IP Library Granted Patent US 12,423,741
Granted Patent B2
US 12,423,741 · App. 17/586,499 · Granted Sep 23, 2025

Coordinated processing of food ordering based on media content presentation

Inventor: Rakesh Ravuru (San Jose, CA)
Assignee: Roku, Inc.
G06Q30/0641
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,423,741
App. No.
17/586,499
Granted
Sep 23, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method and system for food-order processing based on timing of media-content presentation. An example method includes a media presentation system detecting an occurrence of a media-presentation event associated with presentation of a media-content item by the media presentation system. Further, the example method includes, responsive to detecting the media-presentation event, (i) the media presentation system presenting a food-ordering prompt that solicits user input to place a food order, (ii) the media presentation system receiving the user input responsive to the presented prompt, and (iii) responsive to the received user input, the media presentation system engaging in network communication to place the food order pursuant to the received user input. And still further, the example method includes the media presentation system using timing of presentation of the media-content item as a basis to schedule a pickup or delivery time for the food order.

Claims (34)

1. A method comprising:

receiving and presenting by a media player of a media-presentation system, at a media-presentation location, a media-content item being streamed over a network to the media player from a media server of the media-presentation system, wherein the media-presentation system further includes a control server for controlling streaming of the media-content item by the media server; and

before ending of the presentation of the media-content item (i) predicting by the media-presentation system a media end time defining when the presentation of the media content by the media player will end, (ii) identifying by the media-presentation system a breakpoint in the media-content item that will occur before the predicted end time, (iii) selecting by the media-presentation system one or more items available to order, the selecting of each item of the one or more items being based at least on the item, if ordered at the identified breakpoint, being deliverable to the media-presentation location at the predicted media end time, and (iv) based on the identifying and the selecting, automatically transmitting by the control server to the media player a control signal that specifies the identified breakpoint and that causes (a) pausing by the media player at the identified breakpoint the presenting of the media-content item and (b) presenting by the media player at the identified breakpoint an order prompt indicating the one or more selected items as being available to order,

wherein the control server maintains context data indicating state of presentation of the media-content item by the media player at the media-presentation location, including an indication of remaining streaming duration of the media-content item, and wherein predicting when the presentation of the media-content item at the media-presentation location will end comprises the control server (i) referring to the context data to determine the remaining streaming duration of the media-content item and (ii) offsetting a current time of day by the determined remaining streaming duration.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the identified breakpoint comprises at least one of an intermission, a commercial break, a time when the media-content item transitions from one content segment, episode, chapter, storyline to another, or a time when there is lull in action in the media-content item.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, as a basis for the selecting each of the one or more items, determining by the media-presentation system that, if the item is ordered at the identified breakpoint, the item will be deliverable to the media-presentation location at the predicted media end time.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving by the media-presentation system, in response to the presented order prompt, an order for at least one of the one or more items, and responsively processing by the media-presentation system the order.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:

determining by the media-presentation system that presentation of the media-content item will end later than predicted; and

responsive to determining by the media-presentation system that presentation of the media-content item will end later than predicted, updating by the media-presentation system the order.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein processing the order comprises processing the order through an application programming interface.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more items comprises a food item.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting the one or more items is further based on a correlation with a subject matter of the media-content item.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the media-content item is selected from the group consisting of a movie, a television show, and video game.

10. A media-presentation system comprising:

a control server and media server each in network communication with a media player that is at a media-presentation location, wherein the media server is configured to stream to the media player a media-content item for presentation by the media player at the media-presentation location, and wherein the control server is configured to control streaming of the media-content item by the media server,

wherein the control server is configured to maintain context data indicating state of presentation of the media-content item by the media player at the media-presentation location, including an indication of remaining streaming duration of the media-content item,

wherein the control server comprises one or more processors, non-transitory data storage, and program instructions stored in the non-transitory data storage and executable by the one or more processors to carry out operations including:

