METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR USE IN COORDINATING MULTIMEDIA DEVICES

• US 20100293598A1
• Filed: 07/22/2010
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2007
• 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: Collart, Todd, Lamkin, Allan
• Granted Patent: US 8,775,647 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4393 Multimedia presentations, e.g. slide shows, multimedia albums
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/15 on receiving information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64753 directed to the client

Abstract

Some embodiments of the present invention provide methods for use in playing back content. Some of these methods access a content package comprising media content to be locally played back; detect, as defined by the content package, whether a remote secondary device is available with which a connection can be established; determine whether an authorization to establish the connection has been confirmed; establish, when the authorization is confirmed, a communication connection; determine, as instructed by the content package and when the communication with the secondary device is established, whether one or more commands are received from the secondary device; and implement, as instructed by the content package and when it is determined that the one or more commands are received from the secondary device, the one or more commands in controlling playback experience of the media content.

Claims

1. A method of playing back multimedia content from a content package, the method comprising:

accessing, locally at a primary device, a content package, where the content package comprises multimedia content and instructions to broadcast a first information relevant to the multimedia content;

determining whether the content package instructs that the first information should be broadcasted;

extracting, from the content package and in response to determining that the content package instructs that the first information should be broadcasted, the first information to be broadcasted;

implementing the instructions from the content package to broadcast the first information; and

broadcasting, from the primary device in accordance with the instructions of the content package, the first information to a remote first secondary device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing, through the primary device and prior to the broadcasting, a cooperation and connection with the first secondary device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the establishing the connection comprises establishing a socket between the primary device and the first secondary device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether the content package instructs that the first information should be broadcasted comprises identifying a trigger event defined in the content package, and implementing the broadcasting in response to detecting the trigger event.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the extracting the first information to be broadcasted comprises extracting playback timing information corresponding to the trigger and relative to playback timing of the multimedia content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the extracting the first information comprises extracting an application identification of an application to be activated by the first secondary device in cooperation with the multimedia content being played back at the primary device, and the broadcasting the first information comprises broadcasting the application identification to the first secondary device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the extracting first information further comprises extracting a network address for a remote source from which the first secondary device can acquire the application to be activated by the first secondary device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving instructions from the application being implemented at the first secondary device; and

implementing, locally at the primary device, the received instructions to alter the playback of the multimedia in accordance with the received instructions.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, locally at the primary device, additional content from the first secondary device; and

the implementing the received instructions comprises displaying the additional content in cooperation with the multimedia content from the content package.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

playing back, locally at the primary device, the multimedia content from the content package;

receiving, locally at the primary device, additional content from the first secondary device; and

displaying the additional content in cooperation with the multimedia content from the content package.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the extracting the first information comprises extracting an application identification of an application to be activated by the first secondary device in cooperation with the multimedia content being played back at the primary device;

and

the broadcasting the first information comprises broadcasting the application identification to the first secondary device.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a communication link with the first secondary device and a remote second secondary device where the second secondary device is different than the first secondary devices;

maintaining distinct state information for at least each of the first secondary device and the second secondary device;

identifying the first information to potentially be communicated by the primary device, where the first information is relevant to playback of the multimedia content;

determining, in response to identifying the first information, a first current state of the first secondary device and a first current state of the second secondary device; and

wherein the broadcasting the first information comprises broadcasting, in response to determining the first current state of the first secondary device, the first information to the first secondary device, and not broadcasting the first information to the second secondary device in response to determining the first current state of the second secondary device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

identifying a second information to potentially be communicated, where the second information is relevant to the playback of the multimedia content;

determining, in response to the identifying the second information, a second current state of the first secondary device and a second current state of the second secondary device; and

broadcasting, in response to determining the second current state of the first secondary device and the second current state of the second secondary device, the second information to the first secondary device and the second secondary device.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

detecting a first trigger corresponding to the playback of the multimedia content;

wherein the identifying the first information comprises identifying the first information in response to detecting the first trigger and where the first information is relevant to the first trigger.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

