USER-INITIATED CONTROL OF AN AUDIO/VIDEO STREAM TO SKIP INTERSTITIAL CONTENT BETWEEN PROGRAM SEGMENTS

• US 20160037223A1
• Filed: 10/09/2015
• Published: 02/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Casagrande, Steven M., Kummer, David A., Ergen, Charles W.
• Application Number:
  US14/880,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20160037223A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/19 by using information detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4888 for displaying teletext characters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording

Abstract

Various embodiments are described for skipping, filtering, or replacing content from an audio/video stream using text data associated with the stream, wherein the stream has segments of a show interspersed with commercial breaks. A method for processing the stream determines that a commercial break is currently being output for presentation, and monitors for receipt of a user-initiated command to skip the commercial break. When a user-initiated skip command is received during the commercial break, the method automatically skips to a location in the stream that is at or near an end of the commercial break, and seamlessly continues presentation of the stream from that location. If a skip command is not received during output of the commercial break, then output of the current commercial break continues as usual. This methodology is repeated for all subsequent commercial breaks in the stream.

Claims

1. A method for processing a recorded audio/video stream having multiple segments of a show interspersed with interstitials, the method comprising:

recording, with a video receiving device, an audio/video stream having closed captioning text data associated with video frames of the audio/video stream;

receiving, at the video receiving device, location information that references the closed captioning text data;

processing, with the video receiving device, the closed captioning text data of the recorded audio/video stream and the location information to identify boundaries between the multiple segments of the show and the interstitials, wherein the closed captioning text data referenced by the location information corresponds to video frames of the recorded audio/video stream that identify the boundaries;

outputting the recorded audio/video stream for presentation on a display device;

during presentation of each of the interstitials;

monitoring for receipt of a user-initiated command to skip a current one of the interstitials;

when a user-initiated command to skip the current one of the interstitials is received, automatically skipping the current one of the interstitials and, thereafter, continuing presentation of the recorded audio/video stream, wherein the automatically skipping uses the identified boundaries in the recorded audio/video stream; and

when a user-initiated command to skip the current one of the interstitials is not received, continuing presentation of the current one of the interstitials.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a reminder during presentation of each of the interstitials, the reminder indicating to the user that the current one of the interstitials can be skipped.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the reminder is displayed for only a limited amount of time at or near a beginning of each of the interstitials.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the reminder is persistently displayed throughout each of the interstitials.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

a received user-initiated command is associated with user activation of a designated user interface element of a remote control device that controls operation of the video receiving device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

each of the interstitials contains a plurality of commercials.

7. A receiving device comprising:

a communication interface that receives an audio/video stream including multiple segments of a show interspersed with interstitials, and that receives location information that references closed captioning text data associated with video frames of the audio/video stream;

a storage unit that stores the received audio/video stream as a recorded audio/video stream;

an audio/video interface that outputs the recorded audio/video stream for presentation on a display device; and

control logic that;

processes the closed captioning text data of the recorded audio/video stream and the location information to identify boundaries between the multiple segments of the show and the interstitials, wherein the closed captioning text data referenced by the location information corresponds to video frames of the recorded audio/video stream that identify the boundaries;

monitors, during presentation of each of the interstitials, for receipt of a user-initiated command to skip a current one of the interstitials;

automatically skips the current one of the interstitials when a user-initiated command to skip the current one of the interstitials is received, and continues with presentation of a next one of the multiple segments of the show, wherein the automatically skipping uses the identified boundaries in the recorded audio/video stream; and

continues with presentation of the current one of the interstitials when a user-initiated command to skip the current one of the interstitials is not received.

8. The receiving device of claim 7, wherein the control logic and the audio/video interface cooperate to display a reminder during presentation of each of the interstitials, the reminder indicating that the current one of the interstitials can be skipped.

9. The receiving device of claim 8, wherein the reminder is displayed for only a limited amount of time at or near a beginning of each of the interstitials.

10. The receiving device of claim 8, wherein the reminder is persistently displayed throughout each of the interstitials.

11. The receiving device of claim 7, wherein:

a received user-initiated command is associated with user activation of a designated user interface element of a remote control device that controls operation of the receiving device.

12. A method for processing an audio/video stream comprising multiple segments of a show interspersed with commercial breaks, the method comprising:

(a) recording, with a video receiving device, the audio/video stream;

(b) recording, with the video receiving device, closed captioning text data associated with video frames of the recorded audio/video stream;

(c) receiving, at the video receiving device, location information that references the closed captioning text data;

(d) processing, with the video receiving device, the closed captioning text data data of the recorded audio/video stream and the location information to identify boundaries between the multiple segments of the show and the commercial breaks, wherein the closed captioning text data referenced by the location information corresponds to video frames of the recorded audio/video stream that identify the boundaries;

(e) determining that a current commercial break of the audio/video stream is currently being output for presentation on a presentation device;

(f) monitoring, during output of the current commercial break, for receipt of a user-initiated command to skip the current commercial break;

(g) when a user-initiated command to skip the current commercial break is received during output of the current commercial break, automatically skipping to a location in the audio/video stream that is at or near an end of the current commercial break, and seamlessly continuing presentation of the audio/video stream from the location, wherein the automatically skipping uses the identified boundaries in the recorded audio/video stream;

(h) when a user-initiated command to skip the current commercial break is not received during output of the current commercial break, continuing presentation of the current commercial break; and

(i) repeating (e), (f), (g), and (h) for all subsequent commercial breaks in the audio/video stream.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

displaying a reminder in response to the determining, the reminder indicating that the current commercial break can be skipped.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the user-initiated command is generated in response to user interaction with the reminder.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the reminder is displayed for only a limited amount of time at or near a beginning of the current commercial break.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the reminder is persistently displayed throughout the duration of the current commercial break.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein:

a received user-initiated command is associated with user activation of a designated user interface element of a remote control device that controls operation of the video receiving device.