System and method for sharing user comments on TV screens

• US 20030182663A1
• Filed: 03/25/2002
• Published: 09/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Gudorf, Greg David, Toft, Rolf, Dew, Aaron John, Creed, Anthony Lionel, Chang, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US10/106,674
• Publication Number:
  US 20030182663A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/110
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43079 of additional data with content streams on multiple devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

A method to enable multiple TV viewers in discrete physical and/or temporal locations, to share the TV viewing experience by using audio and/or visual comments triggered by a remote control in conjunction with a TV which may be connected to one or more other TVs. The connection may be wireless (such as IEEE 802.11, Bluetooth, etc.) or wired means (such as POTS line, Ethernet cabling, coax cabling, etc.). The TVs may furthermore communicate directly with each other on a peer-to-peer basis or via an intermediary server(s). Alternate embodiments permit time-shifting comments.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a first user TV;

a second user TV; and

an input device associated with at least the first user TV,

the input device being manipulable by a user to input at least one audio and/or visual comment,

the comment being displayable on the second user TV.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the input device is a remote control device.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a comment server communicating with the TVs,

the comment server transferring comments input at the first TV to the second TV.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the TVs communicate with each other directly to transmit comments therebetween.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the TVs communicate via wireless links.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the comment is presented along with a symbol associated with the user.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the comment is presented along with a user ID.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the comment is displayed on the second TV on demand.

32. The system of claim 4, wherein the TVs communicate via a wired link.

8. A method for sharing TV program-related comments between first and second users of respective first and second TVs, comprising:

receiving a comment from the first user via an input device in wireless communication with the first TV; and

sending the comment to the second TV for display of the comment thereon.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the input device is a remote control device.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

transferring comments input at the first TV to the second TV.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising establishing direct communication between the TVs to transmit comments therebetween.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising establishing the direct communication using a wireless link.

13. The method of claim 8, comprising presenting the comment along with a symbol associated with the user.

14. The method of claim 8, comprising presenting the comment along with a user ID.

22. The method of claim 8, wherein the comment is displayed on the second TV on demand.

33. The method of claim 8, comprising sending the comment via a wired link.

34. The method of claim 11, comprising establishing communication using a wired link.

15. A TV, comprising:

a TV monitor displaying televised content thereon,

the monitor also displaying at least one comment received from a companion TV.

16. The TV of claim 15, wherein the comment includes at least one alpha-numeric string.

17. The TV of claim 15, wherein the monitor also displays a symbol associated with the user.

18. The TV of claim 15, wherein the monitor also displays an ID associated with the user.

19. The TV of claim 15, further comprising:

an input device for inputting a comment; and

a transceiver sending the comment to the companion TV.

20. The TV of claim 19, wherein:

the input device is a remote control device; and

the transceiver is a wireless transceiver.

31. The TV of claim 19, wherein:

the input device is a remote control device; and

the transceiver is a wired transceiver.

23. A system for sharing TV program-related comments between first and second users of respective first and second TVs, comprising:

means for receiving a comment from the first user via an input device in wireless communication with the first TV; and

means for sending the comment to the second TV for display of the comment thereon.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the input device is a remote control device.

25. The system of claim 23, further comprising:

means for transferring comments input at the first TV to the second TV.

26. The system of claim 23, further comprising means for establishing direct communication between the TVs to transmit comments therebetween.

27. The system of claim 26, comprising means for establishing the direct communication using a wireless link.

28. The system of claim 23, comprising means for presenting the comment along with a symbol associated with the user.

29. The system of claim 23, comprising means for presenting the comment along with a user ID.

30. The system of claim 26, comprising means for establishing the direct communication using a wired link.

35. A system comprising:

a TV;

an audio-video time shifting device; and

an input device associated with the user TV,

the input device being manipulable by a user to input at least one audio and/or visual comment,

the comment being displayable to user during time-shifted playback of the audio-visual content on TV.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the audio-video time shifting device is a hard disk recorder.

38. The system of claim 35, wherein the audio-video time-shifting device is a read-only media player.

37. The system of 35, wherein the audio-video time shifting device is a video cassette recorder (VCR).

39. A system comprising:

a first user TV;

a second user TV; and

an first user audio-video time shifting device; and

an second user audio-video time shifting device; and

an input device associated with at least the first user TV,

the input device being manipulable by a user to input at least one audio and/or visual comment,

the comment being displayable on the second user TV.

40. A system comprising:

a TV;

a playback read-only audio-video device;

a memory storage; and

an input device associated with the user TV,

the input device being manipulable by a user to input at least one audio and/or visual comment,

the comment being displayable to user during time-shifted playback of the audio-visual content on TV.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the playback device is a DVD player or CD player.

42. The system of claim 40, wherein the memory storage is a removable memory storage media.

43. A system comprising:

a first user TV;

a first playback read-only audio-video device associated with the first TV;

a memory storage;

a second user TV;

a second playback read-only audio-video device associated with the second TV; and

an input device associated with at least the first TV,

the input device being manipulable by a user to input at least one audio and/or visual comment,

the comment being displayable on the second user TV and storable on the memory storage.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein at least the first playback device is a DVD player or CD player.

45. The system of claim 43, wherein the memory storage is a removable memory storage media.

46. A system comprising:

a first user TV;

a first playback read-only audio-video device associated with the first TV;

a second user TV;

a second playback read-only audio-video device associated with the second TV;

a communication link between the TVs; and

an input device associated with at least the first user TV,

the input device being manipulable by a user to input at least one audio and/or visual comment,

the comment being communicable over the link for display on the second user TV.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein at least the first playback device is a DVD player or CD player.

48. The system of claim 46, wherein the memory storage is a removable memory storage media.

49. The system of claim 46, wherein the communication link is a wireless link.

50. The system of claim 46, wherein the communication link is a wired link.

51. A system comprising:

a first user TV;

a playback read-only audio-video device associated with the first TV;

a second user TV;

an audio-video time shifting device communicating with at least one of the TVs;

a communication link between the TVs; and

an input device associated with at least the first user TV,

the input device being manipulable by a user to input at least one audio and/or visual comment,

the comment being displayable on the second user TV.

52. The system of claim 51 wherein the playback read-only audio-video device is a game console.

53. The system of claim 51, wherein the playback read-only audio-video device is a DVD player or CD player.

54. The system of claim 51, wherein the communication link is a wireless link.

55. The system of claim 51, wherein the communication link is a wired link.