COLLABORATIVE ANNOTATION OF MULTIMEDIA CONTENT

• US 20090319885A1
• Filed: 06/23/2008
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stead, Larry, Amento, Brian Scott, Harrison, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 10,248,931 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/230
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A method for collaborative annotating of a program of multimedia content includes enabling a first user to create a program annotation, enabling the first user to store annotation data, and enabling a second user to access the annotation data. The second user may navigate the program using the annotation and/or view the annotation while viewing the program. The first user may create the annotation while viewing the program, for example, by asserting an annotation button on a remote control device. The annotation may include the frame that was displayed when the user created the annotation, text, audio, an image, or video selected by the viewer. The annotations include chronological information indicative of a chronological location of the annotation within the program. The annotations may include “rating annotations” indicating the author'"'"'s subjective rating of a portion of the program that is in chronological proximity to the annotation'"'"'s chronological location.

Claims

1. A service enabling collaborative annotating of multimedia content, comprising:

enabling a first user to create an annotation for a program of multimedia content using a first client;

enabling the first user to store data indicative of the annotation; and

enabling a second user to access the annotation data using a second client, different than the first client, and to perform an act selected from navigating the program using the annotation and viewing the annotation while viewing the program.

2. The service of claim 1, wherein enabling the first user to create the annotation comprises enabling the first user to create the annotation while the first user is viewing the program.

3. The service of claim 2, wherein enabling the first user to create an annotation while the first user is viewing the program comprises enabling the first user to create an annotation by asserting an annotation button on a remote control device.

4. The service of claim 3, wherein the annotation comprises an image indicative of the content displayed when the user asserted the annotation button.

5. The service of claim 3, wherein the annotation includes at least one of text, an audio segment, an image, and a video segment selected by the viewer.

6. The service of claim 1, wherein the annotations include chronological information indicative of a chronological location within the program of the annotation.

7. The service of claim 6, wherein enabling the first user to create the annotation comprises enabling the first user to create at least one annotation including a subjective rating of a portion of the program in chronological proximity to the chronological location of the annotation.

8. A data processing system suitable for use in a multimedia content delivery network, the system comprising a processor having access to tangible, computer readable storage including embedded executable instructions for collaborative annotation of a multimedia content program, comprising instructions to:

generate an annotation and store data indicative of the annotation responsive to detecting an annotation request from a first user viewing the program;

recognize a second user as a member of a collaboration group in response to a collaboration group request from the first viewer, wherein the collaboration group request includes information indicative of the second user; and

provide the annotation to the second user in conjunction with the second user requesting to view the program.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions to generate the annotation include instructions to generate the annotation while the first user is viewing the program.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions to generate an annotation while the first user is viewing the program are responsive to detecting the first user asserting an annotation button on a remote control device.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the annotation includes at least one of text, an audio segment, an image, and a video segment selected by the first user.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the annotation includes chronological information indicative of a chronological location within the program of the annotation.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein enabling the first user to create the annotation comprises enabling the first user to create at least one annotation including a subjective rating of a portion of the program in chronological proximity to the chronological location of the annotation.

14. A method supporting collaborative annotations for a program of multimedia content, wherein the annotations are shared by a plurality of users in an annotation group, comprising:

responsive to a first user of the annotation group annotating the program, storing annotation data indicative of an annotation, wherein the annotation is associated with a selected chronological location within the program; and

responsive to a second user of the annotation group requesting the program, providing the second user access to the annotation data in conjunction with the program;

wherein the second user uses the annotation data in conjunction with the program to navigate the content based on the annotation and view visually detectable information indicative of the annotation while viewing the selected chronological location.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the annotation includes an image indicative of a frame of the program displayed when the user annotated the program.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the annotation includes at least one of text, an audio segment, an image, and a video segment selected by the first user.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the annotations include chronological information indicative of a chronological location within the program of the annotation.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising, responsive to an annotation request from the first user while the first user is watching the program, creating the annotation.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising, generating the annotation request responsive to the first user asserting an annotation button on a remote control device.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein creating the annotation includes creating a chat annotation including text generated by the first user.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein creating the annotation includes creating a rating annotation including an approval or disapproval of content in chronological proximity to the content.

22. A collaborative annotation method, comprising:

enabling a plurality of users to annotate a program of multimedia content wherein an annotation is associated with a chronological position of the program when the annotation was created;

storing annotation data indicative of the annotations; and

enabling at least one of the plurality of users to access the stored annotation data and display the annotations while the program is playing.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising, enabling a first user to define the plurality of users.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising enabling at least one of the plurality of users to navigate the program by the annotations.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising enabling at least one of the plurality of users to send the annotation to a selected recipient for use in viewing the content.