Patents Assigned to Sony Pictures Entertaiment Inc.
  • Patent number: 7908618
    Abstract: A system and method for managing interactive program and commercial content is disclosed. The system includes an interactive enabling device for receiving a broadcast stream containing interactive program and commercial triggers for retrieving interactive program and commercial content. An interactive content server communicates with a control application in the interactive enabling device. The interactive enabling device executes the control application to manage retrieval of interactive program and commercial content from the content server in response to the interactive program and commercial triggers. The interactive control application includes a gatekeeper function for selectively retrieving interactive program and commercial content in response to recognized interactive program and commercial triggers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Pictures Entertaiment Inc.
    Inventors: John Anthony Bruckner, Nizar Allibhoy
  • Patent number: 7509340
    Abstract: A dynamically updateable graphical index for rapidly scanning through content available on a website. The index comprises user-selectable levels within branches of a hierarchical tree structure representing various categories and sub-categories of content available on the website. All content on the website is associated with meta-data. The categories and sub-categories correspond to this meta-data. As content is added to the website, the content's associated meta-data is dynamically incorporated into the index and is searchable within the hierarchical tree structure displayed to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2009
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Pictures Entertaiment Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas W. Fenton, Michael F. Mannarino, Wendy Springer, Andrew Schneider, Marlowe J. Dayley, Alex Shmelev, Holly Thai, Jacob S. Manaster, Rodney C. Newby, John Jeffrey Byer