Method and system for embedding information into streaming media

• US 20030030752A1
• Filed: 06/06/2002
• Published: 02/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Huber, Kenneth Mervin, Zamchick, Gary Lee, Gibbon, David Crawford, Shahraray, Behzad, Liu, Zhu, Renger, Bernard S., Markowitz, Robert Edward, Begeja, Lee
• Granted Patent: US 8,151,298 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/563
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26603 for automatically generating descriptors from content, e.g. when it is not made available by its provider, using content analysis techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method and system for embedding information into streaming media is disclosed. In order to avoid a prolonged waiting period between the time a video stream is selected for viewing and the time it actually begins to play, information relevant to the content of the video stream is independently obtained and locally stored. This information may be advertising, text, games or any other media which may be of interest to the user. The information is embedded into the video or other media stream to be presented to the viewer and played immediately, so that the user avoids any wait time in viewing the selected stream that may occur due to bandwidth shortages or other system considerations.

Claims

1. A method for embedding information into a media stream selected by a user, the method comprising:

selecting information relevant to a subject matter of the media stream;

storing the information locally to the user;

playing the information upon selection of the media stream by the user and before the media stream begins to play.