Server Providing Content Directories of Video Signals and Linkage to Content Information Sources

• US 20090031382A1
• Filed: 07/21/2008
• Published: 01/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Overlay TV Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Overlay Tv Inc.
• Inventors: Cope, Tyler Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 8,091,103 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/115
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/70 of video data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/75 Clustering; Classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0464 Positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/10 Mixing of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of an operation, e.g. adding, on the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/12 Overlay of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of switching between the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• 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: H04N 21/23412 for generating or manipulating the scene composition of objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234318 by decomposing into objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/237 Communication with additional data server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2542 for selling goods, e.g. TV shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/854 Content authoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8583 : by creating hot-spots
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 : involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

An overlay server for illustrative video streaming constitutes a central part of a distributed system for linking content of video recordings to relevant information sources. The overlay server maintains a global object directory including information pertinent to a set of objects and network addresses of external servers providing information relevant to the set of objects. The overlay server further maintains a video-content directory having several overlay directories. Each overlay directory identifies content of a respective video recording from among a set of video recordings and includes a network address of a video-streaming server providing the video recording. The overlay server stores an authoring tool for constructing the overlay directories and an augmented display tool for associating content of a video recording with respective information.

Claims

1. A server for illustrative video streaming comprising:

a server computing device comprising a client-interface module for communicating with a plurality of client computers, the client-interface module stored in a memory of the server computing device; and

a computer readable storage medium for storing;

an object directory having a plurality of object records each object record including information pertinent to a respective object selected from a plurality of objects; and

a video-content directory having a plurality of overlay directories each overlay directory identifying content of a respective video recording from among a plurality of video recordings, said content exhibiting at least one object from among said plurality of objects.

2. The server of claim 1 further comprising an augmented-display module for displaying a selected video recording from among said plurality of video recordings and associating said selected video recording with a respective overlay directory from among said plurality of overlay directories.

3. The server of claim 2 wherein said each overlay directory further includes a network address of a video-streaming server providing said respective video recording.

4. The server of claim 2 wherein said storage medium further holds authoring instructions for composing said plurality of overlay directories, each overlay directory comprising relative time instants, with respect to a starting time instant of a respective video signal, at which selected objects appear on a display of said respective video signal.

5. The server of claim 2 wherein said information comprises network addresses of servers providing information on said respective object.

6. The server of claim 5 wherein said client-interface module comprises:

a receiver for receiving a request from a client computer to acquire a specific video recording;

means for ascertaining availability, within said plurality of overlay directories, of a specific overlay directory corresponding to said specific video recording; and

a transmitter for transmitting to said client computer;

said video-player software module;

said specific overlay directory; and

a network address of a video-streaming server providing said specific video recording.

7. The server of claim 6 wherein said specific overlay directory contains identifiers of a plurality of content objects of said specific video recording and network addresses of servers providing further information on at least one of said content objects.

8. The server of claim 6 wherein said specific overlay directory contains identifiers of a plurality of content objects within said specific video recording and said client-interface module receives:

identifiers of specific content objects selected by a user of said client computer; and

transmits to said client computer network addresses of servers providing information on said specific content objects.

9. The server of claim 8 wherein said client-interface module further comprises a module for collecting statistics relevant to said specific content objects.

10. The server of claim 1 wherein said each overlay directory further includes data relating said content to display times of said at least one object, relative to a time reference.

11. The server of claim 10 wherein said each overlay directory further includes data relating said content to spatial boundaries of successive displays of said at least one object.

12. The server of claim 1 wherein said information further comprises a description of said respective object.

13. The server of claim 1 wherein said plurality of objects comprise commercial products and services.

14. A server for illustrative video streaming comprising:

a processor;

a storage medium holding;

authoring instructions for composing an overlay directory of a video signal, said overlay directory comprising relative time instants, with respect to a starting time instant of said video signal, at which selected objects appear on a display of said video signal; and

emissary instructions for establishing two-way communication sessions between said server and an authoring computer acquiring said authoring instructions; and

a communication module for;

sending said authoring instructions and said emissary instructions to said authoring computer; and

receiving from said authoring computer an identifier of a particular video recording, identifiers of particular objects spotted within a display of a corresponding video signal read from said particular video recording, and an overlay directory of said respective video signal.

15. The server of claim 14 wherein said storage medium further holds:

an object directory having a plurality of object records each object record storing information pertinent to a respective object selected from a plurality of objects; and

a video-content directory having a plurality of overlay directories each overlay directory identifying content of a respective video recording from among a plurality of video recordings, said content exhibiting at least one object from among said plurality of objects.

16. The server of claim 15 further comprising a processor executing software instructions for:

appending said identifier of said particular video recording to said plurality of video recordings;

appending said identifiers of particular objects to said plurality of objects;

expanding said video-content directory to include said overlay directory of said respective video signal.

17. The server of claim 14 wherein said communication module concurrently connects to a plurality of computers through a communication network.

18. A method of linking content of a video signal to information sources, the method comprising:

creating an object directory having a plurality of object records, each object record storing information pertinent to a respective object selected from a plurality of objects;

storing said object directory in a first memory device associated with a server;

acquiring a plurality of video recordings and a plurality network addresses of sources of said video recordings;

creating a video-content directory having a plurality of overlay directories each overlay directory identifying contents of a respective video recording from among said plurality of video recordings, said contents exhibiting at least one object from among said plurality of objects;

storing said video-content directory in a second memory device associated with said server;

receiving at said server a request from a computer for access to a specific video recording; and

upon ascertaining that said specific video recording belongs to said plurality of video recordings, sending from said server to said computer;

a network address, from among said plurality of network addresses, providing said specific video recording; and

a specific overlay directory, from among said plurality of overlay directories, corresponding to said specific video recording.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising a step of sending, from said server to said computer, an augmented-display module for:

producing a display, at said computer, of a video signal read from said specific video recording;

synchronizing said specific overlay directory with said video signal;

detecting a selection, by a user of said computer, of an image of a specific object, said specific object belonging said plurality of objects;

identifying a position of a content item, corresponding to said display of said specific object, within said specific video recording; and

extracting, from said specific overlay directory, an identifier of said specific object.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said information pertinent to said respective object comprises network addresses of at least one network site providing information pertinent to said respective object.

21. The method of claim 19 further comprising a step of receiving, at said server, an indication of said selection.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising steps of:

determining at said server, using said object directory, at least one network address of a network site providing information pertinent to said specific object; and

relaying to said computer said at least one network address.