METHOD, SYSTEM, AND ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE FOR INTEGRATING STREAMING CONTENT AND A REAL TIME INTERACTIVE DYNAMIC USER INTERFACE OVER A NETWORK

• US 20080022204A1
• Filed: 08/30/2007
• Published: 01/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Polycom Incorporated (Plantronics, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Accordent Technologies, Inc. (Plantronics, Inc.)
• Inventors: LORENZ, MICHAEL, NEWMAN, MICHAEL, PITTS, JEREME, GILMAN, SETH
• Granted Patent: US 7,734,804 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/719
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

A method and system is provided which allows for integrating streaming content and a real time interactive dynamic user interface on a network, such as the Internet. The system includes a web browser for receiving a user interface from a content server. The user interface, among other functions, detects an embedded code in a media file from a streaming content server. Based on the embedded code, the user interface spawns a Common Gateway Interface (CGI) process which retrieves information from a data store. The information in the data store may include rules for altering the displayed user interface. The system and method results in an interactive user interface which may be easily modified by altering the contents of the data store rather than altering and reindexing the media file.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining streaming content from a processing device network, comprising the steps of:

requesting an interface program from a first processing device in the processing device network;

downloading the interface program to a second processing device in the processing device network;

displaying a user interface on a display of the second processing device;

requesting by the interface program a media file from a third processing device on the processing device network;

downloading the media file to the second processing device, wherein the media file includes an embedded code;

detecting the embedded code;

spawning a process by the interface program responsive to the embedded code;

parsing the embedded code into a plurality of code segments by the process;

querying a memory location in a data store responsive to a code segment in the plurality of code segments;

responding to the rules in the memory location, and

modifying the displayed user interface without requiring re-encoding and/or reindexing the media file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the rules include updating the displayed user interface with a high resolution image stored in the data store.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed user interface includes a first window, a second window, and a third window, wherein video is provided in the first window, a high resolution image is provided in the second window and text is provided in the third window.

9. A method of claim 1, wherein the third processing device file comprises is a media server.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the downloading step includes buffering a portion of the media file.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the embedded code comprises a metadata time code having a format of a process identification, a variable and a target destination.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the process comprises a Common Gateway Interface (CGI) process.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the responding step includes updating the user interface display.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the modifying step includes the step of changing a file in the data store while leaving the embedded code unchanged.

27. The method of claim 8, wherein the high resolution image and/or the text are replaced while leaving the embedded code unchanged.

3-7. -7. (canceled)

13. (canceled)

15. A system, comprising:

a first processing device having a web browser;

a data store for storing information; and

,

a second processing device coupled to the first processing device and the data store, for providing the first processing device with a displayed user interface and a media file having an embedded code;

wherein the user interface detects the embedded code during a media file download to the first processing device and, wherein the second processing device creates a process for retrieving the information from the data store which is used to alter the displayed user interfaces;

wherein at least a portion of the information in the data store is changed while the user interface is displayed without changing the embedded code in the media file.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the process comprises is a Common Gateway Interface process.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the embedded code comprises a metadata time code.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the first processing device and second processing device are coupled to the Internet and/or an intranet.

16. (canceled)

18. (canceled)

21. (canceled)

22. An article of manufacture, including a computer readable memory, comprising:

a first software program for providing content to a client;

a second software program for providing streaming media to a client;

a third software program for detecting an embedded code in the streaming media; and

a fourth software program for accessing a memory location in a data store responsive to the embedded code;

wherein the data store includes information stored at the memory location, the information being dynamically changeable without re-encoding and/or reindexing the streaming media while the streaming media is provided to the client.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 22, wherein the data store includes a software object having rules, and where the rules are used to update a user interface.

24. A method for obtaining streaming content from a processing device network, comprising the steps of:

downloading a media file having an embedded code;

detecting the embedded code;

passing a segment of the embedded code to a process;

accessing a database using the segment of the embedded code;

downloading information stored in the database, and

changing at least a portion of the information in the database while leaving the embedded code unchanged.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the embedded code includes a format having a process identification, a variable and a target destination.

28. A method for capturing, indexing, and synchronizing media in a user interface, the method comprising:

capturing audio and video;

storing graphical content from a source device;

indexing and synchronizing audio, video, and graphical content; and

communicating the audio, video, and graphical content over a network for presentation at a computer coupled to the network.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the source device comprises a camera.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the graphical content is in a digital form.

31. A system for capturing, indexing, and synchronizing media in a user interface, the system comprising:

a capture station configured to synchronize audio, video, and graphical content, wherein the graphical content is obtained from a source device; and

a presentation server coupled to the capture station via a network, the presentation server being configured to make the audio, video, and graphical content available on the Internet.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the capture station further comprises a user interface.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the presentation server is in communication with a media server configured to manage communication with devices requesting the audio, video, and graphical content.