Methods, systems and computer program products for playing back previously published content

• US 7,895,157 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2007
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: At&T Delaware Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bedingfield, James Carlton Sr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleurantin; Jean B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MYINT, DENNIS Y
• Application Number:
  US11/942,204
• Publication Number:
  US 20090132610A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,191 Days
• Field of Search: 707/203, 707/796, 707/627
• US Class Current: 707/627
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/487 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/489 using time information

Abstract

Previously published content is played back by identifying a previous time in which the previously published content was previously published and automatically adding an indication of the previous time in which the content was previously published, while playing back the previously published content. The indication may include a timestamp of the previous time, ambience and/or historical context of the previous time, an electronic program guide for the previous time, a current events guide for the previous time and/or archived content for the previous time that is related to the user of the content. Related systems, methods, computer program products and content playback devices are described.

Claims

1. A method of playing back previously published content comprising:

identifying an age of the previously published content; and

automatically adding distortion to the previously published content as a function of the age of the previously published content, so as to provide a visual but non-alphanumeric indication of the age of the previously published content while playing back the previously published content.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising automatically adding a timestamp of a previous time in which the content was previously published, while playing back the previously published content.

3. The method according to claim 1 further comprising automatically adding an indication of a geographic location of a user who is playing back the previously published content while playing back the previously published content.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the distortion comprises grain.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the distortion comprises noise.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the distortion comprises a decrease in resolution.

7. A tangible computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code when executed being configured to cause the computer to perform a method of playing back previously published content comprising:

identifying an age of the previously published content; and

automatically adding distortion to the previously published content as a function of the age of the previously published content, so as to provide a visual but non-alphanumeric indication of the age of the previously published content while playing back the previously published content.