Patent ID: 9160975
Filing Date: 2015-10-13
Classification: H04H,H04N

Abstract:
1. A system comprising: a server configured to communicate with a plurality of user devices via an access network; and a database storing a status of user activity with respect to each of the plurality of user devices and storing indicators of user-defined relationships between the plurality of user devices, wherein a particular status of a particular user device is automatically updated from inactive to active in response to detecting an input at the particular user device; wherein the server is configured to provide a dedicated television channel that is accessible to a first group of user devices of the plurality of user devices based on the user-defined relationships and that is not accessible to a second group of user devices based on the user-defined relationships; wherein the first group of user devices includes a first user device and a second user device; wherein the second group of user devices includes a third user device; wherein the user-defined relationships include a first relationship between the first user device and the third user device and a second relationship between the second user device and the third user device; wherein the server is configured to perform a procedure to add the third user device to the first group in response to a signal from the first user device; wherein adding the third user device to the first group includes updating the first relationship to indicate that the first user device and the third user device are in the first group and updating the second relationship to indicate that the second user device and the third user device are in the first group; wherein the server is configured to send an interaction invitation to the first user device via the dedicated television channel in response to the server receiving a request to send the interaction invitation from the second user device; and wherein the server is configured to send an interactivity menu that includes a plurality of interactive options of available interaction types to the first user device via the dedicated television channel in response to received acceptance by the server from the first user device of the interaction invitation.