System and method to create a media content summary based on viewer annotations

• US 10,313,750 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2014
• Issued: 06/04/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Amento, Brian, Nathan, Mukesh, Stead, Larry
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, Jonathan V
• Application Number:
  US14/284,991
• Publication Number:
  US 20140325546A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,839 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/442 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/29; arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information H04H60/35; monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; monitoring in wireless networks H04W24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/475 End-user interface for inputting end-user data, e.g. personal identification number [PIN], preference data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8549 Creating video summaries, e.g. movie trailer retrieval in video databases by using presentations in form of a video summary G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A method includes receiving, at a media server, a request to create a media content summary. The request includes a user-specified criterion. The method also includes generating resized segments by automatically changing a size of each of one or more segments of media content until a total size of the resized segments satisfies the user-specified criterion and including the resized segments in the media content summary.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a media server from a user device, a request to create a media content summary, wherein the request includes a user-specified criterion;

identifying, by the media server, segments of media content based on annotation data, wherein the annotation data includes annotations associated with the segments, wherein a subset of the annotations indicate a content type associated with a corresponding segment of the segments, and wherein a particular segment of the segments is identified based on a number of corresponding annotations and based on a particular content type indicated by the subset of the annotations;

selecting particular segments of the segments of media content based on a number of annotations associated with each of the segments;

generating, by the media server, resized segments by changing a size of one or more of the particular segments until a total size of the resized segments satisfies the user-specified criterion;

generating, by the media server, the media content summary including the resized segments; and

transmitting the media content summary to the user device from the media server, wherein a total size of the media content summary is less than a total size of the media content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-specified criterion is a time period and wherein changing the size of one or more of the segments comprises identifying a starting position and an ending position of a plurality of the segments such that the resized segments are playable by a media device within the time period.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular segments include a first particular segment, the first particular segment having a highest number of associated annotations among the segments.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein changing a size of one or more of the segments includes changing a starting position of a first segment, changing an ending position of the first segment, or a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each annotation of the annotations is generated by a particular user during playback of a corresponding segment.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the segments includes comparing corresponding content types of each portion of the media content to the user-specified criterion, wherein a particular portion having a second particular content type matching the user-specified criterion is identified as a second particular segment of the media content, and wherein the segments include the second particular segment.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the resized segments includes reducing a size of a first particular segment of the particular segments.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing, at a database, the annotations and a particular timestamp associated with each annotation, wherein the particular timestamp indicates when the annotation was created with reference to the media content.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the annotations comprise a facial expression, a hand gesture, and an emoticon selection or a combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving input indicating a skip function after sending a portion of the media content summary to the user device; and

sending a next resized segment identified by the media content summary to the user device in response to receiving the input indicating the skip function.

11. A computer-readable storage device comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a user device, a request to create a media content summary, wherein the request includes a user-specified criterion;

identifying segments of the media content based on annotation data, wherein the annotation data includes annotations associated with the segments, wherein a subset of the annotations indicate a content type associated with a corresponding segment of the segments, and wherein a particular segment of the segments is identified based on a number of corresponding annotations and based on a particular content type indicated by the subset of the annotations;

selecting particular segments of the segments of media content based on a number of annotations associated with each of the segments;

generating resized segments by changing a size of one or more of the particular segments until a total size of the resized segments satisfies the user-specified criterion;

generating the media content summary including the resized segments; and

transmitting the media content summary to the user device, wherein a total size of the media content summary is less than a total size of the media content.

12. The computer-readable storage device of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining numerical weights to apply to the annotation data; and

applying the numerical weights to the annotation data.

13. The computer-readable storage device of claim 12, wherein the numerical weights are based on a second set of annotation data associated with the media content, and wherein the second set of annotation data comprises annotations that are associated with experts in a genre of the media content.

14. The computer-readable storage device of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise generating genre-specific response values associated with each of the segments.

15. The computer-readable storage device of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise storing, at a database, the annotations and a particular timestamp associated with a particular corresponding annotation, wherein the particular timestamp indicates when the particular corresponding annotation was created with reference to the media content.

16. The computer-readable storage device of claim 11, wherein the annotation data comprises annotations associated with viewers having a particular expertise in a particular genre of the media content.

17. A system, comprising:

a processor;

an input interface configured to receive a request to generate a media content summary from a user device, wherein the request includes a user-specified criterion;

a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to;

identify segments of the media content based on annotation data, wherein the annotation data includes annotations associated with the segments, wherein a subset of the annotations indicate a content type associated with a corresponding segment of the segments, and wherein a particular segment of the segments is identified based on a number of corresponding annotations and based on a particular content type indicated by the subset of the annotations;

select particular segments of the segments of media content based on a number of annotations associated with each of the segments;

generate resized segments by changing a size of one or more of the particular segments until a total size of the resized segments satisfies the user-specified criterion; and

generate the media content summary including the particular segments; and

an output interface configured to transmit the media content summary to the user device, wherein a total size of the media content summary is less than a total size of the media content.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to store, at a database, the annotations and a plurality of timestamps, each timestamp corresponding to a particular annotation, wherein each timestamp of the plurality of timestamps indicates a different time, and wherein each timestamp of the plurality of timestamps indicates when a corresponding portion of the annotation data was created with reference to media content.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to store, at a database, the annotations and a plurality of timestamps, each timestamp corresponding to a particular annotation, wherein each timestamp of the plurality of timestamps indicates the same time, and wherein each timestamp of the plurality of timestamps indicates when a corresponding portion of the annotation data was created with reference to media content.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the annotation data comprises a facial expression, a hand gesture, a text input, an emoticon selection, or a combination thereof.