Apparatuses and methods for interactive communication concerning multimedia content

• US 20070208766A1
• Filed: 03/02/2006
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Malik, Dale
• Granted Patent: US 8,065,710 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47205 for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

An apparatus for use with an output device coupled to one or more sources of multimedia content comprises an operator interface, a record generator and a network interface. The operator interface receives information responsive to a user'"'"'s observation of a segment of multimedia content. The record generator creates a record that identifies the segment of multimedia content and includes information responsive to the user'"'"'s observation of the segment of multimedia content. The network interface communicates presence information. The apparatus generates a record that provides a mechanism for interactive and collaborative communication between interested parties with access to a device that can access and synchronize the presentation of the segment of multimedia content and the user information.

Claims

1. An apparatus for use with an output device coupled to one or more sources of multimedia content, the apparatus comprising:

an operator interface configured to receive information responsive to a user'"'"'s observation of a segment of multimedia content;

a record generator coupled to the operator interface and configured to generate a record that identifies the segment of multimedia content and includes the information responsive to the user'"'"'s observation of the segment of multimedia content; and

a network interface coupled to the operator interface and the record generator, the network interface configured to communicate presence information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operator interface comprises switches associated with respective alphanumeric symbols.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operator interface is coupled to a microphone for communicating audio information.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operator interface is coupled to a video camera for communicating video information.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the record generator generates a record comprising an identifier.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the record generator generates a record comprising a timestamp.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the record generator generates a record comprising information responsive to a desired duration.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising annotation interface logic that when executed by a processor generates a graphical user interface configured to enable a user to enter one or more of text, video and audio.

9. A method, comprising:

receiving information that identifies a segment of multimedia content;

receiving information from a user in response to the user'"'"'s observation of the segment of multimedia content; and

generating a record comprising information that identifies the segment of multimedia content and information from the user.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving information from the user comprises receiving one or more of audio, text, and video information.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein generating a record comprises inserting a content identifier.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein generating a record comprises inserting a timestamp.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

transferring control of a communication channel to a destination device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein when the communication channel is under the control of the destination device, a host device waits for a message from the destination device.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein when the communication channel is under the control of the destination device, a host device receives information in response to the segment of multimedia content communicated via the destination device.

16. A computer program product stored on a computer-readable medium including computer program logic encoded thereon that, when executed in a physical device having a communications interface performs the operations of:

identifying a segment of multimedia content;

generating a graphical-user interface that assists a user in providing information in response to the user'"'"'s observation of the segment of multimedia content; and

generating a record responsive to both the segment of multimedia content and the user provided information.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, that further performs the operation of:

identifying a potential receiver of the record and communicate the record.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, that further performs the operation of:

transferring control of a communication channel to a destination device.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein user provided information from an observer of the segment comprises one or more of audio, text, and video information.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the record further comprises at least one of an identifier and a timestamp.