Method and apparatus for navigating video content

• US 20060080716A1
• Filed: 03/15/2005
• Published: 04/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Bergeron, Michael A., McKay, Philip, Wibisono, Himgan, Nishikawa, Yuko
• Granted Patent: US 8,566,879 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/89
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/743 a collection of video files or sequences
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/745 the internal structure of a single video sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/274 Storing end-user multimedia data in response to end-user request , e.g. network recorder
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for navigating video content. Digital markers may be placed at desired locations within recorded or cached video content. In one embodiment, these markers (or bookmarks) may be used to instantly jump to a particular scene or location within a video presentation. Such markers may be manually or automatically placed during live caching of video content or playback of previously recorded content. In another embodiment, selectable thumbnailed images that are representative of the video content at previously bookmarked locations may be presented to a user. Such selectable thumbnailed images may be integrated with a DVR status bar and, when selected, may be used to begin viewing stored video content from the bookmark corresponding to which ever thumbnail is chosen.

Claims

1. A method for navigating video content comprising:

receiving a request to insert a digital mark at a desired viewing location within stored broadcast video content; and

inserting said digital mark at said desired viewing location;

receiving a request to view said stored broadcast video content beginning from said desired viewing location; and

displaying, in response to said request to view, said stored broadcast video content beginning from said desired viewing location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said stored broadcast video content comprises cached broadcast video content stored in a volatile memory of a set-top box device which is coupled to a display device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request to insert the digital mark comprises receiving an instruction from a user input device to insert the digital mark at the desired viewing location, wherein said digital mark is a digital bookmark for said desired viewing location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein inserting said digital mark comprises recording a segment of identifiable program code onto a digital file containing said stored broadcast video content at a location corresponding to said desired viewing location.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said stored broadcast video content includes a plurality of broadcast programs, and wherein the method further comprises automatically inserting a plurality of digital marks into said stored video content indicating start and end points for said plurality of broadcasted programs.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing said desired viewing location of said stored broadcast video content; and

displaying said stored broadcast video content beginning from said desired viewing location.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying said digital mark in a status bar, wherein said status bar is to be displayed on a display device as an overlay to said stored broadcast video content.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising incorporating a plurality of chapter marks, including said digital mark, into said status bar.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a thumbnail image based on image data from said desired viewing location.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

displaying said thumbnail image in response to a user request; and

accessing said desired viewing location of said stored broadcast video content in response to a user selection of said thumbnail image.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said stored broadcast video content is one of a broadcast program being presently recorded, a previously recorded broadcast program and a cached broadcast program.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said inserting the digital mark comprises inserting said digital mark at said desired viewing location during a recording of said broadcast video content.

13. An apparatus coupled to a display device, the apparatus comprising:

a memory containing one or more instruction sequences; and

a processor coupled to said memory, said processor to execute the one or more instructions to,

receive a request to insert a digital mark at a desired viewing location within stored broadcast video content,

insert said digital mark at said desired viewing location,

receive a request to view said stored broadcast video content beginning from said desired viewing location, and

display, in response to said request to view, said stored broadcast video content beginning from said desired viewing location.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a volatile memory, and wherein said stored broadcast video content comprises cached broadcast video content stored in said volatile memory.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said digital mark is a digital bookmark for said desired viewing location.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said digital mark is a segment of identifiable program code that is recorded onto a digital file containing said stored broadcast video content at a location corresponding to said desired viewing location.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said stored broadcast video content includes a plurality of broadcast programs, and wherein said processor is further to execute the one or more instructions to automatically insert a plurality of digital marks into said stored video content indicating start and end points for said plurality of broadcasted programs.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said processor is further to execute the one or more instructions to,

access said desired viewing location of said stored broadcast video content, and

display said stored broadcast video content beginning from said desired viewing location.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said processor is further to execute the one or more instructions to display said digital mark in a status bar, wherein said status bar is to be displayed on said display device as an overlay to said stored broadcast video content.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said processor is further to execute the one or more instructions to incorporate a plurality of chapter marks, including said digital mark, into said status bar.

21. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said processor is further to execute the one or more instructions to generate a thumbnail image based on image data from said desired viewing location.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said processor is further to execute the one or more instructions to,

display said thumbnail image in response to a user request, and

access said desired viewing location of said stored broadcast video content in response to a user selection of said thumbnail image.

23. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said stored broadcast video content is one of a broadcast program being presently recorded, a previously recorded broadcast program and a cached broadcast program.

24. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said processor is further to execute the one or more instructions to insert the digital mark at said desired viewing location during a recording of said broadcast video content.

25. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer program code embodied therein to navigate video content, the computer program product having;

computer readable program code to receive a request to insert a digital mark at a desired viewing location within stored broadcast video content; and

computer readable program code to insert said digital mark at said desired viewing location;

computer readable program code to receive a request to view said stored broadcast video content beginning from said desired viewing location; and

computer readable program code to display, in response to said request to view, said stored broadcast video content beginning from said desired viewing location.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein said stored broadcast video content comprises cached broadcast video content stored in a volatile memory of a set-top box device which is coupled to a display device.

27. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein said computer readable program code to receive the request to insert the digital mark comprises computer readable program code to receive an instruction from a user input device to insert the digital mark at the desired viewing location, wherein said digital mark is a digital bookmark for said desired viewing location.

28. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein said computer readable program code to insert said digital mark comprises computer readable program code to record a segment of identifiable program code onto a digital file containing said stored broadcast video content at a location corresponding to said desired viewing location.

29. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein said stored broadcast video content includes a plurality of broadcast programs, and wherein the computer program product further comprises computer readable program code to automatically insert a plurality of digital marks into said stored video content indicating start and end points for said plurality of broadcasted programs.

30. The computer program product of claim 25, further having:

computer readable program code to access said desired viewing location of said stored broadcast video content; and

computer readable program code to display said stored broadcast video content beginning from said desired viewing location.

31. The computer program product of claim 25, further having computer readable program code to display said digital mark in a status bar, wherein said status bar is to be displayed on a display device as an overlay to said stored broadcast video content.

32. The computer program product of claim 31, further having computer readable program code to incorporate a plurality of chapter marks, including said digital mark, into said status bar.

33. The computer program product of claim 25, further having computer readable program code to generate a thumbnail image based on image data from said desired viewing location.

34. The computer program product of claim 33, further having:

computer readable program code to display said thumbnail image in response to a user request, and

computer readable program code to access said desired viewing location of said stored broadcast video content in response to a user selection of said thumbnail image.

35. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein said stored broadcast video content is one of a broadcast program being presently recorded, a previously recorded broadcast program and a cached broadcast program.

36. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein said computer readable program code to insert the digital mark comprises computer readable program code to insert said digital mark at said desired viewing location during a recording of said broadcast video content.