Media play of selected portions of an event

• US 8,601,089 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2004
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bamtech LLC (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: MLB Advanced Media, L.P. (Major League Baseball)
• Inventors: Bowman, Robert A., Mann, John Dinn, Shaffer, Justin Alexander, Choti, Joseph Francis
• Primary Examiner(s): Hussain, Tauqir
• Application Number:
  US10/911,993
• Publication Number:
  US 20060047774A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,407 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]

Abstract

A system is provided for selectively presenting a portion of an event to a user. The system includes a first device, a second device, and a network allowing communication between the first and the second device. An application at the first device displays a plurality of sub-events that characterize an event; receives an input from a user whereby the user selects a sub-event from the plurality of sub-events; sends a request to a second device, the request comprising information associated with the selected sub-event; receives media data from the second device whereby the media data represents the selected sub-event; and presents the received media data. An application at the second device receives the request from the first device, selects the media data that represents the selected sub-event from a database using the information associated with the selected sub-event, and sends the selected media data to the first device.

Claims

1. A method of selectively presenting a portion of a baseball game to a user, the method comprising:

displaying a plurality of sub-events in a sub-event table that represent scoring information of the baseball game as a baseball box score of the baseball game within a browser application at a first computer, wherein the plurality of sub-events are configured to allow a user to select a sub-event from the plurality of sub-events associated with a sub-event performer and a sub-event code using a hyperlink, wherein the sub-event code is selected from the group consisting of an at bat, a run, a hit, a run batted in, a base on balls, a strikeout, a left on base, an earned run, a single, a double, a triple, an error, and a home run;

sending a request from the first computer to a second computer, the request comprising the sub-event code and sub-event performer associated with the selected sub-event, wherein the second computer is configured to evaluate whether there is more than one time window in which media associated with the selected sub-event is contained by identifying a media file using both the sub-event performer and the sub-event code and identifying a media play time window within the identified media file using both the sub-event performer and the sub-event code;

receiving streaming media data at the first computer until media from all time windows in which media associated with the selected sub-event is contained have been received, wherein the media data represents the selected sub-event and media associated with the selected sub-event; and

decoding the received media data at the first computer with a media player executing at the first computer and presenting the selected sub-event to the user, wherein presenting the received media comprises presenting media contained in more than one time window if there is more than one time window in which media associated with the selected sub-event is contained.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

executing the media player within the browser application after sending the request and before receiving the streaming media.

2. A non-transitory computer-readable memory, including computer readable instructions which when executed by a processor cause a computer to:

display a plurality of sub-events in a sub-event table that represent scoring information of a baseball game as a baseball box score of the baseball game within a browser application, wherein at least one of the sub-events is associated with a sub-event performer and a sub-event code, wherein the sub-event code is selected from the group consisting of an at bat, a run, a hit, a run batted in, a base on balls, a strikeout, a left on base, an earned run, a single, a double, a triple, an error, and a home run;

receive a selection from a user of the at least one of the sub-events associated with a sub-event performer and a sub-event code through selection of a hyperlink;

send a request to a device, the request comprising the sub-event code and sub-event performer associated with the selected sub-event, wherein the device is configured to evaluate whether there is more than one time window in which media associated with the selected sub-event is contained by identifying a media file using both the sub-event performer and the sub-event code and identifying a media play time window within the identified media file using both the sub-event performer and the sub-event code;

receive streaming media data until media from all time windows in which media associated with the selected sub-event is contained have been received wherein the media data represents the selected sub-event and media associated with the selected sub-event; and

cause a media player executing at the computer to decode the received media data and present the selected sub-event to the user, wherein presenting the received media comprises presenting media contained in more than one time window if there is more than one time window in which media associated with the selected sub-event is contained.

3. A device for selectively presenting a portion of a baseball game to a user, the device comprising:

a media player configured to present media data;

an application, the application comprising computer code configured to;

display a plurality of sub-events in a sub-event table that represent scoring information of the baseball game as a baseball box score of the baseball game within a browser application, wherein at least one of the sub-events is associated with a sub-event performer and a sub-event code, wherein the sub-event code is selected from the group consisting of an at bat, a run, a hit, a run batted in, a base on balls, a strikeout, a left on base, an earned run, a single, a double, a triple, an error, and a home run;

receive a selection from a user of the at least one of the sub-events associated with a sub-event performer and a sub-event code through selection of a hyperlink;

send a request to a second device, the request comprising the sub-event code and sub-event performer associated with the selected sub-event, wherein the second device is configured to evaluate whether there is more than one time window in which media associated with the selected sub-event is contained by identifying a media file using both the sub-event performer and the sub-event code and identifying a media play time window within the identified media file using both the sub-event performer and the sub-event code;

receive media data until media from all time windows in which media associated with the selected sub-event is contained have been received, wherein the media data represents the selected sub-event and media associated with the selected sub-event, and

cause the media player to decode the received media data and present the selected sub-event to the user, wherein presenting the received media comprises presenting media contained in more than one time window if there is more than one time window in which media associated with the selected sub-event is contained;

a communication interface, the communication interface configured to provide an interface between the application and the second device;

a memory, the memory configured to store the application; and

a processor, the processor coupled to the memory and configured to execute the application.

