Pause and replay of media content through bookmarks on a server device

• US 7,890,599 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2008
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 1, LLC
• Original Assignee: Arun Kalmanje, Sachin Gupta
• Inventors: Kalmanje, Arun, Gupta, Sachin
• Primary Examiner(s): Avellino, Joseph E
• Assistant Examiner(s): TANG, KIET G
• Application Number:
  US12/043,951
• Publication Number:
  US 20090228569A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 Days
• Field of Search: 709217-229, 725/138, 725/100, 455/411, 715/200, 713/157
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21805 enabling multiple viewpoints, e.g. using a plurality of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• 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 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47205 for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and system of pause and replay of media content through bookmarks on a server device are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of a server device includes authenticating a user of a client device, communicating a media content to the client device through a network, processing a pause request of the client device to pause the media content, storing a bookmark location indicating a current playback location of the media content in the client device on the server device, processing a play request of the user to play the media content from the bookmark location (e.g., the play request may be received from a different client device of the user), and communicating the media content from the bookmark location to the user.

Claims

1. A method performed by a server device, comprising:

authenticating a user of a client device;

receiving first media content from a standard content server through a network;

communicating the first media content to the client device through the network;

processing a pause request of the client device to pause communication of the first media content;

storing a bookmark location indicating a first current playback location of the first media content in the client device;

copying the first media content that remains to be communicated from the standard content server to the server device based on the bookmark location;

processing a play request of the user to play the first media content from the bookmark location;

providing to the user the copied first media content that remains to be communicated, without involving the standard content server, when the play request of the user is processed by the server device;

receiving second media content from an advanced content server through the network;

communicating the second media content to the client device through the network;

processing a further pause request of the client device to pause communication of the second media content;

storing a further bookmark location indicating a second current playback location of the second media content in the client;

processing a further play request of the user to play the second media content from the further bookmark location; and

applying an Application Programming Interface (API) of the advanced content server to cause the advanced content server to provide directly to the user, the second media content remaining to be communicated, based on the further bookmark location, when the further play request of the client is processed by the server device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the play request of the user to play the first media content from the bookmark location, and the further play request of the user to play the second media content from the further bookmark location, is received from a different client device of the user.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

deleting from the server device the copied first media content remaining to be communicated after providing to the user the copied first media content that remains to be communicated.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the first media content is broadcast live from the standard content server without storage on the standard content server, wherein the standard content server aggregates the first media content from user generated content communities and professional media providers, and wherein the first media content is at least 3 minutes in length.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the pause request and the further pause request of the client device is stored temporarily on the client device immediately after the user presses a pause indicator on an application of the client device to reduce an amount of time between when the user presses the pause indicator and when the pause request is processed by the server device when a client-side media player is used to playback at least one of the first media content and the second media content.

6. The method of claim 5 and wherein at least one of the pause request and the further pause request includes a relative amount of time of a session of viewing at least one of the first media content and the second media content on the client device during the session.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising continuously buffering on the server device at least a portion of media content equivalent to an average amount of time of delay between when the user presses the pause indicator on the application of the client device and when the at least one of the pause request and the further pause request is processed by the server device, such that the server device is able to adjust a location of at least one of the bookmark and the further bookmark to a relative time phase of when the user pressed the pause indicator on the application of the client device.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the user presses the pause indicator through at least one of a remote control, a voice command, a pointing device action, and a tactile command.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one of the first media content and the second media content is stored in a local storage coupled to the server device.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein a social community of users is formed around bookmark locations of different users across different ones of the media content in a community pausing network, such that users of the community pausing network share paused locations of media content with each other through profiles associated with each user of the community pausing network.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the user is automatically authenticated through a unique hardware identifier of the client device.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the client device is including but not limited to one of a personal computer, a mobile phone, a network-connected television, and a set-top box coupled to a standard television.