before ending of the presentation of the media-content item (i) predicting a media end time defining when the presentation of the media content by the media player will end, (ii) identifying a breakpoint in the media-content item that will occur before the predicted end time, (iii) selecting one or more items available to order, the selecting of each item of the one or more items being based at least on the item, if ordered at the identified breakpoint, being deliverable to the media-presentation location at the predicted media end time, and (iv) based on the identifying and the selecting, automatically transmitting to the media player a control signal that specifies the identified breakpoint and that causes (a) the media player to pause at the identified breakpoint the presenting of the media-content item and (b) to present at the identified breakpoint an order prompt indicating the one or more selected items as being available to order, and

wherein predicting when the presentation of the media-content item at the media-presentation location will end comprises the control server (i) referring to the context data to determine the remaining streaming duration of the media-content item and (ii) offsetting a current time of day by the determined remaining streaming duration.

11. The media-presentation system of claim 10 , wherein the identified breakpoint comprises at least one of an intermission, a commercial break, a time when the media-content item transitions from one content segment, episode, chapter, storyline to another, or a time when there is lull in action in the media-content item.

12. The media-presentation system of claim 10 , wherein the operations additionally include, as a basis for the selecting each of the one or more items, determining that, if the item is ordered at the identified breakpoint, the item will be deliverable to the media-presentation location at the predicted media end time.

13. The media-presentation system of claim 10 , wherein the operations additionally include receiving, in response to the presented order prompt, an order for at least one of the one or more items, and responsively processing the order.

14. The media-presentation system of claim 13 , wherein the operations additionally include:

determining that presentation of the media-content item will end later than predicted; and

responsive to determining that presentation of the media-content item will end later than predicted, updating the order.

15. The media-presentation system of claim 13 , wherein processing the order comprises processing the order through an application programming interface.

16. The media-presentation system of claim 10 , wherein each of the one or more items comprises a food item.

17. The media-presentation system of claim 10 , wherein selecting the one or more items is further based on a correlation with a subject matter of the media-content item.

18. The media-presentation system of claim 10 , wherein the media-content item is selected from the group consisting of a movie, a television show, and video game.

19. Non-transitory data storage having stored thereon program instructions executable by one or more processors to cause a control server of a media-presentation system to carry out operations when a media player of the media-presentation system is receiving and presenting, at a media-presentation location, a media-content item being streamed over a network to the media player from a media server of the media-presentation system, the operations comprising:

before ending of the presentation of the media-content item (i) predicting by the media-presentation system a media end time defining when the presentation of the media content by the media player will end, (ii) identifying by the media-presentation system a breakpoint in the media-content item that will occur before the predicted end time, (iii) selecting by the media-presentation system one or more items available to order, the selecting of each item of the one or more items being based at least on the item, if ordered at the identified breakpoint, being deliverable to the media-presentation location at the predicted media end time, and (iv) based on the identifying and the selecting, automatically transmitting by the control server to the media player a control signal that specifies the identified breakpoint and that causes (a) pausing by the media player at the identified breakpoint the presenting of the media-content item and (b) presenting by the media player at the identified breakpoint an order prompt indicating the one or more selected items as being available to order,

wherein the media-presentation system further includes a control server for controlling streaming of the media-content item by the media server, wherein the control server maintains context data indicating state of presentation of the media-content item by the media player at the media-presentation location, including an indication of remaining streaming duration of the media-content item, and wherein predicting when the presentation of the media-content item at the media-presentation location will end comprises the control server (i) referring to the context data to determine the remaining streaming duration of the media-content item and (ii) offsetting a current time of day by the determined remaining streaming duration.

20. The non-transitory data storage of claim 19 , wherein the operations additionally include, as a basis for the selecting each of the one or more items, determining that, if the item is ordered at the identified breakpoint, the item will be deliverable to the media-presentation location at the predicted media end time.

Assignments (2)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 18, 2024
From: ROKU, INC.
To: CITIBANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 068982/0377 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 27, 2022
From: RAVURU, RAKESH
To: ROKU, INC.
Reel/Frame 058798/0899 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230237561A1 · Jul 27, 2023
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