APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MEDIA DETECTION AND REPLACEMENT

• US 20110078754A1
• Filed: 09/30/2009
• Published: 03/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2009
• 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: Howcroft, Jerry, RAFTELIS, MICHAEL
• Granted Patent: US 9,241,185 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/110
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2358 for generating different versions, e.g. for different recipient devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4394 involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4396 by muting the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440236 by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures, audio is converted into text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a server having a controller configured to receive a selection from a computing device during presentation of a media program comprising at least one of audio content and textual content associated with the audio content, wherein the selection identifies media content of interest, receive a selection from the computing device identifying replacement content for the media program, detect whether the media program contains the identified media content of interest, and replace the identified media content of interest with the replacement content if the identified media content of interest is detected in the media program. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A server, comprising a controller to:

receive a selection from a computing device during presentation of a media program comprising at least one of audio content and textual content associated with the audio content, wherein the selection identifies media content of interest;

receive a selection from the computing device identifying replacement content for the media program;

detect whether the media program contains the identified media content of interest; and

replace the identified media content of interest with the replacement content if the identified media content of interest is detected in the media program.

2. The server of claim 1, wherein at least one of the server and the computing device operate in an iTV network, wherein the iTV network comprises at least one of internet protocol television (IPTV), interactive cable television, and interactive satellite television.

3. The server of claim 1, wherein the identified media content of interest comprises at least one of audio content, textual content associated with the audio content, still image content, and video content.

4. The server of claim 1, wherein the controller is operable to store at least one of the identified media content of interest and information associated with the identified media content of interest.

5. The server of claim 4, wherein the information associated with the identified media content of interest comprises an identifier associated with the media program, a time associated with detection of the identified media content of interest, a time associated with replacement of the identified media content of interest, and an identifier indicating successful replacement of the identified media content interest.

6. The server of claim 1, wherein the controller is operable to receive the selections via at least one of a graphical user interface (GUI) and a batch file feed.

7. The server of claim 1, wherein the controller is operable to insert an indicator with a pointer to the replacement content in the audio content upon detection of the identified media content of interest, wherein the pointer is placed at a start point of the identified media content of interest.

8. The server of claim 7, wherein the controller is operable to retrieve the replacement content based on the pointer, and wherein the controller replaces the identified media content of interest with the replacement content at the start point.

9. A method, comprising:

identifying media content of interest and replacement content for the media content of interest using a batch file feed, wherein the media content of interest is associated with a media program; and

transmitting the identifications to a server operating in an interactive television (iTV) network, wherein the media content of interest is determined by the server to be in the media program, wherein the replacement content is retrieved by the server, and wherein the media content of interest is replaced with the retrieved replacement content by the server during the media program.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the iTV network comprises at least one of internet protocol television (IPTV), interactive cable television, and interactive satellite television.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the media content of interest and the replacement content comprise at least one of audio content, video content, still image content, text content, and text content associated with the audio content.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the media content of interest, information associated with the media content of interest, and the replacement content are stored by the server.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein audio content and text content of the media program are replaced separately by the server, and wherein the audio content and text content correlate to the identified media content of interest.

14. The method of claim 9, comprising identifying at least one of the media content of interest and the replacement content by utilizing at least one of a personal computer, a mobile device, and a set-top-box (STB).

15. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising computer instructions to:

receive a selection from a computing device operating in an interactive television (iTV) network, wherein the selection identifies media content of interest associated with a media program;

receive a selection from the computing device identifying replacement content to replace the media content of interest;

determine whether the media program contains the identified media content of interest;

retrieve the replacement content if the media program is determined to contained the identified media content of interest; and

replace the identified media content of interest with the replacement content during presentation of the media program.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, comprising computer instructions to insert an indicator with a pointer to the replacement content when the media program is determined to contain the identified media content of interest, wherein the pointer is placed at a start point of the identified media content of interest.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, comprising computer instructions to retrieve the replacement content based on the pointer, and further comprising computer instructions to replace the identified media content of interest with the replacement content at the start point.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, comprising computer instructions to store at least one of the identified media content of interest, information associated with the identified media content of interest, and the replacement content.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, comprising computer instructions to replace audio content and text content of the media program separately, wherein the audio content and text content correlate to the identified media content of interest.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, comprising computer instructions to insert at least one of a real-time transfer protocol (RTP) header and digital rights management (DRM) information into at least one of the media program and the replacement content.