APPLICATION TRIGGERING

• US 20130051770A1
• Filed: 08/25/2011
• Published: 02/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Sargent, Darren
• Granted Patent: US 8,935,719 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/278
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/783 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23418 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/442 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/29; arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information H04H60/35; monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; monitoring in wireless networks H04W24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8545 for generating interactive applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot

Abstract

An apparatus, method, system and computer-readable medium are disclosed for, in one aspect, determining when a trigger, such as an application trigger, should be generated. In some embodiments, the application trigger may be generated when a frame included in a feed (e.g., a content feed) matches a specified or indicated frame. In some embodiments, a comparison between the feed and the specified or indicated frame may be based on one or more tolerances or thresholds. In some embodiments, the feed may be split and content (e.g., video) obtained via the split may be combined (e.g., multiplexed) with a trigger. The combined content and trigger may be transmitted to one or more devices, such as one or more user devices.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an indication of a frame to be associated with a trigger for an application;

determining, at a computing device, that a match exists between said frame and a corresponding frame in a piece of content to be associated with the application; and

responsive to said determining, associating said trigger and said application with said piece of content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination that the match exists is based on a predetermined tolerance.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination that the match exists is based on at least one of a pixel-by-pixel comparison, a color comparison technique, a macro block level technique, a facial recognition algorithm, and an eigenvector.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the trigger comprises a do-it-now trigger.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the trigger comprises a specification of an offset.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the offset is based at least in part on time.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the offset is based at least in part on the occurrence of an event.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving said piece of content via a content feed;

splitting the content feed; and

combining the split content with the trigger.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the trigger directs a client application to perform a task, the method further comprising:

transmitting the combined split content and trigger to a user device associated with the client application.

10. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to;

receive content comprising a plurality of frames,

receive at least one trigger that directs the apparatus to perform a task associated with at least one of the plurality of frames, and

responsive to receiving the at least one trigger, performing said task associated with said at least one of the plurality of frames.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:

receive an input identifying the at least one of the plurality of frames,

determine that a match exists between the input identifying the at least one of the plurality of frames and the at least one of the plurality of frames included in the received content, and

generate the at least one trigger responsive to determining that the match exists.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the determination that the match exists is based at least in part on comparing audio in the at least one frame included in the received content and audio identified in the input identifying the at least one of the plurality of frames.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one trigger comprises a stacked trigger.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one trigger comprises a cancel-trigger.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:

receive at least one of a hash and a digest of a reference frame associated with the at least one of the plurality of frames.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one trigger is configured to cause an interactive advertisement to be launched.

17. A system comprising:

an apparatus configured to;

receive enhanced video and video,

discard at least one of blue-screen and dummy video included in the received enhanced video,

combine the enhanced video, less the discarded at least one blue-screen and dummy video, with the received video, and

transmit the combination.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the apparatus is configured to:

multiplex the combination with at least one trigger, and

transmit the multiplexed combination and at least one trigger to a user device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the multiplexing of the combination with the at least one trigger is based on in-band communications.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the multiplexing of the combination with the at least one trigger is based on out-of-band communications, and wherein the at least one trigger is associated with an application, and wherein the application is associated with an electronic programming guide.