System and method for providing synchronized events to a television application

• US 20030229899A1
• Filed: 05/05/2003
• Published: 12/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications Management LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TVWorks LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Thompson, Matthew, Vickers, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,832,754 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/87
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2387 Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• 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 21/43074 of additional data with content streams on the same device, e.g. of EPG data or interactive icon with a TV program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• 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 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A set top box client in an enhanced television system stores a table associating time references with events. The table is accessed to synchronize the delivery of events to an enhanced television application that is associated with an underlying video program. The enhanced television system delivers broadcast video, video-on-demand and video from a storage component such as a personal video recorder or a digital video disk player. The enhanced television system further provides an application that provides enhancements to an associated video program by overlaying a user interface, by providing overlaid graphical and/or text information or by providing additional audio information.

Claims

1. In a system having a video program and an associated application having a plurality of events, a method of synchronizing the plurality of events to the video program, comprising:

generating an event table associating time references with event references;

accessing the time references in the event table; and

delivering events from the table at a time indicated by the time reference.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a next event;

setting a timer to indicate the lapse of a time period, said time period determined from the reference time associated with the next event; and

passing to the associated application the next event when the timer indicates that the time period has lapsed.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the application is a synchronized television application.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the event table is generated before the start of the video program.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the event table is generated in part before the start of the video program.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the time references are time offsets with respect to the start of the associated video program and further comprising:

storing a start time associated with a start of the video program;

determining an offset from the stored start time;

comparing the determined offset to a time reference; and

passing to the associated application the event associated with the time reference if the comparison satisfies a predetermined criteria.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the predetermined criteria is whether the time reference is the same as the determined offset.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the predetermined criteria is whether the time reference is the same as the determined offset within a threshold.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the predetermined criteria is whether the time reference is the same as or less than the determined offset.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the application is a synchronized television application

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the time references correspond to video program time and further comprising:

determining a current video time;

comparing the determined video program time to a time reference in the event table; and

passing to the associated application the event associated with the time reference if the comparison satisfies a predetermined criteria.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the predetermined criteria is whether the time reference is the same as the determined current video time.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the predetermined criteria is whether the time reference is the same as the determined current video time within a threshold.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the predetermined criteria is whether the time reference is the same as or less than the determined current video time.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the application is a synchronized television application.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the current video time is determined from a time code embedded in the video program.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the video program and the current video time are received from a video on demand server.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein the video program and the current video time are received from a local video storage device.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the event table further provides an association with auxiliary information.

20. The method of claim 2 wherein the auxiliary information indicates whether the event has been passed to the application.

21. An apparatus for executing at least one synchronized application at a client, comprising:

a transport mechanism for providing a stream of any of video and audio to a single user or group of users;

wherein said stream is not always being provided, but is provided only when said user or users request said stream;

a memory for capturing and storing a current system time as a stream start time when providing of said stream begins; and

a module for periodically checking system time and for comparing said system time to said stored stream start time to determine how much time has elapsed since broadcast of said stream commenced;

wherein said at least one application synchronizes application events to stream timing.

22. An apparatus for executing at least one synchronized application at a client, comprising:

a transport mechanism comprising a server for providing a stream of any of video and audio to a single user or group of users;

wherein said stream is not always being provided, but is provided only when said user or users request said stream; and

said client comprising a mechanism for querying said stream server to determine a current stream time code;

wherein said at least one synchronized application synchronizes application events to stream timing.

23. A method for executing at least one synchronized application at a client, comprising the steps of:

said client launching an application;

said application sending a request to a server to start a stream of any of a video program or audio program;

said application receiving notification from said server that said stream has started;

said application entering a continuous loop until said stream stops;

said application requesting a current time code, which corresponds to a current elapsed time in said stream, from said server; and

said application using a table to determine whether or not to trigger an event;

wherein said lookup table contains an association between said time code and events that happen within said application;

wherein if there is an associated event, said event is performed and said application returns to its previous state; and

wherein if there is no associated event, said application returns to its previous state.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein a system operator may create a virtual queue of users and broadcast a same stream to a group of users;

wherein said users choose when to start the stream; and

wherein said stream is not being continuously provided.

25. A method for executing at least one synchronized application at a client, comprising the steps of:

said client launching an application;

said application sending a request to a server to start a stream;

said application receiving notification from said server that said stream has started;

said application querying a system clock for current time and saving a result in memory;

said application entering a continuous loop until said stream stops;

said application querying said system clock again for a current time and comparing said current time to said stream starting time previously saved in memory;

wherein a calculated result which can be used to synchronize events comprises a time code that represents elapsed time since a time that said stream started;

said application using a lookup table to determine whether or not to trigger an event;

wherein said lookup table contains an association between said time code and events that must happen within said enhanced television application;

wherein if there is an associated event, said event is performed and said application returns to its previous state; and

wherein if there is no associated event, said application returns to its previous state.