Methods, apparatus, and program products to support a shared viewing experience from remote locations

• US 7,818,770 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2004
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 6, LLC
• Original Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Smetters, Diana K., Moore, Robert J., Nickell, Eric S., Thornton, James D., Bobrow, Daniel G., Edwards, W. Keith, Ducheneaut, Nicolas
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelley; Christopher
• Assistant Examiner(s): FLYNN, RANDY A
• Application Number:
  US10/997,216
• Publication Number:
  US 20060174312A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,156 Days
• Field of Search: 725 32- 36, 725/87, 725/89, 725/110, 725/135, 348/14.09, 348/386.1, 348/14.1, 348/15, 386/46, 386/68, 386/80, 386/96, 709/204, 709/231
• US Class Current: 725/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

Apparatus, methods, and a computer-usable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to establish a control link, establish a human communication channel, and create a shared social space that enables a local audience member and a remote audience member to simultaneously experience a recorded experiential data stream, whereby the local audience member and the remote audience member are enabled to communicate over the human communication channel about the experiential data stream.

Claims

1. A computer controlled method comprising:

establishing a control link between a remote device and a local device;

establishing a human communication channel between a local audience member and a remote audience member;

monitoring a first playback position in a time dimension of a first experiential data stream on said local device for said local audience member;

monitoring a second playback position in said time dimension of a second experiential data stream on said remote device for said remote audience member;

establishing a shared social space between the remote audience member and the local audience member to facilitate their communication over the human communication channel about their shared experience of the experiential data stream, which involves aligning the first and second playback positions to create the shared experience; and

reproducing at the local device two or more overlapping commentary audio clips, which are indexed to trigger positions of said experiential data stream that cause a duration of the two or more commentary audio clips to overlap, by;

determining an ordering for presenting the two or more commentary audio clips sequentially; and

reducing a playback vector of the experiential data stream, when presenting a portion of the experiential data stream that corresponds to the two or more commentary audio clips, such that the two or more commentary audio clips are presented sequentially during the presentation of the corresponding portion of the experiential data stream, wherein a playback vector includes a direction and a velocity for presenting the experiential data stream.

2. The computer controlled method of claim 1, further comprising agreeing to present said first experiential data stream and said second experiential data stream in said shared social space.

3. The computer controlled method of claim 1, wherein said human communication channel utilizes one or more of the group consisting of said control link, a computer network, a telephone network, a wireless network, a voice over IP channel, an instant message network, an e-mail capability, a text-based communication capability, a LAN, a WAN, the internet, and a computer-assisted audio system.

4. The computer controlled method of claim 3, wherein said computer-assisted audio system comprises a conversation finder.

5. The computer controlled method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving information over said human communication channel; and

presenting said information.

6. The computer controlled method of claim 5, wherein said information is information that can be audibly reproduced and presenting said information further comprises audibly reproducing said information.

7. The computer controlled method of claim 1, further comprising verifying that said first experiential data stream and said second experiential data stream are substantially similar.

8. The computer controlled method of claim 1, further comprising synchronizing said first playback position with said second playback position to bring said first playback position into alignment with said second playback position.

9. The computer controlled method of claim 1, further comprising tracking said second playback position whereby said first playback position is kept in alignment with said second playback position.

10. The computer controlled method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing a commentary audio clip;

presenting said commentary audio clip responsive to said first playback position; and

detecting a non-verbal vocal utterance in said commentary audio clip and classifying said commentary audio clip accordingly.

11. The computer controlled method of claim 1, further comprising receiving replacement/additional content.

12. The computer controlled method of claim 11, further comprising presenting said replacement/additional content responsive to said first playback position.

13. The computer controlled method of claim 1, further comprising detecting issuance of a command and invoking one or more functions responsive to said command.

14. A computer controlled method comprising:

monitoring a first playback position in a time dimension of an experiential data stream on a local device for a local audience member;

periodically receiving a second playback position related to said experiential data stream over a control link;

monitoring said second playback position; and

presenting said experiential data stream, which includes reproducing at the local device two or more overlapping commentary audio clips, which are indexed to trigger positions of said experiential data stream that cause a duration of the two or more commentary audio clips to overlap, by;

determining an ordering for presenting the two or more commentary audio clips sequentially; and

reducing a playback vector of the experiential data stream, when presenting a portion of the experiential data stream that corresponds to the two or more commentary audio clips, such that the two or more commentary audio clips are presented sequentially during the presentation of the corresponding portion of the experiential data stream, wherein a playback vector includes a direction and a velocity for presenting the experiential data stream.

