METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR USE IN PROVIDING PLAYBACK OF VARIABLE LENGTH CONTENT IN A FIXED LENGTH FRAMEWORK

• US 20100142915A1
• Filed: 06/05/2009
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deluxe 3D LLC (Deluxe Corp.), Deluxe Digital Distribution Inc. (Deluxe Corp.), Deluxe Digital Studios, Inc. (Deluxe Corp.), Deluxe Entertainment Services Inc., Deluxe Laboratories LLC, Deluxe Media Inc., Deluxe One, LLC, Softitler Net, Inc., Deluxe Creative Services Inc. (The Framestore Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Deluxe Digital Studios, Inc. (Deluxe Corp.)
• Inventors: McDermott, Jeff, Randall, Bruce, Kao, Sherry
• Granted Patent: US 8,842,967 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/343
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2537 Optical discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/036 Insert-editing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/30 on the same track as the main recording
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3027 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42646 for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium, e.g. DVD, CD-ROM
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists

Abstract

The present embodiments methods and systems for use in providing supplemental content to be played back with a portable storage medium through a playback device that conforms to a fixed length content framework, by receive request for supplemental content from a playback device; identifying the supplemental content; retrieve supplemental content; accessing a predefined clip template defined prior to receiving the request; processing the supplemental content and generating a plurality of clips of supplemental content that have a playback length that is a fraction of a playback length of the supplemental content; and forward supplemental content clips to the requesting playback device.

Claims

1. A method for use in providing supplemental content to be played back with a portable storage medium through a playback device that conforms to a fixed length content framework, the method comprising:

receiving, over a network, a request for supplemental content from a playback device;

identifying the supplemental content;

retrieving supplemental content;

accessing a predefined clip template defined prior to receiving the request;

processing the supplemental content and generating a plurality of clips of supplemental content in accordance with the clip template, such that the plurality of clips of supplemental content that have a playback length that is a fraction of a playback length of the supplemental content; and

forwarding the plurality of clips of supplemental content to the requesting playback device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the retrieving the supplemental content comprises retrieving the supplemental content as it is generated.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the retrieving the supplemental content as it is generated comprises retrieving multimedia content from a capturing device as the capturing device captures and records a live event with an unknown playback duration.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing a predefined template comprises:

determining parameters regarding at least one or more capabilities of the playback device; and

selecting the predefined clip template from a plurality of predefined clip templates defined prior to receiving the request.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the predefined clip template is defined prior to content being recorded to the portable storage medium.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing a predefined template comprises:

receiving an identification of clip information recorded on the portable storage medium accessed by the playback device; and

selecting the predefined clip template from a plurality of predefined clip templates, defined prior to receiving the request, based on the clip information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the predefined clip template directly corresponds with clip information recorded on the portable storage medium.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the clips of supplemental content comprises incorporating null data into a plurality of the clips of supplemental content such that the clips of supplemental content comply with the selected clip template.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising;

compressing the supplemental content comprising removing packets of null data incorporated into the clips of supplemental content prior to forwarding the plurality of clips of supplemental content to the requesting playback device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the clips of supplemental content comprises incorporating padding data into a plurality of the clips of supplemental content such that the clips of supplemental content comply with clip information recorded on the portable storage medium and associated with the supplemental content.

11. A method for use in generating clips of supplemental content to be played back, through a playback device that conforms to a fixed length content framework, in accordance with a portable storage medium directly accessed by the playback device, the method comprising:

identifying the supplemental content;

selecting one of a plurality of clip templates;

processing the supplemental content applying the selected clip template;

generating a plurality of clips of supplemental content; and

incorporating padding data into the plurality of clips of supplemental content such that the clips of supplemental content comply with the selected clip template.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the incorporating the padding data comprises incorporating the padding data such that the supplemental content within each clip of supplemental content complies with playback timing relative to the clips of supplemental content.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the incorporating the padding data into a plurality of the clips of supplemental content comprises incorporating the padding data such that the clips of supplemental content comply with clip information recorded on the portable storage medium and associated with the supplemental content.

14. A method of providing playback of content in association with a portable storage medium, the method comprises:

accessing, by a playback device configured to comply to a fixed length content framework, a first playlist of a file structure stored on a portable storage medium directly accessed by the playback device;

initiating playback of content relative to the portable storage medium;

detecting a place holder defined within the first playlist relative to accessing supplemental content that is not stored on the portable storage medium that has a first playback duration;

retrieving clip information recorded on the portable storage medium for the place holder and extracting a second playback duration designated in the clip information for the place holder where the second playback duration is greater than the first playback duration;

retrieving at least a portion of the supplemental content after the initiating playback of the content relative to the portable storage medium;

initiating playback of at least the portion of supplemental content;

detecting the completion of playback of the supplemental content;

terminating the playback of the supplemental content; and

returning playback control relative to the first playlist.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

retrieving metadata exclusively associated with the supplemental content, where the metadata defines the first playback duration of the supplemental content;

the detecting the completion of the playback of the supplemental content comprises detecting, during playback of the supplemental content, that the first playback duration has been reached; and

overriding the second playback duration in response to detecting that the first playback duration has been reached.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

accessing the portable storage medium, identifying that a plurality of playlists are defined on the portable storage medium;

identifying at least playback device parameters; and

selecting the first playlist of the plurality of playlists where the first playlist corresponds with the identified playback device parameters, and implementing the accessing to the playlist in response to selecting the playlist.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the received supplemental content is formatted to correspond to clip information defined on the portable storage medium and associated with the detected place holder.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the initiating playback of at least the portion of supplemental content comprises a plurality of clips generated to comply with a first clip template to correspond with the clip information defined on the portable storage medium.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the plurality of clips of supplemental content have playback durations equal to playback durations defined in the clip information defined on the portable storage medium, and where the supplemental content is unknown at the time the clip information is recorded to the portable storage medium.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the initiating playback of at least the portion of supplemental content comprises initiating playback of a first clip of supplemental content while continuing to receive from a remote source a second clip of supplemental content.