METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DELIVERING SUPPLEMENTAL CONTENT ASSOCIATED WITH AUDIO/VISUAL CONTENT TO A USER

• US 20100100581A1
• Filed: 10/16/2008
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Card, John A. II, Landow, Kate Megan Carney
• Granted Patent: US 8,359,399 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

A method for delivering supplemental content associated with audio/visual content to a user of the audio/visual content is presented. In the method, the audio/visual content and the supplemental content are received. The audio/visual content is then transferred as a stream to a first device for presentation to the user. The supplemental content is transferred to a second device for presentation to the user. The transferred supplemental content is organized into segments, wherein each of the segments is to be presented by the second device to the user in synchronization with the presentation of a corresponding portion of the audio/visual content.

Claims

1. A method of delivering supplemental content associated with audio/visual content to a user of the audio/visual content, the method comprising:

receiving the audio/visual content and the supplemental content associated with the audio/video content;

transferring the audio/visual content as a stream to a first device for presentation to the user; and

transferring the supplemental content to a second device for presentation to the user;

wherein the transferred supplemental content is organized into segments, and wherein each of the segments is to be presented by the second device to the user in synchronization with the presentation of a corresponding portion of the audio/visual content.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

for each of the segments of the supplemental content, transferring a synchronization signal to synchronize the presentation of the segment to the user with the presentation of the corresponding portion of the audio/visual content.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

for each of the synchronization signals, transferring to the second device at least one of an indication of the segment associated with the synchronization signal, license data for the segment associated with the synchronization signal, a security key for the segment associated with the synchronization signal, and additional supplemental content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

transferring the supplemental content to the second device comprises transferring each of the segments of the supplemental content separately, wherein the transfer of each of the segments is synchronized with the transfer of a corresponding portion of the audio/visual content.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the supplemental content comprises at least one of captioning content, descriptive audio content, and dialogue in at least one language.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the supplemental content comprises supplemental content not duplicative of the audio/visual content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the supplemental content is integrated with the audio/visual content as received; and

each segment of the transferred supplemental content is synchronized with the audio/visual content based on a temporal relationship between the supplemental content and the audio/visual content when received.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the supplemental content is received separately from the audio/visual content;

the supplemental content includes synchronization data for synchronizing the supplemental content to the audio/visual content; and

the synchronization data is employed to synchronize the segments of the transferred supplemental content to the audio/visual content.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

transferring the supplemental content comprises transferring the supplemental content by way of a multicasting protocol to the second device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

transferring the audio/visual content comprises transferring the audio/visual content by way of an Internet Protocol connection.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

transferring the supplemental content comprises transferring the supplemental content by way of an Internet Protocol connection.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein:

transferring the supplemental content comprises transferring at least a portion of the supplemental content as a web feed.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

encoding at least a portion of the supplemental content with a security key prior to transferring the portion of the supplemental content.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transferring to the second device an expiration time beyond which at least a portion of the supplemental content may no longer be accessed.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

transferring to the second device license data enabling the second device to decode at least a portion of the supplemental content prior to the expiration time.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transferring to the second device data identifying a source of the supplemental content prior to transferring the supplemental content.

17. A device for delivering supplemental content associated with audio/visual content to a user of the audio/visual content, the device comprising:

a communication interface configured to receive the audio/visual content and the supplemental content associated with the audio/video content, to transfer the audio/visual content as a stream to a first device for presentation to the user, and to transfer the supplemental content to a second device for presentation to the user; and

control logic configured to organize the supplemental content into segments, wherein each of the segments is to be presented to the user in synchronization with a corresponding portion of the audio/visual content.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein:

the control logic is configured to separate the supplemental content from the audio/visual content if the supplemental content is integrated with the audio/visual content as received over the communication interface.

19. The device of claim 17, wherein the communication interface comprises:

a first communication interface configured to receive the audio/visual content and to transfer the audio/visual content to the first device; and

a second communication interface configured to transfer the supplemental content to the second device, wherein the second communication interface comprises a wireless communication interface.

20. The device of claim 17, wherein:

the control logic is configured to format each of the segments of the supplemental content as a separate transmission before transferring the supplemental content by way of the communication interface.

21. The device of claim 17, wherein:

for each of the segments of the supplemental content, the control logic is configured to generate a synchronization signal for transmission by way of the communication interface to the second device to synchronize the presentation of the segment to the user with the presentation of the corresponding portion of the audio/visual content.

22. A system for delivering supplemental content to users of audio/visual content, the system comprising:

a first output device;

second output devices; and

an interpreter device configured to receive audio/visual content and associated supplemental content, to stream the audio/visual content to the first output device, and to transfer the supplemental content to the second output devices, wherein the transferred supplemental content is organized into segments, wherein each of the segments is associated with a corresponding portion of the audio/visual content;

wherein the first output device is configured to receive the audio/visual content from the interpreter device and present the audio/visual content to the users; and

wherein each of the second output devices is configured to receive the supplemental content and present each of the segments of the supplemental content to at least one of the users in synchronization with the corresponding portion of the audio/visual content.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein:

the interpreter device is configured to transfer the supplemental content to the second output devices over a wireless communication connection.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein:

the interpreter device is configured to transfer the supplemental content to the second output devices by way of a plurality of transmissions, wherein each of the transmissions a segment of the supplemental content.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein:

the interpreter device is configured to transfer a synchronization signal usable by the second output devices to synchronize at least one of the segments of the supplemental content with the portion of the audio/visual content corresponding to the at least one of the segments.