Systems and methods for commerce in media program related merchandise

Abstract

The disclosed technology provides systems and methods for delivering a media program and purchase opportunities related to the media program to user equipment. A media program and its related merchandise information can be located at a distribution facility. The distribution facility can tailor the purchase opportunities it provides to the user equipment based on the user equipment's equipment category. When user equipment receives purchase opportunities, the user equipment can select the opportunities based on which types of merchandise are supported by the user equipment. The user equipment and/or a distribution facility may be able to determine the location of the user equipment. When the distribution facility provides merchandise information for physical merchandise to the user equipment, the merchandise information can be selected to include physical merchandise that are available for purchase at stores that are, for example, near the location of the user equipment.

1 . A method for providing purchase opportunities related to a media program, wherein the purchase opportunities are tailored to different categories of user equipment, the method comprising: 
 receiving a request;    determining a category of user equipment for a user equipment which issued the request;    selecting purchase opportunities tailored to the category of user equipment, where the purchase opportunities are related to a media program, and    communicating the purchase opportunities to the user equipment.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the purchase opportunities include opportunities to purchase at least one of: application-specific merchandise, electronic merchandise, and physical merchandise.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the application-specific electronic merchandise include at least one of: a ring tone, a wallpaper, a screen saver, a user interface skin, a video program, a video game, and a soundtrack.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising receiving a user equipment identifier associated with the request, wherein the category of user equipment is determined based on the user equipment identifier.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the category of user equipment is mobile user equipment.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the mobile user equipment supports a telephone application, and wherein the purchase opportunities include an opportunity to purchase a ring tone for the telephone application, wherein the ring tone is related to the media program.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 in response to the request, communicating the media program together with the purchase opportunities to the user equipment.    
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein selecting purchase opportunities tailored to the category of user equipment comprises: 
 providing categories of user equipment, wherein each of the categories of user equipment is associated with purchase opportunities related to the media program; and    accessing purchase opportunities associated with the category of user equipment for the user equipment which issued the request.    
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein each of the categories of user equipment is based on applications that are supported by the user equipment in that category.  
     
     
         10 . A system for providing merchandise information for merchandise related to a media program to different categories of user equipment, the system comprising: 
 a communication circuit configured to: 
 receive a request from a user equipment, and  
 communicate a media program and purchase opportunities related to the media program to the user equipment; and  
   a processor circuit that executes machine instructions to: 
 determine a category of user equipment for the user equipment, and  
 provide purchase opportunities to the communication circuit for transmission to the user equipment, wherein the purchase opportunities are related to the media program and are tailored to the category of user equipment.  
   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the purchase opportunities include information for application-specific merchandise related to the media program.  
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 10 , further comprising: 
 a storage containing categories of user equipment and purchase opportunities associated with the categories of user equipment.    
     
     
         13 . A method for tailoring purchase opportunities related to a media program, the method comprising: 
 receiving a plurality of purchase opportunities related to a media program, wherein the purchase opportunities relate to a plurality of applications;    selecting purchase opportunities, from the plurality of purchase opportunities, that are related to supported applications; and    presenting an indication that purchase opportunities related to the supported applications are available.    
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising providing at least one of the purchase opportunities related to the supported application to a user.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the plurality of purchase opportunities are related to a plurality of categories of user equipment.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising: 
 providing a time interval for receiving an indication of interest in the purchase opportunities related to the supported applications.    
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising: 
 if an indication of interest is received during the time interval, displaying at least one option from: 
 an interactive option to preview merchandise associated with at least one of the purchase opportunities related to the supported applications, and  
 an interactive option to purchase the merchandise; and  
   receiving a selection of one of the at least one option.    
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the at least one option is displayed in an interactive overlay.  
     
     
         19 . A system for tailoring purchase opportunities related to a media program, the system comprising: 
 a communication circuit configured to receive a plurality of purchase opportunities related to a media program, wherein the purchase opportunities are related to a plurality of applications;    a processor that executes machine instructions to select purchase opportunities, from the plurality of purchase opportunities, that are related to supported applications; and    a display screen configured to present an indication that purchase opportunities related to the supported applications are available.    
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the processor executes machine instructions to provide at least one of the purchase opportunities related to the supported applications to a user.  
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the plurality of purchase opportunities relate to a plurality of categories of user equipment.  
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the processor executes machine instructions to provide a time interval for receiving an indication of interest in the purchase opportunities related to the supported applications.  
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein, if an indication of interest is received during the time interval, the processor executes machine instructions to display on the display screen at least one option from: 
 an interactive option to preview merchandise associated with at least one of the purchase opportunities related to the supported applications, and    an interactive option to purchase the merchandise.    
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the at least one option is displayed in an interactive overlay.  
     
     
         25 . A system for presenting purchase opportunities related to a television program through an interactive program guide, the system comprising: 
 a storage containing a plurality of purchase opportunities related to a television program, wherein the purchase opportunities are associated with categories of user equipment;    a communication circuit configured to communicate purchase opportunities;    a processor that executes machine instructions to select purchase opportunities based on their applicability to one category from the categories of user equipment; and    an interactive program guide that provides an indication that purchase opportunities related to the television program are available.    
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein the interactive program guide is located on user equipment.  
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein the interactive program guide is a networked interactive program guide.  
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 27 , wherein the networked interactive program guide is configured to: 
 receive the one category of user equipment from a first user equipment in communication with the networked interactive program guide; and    provide the selected purchase opportunities to a second user equipment in communication with the networked interactive program guide, wherein the second user equipment is associated with to the one category of user equipment.    
     
     
         29 . A method for presenting purchase opportunities related to a television program through an interactive program guide, the method comprising: 
 accessing a plurality of purchase opportunities related to a television program, wherein the purchase opportunities are associated with categories of user equipment;    selecting purchase opportunities based on their applicability to one category from the categories of user equipment; and    providing an indication that purchase opportunities related to the television program are available through the interactive program guide.    
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the interactive program guide is located on user equipment.  
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the interactive program guide is a networked interactive program guide.  
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , further comprising: 
 providing, from a first user equipment to the networked interactive program guide, the one category of user equipment from the categories of user equipment; and    communicating, to a second user equipment in communication with the networked interactive program guide, the selected purchase opportunities associated with the one category of user equipment.