Delivery of navigation data for playback of audio and video content
DCFirst Claim
1. In a server system linked to a consumer system through a communication link, wherein the consumer system includes a processor, a memory, a decoder, and an output device for playing multimedia content, and wherein the server system enables the consumer system to filter multimedia content that is comprised of video content, audio content, or both, a method of assisting the consumer system to automatically identify portions of the multimedia content that are to be filtered and to thereafter automatically filter the identified portions, the method comprising the server system performing the acts of:
- creating an object store that includes a plurality of navigation objects which can be loaded into a memory of the consumer system, each navigation object defining a portion of the multimedia content that is to be filtered by defining a start position, a stop position, and a specific filtering action to be performed on the portion of the multimedia content defined by the start and stop positions for that portion;
receiving a request for one or more navigation objects from the consumer system, the request identifying the multimedia content to be played at the consumer system;
in response to the request, retrieving one or more navigation objects from the object store;
sending the one or more navigation objects to the consumer system for processing, whereby the consumer system filters the multimedia content by activating the filtering action for each portion of the multimedia content defined by the start and stop positions of each navigation object, resulting in the exclusion of each portion of the multimedia content defined by the one or more navigation objects;
sending a representation of the one or more navigation objects to the consumer system, the representation including a description of the one or more navigation objects;
receiving a password from the consumer system to authorize disabling at least one of the one or more navigation objects;
receiving a response to the representation of the one or more navigation objects sent to the consumer system, the response identifying at least one of the one or more navigation objects to be disabled; and
disabling the at least one of the one or more navigation objects such that the filtering action assigned by the at least one of the one or more navigation objects is ignored.
6 Assignments
Litigations
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In accordance with the present invention a filtering process is based on the output side of a multimedia decoder. A navigator, located at a server system, monitors the current play position of multimedia content at a consumer system and compares that position with navigation objects. Each navigation object defines a start position, a stop position, and a filtering action to perform on the portion of the multimedia content that begins at the start position and ends at the stop position. When the current play position falls within the portion of multimedia content defined by a particular navigation object, the navigator sends the filtering action to the consumer system for processing. Filtering actions include skipping, muting, reframing, etc., the portion of multimedia content defined by a navigation object. Alternatively, the navigator may be located at a consumer system and the server system may provide access to the navigation objects (e.g. download) so that the consumer system monitors and filters the multimedia content based on the received navigation objects. A variety of systems may be used to implement the present invention, such as computer systems (consumer and server), television systems, and audio systems.
-
Citations
23 Claims
-
1. In a server system linked to a consumer system through a communication link, wherein the consumer system includes a processor, a memory, a decoder, and an output device for playing multimedia content, and wherein the server system enables the consumer system to filter multimedia content that is comprised of video content, audio content, or both, a method of assisting the consumer system to automatically identify portions of the multimedia content that are to be filtered and to thereafter automatically filter the identified portions, the method comprising the server system performing the acts of:
-
creating an object store that includes a plurality of navigation objects which can be loaded into a memory of the consumer system, each navigation object defining a portion of the multimedia content that is to be filtered by defining a start position, a stop position, and a specific filtering action to be performed on the portion of the multimedia content defined by the start and stop positions for that portion;
receiving a request for one or more navigation objects from the consumer system, the request identifying the multimedia content to be played at the consumer system;
in response to the request, retrieving one or more navigation objects from the object store;
sending the one or more navigation objects to the consumer system for processing, whereby the consumer system filters the multimedia content by activating the filtering action for each portion of the multimedia content defined by the start and stop positions of each navigation object, resulting in the exclusion of each portion of the multimedia content defined by the one or more navigation objects;
sending a representation of the one or more navigation objects to the consumer system, the representation including a description of the one or more navigation objects;
receiving a password from the consumer system to authorize disabling at least one of the one or more navigation objects;
receiving a response to the representation of the one or more navigation objects sent to the consumer system, the response identifying at least one of the one or more navigation objects to be disabled; and
disabling the at least one of the one or more navigation objects such that the filtering action assigned by the at least one of the one or more navigation objects is ignored. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
-
-
8. In a server system linked to a consumer system through a communication link, wherein the consumer system includes a processor, a memory, a decoder, and an output device for playing multimedia content, and wherein the server system enables the consumer system to filter multimedia content that is comprised of video content, audio content, or both, a method of assisting the consumer system to automatically identify portions of the multimedia content that are to be filtered and to thereafter automatically filter the identified portions, the method comprising the server system performing the acts of:
-
