Network delivery of interactive entertainment synchronized to playback of audio recordings

• US 6,240,459 B1
• Filed: 07/16/1999
• Issued: 05/29/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gracenote, Inc. (RR Donnelley & Sons Company)
• Original Assignee: CDDB, Inc. (RR Donnelley & Sons Company)
• Inventors: Greenberg, Ann E., Roberts, Dale Tyson
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US09/354,164
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/232, 709/236, 709/237, 709/248, 348/515, 345/302, 360/70.2
• US Class Current: 709/232
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/438 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4393 Multimedia presentations, e.g. slide shows, multimedia albums
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/02 Control of operating function, e.g. switching from recording to reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/213 Read-only discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/41 Flat as opposed to hierarchical combination, e.g. library of tapes or discs, CD changer, or groups of record carriers that together store one title
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

Entertainment content complementary to a musical recording is delivered to a user'"'"'s computer by means of a computer network link. The user employs a browser to access the computer network. A plug-in for the browser is able to control an audio CD or other device for playing the musical recording. A script stored on the remote computer accessed over the network is downloaded. The script synchronizes the delivery of the complementary entertainment content with the play of the musical recording.

Claims

1. A networked system for synchronizing playback of a recording with display of information, comprising:

a playback system including a display, a communication port and a processing unit, coupled to the display and the communication port, to compare display timing information with a current playback position of a recording being reproduced to determine whether to request a new display segment;

a network coupled to the communication port of said playback device; and

a database system, coupled to said playback device via said network, to store a database of sets of display data with the timing information, to supply to said playback device the timing information in response to a request for the display data corresponding to the recording being reproduced by said playback device and to supply the new display segment when requested by said playback system.

2. A networked system as recited in claim 1,

wherein said playback system further includes a compact disc reading mechanism coupled to said processing unit; and

wherein the recording is a compact disc with audio content and the recording identifier is based on table of contents information read from the compact disc.

3. A networked system as recited in claim 1,

wherein the display data include a series of images, and

wherein said playback system is a computer programmed to display the series of images in accordance with the display timing information, including the new display segment after receipt from said database system.

4. A networked system as recited in claim 3, wherein said computer has a multimedia player loaded and the series of images are frames in an animation file for the multimedia player and each display segment is a frame.

5. A networked system as recited in claim 4,

wherein said computer includes at least one memory unit, coupled to said processing unit, to store the recording and the animation file, and

wherein the recording is compressed using MPEG encoding.