SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DELIVERING MEDIA BASED ON VIEWER BEHAVIOR

• US 20170353752A1
• Filed: 08/22/2017
• Published: 12/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: YU, Jian, CHEN, David, PATEL, Vipul, GOULD, Kenneth
• Granted Patent: US 10,182,252 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• 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 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing

Abstract

Methods, systems and devices are provided for communicating multimedia content over a service provider network. A network server may receive an audio-video stream from a content provider server, relaying the audio-video stream to a receiver device via the service provider network, receive an operating mode notification identifying a user behavior from the receiver device, and ceasing the relaying of the audio-video stream to the receiver device based on the user behavior. The network server may also alter the audio-video stream based on the received operating mode notification and send the altered audio-video stream to the receiver device via the service provider network.

Claims

1-25. -25. (canceled)

26. A method of communicating multimedia content over a service provider network, the method comprising:

receiving, in a network server processor, an audio-video stream from a content provider server;

relaying the audio-video stream to a receiver device via the service provider network;

receiving, in the, network server processor, an operating mode notification from the receiver device, the received operating mode notification identifying a user behavior detected by the receiver device;

determining a degree of network congestion of the service provider network;

altering, in the network server processor, the audio-video stream based on the degree of network congestion of the service provider network;

stopping the relaying of the audio-video stream to the receiver device; and

sending the altered audio-video stream to the receiver device via the service provider network,

27. The method of claim 26, wherein:

altering the audio-video stream comprises;

determining whether the service provider network is congested based on the degree of network congestion of the service provider network; and

generating a closed caption data stream based on the audio-video stream in response to determining the service provider network is congested; and

sending the altered audio-video stream to the receiver device via the service provider network comprises sending the generated closed caption data stream to the receiver device via the service provider network.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein:

altering the audio-video stream comprises;

determining whether the service provider network is congested based on the degree of network connection of the service provider network; and

generating an audio-only data stream based on the audio-video stream in response to determining the service provider network is not congested; and

sending the altered audio-video stream to the receiver device via the service provider network comprises sending the generated audio-only data stream to the receiver device via the service provider network.

29. A server, comprising:

a server processor configured with server-executable instructions to;

receive an audio-video stream from a content provider server;

relay the audio-video stream to a receiver device via the service provider network;

receive an operating mode notification from the receiver device, the received operating mode notification identifying a user behavior detected by the receiver device;

determine a degree of network congestion of the service provider network;

alter the audio-video stream based on the degree of network congestion of the service provider network;

stop the relaying of the audio-video stream to the receiver device; and

send the altered audio-video stream to the receiver device via the service provider network.

30. The server of claim 29, wherein the server processor is further configured with server executable instructions such that:

altering the audio-video stream comprises;

determining whether the service provider network is congested based on the degree of network congestion of the service provider network; and

generating a closed caption data stream based on the audio-video stream in response to determining the service provider network is congested; and

sending the altered audio-video stream to the receiver device via the service provider network comprises sending the generated closed caption data stream to the receiver device via the service provider network.

31. The server of claim 29, wherein the server processor is further configured with server-executable instructions such that:

altering the audio-video stream comprises;

determining whether the service provider network is congested based on the degree of network congestion of the service provider network; and

generating an audio-only data stream based on the audio-video stream in response to determining the service provider network is riot congested; and

sending the altered audio-video stream to the receiver device via the service provider network comprises sending the generated audio-only data stream to the receiver device via the service provider network.

32. The server of claim 29, wherein the server processor is further configured with server-executable instructions such that receiving the operating mode notification from the receiver device comprises receiving a notification that includes information indicating, that a user is not actively viewing content rendered on an electronic display of the receiver device.

33. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable software instructions configured to cause a server processor to perform operations for communicating multimedia content over a service provider network, the operations comprising:

receiving an audio-video stream from a content provider server;

relaying the audio-video stream to a receiver device via the service provider network;

receiving an operating mode notification from the receiver device, the received operating mode notification identifying a user behavior detected by the receiver device;

determining a degree of network congestion of the service provider network;

altering the audio-video stream based on the degree of network congestion of the service provider network;

stopping the relaying of the audio-video stream to the receiver device; and

sending the altered audio-video stream to the receiver device via the service provider network.

34. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that:

altering the audio-video stream comprises;

determining whether, the service provider network is congested based on the degree of network congestion of the service provider network; and

generating a closed caption data stream based on the audio-video stream in response to determining the service provider network is congested; and

sending the altered audio-video stream to the receiver device via the service provider network comprises sending the generated closed caption data stream to the receiver device via the service provider network.

35. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that:

altering the audio-video stream comprises;

determining whether the service provider network is congested based on the degree of network congestion of the service provider network; and

generating an audio-only data stream based on, the audio-video stream in response to determining the service provider network is not congested; and

sending the altered audio-video stream to the receiver device via the service provider network comprises sending the generated audio-only data stream to the receiver device via the service provider network.

36. A communication system, comprising:

a receiver device comprising a receiver configured to receive data is a service provider network, a memory, and a device processor coupled to the receiver and the memory; and

a server comprising communication circuitry configured to transmit data via the service provider network, and a server processor coupled to the communication circuitry,

wherein the server processor is configured with server-executable instructions to perform operations comprising;

receiving an audio-video stream from a content provider server;

relaying the audio-video stream to the receiver device via the service provider network;

receiving an operating mode notification from the receiver device, the received operating mode notification identifying a user behavior detected by the receiver device;

determining a degree of network congestion of the service provider network;

altering the audio-video stream based on the degree of network congestion of the service provider network;

stopping the relaying of the audio-video stream to the receiver device; and

sending, the altered audio-video stream to the receiver device via the service provider network.

37. The communication system of claim 36, wherein the server processor is configured with server-executable instructions to perform operations such that:

altering the audio-video stream comprises;

determining whether the service provider network is congested based on the degree of network congestion of the service provider network; and

generating a closed caption data stream based on the audio-video stream in response to determining the service provider network is congested; and

sending the altered audio-video stream to the receiver device via the service provider network comprises sending the generated closed caption data stream to the receiver device via the service provider network.

38. The communication system of claim 36, wherein the server processor is configured with server-executable instructions to perform operations such that:

altering the audio-video stream comprises;

determining whether the service provider network is congested based on the degree of network congestion of the service provider network; and

generating, an audio-only data stream based on the audio-video stream in response to determining the service provider network is not congested; and

sending the altered audio-video stream to the receiver device via the service provider network comprises sending the generated audio-only data stream to the receiver device via the service provider network.

39. The communication system of claim 36, wherein the device processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising:

detecting the user behavior comprising detecting that a user is not actively viewing content rendered on an electronic display of the receiver device;

selecting an operating mode based on the detected user behavior;

generating the operating mode notification based on the selected operating mode; and

sending the generated operating mode notification to the server processor via the service provider network.

40. The communication system of claim 39, wherein the device processor is configured with processor-executable instructions such that detecting that the user is not actively viewing content rendered on the electronic display of the receiver device comprises activating a camera of the receiver device.

41. The communication system of claim 39, wherein the device processor is configured with processor-executable instructions such that detecting that the user is not actively viewing, content rendered on the electronic display of the receiver device comprises determining whether the user has scrolled off a video player portion of a web browser.

42. A method of communicating multimedia content over a service provider network, the method comprising:

receiving, in a receiver device, an audio-video stream from a network server;

detecting a user behavior in a device processor of the receiver device;

selecting an operating mode in the device processor based on the detected user behavior;

generating an operating mode notification in the device processor based on the selected operating mode;

sending the generated operating mode notification to the network server processor via the service provider network; and

receiving an altered audio-video stream from the network server, wherein;

the altered audio-video stream comprises a closed caption data stream based on the audio-video stream in response to a determination that the service provider network is congested; and

the altered audio-video stream comprises an audio-only data stream based on the audio-video stream in response to a determination that the service provider network is not congested.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein detecting the user behavior comprises detecting that a user is not actively viewing content rendered on an electronic display of the receiver device.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein detecting, that the user is not actively viewing content rendered on the electronic display of the receiver device comprises activating a camera of the receiver device.

45. The method of claim 43, wherein detecting that the user is not actively viewing content rendered on the electronic display of the receiver device comprises determining whether the user has scrolled off a video player portion of a web browser.