METHODS AND DEVICES FOR PROVIDING COMPANION SERVICES TO VIDEO

• US 20150015788A1
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Published: 01/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: ADAMS, Neil Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 9,648,268 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/571
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/12 Use of codes for handling textual entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234 Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing of video streams or manipulating encoded video stream scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application

Abstract

Methods and devices for providing companion services to video are described. In one example embodiment, the method includes: identifying text contained within a video; determining, by performing pattern matching, if the identified text in the video contains actionable text; and if the identified text in the video contains actionable text, providing access to one or more features based on the actionable text.

Claims

1. A method performed by a processor, the method comprising:

identifying text contained within a video;

determining, by performing pattern matching, if the identified text in the video contains a date; and

if the identified text in the video contains a date, providing access to one or more features based on the date.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing access to one or more features comprises:

providing a selectable option to create a calendar event based on the date.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the calendar event comprises a reminder, a meeting or an alarm.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the calendar event comprises a meeting request.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the calendar event comprises an alarm.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the selectable option is provided during playback of the video.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that playback of the video has been paused, and wherein identifying text contained within a video comprises;

identifying text contained within a frame of the video displayed while the playback of the video has been paused.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if the identified text in the video contains a date comprises:

determining if the identified text in the video contains a string of characters having one or more predetermined formats.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying text contained in the video comprises:

analyzing one or more frames of the video to identify text contained in the video.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying text contained in the video comprises:

intermittently analyzing frames of the video.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein providing access to one or more features based on the date comprises automatically performing a function associated with the date on a companion device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein providing access to one or more features based on the date comprises adding a link to the one or more features to a list which includes links to other features based on other actionable text identified in the video.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

streaming the video to a media display device for playback on the media display device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein providing access to one or more features based on the date comprises sending a command to a companion device from a media display device instructing the companion device to provide access to the one or more features based on the date,

the method further comprising displaying the video on the media display device.

15. An electronic device comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, the processor being configured to;

identify text contained within a video;

determine, by performing pattern matching, if the identified text in the video contains a date; and

if the identified text in the video contains a date, provide access to one or more features based on the date.

16. The electronic device of claim 15 further comprising:

a display coupled to the processor for displaying the video;

a short range communications subsystem coupled to the processor for sending a command to a companion device to instruct the companion device to provide the access to one or more features based on the date.

17. The electronic device of claim 15, further comprising:

a short range communication subsystem coupled to the processor for providing the video to a media display device for playback on the media display device, and wherein the one or more features are provided on the electronic device.

18. A method performed by a processor, the method comprising:

determining if a video includes an actionable object; and

if the video includes the actionable object, providing access to one or more companion features based on the actionable object.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein determining if the video includes the actionable object comprises:

performing facial recognition to identify a person represented in the video.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein determining if the video includes the actionable object comprises:

performing product-recognition to identify a product represented in the video.