APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING DISTRIBUTED MEDIA CONSUMPTION

• US 20110119706A1
• Filed: 11/17/2009
• Published: 05/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2009
• 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: Mukerji, Ankur, White, Scott, Scott, Charles
• Granted Patent: US 8,832,734 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a first set-top-box (STB) of a group of STBs, the first STB having a controller to select via a graphical user interface (GUI) a media program and a second STB of the group of STBs for receiving an invitation to participate in a media session, wherein the media session comprises presentation of the media program, transmit the invitation to the second STB of the group of STBs, wherein information associated with the invitation is visually displayed at a third STB of the group of STBs participating in the media session, and present the media program at the first STB during the media session, wherein the media program is presented at the third STB during the media session. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving an invitation from a media processor to participate in a media session, wherein the media session comprises presentation of a media program selected by the media processor, and wherein the media processor operates in an interactive television (iTV) network;

displaying the invitation received from the media processor and information associated with the invitation;

transmitting to the media processor a response to the invitation via a graphical user interface (GUI), wherein the response comprises one of an acceptance and a rejection of the invitation;

participating in the media session if the response comprises the acceptance of the invitation; and

presenting the media program at a scheduled viewing time while participating in the media session.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the iTV network comprises at least one of internet protocol television (IPTV), cable television, and satellite television.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the invitation comprises at least one of an invitation status, a list of media devices participating in the media session, and a scheduled viewing time of the media program.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving control signals from the media processor, wherein the control signals enable the media processor to control at least one of the media session and playback of the media program.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising downloading the media program if the scheduled viewing time of the media program is after a live broadcast of the media program, wherein presentation of the media program is synchronized by the media processor for each device participating in the media session.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the media processor comprises one of a set-top-box, a personal computer, a mobile device, a telephone, a personal digital assistant, a digital video recorder, a television, and a portable media player.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the media program comprises at least one of video content, audio content, text content, still image content, and recorded content.

8. A first set-top-box (STB) of a group of STBs, the first STB comprising a controller to:

select via a graphical user interface (GUI) a media program and a second STB of the group of STBs for receiving an invitation to participate in a media session, wherein the media session comprises presentation of the media program;

transmit the invitation to the second STB of the group of STBs, wherein information associated with the invitation is visually displayed at a third STB of the group of STBs participating in the media session; and

present the media program at the first STB during the media session, wherein the media program is presented at the third STB during the media session.

9. The first STB of the group of STBs of claim 8, wherein at least one STB of the group of STBs operates in an interactive television (iTV) network, wherein the iTV network comprises at least one of internet protocol television (IPTV), cable television, and satellite television.

10. The first STB of the group of STBs of claim 8, wherein the information associated with the invitation comprises an invitation status, a list of STBs of the group of STBs participating in the media session, and a scheduled viewing time of the media program.

11. The first STB of the group of STBs of claim 8, wherein at least one of the invitation, the information associated with the invitation, and the media program are presented at the second STB.

12. The first STB of the group of STBs of claim 8, wherein the controller is adapted to receive one of an acceptance and a rejection from the second STB in response to the invitation, wherein if the controller receives the rejection, the second STB does not participate in the media session, and wherein if the controller receives the acceptance, the second STB participates in the media session.

13. The first STB of the group of STBs of claim 8, wherein the controller is adapted to control at least one of the media session and each STB of the group of STBs participating in the media session.

14. The first STB of the group of STBs of claim 8, wherein the controller is adapted to transmit an alert to each STB of the group of the STBs participating in the media session prior to the presentation of the media program.

15. The first STB of the group of STBs of claim 8, wherein the controller is adapted to synchronize playback of the media program for each STB of the group of STBs participating in the media session.

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

select a media program and a first media processor of a plurality of media processors for receiving an invitation to participate in a media session, wherein the media session comprises presentation of the media program;

transmit the invitation to the first media processor, wherein information associated with the invitation is visually displayed at the first media processor and a second media processor of the plurality of media processors participating in the media session;

receive a response to the invitation from the first media processor, wherein the response comprises one of an acceptance and a rejection of the invitation; and

present the media program at the first media processor during the media session if the acceptance was received, wherein the media program is presented at the second media processor during the media session.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, comprising computer instructions to control at least one of the media session and the plurality of media processors during the media session.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein at least one of the invitation and the information associated with the invitation comprise at least one of invitation text, a scheduled viewing time for the media program, an invitation status, and a list of media processors of the plurality of media processors participating in the media session.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, comprising computer instructions to receive at least one of voice, text, image, and video communications from the first media processor, and further comprising computer instructions to transmit at least one of the received voice, text, image, and video communications to each media processor of the plurality of media processors participating in the media session.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, comprising computer instructions to transmit an alert to the first media processor prior to presentation of the media program, wherein the alert prompts the first media processor to perform at least one of switching to the media program, recording the media program, and ignoring the alert.