15. The computer controlled method of claim 14, further comprising synchronizing said first playback position with said second playback position to bring said first playback position into alignment with said second playback position.

16. The computer controlled method of claim 14, further comprising tracking said second playback position whereby said first playback position is kept in alignment with said second playback position.

17. The computer controlled method of claim 14, further comprising:

accessing a commentary audio clip;

presenting said commentary audio clip responsive to said first playback position; and

detecting a non-verbal vocal utterance in said commentary audio clip and classifying said commentary audio clip accordingly.

18. The computer controlled method of claim 14, further comprising receiving replacement/additional content.

19. The computer controlled method of claim 18, further comprising presenting said replacement/additional content responsive to said first playback position.

20. The computer controlled method of claim 16, further comprising detecting issuance of a command and invoking one or more functions responsive to said command.

21. The computer controlled method of claim 20, further comprising presenting status information related to a shared social space.

22. A non-transitory computer-usable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause said computer to perform a method comprising:

monitoring a first playback position in a time dimension of an experiential data stream on a local device for a local audience member;

periodically receiving a second playback position related to said experiential data stream over a control link;

monitoring said second playback position; and

presenting said experiential data stream, which includes reproducing at the local device two or more overlapping commentary audio clips, which are indexed to trigger positions of said experiential data stream that cause a duration of the two or more commentary audio clips to overlap, by;

determining an ordering for presenting the two or more commentary audio clips sequentially; and

reducing a playback vector of the experiential data stream, when presenting a portion of the experiential data stream that corresponds to the two or more commentary audio clips, such that the two or more commentary audio clips are presented sequentially during the presentation of the corresponding portion of the experiential data stream, wherein a playback vector includes a direction and a velocity for presenting the experiential data stream.

23. The computer-usable storage medium of claim 22, further comprising synchronizing said first playback position with said second playback position to bring said first playback position into alignment with said second playback position.

24. The computer-usable storage medium of claim 22, further comprising tracking said second playback position whereby said first playback position is kept in alignment with said second playback position.

25. The computer-usable storage medium of claim 22, further comprising:

accessing a commentary audio clip;

presenting said commentary audio clip responsive to said first playback position; and

detecting a non-verbal vocal utterance in said commentary audio clip and classifying said commentary audio clip accordingly.

26. The computer-usable storage medium of claim 22, further comprising receiving replacement/additional content.

27. The computer-usable storage medium of claim 26, further comprising presenting said replacement/additional content responsive to said first playback position.

28. The computer-usable storage medium of claim 22, further comprising detecting issuance of a command and invoking one or more functions responsive to said command.

29. The computer-usable storage medium of claim 28, further comprising presenting status information related to a shared social space.

30. An apparatus for presenting an experiential data stream to a local audience member, the apparatus comprising:

a first position monitor configured to monitor a first playback position in a time dimension of said experiential data stream;

a control link configured to periodically receive a second playback position related to said experiential data stream;

a second position monitor configured to monitor said second playback position wherein the apparatus can align said first playback position with said second playback position; and

presentation logic configured to present said experiential data stream, wherein presenting the experiential data stream includes reproducing at the local device two or more overlapping commentary audio clips, which are indexed to trigger positions of said experiential data stream that cause a duration of the two or more commentary audio clips to overlap, by;

determining an ordering for presenting the two or more commentary audio clips sequentially; and

reducing a playback vector of the experiential data stream, when presenting a portion of the experiential data stream that corresponds to the two or more commentary audio clips, such that the two or more commentary audio clips are presented sequentially during the presentation of the corresponding portion of the experiential data stream, wherein a playback vector includes a direction and velocity for presenting the experiential data stream.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, further comprising synchronization logic configured to synchronize said first playback position with said second playback position to bring said first playback position into alignment with said second playback position.

32. The apparatus of claim 30, further comprising tracking logic configured to track said second playback position whereby said first playback position is kept in alignment with said second playback position.

33. The apparatus of claim 30, further comprising:

access logic configured to access a commentary audio clip;

audio logic configured to present said commentary audio clip responsive to said first playback position;

audio processing logic configured to detect a non-verbal vocal utterance in said commentary audio clip; and

audio classification logic configured to classify said commentary audio clip responsive to the audio processing logic.

34. The apparatus of claim 30, further comprising access logic configured to access replacement/additional content.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising a second presentation logic configured to present said replacement/additional content responsive to said first playback position.

36. The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising a content receiver configured to receive said replacement/additional content over a network.

37. The apparatus of claim 30, further comprising:

a command receiver configured to receive a command; and

an internal control handler logic configured to invoke one or more functions responsive to said command.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, further comprising status presentation logic configured to present status information related to a shared social space.