creating an object store that includes a plurality of navigation objects which can be loaded into a memory of the consumer system, each navigation object defining a portion of the multimedia content that is to be filtered by defining a start position, a stop position, and a specific filtering action to be performed on the portion of the multimedia content defined by the start and stop positions for that portion;
as the consumer system decodes the multimedia content, continuously querying the consumer system for a position code, the position code indicating a position relative to other positions within the multimedia content;
continuously monitoring the position code and comparing it with each navigation object to determine whether the position corresponding to the position code is within one of the navigation objects;
determining the position code is within a navigation object;
sending to the consumer system, the filtering action assigned to the navigation object, whereby the consumer system filters the multimedia content by activating the filtering action, resulting in the exclusion of the portion of the multimedia content defined by the navigation object;
sending a representation of one or more navigation objects to the consumer system, the representation including a description of the one or more navigation objects;
receiving a password from the consumer system to authorize disabling at least one of the one or more navigation objects;
receiving a response to the representation of the one or more navigation objects sent to the consumer system, the response identifying the at least one of the one or more navigation objects to be disabled; and
disabling the at least one of the one or more navigation objects such that the filtering action assigned to the at least one of the one or more navigation objects is ignored. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. In a server system linked to a consumer system through a communication link, wherein the consumer system includes a processor, a memory, a decoder, and an output device for playing multimedia content, and wherein the server system enables the consumer system to filter multimedia content that is comprised of video content, audio content, or both, a computer program product for implementing a method of assisting the consumer system to automatically identify portions of the multimedia content that are to be filtered and to thereafter automatically filter the identified portions, comprising:
-
a computer readable medium for carrying machine-executable instructions for implementing the method; and
wherein said method is comprised of machine-executable instructions for performing the acts of;
creating an object store that includes a plurality of navigation objects which can be loaded into a memory of the consumer system, each navigation object defining a portion of the multimedia content that is to be filtered by defining a start position, a stop position, and a specific filtering action to be performed on the portion of the multimedia content defined by the start and stop positions for that portion;
receiving a request for one or more navigation objects from the consumer system, the request identifying the multimedia content to be played at the consumer system;
in response to the request, retrieving one or more navigation objects from the object store;
sending the one or more navigation objects to the consumer system for processing, whereby the consumer system filters the multimedia content by activating the filtering action for each portion of the multimedia content defined by the start and stop positions of each navigation object, thereby excluding each portion of the multimedia content defined by the one or more navigation objects;
sending a representation of one or more navigation objects to the consumer system, the representation including a description of the one or more navigation objects;
receiving a password from the consumer system to authorize disabling at least one of the one or more navigation objects;
receiving a response to the representation of the one or more navigation objects sent to the consumer system, the response identifying the at least one of the one or more navigation objects to be disabled; and
disabling the at least one of the one or more navigation objects such that the filtering action assigned to the at least one of the one or more navigation objects is ignored. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
-
-
20. In a server system linked to a consumer system through a communication link, wherein the consumer system includes a processor, a memory, a decoder, and an output device for playing multimedia content, and wherein the server system enables the consumer system to filter multimedia content that is comprised of video content, audio content, or both, a computer program product for implementing a method of assisting the consumer system to automatically identify portions of the multimedia content that are to be filtered and to thereafter automatically filter the identified portions, the method comprising the server system performing the acts of:
-
a computer readable medium for carrying machine-executable instructions for implementing the method; and
wherein said method is comprised of machine-executable instructions for performing the acts of;
creating an object store that includes a plurality of navigation objects which can be loaded into a memory of the consumer system, each navigation object defining a portion of the multimedia content that is to be filtered by defining a start position, a stop position, and a specific filtering action to be performed on the portion of the multimedia content defined by the start and stop positions for that portion;
as the consumer system decodes the multimedia content, continuously querying the consumer system for a position code, the position code indicating a position relative to other positions within the multimedia content;
continuously monitoring the position code and comparing it with each navigation object to determine whether the position corresponding to the position code is within one of the navigation objects;
determining the position code is within a navigation object;
sending to the consumer system, the filtering action assigned to the navigation object, whereby the consumer system filters the multimedia content by activating the filtering action;
sending a representation of one or more navigation objects to the consumer system, the representation including a description of the one or more navigation objects;
receiving a password from the consumer system to authorize disabling at least one of the one or more navigation objects;
receiving a response to the representation of the one or more navigation objects sent to the consumer system, the response identifying the at least one of the one or more navigation objects to be disabled; and
disabling the at least one of the one or more navigation objects such that the filtering action assigned to the at least one of the one or more navigation objects is ignored. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23)
-
Specification