Product suggestion and rules engine driven off of ancillary data

Abstract

Curating ancillary data to be presented to audience members of a visual program content may include a) creating a timeline rule that correlates ancillary data objects to respective visual program content features, the visual program content features correlated to respective instances on a timeline of the visual program content, b) creating an environmental rule to correlate the ancillary data objects to respective environmental features of an audience member; and c) indicating that the ancillary data objects are to be presented to the audience member when both the timeline rule and the environmental rule are met such that the ancillary data objects may be presented to the audience member when both a) the respective ones of the visual program content features appear in the visual program content during playback by the audience member and b) the respective environmental features are present.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A machine or group of machines for curating ancillary data to be presented to audience members of a visual program content, comprising:
 a processor configured to create:
 a timeline rule that correlates ancillary data objects to respective visual program content features, the visual program content features correlated to respective instances on a timeline of the visual program content; and 
 an environmental rule that correlates the ancillary data objects to respective environmental features of an audience member; and 
   the processor configured to transmit a signal indicating that the ancillary data objects are to be presented to the audience member when both the timeline rule and the environmental rule are met such that the ancillary data objects may be presented to the audience member when both a) the respective ones of the visual program content features appear in the visual program content during playback by the audience member and b) the respective environmental features are present.   
     
     
         2 . The machine or group of machines of  claim 1 , wherein the visual program content features are selected from a group comprising:
 content title;   characters;   content script or plot;   content scene;   wardrobe wore by the characters;   performers, producers, or directors of the content;   items appearing in the content;   geographical locations where the content storyline takes place;   music in audio of the content; and   statistics related to the content such as sports statistics.   
     
     
         3 . The machine or group of machines of  claim 1 , wherein the visual program content features being correlated to respective instances on a timeline of the visual program content includes a visual program content feature being correlated to a time period in the timeline of the visual program content in which the visual program content feature appears. 
     
     
         4 . The machine or group of machines of  claim 1 , wherein the timeline rule indicates that an ancillary data object is to be presented to the audience member when a correlated visual program content feature appears in the visual program content. 
     
     
         5 . The machine or group of machines of  claim 1 , wherein the environmental features of the audience member include:
 a date range in which the audience member watches the visual program content;   a geographical location of the audience member;   a time zone of the audience member;   gender of the audience member; and   an age range of the audience member.   
     
     
         6 . The machine or group of machines of  claim 1 , wherein the environmental rule indicates that an ancillary data object is to be presented to the audience member when a correlated environmental feature of the audience member is present. 
     
     
         7 . The machine or group of machines of  claim 1 , wherein the indicating that the ancillary data objects are to be presented to the audience member includes making an ancillary data object selectable by the audience member on a display on which the visual program contents is displayed or on a second display, wherein the audience member selecting the ancillary data object when presented displays additional information regarding the ancillary data object. 
     
     
         8 . The machine or group of machines of  claim 1 , wherein the indicating that the ancillary data objects are to be presented to the audience member includes making an ancillary data object selectable by the audience member on a display on which the visual program contents is displayed or on a second display only when a) two or more correlated visual program content features appear in the visual program content during playback and b) two or more environmental features of the audience member are present. 
     
     
         9 . The machine or group of machines of  claim 1 , wherein the indicating that the ancillary data objects are to be presented to the audience member includes making an ancillary data object selectable by the audience member on a display on which the visual program contents is displayed or on a second display only when a) one or more correlated visual program content features appear in the visual program content during playback and b) three or more environmental features of the audience member are present. 
     
     
         10 . The machine or group of machines of  claim 1 , wherein the timeline rule indicates that an ancillary data object is to be presented to the audience member when a) a first correlated visual program content feature appears in the visual program content and b) a second correlated visual program content feature appears in the visual program content at the same time as the first correlated visual program content feature. 
     
     
         11 . A method for curating ancillary data to be presented to audience members of a visual program content, the method comprising:
 creating a timeline rule that correlates ancillary data objects to respective visual program content features, the visual program content features correlated to respective instances on a timeline of the visual program content;   creating an environmental rule to correlate the ancillary data objects to respective environmental features of an audience member; and   indicating that the ancillary data objects are to be presented to the audience member when both the timeline rule and the environmental rule are met such that the ancillary data objects may be presented to the audience member when both a) the respective ones of the visual program content features appear in the visual program content during playback by the audience member and b) the respective environmental features are present.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the visual program content features are selected from a group comprising:
 content title;   characters;   content script or plot;   content scene;   wardrobe wore by the characters;   performers, producers, or directors of the content;   items appearing in the content;   geographical locations where the content storyline takes place; and   music in audio of the content.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the visual program content features being correlated to respective instances on a timeline of the visual program content includes a visual program content feature being correlated to a time period in the timeline of the visual program content in which the visual program content feature appears. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the timeline rule indicates that an ancillary data object is to be presented to the audience member when a correlated visual program content feature appears in the visual program content. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the environmental features of the audience member include:
 a date range in which the audience member watches the visual program content;   a geographical location of the audience member;   gender of the audience member; and   an age range of the audience member.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the environmental rule indicates that an ancillary data object is to be presented to the audience member when a correlated environmental feature of the audience member is present. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the indicating that the ancillary data objects are to be presented to the audience member includes making an ancillary data object selectable by the audience member on a display on which the visual program contents is displayed or on a second display, wherein the audience member selecting the ancillary data object when presented displays additional information regarding the ancillary data object. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the indicating that the ancillary data objects are to be presented to the audience member includes making an ancillary data object selectable by the audience member on a display on which the visual program contents is displayed or on a second display only when a) two or more correlated visual program content features appear in the visual program content during playback and b) two or more environmental features of the audience member are present. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the indicating that the ancillary data objects are to be presented to the audience member includes making an ancillary data object selectable by the audience member on a display on which the visual program contents is displayed or on a second display only when a) one or more correlated visual program content features appear in the visual program content during playback and b) three or more environmental features of the audience member are present. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the timeline rule indicates that an ancillary data object is to be presented to the audience member when a) a first correlated visual program content feature appears in the visual program content and b) a second correlated visual program content feature appears in the visual program content at the same time as the first correlated visual program content feature.