Multi-representation media event handoff

• US 8,005,987 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2010
• Issued: 08/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility, Inc. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Richardson, Roger D., Biederman, Chad L.
• Primary Examiner(s): HIGA, BRENDAN Y
• Application Number:
  US12/705,806
• Publication Number:
  US 20100146573A1
• Time in Patent Office: 554 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-207, 709208-211, 709238-239, 725/62, 725/75, 455 301- 306, 455418-420
• US Class Current: 709/239
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/80 characterised by transmission among terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00 Hand-off or reselection arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A system and method provides transition continuity for an event across a plurality of media representation device types. The system and method allow identification information for a media event such as a sports game, talk show, music, video, etc. to be handed-off between various media presentation devices such as radios, broadcast televisions, cable television set top boxes, an internet connected computer, satellite receivers, and multimedia cellular phones. A multi-representation media event hand-off method includes receiving (804) a first event identifier that corresponds to a first media representation of an event, correlating (808) the first event identifier to a second event identifier that corresponds to a second media representation of the event, and transmitting (810) data indicative of the second event identifier to a media device that facilitates presentation of the second media representation.

Claims

1. A multi-representation media event handoff method for a wireless mobile media device and a second media device that is different than, physically separate from, and physically distinct from the wireless mobile media device, the method comprising:

presenting, at the wireless mobile media device, a first media type representation of an event in progress, the first media type representation of the event in progress being identified by a first event identifier;

interrogating a database with the wireless mobile media device to obtain a second event identifier that is correlated to the first event identifier, the database being physically separate and physically distinct from both the wireless mobile media device and the second media device;

receiving, at the wireless mobile media device, the second event identifier obtained from the database; and

transmitting the second event identifier from the wireless mobile media device to the second media device to initiate presentation of a second media type representation of the event in progress at the second media device in a manner that maintains content selection continuity from the first media type representation of the event in progress to the second media type representation of the event in progress, the second media type representation of the event in progress being identified by the second event identifier, and the second media type representation of the event in progress having a different presentation format than the first media type representation of the event in progress.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to receiving the second event identifier at the second media device, presenting, at the second media device, the second media type representation of the event in progress.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the presenting steps are performed to maintain media handoff continuity during transition from the first media type representation of the event in progress to the second media type representation of the event in progress.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

actively updating event identifiers in the database to reflect changes in available event programming.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first media type representation of the event in progress is presented at the wireless mobile media device using native capabilities of the wireless mobile media device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the first media type representation of the event in progress is presented at the wireless mobile media device using a digital video broadcast handheld (DVB-H) format;

the second media device is a set top box; and

the second media type representation of the event in progress uses a media format other than DVB-H.

7. A multi-representation media event handoff method for a system comprising a first media device and a second media device, wherein the first media device and the second media device are different than, physically separate from, and physically distinct from one another, the method comprising:

presenting, at the first media device, a first media type representation of an event in progress, the first media type representation of the event in progress being identified by a first event identifier;

wirelessly transmitting the first event identifier from the first media device to obtain a second event identifier that is correlated to the first event identifier, the second event identifier identifying a second media type representation of the event in progress, wherein the second media type representation is different than the first media type representation;

wirelessly receiving, at the first media device, the second event identifier that is correlated to the first event identifier; and

wirelessly sending the second event identifier from the first media device to the second media device to initiate presentation of the second media type representation of the event in progress at the second media device in a manner that maintains content continuity from the first media type representation of the event in progress to the second media type representation of the event in progress.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

upon receipt of the second event identifier at the second media device, presenting the second media type representation of the event in progress at the second media device, automatically and without any user interaction.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising maintaining the first event identifier and the second event identifier in a database that is physically separate and physically distinct from both the first media device and the second media device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the transmitting step wirelessly transmits the first event identifier to the database; and

the receiving step wirelessly receives the second event identifier from the database.

11. A multi-representation media event handoff method for a system comprising a mobile device, a media presentation device, and a database, wherein the mobile device, the media presentation device, and the database are different than, physically separate from, and physically distinct from one another, the method comprising:

presenting a first media type representation of an event in progress at the mobile device, the first media type representation of the event in progress being identified by a first event identifier;

wirelessly interrogating the database with the mobile device to obtain a second event identifier that is correlated to the first event identifier;

receiving, at the mobile device, the second identifier obtained from the database;

wirelessly sending the second event identifier from the mobile device to the media presentation device; and

upon receipt of the second event identifier at the media presentation device, presenting a second media type representation of the event in progress at the media presentation device in a manner that maintains content continuity from the first media type representation of the event in progress to the second media type representation of the event in progress, wherein the first media type representation of the event in progress and the second media type representation of the event in progress have different presentation formats.