Streaming of digital data to a portable device

• US 20040139482A1
• Filed: 10/24/2003
• Published: 07/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Phu V., Wiedefeld, William G., Hale, Greg B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,634,030 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/135
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/86 Arrangements characterised by the broadcast information itself
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41415 involving a public display, viewable by several users in a public space outside their home, e.g. movie theatre, information kiosk
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4222 Remote control device emulator integrated into a non-television apparatus, e.g. a PDA, media center or smart toy remote control device for a television receiver integrated into a mobile phone H04M1/72415
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4302 Content synchronisation processes, e.g. decoder synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43079 of additional data with content streams on multiple devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4363 Adapting the video stream to a specific local network, e.g. a Bluetooth® network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4367 Establishing a secure communication between the client and a peripheral device or smart card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; 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 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4884 for displaying subtitles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

The present invention achieves wireless delivery of media streams to portable devices for providing media information related to a show or attraction for the purposes of captioning, language translation, and assistive listening. As a person moves about a venue, the device receives infrared or radio signals from transmitters at venue locations. The device decodes each signal as venue location, event time, or device trigger for presentation on the device. The device memory contains audio, text, graphics and device playback may contain one or many of these stored contents. The stored content is synchronized with the user'"'"'s location, time of travel, time of day, time of a show, or an event in a show and may be in one or many languages. Presentation of stored content on the device may also be altered by user preference, stored logic constraints, automatic learning of user behavior, or user interaction with other devices.

Claims

1. A method for displaying content data on a readable display in conjunction with a media presentation comprising the steps of:

displaying media presentation data, said media presentation data including time prompts;

said content data having sequences correlated to the time prompts;

detecting the time prompts in the media data; and

transmitting to the readable display the sequence of content data associated with a detected time prompt.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting is by way of an IR signal.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting is by way of an RF signal.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting is by way of a wired connection.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the media data is prerecorded.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the media data is a live performance.

7. The method of claim 1 further including the step of storing the content data in a memory device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the time prompts are optically readable.

9. A method for presenting content data on at least one user device comprising the steps of:

providing content data at a predetermined time;

providing time prompts on a media;

detecting the time prompts on the media;

correlating the content data with the time prompts; and

at a given time prompt, transmitting the correlative content data to the user device.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the user device has a readable display on which the content data is displayed.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the user device has an audio output and the content data is provided to the user through a speaker or headphones.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the content data is transmitted to the user device through an IR signal.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the content data is transmitted to the user device through an RF signal.

14. A method for displaying content data on a readable display comprising the steps of:

providing content data to be displayed at a predetermined time;

providing media presentation data having time prompts;

said content data correlated with the time prompts;

detecting the time prompts in the media presentation data;

at a given time prompts, transmitting the correlative content data to the readable display; and

displaying the content data on the readable display.

15. A method for displaying information on a readable display comprising the steps of:

storing information to be displayed at a predetermined time;

displaying media data, said media data including time prompts;

said information correlated to at least one of the time prompts; and

at a given time prompt, transmitting the correlative information to the readable display.

16. A method for interactive communication in conjunction with a media presentation comprising the steps of:

providing a content display device having a readable display;

storing content data for display;

presenting media presentation data having time prompts;

said content data having sequences correlated to the time prompts;

detecting the time prompts in the media presentation data;

transmitting to the readable display the sequence of content data correlated with a detected time prompt; and

providing inputs on the content display device adapted to receive information from a viewer.

17. An apparatus for streaming digital data to a portable device, during a media presentation including time prompts, comprising:

a memory device storing the digital data prior to transmission;

a wireless emitter transmitting the digital data;

a wireless receiver on the portable device receiving the digital data;

a time prompt detector;

a data processor associating detected time prompts to the digital data according to predetermined rules; and

a transmitter for transmitting digital data correlated with the time prompts from the wireless emitter to the wireless receiver.

18. A method for presenting content data correlated to a media presentation on at least one user device comprising the steps of:

providing content data at a predetermined time;

embedding time prompts on a media;

presenting the film to at least one user;

detecting the time prompts on the media;

correlating the content data with the time prompts;

transmitting the correlative content data to the user device at a given time prompt; and

displaying the content data on the user device.

19. An apparatus for streaming digital data to a portable device, before and during a media presentation including time prompts, comprising:

memory devices for storing the digital data prior to transmission;

a wireless emitter sending the synchronizing digital data;

a distribution data server to send media presentation content

a wireless transmitter transmitting the streaming digital data;

a transmitter for transmitting digital data containing multiple media contents;

a time prompt detector;

a wireless receiver on the portable device receiving the digital data;

a data processor associating detected time prompts to the digital data according to predetermined rules; and

the transmitting digital data being correlated with the time prompts from the wireless emitter to the wireless receiver.

20. A portable device that automatically determines a user preference based on the location of the device, the time elapsed at the location, and the history of visited locations, the device comprising:

a receiver for receiving a code from a remote transmitter, said code being a location code corresponding to the remote transmitter;

a timer for determining the time elapsed at a location and in between a plurality locations; and

a memory for storing the code corresponding to each of the locations visited by the user of the device.

21. A portable device that automatically predicts a user'"'"'s destination location and presents media content for that location, the portable device comprising:

an interface for inputting a user preference;

a receiver for receiving a code from a remote transmitter, said code being a location code corresponding to the remote transmitter;

a timer for determining the time elapsed at a location and in between locations;

a memory for storing the code corresponding to each the locations visited by the user of the device.