System and method for processing video content

• US 20070180488A1
• Filed: 02/01/2006
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pearson, Larry B., Walter, Edward A.
• Application Number:
  US11/344,918
• Publication Number:
  US 20070180488A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/135
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

In a particular embodiment a system and method for processing a tag carried by a video stream are disclosed. The method includes accessing the tag in the video stream, reading a time stamp associated with the tag and processing the tag based on a time indicated by the time stamp. The system accesses a tag in a video stream, reads a time stamp associated with the tag, and runs a script associated with the tag.

Claims

1. A method for processing tags carried by a video stream, the method comprising:

receiving the video stream at a set top box from a server;

accessing the tag carried by the video stream at the set top box;

reading a time stamp associated with the tag prior to a time indicated by the time stamp; and

running a script associated with the tag prior to the time indicated by the time stamp

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accepting at the STB a user input from a remote control to perform a function associated with the tag; and

choosing a function to perform based on at least one of the set consisting of an event and a tag context associated with the tag.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the function further comprises:

at least one of the set consisting of executing code, executing a script, accessing a uniform resource locator and accessing a video segment associated with the tag.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the method further comprises:

restricting a user access to content based on a parental control indicator.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein restricting access further comprises:

accessing a parental control rating for the user;

comparing the parental control rating for the user to a parental control rating for the content, wherein the content is selected from the set consisting of the script, URL and video segment; and

denying user access to content when the user parental control rating is less than the parental control rating for the content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the tag further comprises a plurality of tags, the method further comprising:

scrolling a displayed list of at least one of the set consisting of icons and tag text associated with the tags.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the video stream in a memory; and

moving to a portion of the video stream stored in memory associated with a selected tag time stamp.

8. The medium of claim 1, the method further comprising:

exporting the tag and tagged data to a processor to display information associated with the tag.

9. A method for inserting a tag into a video stream in an IPTV system, the method comprising:

inserting the tag in a video stream at the processor;

inserting a script associated with the tag into the video stream at the processor wherein the tag further comprises a time stamp having a time indicated by the time stamp which is prior to a time at which a video segment associated with the tag in the video stream will be displayed; and

sending the video stream from the processor to a client.

10. A system for processing a tag associated with a video stream in an IPTV system, the system comprising:

a database in memory for storing the tag carried by the video stream;

a set top box (STB) for receiving the video stream from the IPTV system, wherein the STB further comprises;

a processor coupled to the database, the processor comprising;

a first interface for accessing the tag associated with the video stream;

a second interface for reading a time stamp associated with the tag prior to a time indicated by the time stamp; and

a third interface for executing a script associated with the tag prior to the time indicated by the time stamp.

11. The system of claim 10, the processor further comprising:

a fourth interface for accepting a user input from a remote control to the STB to perform a function associated with the tag.

12. The system of claim 11, the processor further comprising:

a fifth interface for scrolling a display on an IPTV display of a list of time stamp ordered tags accessed in the video stream.

13. The system of claim 11, the processor further comprising:

a sixth interface for storing the video stream in a memory at the STB; and

a seventh interface for moving to a portion of the stored video stream at the STB associated with a tag text or icon associated with the selected on the IPTV display.

14. A system for inserting a tag into a video stream in an IPTV system, the system comprising:

a memory for storing the tag to be carried into a video stream; and

a server including a processor coupled to the database, the processor comprising;

a first logic module for accessing the tag in memory;

a second logic module for inserting the tag in the video stream; and

a third logic module for inserting a script associated with the tag into the video stream.

15. The system of claim 14, the server further comprising:

a fourth logic module for inserting executable code for the tag into the video stream.

16. A data structure comprising:

a field for storing a tag identifier for a tag carried by a video stream; and

a field for storing a script associated with the tag.

17. The data structure of claim 16, wherein the field for storing the script further comprises a field for storing executable code.

18. The data structure of claim 16, further comprising:

a field for storing a time stamp associated with the tag.

19. The data structure of claim 16 further comprising:

a field for storing a tag context for the tag.

20. The data structure of claim 17 further comprising:

a field for storing at least one of an icon definition and a tag text for the tag.