METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SHARING DIGITAL MEDIA CONTENT

• US 20110072078A1
• Filed: 09/09/2010
• Published: 03/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OpenTV, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Original Assignee: OpenTV, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Inventors: Fishman, Alex, Chai, Crx K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,606,848 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/489 using time information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communication real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM] H04L51/04; selective video distribution H04N21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1063 Application servers providing network services systems providing special services to telephonic subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• 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

Abstract

Methods and systems for generating and sharing media clips are described. Consistent with some embodiments, while a selection of digital media content (e.g., a movie, television program, audio track, and so on) is being presented at a media player, a user creates one or more sets of waypoints (e.g., time markers) that define the boundaries (e.g., beginning and end) of one or more media clips. These waypoints are communicated from one media player device to another, enabling the receiving media player device to retrieve and play back the media clips from a source other than the media player device where the waypoints were generated.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

during presentation of a selection of digital media content at a first media player device, responsive to detecting a first request to establish a first waypoint and a second request to establish a second waypoint, generating the first and second waypoints, the first and second waypoints forming a waypoint pair that together define the beginning and ending points of a media clip; and

responsive to detecting a request to transmit the waypoint pair to a second media player device, transmitting the waypoint pair to the second media player device along with a digital content identifier that identifies the selection of digital media content to which the waypoint pair relates.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second waypoints define the beginning and ending points of a media clip relative to a time point of the selection of digital media content.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a content source identifier to the second media player along with the waypoint pair and the content identifier, the content source identifier identifying a content source from which the selection of digital media content can be requested.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first media player device is a set top box, and detecting a first request to establish a first waypoint and a second request to establish a second waypoint includes detecting signals generated via a remote control device for use in controlling the set top box.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

subsequent to detecting the first and second requests to establish waypoints, detecting additional requests to establish additional waypoint pairs defining additional media clips from the selection of digital media content; and

transmitting the additional waypoint pairs to the second media player device with the content identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

subsequent to detecting the first and second requests to establish waypoints, detecting additional requests to establish additional waypoint pairs defining additional media clips from one or more different selections of digital media content;

transmitting the additional waypoint pairs to the second media player device with one or more additional content identifiers that identify one or more different selections of digital media content to which the additional waypoint pairs relate.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting a request to transmit the waypoint pair to a second media player device includes detecting a selection of a graphical user interface element representing the media clip defined by the waypoint pair, and detecting selection of a graphical user interface element representing a person associated with the second media player to which the waypoint pair is to be transmitted.

8. A method comprising:

at a first media player device, receiving from a second media player device a waypoint pair and a content identifier, the waypoint pair consisting of a first waypoint defining a beginning point of a media clip and a second waypoint defining the ending point of the media clip, the content identifier identifying a selection of digital media content to which the waypoint pair relates;

communicating the waypoint pair and the content identifier to a content source along with a content request;

receiving from the content source data representing a media clip extracted from the selection of digital media content identified by the content identifier in accordance with the waypoint pair; and

presenting the media clip at the first media player device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving from the second media player device a content source identifier identifying a content source from which the content identified by the content identifier can be requested, wherein the content source to which the content request is communicated is the content source identified by the content source identifier.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving from the second media player device a content source identifier identifying a content source from which the content identified by the content identifier can be requested;

displaying a plurality of content sources from which the content identified by the content identifier can be requested, the plurality of content sources presented so as to indicate the content source identified by the content identifier; and

receiving a selection of one content source from the plurality of displayed content sources, wherein the communicating the waypoint pair and the content identifier to the content source along with the content request includes communicating the content request to the selected content source.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein communicating the waypoint pair and the content identifier to a content source along with a content request occurs subsequent to determining that the selection of digital media content identified by the content identifier is not locally accessible.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein subsequent to receiving the waypoint pair and the content identifier, displaying a notification indicating that a media clip has been shared, the notification including information identifying a person who has shared media clip.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

in addition to the waypoint pair and the content identifier, receiving from the second media player device a media clip generated with an audio or video capturing device of the second media player.

14. A method comprising:

at a content source, receiving a content request from a media player device along with a waypoint pair and a content identifier, the waypoint pair consisting of a first waypoint defining a beginning point of a media clip and a second waypoint defining the ending point of the media clip, the content identifier identifying a selection of digital media content to which the waypoint pair relates;

accessing the selection of digital media content identified by the content identifier;

generating a media clip by extracting a portion of the selection of digital media content defined by the waypoint pair; and

transmitting the media clip defined by the waypoint pair to the media player device from which the content request was received.

15. A media player device comprising:

a streaming media receiving module to receive and present data representing a selection of digital video content;

a command processing module to receive a first request to establish a first waypoint and a second request to establish a second waypoint, the first and second waypoints forming a waypoint pair that together define the beginning and ending points of a media clip associated with a selection of digital media content presented at the media player device;

a graphical user interface module to facilitate receiving a selection of a second media player device to which the waypoint pair is to be communicated;

a communications module to communicate to a selected second media player device the waypoint pair and a content identifier identifying the selection of digital media content to which the waypoint pair relates.