SYSTEM FOR IDENTIFYING MEDIA CONTENT

• US 20090049402A1
• Filed: 08/17/2007
• Published: 02/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: White, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 9,063,934 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/437 Administration of user profiles, e.g. generation, initialisation, adaptation, distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7328 Query by example, e.g. a complete video frame or video sequence graphical querying G06F16/7335
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/40 Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a media content processor having a controller element to compare a first portion of metadata associated with media content under presentation with a second portion of metadata of each of one or more media content sources to present one or more alternative sources of related media content. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising computer instructions for:

detecting a selection of media content;

presenting at a media device the selected media content;

retrieving metadata associated with the selected media content;

comparing the retrieved metadata with metadata of a plurality of media content sources;

detecting one or more matches between the retrieved metadata and metadata of the plurality of media content sources; and

presenting at the media device one or more sources of media content associated with the one or more matches of metadata.

2. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the plurality of media content sources correspond to at least two media content sources selected from among a Video on Demand (VoD) catalog, an Electronic Programming Guide (EPG), a repository of Digital Video Recorder (DVR) recordings, a repository of media content, and one or more media content sources accessible by way of an Internet Service Provider (ISP).

3. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the media content presented corresponds to one among audio content, and video content.

4. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein metadata comprises information associated with at least one among a genre, an identity of one or more artists, a title, a description of the media content in question, and credits associated with the media content in question.

5. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for:

constructing a tout message associated with the one or more sources of media content; and

presenting at the media device the tout message.

6. The storage medium of claim 5, comprising computer instructions for

constructing one or more selectable commands in the tout message associated with the one or more sources of media content;

and

presenting at the media device the one or more selectable commands.

7. The storage medium of claim 6, wherein the one or more selectable commands correspond are represented by one or more selectable Graphical User Interface (GUI) elements.

8. The storage medium of claim 6, comprising computer instructions for:

detecting a selection associated with the one or more selectable commands; and

presenting at the media device media content associated with one among the one or more sources of media content responsive to said selection.

9. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein computer-readable storage medium operates in a media content processor, and wherein the media device comprises one among a television set, a computer, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), and a portable communication device.

10. The storage medium of claim 9, wherein the media content processor corresponds to a Set-Top Box (STB) receiver, and wherein the STB receiver operates in one among an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) communication system, a satellite TV communication system, and a cable TV communication system.

11. A media content processor, comprising a controller element to compare a first portion of metadata associated with media content under presentation with a second portion of metadata of each of one or more media content sources to present one or more alternative sources of related media content.

12. The media content processor of claim 11, wherein the controller element is adapted to present at a media device the selected media content.

13. The media content processor of claim 12, wherein the controller element is adapted to:

detect one or more matches between the first and second portions of metadata; and

identify the one or more alternative sources of related media content according to said one or more matches.

14. The media content processor of claim 11, wherein the one or more media content sources correspond to at least one among a Video on Demand (VoD) catalog, an Electronic Programming Guide (EPG), a repository of Digital Video Recorder (DVR) recordings, a repository of media content, and one or more media content sources accessible by way of an Internet Service Provider (ISP), and wherein the media content presented corresponds to one among audio content, and video content.

15. The media content processor of claim 11, wherein metadata comprises information associated with at least one among a genre, an identity of one or more authors, a title, a description of media content in question, and credits associated with the media content in question, and wherein the media content processor operates in one among an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) communication system, a satellite TV communication system, and a cable TV communication system.

16. The media content processor of claim 11, wherein the controller element is adapted to:

construct one or more selectable Graphical User Interface (GUI) elements in a tout message associated with the one or more alternative sources of related media content; and

present at a media device the tout message with the one or more GUI elements.

17. The media content processor of claim 16, wherein the controller element is adapted to:

detect a selection from the one or more GUI elements; and

present at the media device at least one of the one or more alternative sources of related media content responsive to said selection.

18. The media content processor of claim 18, wherein the controller element is adapted to:

determine a consumption pattern associated with a plurality of requests to present media content; and

select the one or more media content sources according to the consumption pattern.

19. A method, comprising identifying one or more alternative sources of media content according to one or more matches between a portion of metadata associated with media content requested for presentation and a portion of metadata associated with one or more media content sources.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the one or more media content sources are correspond to at least one among a Video on Demand (VoD) catalog, an Electronic Programming Guide (EPG), a repository of Digital Video Recorder (DVR) recordings, a repository of media content, and one or more media content sources accessible by way of an Internet Service Provider (ISP), and wherein the media content corresponds to one among audio content, and video content.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the metadata comprises information associated with at least one among a genre, an identity of one or more authors, a title, a description of media content in question, and credits associated with the media content in question, and wherein at least a portion of the media content is supplied by one among an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) communication system, a satellite TV communication system, and a cable TV communication system.

22. The method of claim 19, comprising excluding a portion of the one or more matches according to a consumption pattern of media content.

23. A computer-readable storage medium in a portal, comprising computer instructions for:

establishing communications with a media content processor;

submitting to the media content processor a request for presentation of media content;

presenting the requested media content responsive to receiving said requested media content from the media content processor; and

presenting one or more alternative sources of related media content identified from a comparison of metadata of the requested media content and metadata of one or more media content sources.

24. The storage medium of claim 23, wherein the requested media content is streamed from the media content processor.

25. The storage medium of claim 23, wherein the metadata comprises information associated with at least one among a genre, an identity of one or more authors, a title, a description of media content in question, and credits associated with the media content in question, and wherein the comparison step is performed by one among the portal and the media content processor.