Systems and Methods for Enhanced Television Interaction

Abstract

Systems and methods for enhanced television interaction are disclosed. For example, one disclosed method includes receiving notification information, the notification information indicating an event associated with video content displayed by a television device; determining a haptic effect associated with the notification information; generating and transmitting a haptic signal to a haptic output device, the haptic signal configured to cause the haptic output device to output the haptic effect.

1 .- 28 . (canceled) 
     
     
         29 . A method comprising:
 receiving, by a television component of a television system, a content stream;   causing, by the television component, the content stream to be displayed on a display device of the television system;   monitoring, by the television component, the content stream for an advertisement;   detecting, by the television component, that the content stream includes the advertisement;   determining, by the television component, that a user has previously expressed interest in content associated with the advertisement; and   in response to determining that the user has previously expressed interest in the content, transmitting, by the television component, a notification signal associated with the advertisement to a secondary device that is physically separate from the television system.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the notification signal is configured to cause the secondary device to output a haptic effect, the haptic effect indicating that the advertisement is output on the display device of the television system. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the display device is a first display device, and the notification signal is configured to cause the secondary device to output display information on a second display device of the secondary device, the display information indicating that the advertisement is output on the first display device of the television system. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the secondary device is a tablet or a smartphone. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein determining that the user has previously expressed interest in the content comprises:
 determining that the user searched for the content on the Internet within a predefined time-period prior to detecting that the content stream includes the advertisement.   
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the notification signal includes a haptic signal and a link to a website associated with the advertisement. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising:
 muting, by the television component, the advertisement in response to detecting the advertisement;   after muting the advertisement, receiving, by the television component, an indication that the advertisement is to be unmuted from the secondary device; and   unmuting, by the television component, the advertisement in response to the indication from the secondary device.   
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the television component, secondary information associated with the content stream;   generating, by the television component, a video signal based on the secondary information; and   transmitting, by the television component, the video signal to the secondary device, the video signal being configured to cause the secondary information to be visually displayed on the secondary device.   
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising:
 monitoring secondary information associated with the content stream;   detecting an event associated with the secondary information;   generating a haptic signal based on the event; and   transmitting the haptic signal to a haptic output device.   
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising:
 determining whether the user is focused on the television system or the secondary device; and   in response to determining that the user is focused on the television system, transmitting another notification signal to the secondary device configured to shift a focus of the user to the secondary device; or   in response to determining that the user is focused on the secondary device, transmitting another notification signal to the secondary device configured to shift the focus of the user to the television system.   
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising:
 determining a status of the user on a social networking site; and   transmitting another notification signal includes information associated with the status of the user on the social networking site.   
     
     
         40 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program code that is executable by a television component of a television system to cause the television component to:
 receive a content stream;   cause the content stream to be displayed by a display device of the television system;   monitor the content stream for an advertisement;   detect that the content stream includes the advertisement;   determine that a user has previously expressed interest in content associated with the advertisement; and   in response to determining that the user has previously expressed interest in the content, transmit a notification signal associated with the advertisement to a secondary device that is physically separate from the television system.   
     
     
         41 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 40 , wherein the notification signal includes a haptic signal that is configured to cause the secondary device to output a haptic effect. 
     
     
         42 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 41 , wherein the haptic effect is configured to indicate that the advertisement is output on the display device of the television system. 
     
     
         43 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 40 , wherein display device is a first display device, and the notification signal includes a video signal that is configured to cause the secondary device to output display information on a second display device of the secondary device. 
     
     
         44 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 43 , wherein the display information is configured to indicate that the advertisement is output on the display device of the television system. 
     
     
         45 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 40 , wherein determining that the user has previously expressed interest in the content comprises:
 determining that the user searched for the content on the Internet within a predefined time-period prior to detecting that the content stream includes the advertisement.   
     
     
         46 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 40 , wherein the notification signal includes a haptic signal and a link to a website associated with the advertisement. 
     
     
         47 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 40 , further comprising program code that is executable by the television component to cause the television component to:
 mute the advertisement in response to detecting the advertisement;   after muting the advertisement, receive an indication that the advertisement is to be unmuted from the secondary device; and   unmute the advertisement in response to the indication from the secondary device.   
     
     
         48 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 40 , further comprising program code that is executable by the television component to cause the television component to:
 receive secondary information associated with the content stream;   generate a video signal based on the secondary information; and   transmit the video signal to the secondary device, the video signal being configured to cause the secondary information to be visually displayed on the secondary device.   
     
     
         49 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 40 , wherein the notification signal includes information associated with a status of the user on a social networking site.