Synchronous delivery of media content in a collaborative environment

• US 20080209021A1
• Filed: 02/22/2007
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Match Group, LLC (Match Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shamma, David A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,253,222 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40

Abstract

An apparatus and method for facilitating a synchronous display of a time-based media object (e.g., a video or audio file) with a remote device is provided. In one example, the apparatus comprises control logic for controlling the display of a media object in response to a user entered command with a first device, and communication logic for causing communication of the user entered command (e.g., play, pause, skip, etc.) and a metric (e.g., time or frame reference) associated with the media object to a second device for synchronizing the display of the media object with the first and second devices. The first and second devices may communicate via peer-to-peer communications, for example, in a collaborative or social application such as an IM application. Further, the apparatus may include various devices such as a personal computer, mobile phone device and/or mobile personal entertainment device, DVR, or the like.

Claims

1. Apparatus for facilitating synchronous display of a time-based media object with multiple devices, the apparatus comprising:

control logic for controlling the display of a media object in response to a user entered command with a first device; and

communication logic for causing communication of the user entered command and a metric associated with the media object to a second device for synchronizing the display of the media object with the first and second devices.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the communication logic further for receiving a command and metric from the second device, wherein the control logic further controls the display of the media object with the first device based on the received command and metric.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein user entered commands are communicated via peer-to-peer communications between the first and second devices.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user entered commands are communicated via a communication channel of a collaborative application.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user entered commands are communicated via a communication channel of an Instant Messaging application.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising display logic for displaying an interface for displaying the media object.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the metric comprises a time or frame reference associated with the media object.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises a DVR.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, where the apparatus comprises a personal media player.

8-12. -12. (canceled)

15. Apparatus for facilitating synchronous display of a time-based media object with a remote device, the apparatus comprising:

a display; and

communication logic for causing a synchronous communications channel with a remote device, wherein a user entered command and a metric associated with a media object is communicated to the remote device for synchronizing a display of the media object with the display and the remote device.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising control logic for controlling the display of the media object in response to a user entered command.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, the communication logic further for receiving a command and metric from the remote device, wherein the control logic further controls the display of the media object based on the received command and metric from the remote device.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising display logic for displaying an interface for displaying and controlling the media object.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the metric comprises a time or frame reference associated with the media object.

20. A method for facilitating synchronous display of a time-based media object with multiple devices, the method comprising:

controlling the display of a media object in response to a user entered command with a first device; and

causing communication of the user entered command and a metric associated with the media object to a second device for synchronizing the display of the media object with the first and second devices.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising causing peer-to-peer communications between the first and second devices.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising controlling the display of the media object with the first device based on a received command and metric form the second device.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising displaying an interface for displaying the media object.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the metric comprises a time or frame reference associated with the media object.

25-29. -29. (canceled)

30. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions for facilitating synchronous display of a time-based media object with multiple devices, the instructions for causing the performance of the method comprising:

controlling the display of a media object in response to a user entered command with a first device; and

causing communication of the user entered command and a metric associated with the media object to a second device for synchronizing the display of the media object with the first and second devices.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 30, further comprising causing peer-to-peer communications between the first and second devices.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 30, further comprising instructions for controlling the display of the media object with the first device based on a received command and metric form the second device.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 30, further comprising instructions for displaying an interface for displaying the media object.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 30, wherein the metric comprises a time or frame reference associated with the media object.

35-39. -39. (canceled)