Secure transaction through a television

Abstract

The present disclosure involves a method of conducting a transaction through a television. A request is received from a user who is viewing content displayed on a television (TV) via a data stream. The request pertains to buying a physical or virtual good that is associated with the content. An availability of the physical or virtual good is communicated to the user at a predetermined trigger point in the data stream. The request is received via a TV network. The user is authenticated based on data entered by the user through the TV. The request is granted in response to the authenticating.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus comprising a non-transitory, tangible machine-readable storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program contains machine-readable instructions that when executed electronically by processors, perform:
 receiving, from a user who is viewing content displayed on a display device via a data stream, a request to buy a physical or virtual good that is associated with the content, wherein an availability of the physical or virtual good is communicated to the user at a predetermined trigger point in the data stream, and wherein the request is received via a television (TV) network;   authenticating the user based on data entered by the user through the display device; and   granting the request in response to the authenticating.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a communication of the availability of the physical or virtual good is performed without active user participation. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the data stream is in an Enhanced TV Binary Interchange Format (EBIF) specification. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the physical good visually appears in the content. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the display device is a TV that includes a set top box. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the receiving and the authenticating are performed in response to the user's interaction with the display device via a remote control. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the content is a TV show or movie. 
     
     
         8 . A method of conducting a transaction through a television, comprising: receiving, from a user who is viewing content displayed on a television (TV) via a data stream, a request to buy a physical or virtual good that is associated with the content, wherein an availability of the physical or virtual good is communicated to the user at a predetermined trigger point in the data stream, and wherein the request is received via a TV network;
 authenticating the user based on data entered by the user through the TV; and   granting the request in response to the authenticating.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein a communication of the availability of the physical or virtual good is performed without active user participation. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the data stream is in an Enhanced TV Binary Interchange Format (EBIF) specification. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the physical good visually appears in the content. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the TV includes a set top box. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the receiving and the authenticating are performed in response to the user's interaction with the TV via a remote control. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the content is a TV show or movie. 
     
     
         15 . A system for conducting a transaction, comprising:
 a television (TV) configured to:
 display content via a data stream; and 
 communicate, to a user who is viewing the content, a purchasing availability of a physical or virtual good that is associated with the content and, wherein the TV communicates the purchasing availability at a predetermined trigger point in the data stream; and 
   a set top box coupled to the TV, wherein the set top box is configured to:
 facilitate authentication of the user based on data entered by the user through the TV; and 
 granting the request in response to the user being authenticated. 
   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the TV communicates the purchasing availability without requiring active user participation. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the data stream is in an Enhanced TV Binary Interchange Format (EBIF) specification. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the physical good visually appears in the content. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the request is received in response to the user's interaction with the TV via a remote control. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the content is a TV show or movie.