Method and apparatus for navigating video content

• US 8,566,879 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2005
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nishikawa, Yuko, Bergeron, Michael A., Wibisono, Himgan, McKay, Philip
• Primary Examiner(s): Saltarelli, Dominic D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Sumaiya A
• Application Number:
  US11/081,217
• Publication Number:
  US 20060080716A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,143 Days
• Field of Search: 386/95, 725/38, 725/43, 725/52
• US Class Current: 725/52
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/743 a collection of video files or sequences
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/745 the internal structure of a single video sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/274 Storing end-user multimedia data in response to end-user request , e.g. network recorder
• 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 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for navigating video content. Digital markers may be placed at desired locations within recorded or cached video content. In one embodiment, these markers (or bookmarks) may be used to instantly jump to a particular scene or location within a video presentation. Such markers may be manually or automatically placed during live caching of video content or playback of previously recorded content. In another embodiment, selectable thumbnailed images that are representative of the video content at previously bookmarked locations may be presented to a user. Such selectable thumbnailed images may be integrated with a DVR status bar and, when selected, may be used to begin viewing stored video content from the bookmark corresponding to which ever thumbnail is chosen.

Claims

1. A method for navigating video content comprising:

receiving a request to insert a digital bookmark at a desired viewing location of stored broadcast video content while the content is being stored, wherein the stored broadcast video content comprises cached broadcast video content stored in a volatile memory of a set-top box device coupled to a display device;

inserting the digital bookmark at the desired viewing location by recording the desired viewing location into a metadata file stored separately from the stored broadcast video content;

receiving a request to view the stored broadcast video content beginning from the desired viewing location; and

displaying the digital bookmark and any other previously-defined bookmarks corresponding to the stored broadcast video content in a status bar simultaneously with the stored broadcast video content;

displaying a plurality of thumbnail images simultaneously with the status bar, and as an overlay to the stored broadcast video content, wherein the plurality of thumbnail images comprises image data captured from the stored broadcast video content at a plurality of user-defined viewing locations of the stored broadcast video content and corresponds to the previously-defined bookmarks, including the digital bookmark; and

generating a status box in the status bar to graphically indicate (a) a current amount of available non-cache storage time remaining, and (b) durations of a plurality of individual cached programs shown as segments of a progress bar.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein inserting the digital bookmark comprises recording a segment of identifiable program code onto a digital file containing the stored broadcast video content at a location corresponding to the desired viewing location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the stored broadcast video content includes a plurality of broadcast programs, and wherein the method further comprises automatically inserting a plurality of digital bookmarks into the stored video content indicating start and end points for the plurality of broadcasted programs.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user selection of one of the plurality of thumbnail images; and

accessing a corresponding location in the stored broadcast video content in response to the user selection of the one of the plurality of thumbnail images.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the plurality of thumbnail images comprises displaying the plurality of thumbnail images in response to a specific user request to display any available thumbnail images.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising ceasing to display the plurality of thumbnail images upon the earlier of a specific user request to cease displaying the plurality of thumbnail images and a predetermined period of time.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of thumbnail images further comprises image data corresponding to bookmarks automatically inserted at one or more of beginning of live cache, end of life cache, beginning of recorded program, and end of recorded program.

8. An apparatus coupled to a display device, the apparatus comprising:

a memory containing one or more instruction sequences; and

a volatile memory; and

a processor coupled to said memory, said processor to execute the one or more instructions to,

receive a request to insert a digital bookmark at a desired viewing location within stored broadcast video content while the content is being stored, wherein the stored broadcast video content comprises cached broadcast video content stored in the volatile memory,

insert the digital bookmark at the desired viewing location by recording the desired viewing location into a metadata file stored separately from the stored broadcast video content,

receive a request to view the stored broadcast video content beginning from the desired viewing location,

display the stored broadcast video content beginning from the desired viewing location in response to the request to view,

display the digital bookmark and any other previously-defined bookmarks corresponding to the stored broadcast video content in a status bar simultaneously with the stored broadcast video content,

display a plurality of thumbnail images simultaneously with the status bar, and as an overlay to the stored broadcast video content, wherein the plurality of thumbnail images corresponds to image data captured from the stored broadcast video content at a plurality of user-defined viewing locations of the stored broadcast video content and corresponds to the previously-defined bookmarks, including the digital bookmark; and

generate a status box in the status bar to graphically indicate (a) a current amount of available non-cache storage time remaining, and (b) durations of a plurality of individual cached programs shown as segments of a progress bar.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the digital mark is a segment of identifiable program code that is recorded onto a digital file containing the stored broadcast video content at a location corresponding to the desired viewing location.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the stored broadcast video content includes a plurality of broadcast programs, and wherein the processor is further to execute the one or more instructions to automatically insert a plurality of digital bookmarks the stored video content indicating start and end points for the plurality of broadcast programs.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor is further to execute the one or more instructions to:

receive a user selection of one of the plurality of thumbnail images, and

access a corresponding location in the stored broadcast video content in response to the user selection of the one of the plurality of thumbnail images.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor is further to execute the one or more instructions to display the plurality of thumbnail images in response to a specific user request to display any available thumbnail images.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is further to execute the one or more instructions to cease displaying the plurality of thumbnail images upon the earlier of a specific user request to cease displaying the plurality of thumbnail images and a predetermined period of time.

14. A computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium tangibly embodying computer executable program code thereon to navigate video content when executed by a computer, the computer executable program code including;

computer executable program code to receive a request to insert a digital bookmark at a desired viewing location of stored broadcast video content while the content is being stored, wherein the stored broadcast video content comprises cached broadcast video content stored in a volatile memory of a set-top box device coupled to a display device

computer executable program code to insert the digital bookmark at the desired viewing location;

computer executable program code to receive a request to view the stored broadcast video content beginning from the desired viewing location;

computer executable program code to display the stored broadcast video content beginning from the desired viewing location in response to the request to view;

computer executable program code to display the digital bookmark and any other previously-defined bookmarks corresponding to the stored broadcast video content in the status bar simultaneously with the stored broadcast video content;

computer executable program code to display a plurality of thumbnail images simultaneously with the status bar, and as an overlay to, the stored broadcast video content, wherein the plurality of thumbnail images corresponds to image data captured from the stored broadcast video content at a plurality of user-defined viewing locations of the stored broadcast video content and corresponds to the previously-defined bookmarks, including the digital bookmark; and

computer executable program code to generate a status box in the status bar to graphically indicate (a) a current amount of available non-cache storage time remaining, and (b) durations of a plurality of individual cached programs shown as segments of a progress bar.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein said computer readable program code to insert said digital mark comprises computer readable program code to record a segment of identifiable program code onto a digital file containing said stored broadcast video content at a location corresponding to said desired viewing location.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein said stored broadcast video content includes a plurality of broadcast programs, and wherein the computer program product further comprises computer readable program code to automatically insert a plurality of digital marks into said stored video content indicating start and end points for said plurality of broadcasted programs.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, further having:

computer executable program code to receive a user selection of one of the plurality of thumbnail images; and

computer executable program code to access a corresponding location in the stored broadcast video content in response to the user selection of the one of the plurality of thumbnail images.