4. A system for selectively presenting a portion of a baseball game to a user, the system comprising:

a first device, the first device comprising;

a media player configured to present media data;

a first application, the first application comprising computer code configured to;

display a plurality of sub-events in a sub-event table that represent scoring information of the baseball game as a baseball box score of the baseball game within a browser application, wherein at least one of the sub-events is associated with a sub-event performer and a sub-event code, wherein the sub-event code is selected from the group consisting of an at bat, a run, a hit, a run batted in, a base on balls, a strikeout, a left on base, an earned run, a single, a double, a triple, an error, and a home run;

receive a selection from a user of the at least one of the sub-events associated with a sub-event performer and a sub-event code through selection of a hyperlink;

send a request to a second device, the request comprising the sub-event code and sub-event performer associated with the selected sub-event;

receive streaming media data until media from all time windows in which media associated with the selected sub-event is contained have been received, wherein the media data represents the selected sub-event and media associated with the selected sub-event; and

cause the media player to decode the received media data and present the selected sub-event to the user, wherein presenting the received media comprises presenting media contained in more than one time window if there is more than one time window in which media associated with the selected sub-event is contained;

a first communication interface, the first communication interface configured to provide an interface between the first application and the second device;

a first memory, the first memory configured to store the first application; and

a first processor, the first processor coupled to the first memory and configured to execute the first application; and

the second device comprising;

a database that stores sub-event timing data relating to sub-events of the event;

a second application, the second application comprising computer code configured to;

receive the request from the first device;

query the database using both the sub-event performer and the sub-event code to identify sub-event timing data associated with the selected sub-event, and evaluate the identified sub-event timing data to determine whether there is more than one time window in which media associated with the selected sub-event is contained;

command the first device to execute the media player, wherein the media player executing at the first device decodes media data that represents the selected sub-event and media from all the time windows in which media associated with the selected sub-event is contained;

a second communication interface, the second communication interface configured to provide an interface between the second application and the first device;

a second memory, the second memory configured to store the second application; and

a second processor, the second processor coupled to the second memory and the database, and configured to execute the second application.

5. A method for identifying sub-event timing data for sub-events of a baseball game using a database that stores sub-event timing data relating to sub-events of the baseball game, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a first device at a second device, wherein the first device displays a plurality of sub-events in a sub-event table that represent scoring information of the baseball game as a baseball game box score of the baseball game within a browser application, and wherein the request comprises a sub-event performer and a sub-event code associated with a selected sub-event, wherein the sub-event code is selected from the group consisting of an at bat, a run, a hit, a run batted in, a base on balls, a strikeout, a left on base, an earned run, a single, a double, a triple, an error, and a home run;

querying the database using both the sub-event performer and the sub-event code associated with the selected sub-event to identify sub-event timing data associated with the selected sub-event, and evaluating the identified sub-event timing data to determine whether there is more than one time window in which media associated with the selected sub-event is contained;

commanding the first device to execute a media player, wherein the media player executing at the first device decodes media data that represents the selected sub-event from all the time windows in which media associated with the selected sub-event is contained, wherein decoding the received media comprises presenting media contained in more than one time window if there is more than one time window in which media associated with the selected sub-event is contained.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

identifying at least one time window within the identified sub-event timing data; and

adding a roll-in time period and a roll out time period to the at least one identified time window.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable memory, including computer readable instructions which when executed cause a computer to:

receive a request from a first device, wherein the first device displays a plurality of sub-events in a sub-event table that represent scoring information of a baseball game as a baseball box score of the baseball game within a browser application, and wherein the request comprises a sub-event performer and a sub-event code associated with a selected sub-event, wherein the sub-event code is selected from the group consisting of an at bat, a run, a hit, a run batted in, a base on balls, a strikeout, a left on base, an earned run, a single, a double, a triple, an error, and a home run;

query a database that stores sub-event timing data relating to sub-events of the baseball game, wherein the query includes both the sub-event performer and the sub-event code associated with the selected sub-event to identify sub-event timing data associated with the selected sub-event, and evaluate the identified sub-event timing data to determine whether there is more than one time window in which media associated with the selected sub-event is contained;

command the first device to execute a media player, wherein the media player executing at the first device decodes media data that represents the selected sub-event from all the time windows in which media associated with the selected sub-event is contained, wherein decoding the received media comprises presenting media contained in more than one time window if there is more than one time window in which media associated with the selected sub-event is contained.

9. The non-transitory computer memory of claim 6, further comprising instructions to cause the computer to:

identify at least one time window within the identified sub-event timing data; and

add a roll-in time period and roll out time period to the at least one identified time window.