Video Feed Synchronization in an Interactive Environment

• US 20080242409A1
• Filed: 03/31/2008
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NTN Buzztime Incorporated (Eterna Therapeutics, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: NTN Buzztime Incorporated (Eterna Therapeutics, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schueller, Darren
• Application Number:
  US12/060,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20080242409A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/358 Adapting the game course according to the network or server load, e.g. for reducing latency due to different connection speeds between clients
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/534 for network load management, e.g. bandwidth optimization, latency reduction
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/638 according to the timing of operation or a time limit

Abstract

Interactive environments can include operating an interactive game in which a video feed is distributed to a plurality of locations, determining a time offset for at least one of the locations based on a delay of the video feed to the at least one location, and accepting game responses from the at least one location based on the time offset for the location.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

operating an interactive game in which a video feed is distributed to a plurality of locations;

determining a time offset for at least one of the locations based on a delay of the video feed to the at least one location; and

accepting game responses from the at least one location based on the time offset for the location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the time offset comprises identifying the delay for a medium over which the video feed is distributed to the at least one location.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining a local time for an event that occurred in the video feed; and

determining a remote time for the at least one location that denotes a time when the event occurred in the video feed received at the locations wherein determining the time offset comprises calculating a difference between the local time and the remote time.

4. The method of claim 3, comprising:

receiving a frame captured from the video feed at the at least one location and a timestamp indicating a captured time of when the frame was captured, wherein the frame defines the event, wherein the captured time defines the remote time.

5. The method of claim 3, comprising:

receiving responses from the location for the event.

6. The method of claim 5, comprising:

determining a peak time that identifies a peak rate of received responses; and

using the peak time to determine the remote time.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein each received response comprises a guess of a future play of a ball game.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein each received response comprises an indication that a person appeared on the video feed.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein each received response comprises a timestamp of when the response was made, wherein determining the remote time comprises using the timestamps of at least a portion of the received responses.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining an ending time for accepting game responses; and

adjusting the ending time for accepting responses from the at least one location by the time offset for the location to produce an adjusted ending time,

wherein accepting games responses from the at least one location comprises accepting game responses from the location until the adjusted ending time.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein adjusting the ending time comprises extending the ending time by the time offset for the at least one location.

12. The method of claim 10, comprising:

transmitting the adjusted ending time for the at least one location to a remote processing unit at the location, wherein the remote processing unit accepts game responses up until the adjusted ending time for the location.

13. A method comprising:

operating an interactive game in which a video feed is distributed to a plurality of locations;

determining a time offset for at least one of the locations based on a delay of the video feed to the at least one location;

determining an ending time for accepting responses;

adjusting the ending time for accepting responses from the at least one location by the time offset for the at least one location to produce an adjusted ending time; and

accepting game responses from the at least one location until the adjusted ending time.

14. A computer program product, tangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium, the computer program product comprising instructions to enable data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

operating an interactive game in which a video feed is distributed to a plurality of locations;

determining a time offset for at least one of the locations based on a delay of the video feed to the at least one location; and

accepting game responses from the at least one location based on the time offset for the location.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein determining the time offset comprises identifying the delay for a medium over which the video feed is distributed to the, at least one location.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, comprising:

determining a local time for an event that occurred in the video feed; and

determining a remote time for the at least one location that denotes a time when the event occurred in the video feed received at the location, wherein determining the time offset comprises calculating a difference between the local time and the remote time.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, comprising:

receiving a frame captured from the video feed at the at least one location and a timestamp indicating a captured time of when the frame was captured, wherein the frame defines the event, wherein the captured time defines the remote time.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, comprising:

receiving responses from the location for the event.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, comprising:

determining a peak time that identifies a peak rate of received responses; and

using the peak time to determine the remote time.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein each received response comprises a guess of a future play of a ball game.

21. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein each received response comprises an indication that a person appeared on the video feed.

22. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein each received response comprises a timestamp of when the response was made, wherein determining the remote time comprises using the timestamps of at least a portion of the received responses.

23. The computer program product of claim 14, comprising:

determining an ending time for accepting game responses; and

adjusting the ending time for accepting responses from the at least one location by the time offset for the location to produce an adjusted ending time,

wherein accepting games responses from the at least one location comprises accepting game responses from the location until the adjusted ending time.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein adjusting the ending time comprises extending the ending time by the time offset for the at least one location.

25. The computer program product of claim 23, comprising:

transmitting the adjusted ending time for the at least one location to a remote processing unit at the location, wherein the remote processing unit accepts game responses up until the adjusted ending time for the location.

26. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable medium encoding instructions to cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

operating an interactive game in which a video feed is distributed to a plurality of locations;

determining a time offset for at least one of the locations based on a delay of the video feed to the at least one location; and

accepting game responses from the at least one location based on the time offset for the location.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein determining the time offset comprises identifying the delay for a medium over which the video feed is distributed to the at least one location.

28. The system of claim 26, comprising:

determining a local time for an event that occurred in the video feed; and

determining a remote time for the at least one location that denotes a time when the event occurred in the video feed received at the location, wherein determining the time offset comprises calculating a difference between the local time and the remote time.

29. The system of claim 28, comprising:

receiving a frame captured from the video feed at the at least one location and a timestamp indicating a captured time of when the frame was captured, wherein the frame defines the event, wherein the captured time defines the remote time.

30. The system of claim 28, comprising:

receiving responses from the location for the event.

31. The system of claim 30, comprising:

determining a peak time that identifies a peak rate of received responses; and

using the peak time to determine the remote time.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein each received response comprises a guess of a future play of a ball game.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein each received response comprises an indication that a person appeared on the video feed.

34. The system of claim 30, wherein each received response comprises a timestamp of when the response was made, wherein determining the remote time comprises using the timestamps of at least a portion of the received responses.

35. The system of claim 26, comprising:

determining an ending time for accepting game responses; and

adjusting the ending time for accepting responses from the at least one location by the time offset for the location to produce an adjusted ending time,

wherein accepting games responses from the at least one location comprises accepting game responses from the location until the adjusted ending time.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein adjusting the ending time comprises extending the ending time by the time offset for the at least one location.

37. The system of claim 35, comprising:

transmitting the adjusted ending time for the at least one location to a remote processing unit at the location, wherein the remote processing unit accepts game responses up until the adjusted ending time for the location.