's contact information is to be transmitted;
searching a storage of the multimedia device, to identify a stored prompt associated with the information code;
generating for display the identified stored prompt; and
in response to receiving input that is responsive to the identified stored prompt:
identifying in the storage of the multimedia device the subset of the user's contact information specified by the information code; and
causing the subset of the user's contact information specified by the information code to be retrieved from the storage of the multimedia device to be sent to the third party.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user's contact information comprises the user's name and at least one of: (a) the user's street address, (b) the user's telephone number, (c) the user's e-mail address, and (d) the user's instant messaging identifier.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising sending the user's contact information to the third party over a network.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multimedia device receives the user's contact information from the user through the user's manipulation of a remote control to navigate a user interface generated by the multimedia device.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the information code is embedded in the television program or advertisement prior to a time that the multimedia device receives a television program or advertisement, and wherein the information code identifies at least one of: (a) a uniform resource locator (URL) that is associated with the third party, or (b) an e-mail address of the third party.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the multimedia device sends the user's contact information to the third party by sending the user's contact information to at least one of: (a) the URL, (b) the e-mail address of the third party, and (c) the instant messaging identifier of the third party.
7. The method of claim 5 , wherein, during the multimedia device's display of the television program or advertisement, a particular icon signifies, to the user, that a party associated with the television program or advertisement is interested in obtaining the user's contact information.
8. The method of claim 5 , further comprising: in response to receiving the information code of the particular type, requesting the user's contact information from the user during a presentation of the recorded content, Internet-received content, television program, or advertisement.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multimedia device stores the user's contact information by storing the user's contact information on one or more storage devices within the multimedia device.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multimedia device requests user's permission to send the user's contact information to the third party by displaying an overlay over a presentation of the recorded content, Internet-received content, television program, or advertisement; and wherein the overlay identifies the third party.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the contact information includes data that identifies the multimedia device, and wherein after sending the user's contact information to the third party, the multimedia device facilitates live communication between the user and the third party.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the multimedia device facilitates live communication between the user and the third party using voice-over-IP (VOIP) protocol.
13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the multimedia device facilitates live communications between the user and the third party using instant messaging.
14. A device for transmitting contact information, the device configured to:
receive, at the device from a content server, particular content;
detect, by the device, a data stream portion among a plurality of data stream portions that are received along with the received particular content, the data stream portion including both a request for the device to send a user's contact information to a third party other than the content server and a communication address of the third party, wherein the request for the device to send a user's contact information comprises an information code specifying which subset of the user's contact information is to be transmitted;
search a storage of the device, to identify a stored prompt associated with the information code;
generate for display the identified stored prompt; and
in response to receiving input that is responsive to the identified stored prompt:
identify in the storage of the device the subset of the user's contact information specified by the information code; and
required user contact information, cause the subset of the user's contact information specified by the information code to be retrieved from the storage of the device to be sent to the third party.
15. The device of claim 14 , wherein the user's contact information comprises the user's name and at least one of: (a) the user's street address, (b) the user's telephone number, (c) the user's e-mail address, and (d) the user's instant messaging identifier.
16. The device of claim 14 , wherein the device is further configured to send the user's contact information to the third party over a network.
17. The device of claim 14 , wherein the device is further configured to receive the user's contact information from the user through the user's manipulation of a remote control to navigate a user interface generated by the device.
18. The device of claim 14 , wherein the information code is embedded in the television program or advertisement prior to a time that the device receives a television program or advertisement, and wherein the information code identifies at least one of: (a) a uniform resource locator (URL) that is associated with the third party, or (b) an e-mail address of the third party.
19. The device of claim 18 , wherein the device is configured to send the user's contact information to the interested party by sending the user's contact information to at least one of: (a) the URL, (b) the e-mail address of the interested party, and (c) the instant messaging identifier of the interested party.
20. The device of claim 18 , wherein, during the device's display of the television program or advertisement, a particular icon signifies, to the user, that a party associated with the television program or advertisement is interested in obtaining the user's contact information.
21. The device of claim 18 , wherein the device is further configured to: in response to receiving the information code of the particular type, request the user's contact information from the user during a presentation of the recorded content, Internet-received content, television program, or advertisement.
22. The device of claim 14 , wherein the device is further configured to store the user's contact information by storing the user's contact information on one or more storage devices within the device.
23. The device of claim 14 , wherein the device is further configured to request user's permission to send the user's contact information to the third party by displaying an overlay over a presentation of the recorded content, Internet-received content, television program, or advertisement; and wherein the overlay identifies the third party.
24. The device of claim 14 , wherein the contact information includes data that identifies the device, and wherein after sending the user's contact information to the third party, the device facilitates live communication between the user and the third party.
25. The device of claim 24 , wherein the device is configured to facilitate live communication between the user and the third party using voice-over-IP (VOID) protocol.
26. The device of claim 24 , wherein the device is configured to facilitate live communications between the user and the third party using instant messaging.