PROVIDING SKETCH ANNOTATIONS WITH MULTIMEDIA PROGRAMS

• US 20100070878A1
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2008
• 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, Nathan, Mukesh
• Granted Patent: US 9,275,684 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/751
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/572 Communication between players during game play of non game information, e.g. e-mail, chat, file transfer, streaming of audio and streaming of video
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics

Abstract

A method for collaborative sketch annotating of a program of multimedia content includes enabling a first user to create a sketch annotation, enabling the first user to store sketch annotation data related to the sketch annotation, and enabling a second user to access the sketch annotation. The second user may navigate the program using the sketch annotation and/or an indication of the sketch annotation. The first user may create the sketch annotation while viewing the program, for example, and the program may be paused for adding the sketch annotation to one or more paused frames. The sketch annotations may include chronological information indicative of a chronological location of the sketch annotation within the program.

Claims

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

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

storing data indicative of the sketch annotation; and

enabling a second user of a second client to view the sketch annotation while viewing the program, wherein the second client is different than the first client.

2. The service of claim 1, further comprising:

storing chronological information indicative of a chronological location within the program of the sketch annotation.

3. The service of claim 1, wherein creating a sketch annotation comprises creating a hand-drawn annotation.

4. The service of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling a second user to navigate to a segment of the program containing the sketch annotation by selecting an indication of the sketch annotation.

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

6. The service of claim 1, wherein said enabling the first user comprises enabling the first user to create a sketch annotation by asserting a sketch annotation button on a remote control device while the first user is viewing the program.

7. The service of claim 1, wherein the sketch annotation is coded to distinguish it from further annotations from further users.

8. The service of claim 1, further comprising:

removing the sketch annotation from displaying after a specified duration.

9. The service of claim 1, wherein said enabling the first user includes enabling the first user to create a sketch annotation by providing user input to a mobile communication device communicatively coupled to the first client.

10. The service of claim 9, wherein the mobile communication device is enabled to receive user input using a touch screen.

11. The service of claim 9, wherein the mobile communication device is enabled to receive user input using a stylus.

12. The service of claim 1, wherein elements of the sketch annotation align to elements of a current image of the program.

13. The service of claim 12, further comprising:

removing the sketch annotation when the sketch annotation no longer aligns to the program image.

14. The service of claim 12, further comprising:

removing the sketch annotation in response to a change of scene in the program.

15. The service of claim 12, wherein creating a sketch annotation comprises creating a trace of a movement of a hardware element that is directed by a hand of the user.

16. The service of claim 12, wherein the sketch annotation emphasizes a visible element of the program.

17. 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, the embedded executable instructions including instructions to:

generate a sketch annotation and store data indicative of the sketch annotation responsive to detecting a sketch annotation request from a first user viewing the program, wherein the sketch annotation is indicative of a path of motion of a hardware element affected by body movement of the user;

recognize a second user as a member of a collaboration group; and

provide the sketch annotation to the second user.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the instructions to generate the sketch annotation include instructions to generate the sketch annotation while the first user is viewing the program.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the sketch annotation includes chronological information indicative of a chronological location within the program of the sketch annotation.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the sketch annotation is coded to distinguish it from further annotations from further users.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the instructions to generate the sketch annotation include instructions to generate the sketch annotation while the second user is viewing the program.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the instructions to generate the sketch annotation include instructions to receive input from the first user, wherein the input is provided to a mobile communication device.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the instructions to generate the sketch annotation include instructions to receive user input from a touch screen coupled to the mobile communication device.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the mobile communication device is a smart phone.

25. 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, the method comprising:

responsive to a first user of the annotation group initiating entry of a contemporaneously generated free-form annotation, storing annotation data indicative of the sketch annotation, wherein the annotation data 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 sketch annotation in conjunction with the program;

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

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the sketch annotation includes an image indicative of a frame of the program displayed when the user annotated the program.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the sketch annotation includes chronological information indicative of a chronological location within the program of the sketch annotation.

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

generating the sketch annotation request responsive to the first user asserting an annotation button on a remote control device.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the sketch annotation is coded to distinguish it from further annotations from further users.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the further annotations include textual annotations.

31. A collaborative sketch annotation method, comprising:

enabling a plurality of users to provide sketch annotations to be associated with a program of multimedia content, wherein the sketch annotations are associated with one or more chronological positions of the program;

storing annotation data indicative of the sketch annotations; and

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

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising enabling a first user to define the plurality of users.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising enabling at least one of the plurality of users to navigate the program by the sketch annotations.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising enabling at least one of the plurality of users to send the sketch annotation to a selected recipient for use in viewing the content.