Synching one or more matrix codes to content related to a multimedia presentation

• US 8,550,334 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2011
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Gratton, Max S., Kennedy, John T., Beals, William Michael, Gerhards, Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): FRANKLIN, JAMARA ALZAIDA
• Application Number:
  US13/037,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20120217292A1
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6181 involving transmission via a mobile phone network arrangements for providing broadcast or conference services to substation in data switching networks in combination with wireless systems H04L12/189; wireless uplink channel access H04W74/004
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02

Abstract

One embodiment described herein may take the form of a system or method for generating one or more matrix codes that may then be obtained by a reader device, the one or more matrix codes including information that may be utilized to access additional content related to one or more multimedia presentations. For example, the information contained within the one or more matrix codes may include one or more web addresses that, when selected, may link to one or more webpages on the Internet containing information related to the multimedia presentation. In another example, the information contained within the matrix codes may include instructions that may be executed by an electronic device to provide the additional content. The additional content may be displayed a display device associated with the distribution system, on a reader device, or any electronic device that includes a display.

Claims

1. A method for providing content to a user of a system, the method comprising;

generating, utilizing an electronic device, one or more matrix codes including at least one link to additional content related to one or more multimedia presentations;

transmitting, utilizing the electronic device, the one or more matrix codes and the one or more multimedia presentations to at least one display device;

receiving the at least one link to additional content from a reader device, wherein the reader device displays the at least one link to additional content related to one or more multimedia presentations;

accessing additional content related to the one or more multimedia presentations associated with the at least one link; and

providing the additional content related to the one or more multimedia presentations to the user of the system.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one link to additional content related to one or more multimedia presentations is encoded within the one or more matrix codes.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

combining the one or more matrix codes with at least one of the one or more multimedia presentations prior to transmitting the one or more matrix codes and the one or more multimedia presentations to at least one display device.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting, utilizing a reader device, the at least one link to additional content related to one or more multimedia presentations over a network connection to the electronic device.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

obtaining, utilizing a reader device, the one or more matrix codes from the at least one display device by acquiring a digital image of the at least one display device.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the providing operation comprises:

receiving, at the reader device, the additional content related to the one or more multimedia presentations associated with the at least one link; and

displaying, utilizing the reader device, the additional content related to the one or more multimedia presentations to the user of the system.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the providing operation comprises:

transmitting the additional content related to the one or more multimedia presentations associated with the at least one link to the at least one display device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the additional content related to the one or more multimedia presentations comprises a video, audio or text file.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more matrix codes comprises a plurality of matrix codes that further include sequence information comprising an indication of the position of the plurality of matrix codes within a sequence.

10. A system for providing content to a user of a distribution system comprising:

an electronic device comprising;

at least one processing unit that generates one or more matrix codes including information for a computing device to access additional content related to one or more multimedia presentations; and

at least one output component in communication with a display device, wherein the at least one processing unit transmits the one or more matrix codes and the one or more multimedia presentations to the display device utilizing the output component;

at least one output component configured to receive information for assessing the additional content related to one or more multimedia presentations over a network connection from a reader device; and

a reader device comprising;

at least one optical input component configured to obtain an image of the one or more matrix codes; and

at least one processing unit configured to decode the obtained one or more matrix codes to retrieve information for a computing device to access additional content related to one or more multimedia presentations;

wherein the retrieved information is utilized by a computing device to provide the additional content related to the one or more multimedia presentations to a user of the distribution system.

11. The system of claim 10 further comprising:

a network configured to receive the information for a computing device to access additional content related to one or more multimedia presentations and transmit the information to the computing device.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the reader device obtains the one or more matrix codes from the display device by acquiring a digital image of the display device.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the additional content related to one or more multimedia presentations is displayed on the display device concurrently with the one or more multimedia presentations.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the additional content related to one or more multimedia presentations is displayed on a display screen associated with the reader device.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the computing device acquires the additional content related to one or more multimedia presentations from a network.

16. A method for obtaining content associated with one or more multimedia presentations, the method comprising:

generating, utilizing an electronic device, one or more matrix codes including instructions to a computing device to access additional content related to one or more multimedia presentations;

transmitting, utilizing the electronic device, the one or more matrix codes and the one or more multimedia presentations to at least one display device;

obtaining, utilizing a reader device, the one or more matrix codes from the at least one display device, wherein the reader device displays the at least one link to additional content;

retrieving the instructions to access additional content related to one or more multimedia presentations by decoding the obtained one or more matrix codes;

transmitting the instructions to access additional content related to one or more multimedia presentations to a computing device;

executing, utilizing the computing device, the instructions to access additional content related to one or more multimedia presentations; and

providing the additional content related to the one or more multimedia presentations to the user of the system.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

combining the one or more matrix codes with at least one of the one or more multimedia presentations prior to transmitting the one or more matrix codes and the one or more multimedia presentations to at least one display device.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the executing operation comprises:

utilizing at least one processing unit associated with the computing device to obtain information related to the one or more multimedia presentations to create a informational package comprising the additional content.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the transmitting operation comprises:

providing the instructions to access additional content related to one or more multimedia presentations over a network connection to the computing device.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the additional content related to the one or more multimedia presentations comprises a video, audio or text file at least partially obtained from a network based on information of the user of the system.