initiating a service from the content package on the primary device;

announcing the service over a local network; and

receiving, over the local network and in response to the announcement of the service, a reply from each of the first secondary device and the second remote secondary device;

wherein the establishing the communication link comprises establishing, over the local network and in response to the reply to the announcement of the service, a direct communication link with each of at least the first secondary device and the second secondary device.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

implementing, locally at the primary device, a multiple service registration application from the content package;

establishing, through the multiple service registration application, a communication link with the first secondary device;

implementing, locally at the primary device, a first service application from the content package where the first service application provides a first service to the secondary device and comprises the instruction to broadcast the first information;

terminating the first application while maintaining a connection with the first secondary device through the multiple service registration application; and

implementing, locally at the primary device, a second service application from the content package that provides a second service to the secondary device; and

broadcasting, through the connection maintained by the multiple service registration application and in response to an instruction in the second service application, a second information to the first secondary device.

17. A method of extending a playback experience, the method comprising:

receiving, at a primary device, a content package, where the content package comprises;

multimedia content to be played back by the primary device, and a broadcast application to be implemented by the primary device;

playing back the multimedia content; and

initiating the broadcast application such that the primary device when implementing the broadcast application broadcasts information relevant to the multimedia content being played back by the primary device.

18. A method for use in extending a playback experience of multimedia content, the method comprising:

establishing, through a secondary device, a cooperation and connection with a remote primary device accessing a content package, wherein the content package comprises multimedia content, and wherein the connection provides a communication path between the secondary device and the primary device;

receiving, at the secondary device, a broadcast broadcasted from the primary device;

extracting, from the broadcast, an instruction to be implemented by the secondary device, where the instruction is defined in the content package, and where the instruction instructs the initiation of an application;

identifying the application instructed to be initiated; and

activating, at the secondary device, the application where the application corresponds to the content package.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the application corresponds to the multimedia content of the content package.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the activating the application comprises:

accessing, over a distributed network, a first remote source;

acquiring, from the first remote source and over the distributed network, additional content directly associated with the content package; and

playing back, locally at the secondary device, the acquired additional content.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the identifying the application comprises:

extracting, from the broadcast, an identification of the multimedia content;

accessing, over a distributed network, a first remote source;

communicating, over the distributed network, the identification of the multimedia content; and

acquiring, from the remote source and over the distributed network, the application, in response to communicating the identification of the multimedia content.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the activating the application comprises:

accessing, over the distributed network, a second remote source;

acquiring, from the second remote source and over the distributed network, additional content directly associated with the content package; and

playing back, locally at the secondary device, the acquired additional content.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the acquiring the additional content comprises communicating, over the distributed network and to the second remote source, the identification of the multimedia content.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the content package comprises a non-transitory, tangible, portable, computer readable storage medium, wherein the content package instructs the broadcast from the primary device.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the establishing the cooperation and the connection with the remote primary device comprises establishing the cooperation and the connection with the remote primary device in response to receiving the broadcast.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein the identifying the application comprises:

extracting, from the broadcast, an identification of a first remote source;

accessing, over a distributed network, the first remote source in response to extracting the identification of the first remote source; and

acquiring, from the first remote source and over the distributed network, the application.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the extracting the identification of the first remote source comprises extracting a network address designation.

28. A method of extending a playback experience, the method comprising:

detecting, at a secondary device, a broadcast communicated from a primary device playing back multimedia content from a content package, where the broadcast comprising broadcast information relevant to the multimedia content being played back by the primary device;

extracting the broadcast information from the broadcast;

accessing, in response to extracting the broadcast information, a remote source; and

acquiring, from the remote source, additional content relevant to the multimedia content being played back by the primary device.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

displaying the additional content in synchronization with the playback of the multimedia content being played back by the primary device.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein extracting the broadcast information comprises extracting timecodes corresponding to playback timing of the multimedia content as the content is being played back at the primary device;

and

utilizing the timecodes to dictate the displaying of the additional content.

31. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

extracting a content identification; and

forwarding the content identification to the remote source such that the additional content received from the remote source corresponds to the content identification.

32. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

issuing commands to the primary device to alter the playback at the primary device of the multimedia content.

33. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

establishing a link with the primary device prior to receiving the broadcast.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

authenticating the primary device.

35. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

forwarding an authentication that authenticates the secondary device to the primary device.

36. A system providing playback of content, the system comprising:

non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium with a content package recorded on the storage medium;

the content package comprising;

multimedia content to be played back by a primary device accessing the content package; and

a broadcast application to be implemented by the primary device such that the primary device when implementing the broadcast application broadcasts information relevant to the multimedia content being played back by the primary device.

37. The system of claim 36, further comprising:

a linking script that when executed by the primary device causes the primary device to establish a link with a separate secondary device that is intended to receive the broadcast.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the link, established by the linking script, comprises a virtual connection over a distributed network between the primary device and the secondary device

39. The system of claim 37, wherein the link, established by the linking script, comprises a direct link between the primary device and the secondary device

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the linking script authenticates the secondary device without a remote source intervention and establishes the direct link in response to authenticating the secondary device, and prevents the establishment of the direct link in response to failing to authenticate the secondary device.

41. The system of claim 37, wherein the broadcast information is configured to be received by a separate secondary device and to cause the secondary device to implement an application to expand a playback experience of the multimedia content of the content package as the multimedia content is being played back by the primary device.

42. The system of claim 37, wherein the broadcast information is configured to be received by a separate secondary device and to cause the secondary device to acquire additional multimedia content to be played back in cooperation with the multimedia content being played back at the primary device.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein the broadcast information comprises timing information to be received by the separate secondary device and to cause the secondary device to synchronize the playback of the additional multimedia content with the playback of the multimedia content at the primary device.

44. A non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium with a content package recorded on the storage medium, the content package comprising:

multimedia content to be played back by a primary device; and

executable instructions comprising a broadcast application, wherein the broadcast application when executed by the primary device causes the primary device to broadcast information relevant to the multimedia content being played back by the primary device.

45. A method of expanding a playback experience beyond a primary device, the method comprising:

accessing locally at a primary device a content package comprising;

multimedia content to be played back at the primary device, and a broadcast application;

determining whether a communication link is known to be established between the primary device and a remote secondary device;

playing back a first portion of the multimedia content in response to determining that the communication link is established; and

implementing the broadcast application and broadcasting information to the secondary device, where the information is specific to the first portion of the multimedia content and directs the secondary device to provide access to a first additional content that is dependent upon the information.

46. The method of claim 45, further comprising:

preventing the broadcasting of the information to the secondary device in response to determining that the communication link is not established; and

initiating playback of a second portion of the multimedia content that is different than the first portion of the multimedia content when the communication link is not established.

47. The method of claim 46, further comprising:

establishing, after the initiating playback of the second portion of the multimedia content, a communication link with the remote secondary device; and

altering playback of the multimedia content as a result of the established communication link.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the altering the playback of the multimedia content comprises initiating playback of a third portion of the multimedia content that is not available to be playback back without the communication link being established.

49. The method of claim 47, wherein the altering the playback of the multimedia content comprises providing additional functionality to the secondary device to control the playback of the multimedia content, where the additional functionality is not available directly through the primary device.

50. The method of claim 47, further comprising:

broadcasting further information specific to the playback of the first portion of the multimedia content to the secondary device, where the further information synchronizes playback of the first additional content at the secondary device with the playback of the first portion of the multimedia content.

51. The method of claim 50, further comprising:

receiving instructions from the secondary device; and

altering playback of the first portion of the multimedia content in accordance with the instructions received from the secondary device.

52. The method of claim 46, further comprising:

implementing, locally on the primary device, an application from the media package;

issuing from the primary device an announcement over a network of a service provided by the application being implemented on the primary device;

receiving, over the network, a reply from the remote secondary device in response to the announcement;

establishing a communication link with the remote secondary device in response to the reply to the announcement; and

altering playback of the multimedia content as a result of the established communication link.