System and method for synchronizing streaming content with enhancing content using pre-announced triggers

• US 20050166257A1
• Filed: 03/25/2005
• Published: 07/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sheldon, Isaac A., Feinleib, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,577,979 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/136
• 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4886 for displaying a ticker, e.g. scrolling banner for news, stock exchange, weather data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A client-server architecture synchronizes streaming content with enhancing content via pre-announced triggers. The architecture includes server-based components to generate announcements containing information specifying how and when to receive upcoming triggers that will be transmitted at a later time. The server transmits the announcements to a general broadcast or multicast IP address. Client-based components monitor the IP address to receive and filter the announcements. Selected announcements are stored in a guide database in correlation with the streaming content programs to indicate that the programs are interactive. When a user tunes to an interactive program, the client opens a container HTML page that contains controls to receive the streaming content program and to extract the announcements from the guide database. The latter control monitors the IP address at the times specified in the selected announcements to receive the triggers corresponding to the interactive program. The server delivers the triggers at times synchronized to the streaming content. When triggers arrive, the client control processes the triggers to coordinate presentation of the enhancing content with the streaming content program. The triggers may further be used to carry items that fill a ticker being displayed with the program.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving streamed content;

receiving enhancing content that corresponds to the streamed content; and

determining if the enhancing content includes each file needed for proper display of the enhancing content with the streamed content, and if not, displaying the streamed content without the enhancing content.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising displaying, based on the determining, the enhancing content with the streamed content if the received enhancing content includes each file needed for proper display of the enhancing content.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving an announcement on a monitored address containing information specifying how and when to receive upcoming enhancing content, the announcement being sent at a time prior to sending the enhancing content, the enhancing content associated with the streaming content.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the announcement contains parameters selected from a group comprising:

a broadcast locator, a time when the corresponding enhancing content is to be sent, a protocol, an identity of the streaming content that the enhancing content enhances, and a page that contains a starting point for the enhancing content.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the enhancing content comprises triggers, and data files, the method further comprising:

receiving the data files; and

receiving the triggers at times in synchronization with the streaming content, the triggers causing operations involving the data files in order too timely introduce the enhancing content with the streaming content.

6. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the enhancing content further comprises dependency files that contain instructions to present content contained in the data files, the method further comprising delivering the data files together with the dependency files in a cabinet (CAB) file format.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the receiving comprises receiving the streaming content and the enhancing content in a composite stream of one source.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the receiving comprises:

receiving the streaming content from a first source; and

receiving the enhancing content from a second source different from the first source.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising displaying the enhancing content as a ticker.

10. A computer readable medium comprising computer-executable instruction for performing the method as recited in claim 1.

11. A computer-readable system having computer-executable instructions for determining if enhancing content includes each file needed for proper display of the enhancing content with streamed content, and if not, displaying the streamed content without the enhancing content, and if so, displaying the enhancing content with the streamed content.

12. A computer-readable system having computer-executable instructions as recited in claim 11 for performing receiving an announcement on a monitored address containing information specifying how and when to receive upcoming enhancing content, the announcement being sent at a time prior to sending the enhancing content, the enhancing content associated with the streaming content.

13. A computer-readable system having computer-executable instructions as recited in claim 12, wherein the announcement contains parameters selected from a group comprising:

a broadcast locator, a time when the corresponding enhancing content is to be sent, a protocol, an identity of the streaming content that the enhancing content enhances, and a page that contains a starting point for the enhancing content.

14. A computer-readable system having computer-executable instructions as recited in claim 11, wherein the enhancing content further comprises dependency files that contain instructions to present content contained in the data files, the method further comprising delivering the data files together with the dependency files in a cabinet (CAB) file format.

15. A computer-readable system having computer-executable instructions as recited in claim 11, wherein the streaming content and the enhancing content are received in a composite stream of one source.

16. A computer-readable system having computer-executable instructions as recited in claim 11 for performing displaying the enhancing content as a ticker.

17. A system comprising:

at least one content server being configured to stream content;

a client being configured to determine if enhancing content cached on the client includes each file needed for proper display of the enhancing content with the streaming content, and if so, coordinate presentation of the enhancing content with the streaming content.

18. A system as recited in claim 17, wherein the content server delivers the streaming content and the enhancing content.

19. A system as recited in claim 17, wherein the client is configured to display the streaming content without the enhancing content if the enhancing content does not include each filed needed for proper display.

20. A system as recited in claim 17, wherein the client is configured to display the enhancing content as a ticker.