Sport program chaptering

• US 8,606,090 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2011
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Eyer, Mark Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Huy T
• Assistant Examiner(s): ADAMS, EILEEN M
• Application Number:
  US13/050,161
• Publication Number:
  US 20120237182A1
• Time in Patent Office: 999 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 386/350
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/78 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7844 using original textual content or text extracted from visual content or transcript of audio data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• 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 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

In certain implementations, a method consistent with the invention involves at a television receiver device, receiving a television program depicting a sports program, where data associated with the sports program is represented in a score graphic that is displayed on a television display overlaying images of the sports program; storing the television program depicting the sports program; analyzing the score graphic to identify a change in at least one element of data displayed in the score graphic from one video frame to a subsequent video frame; and storing a chapter mark associated with the time that the change in the element of data displayed in the score graphic occurred. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

at a television receiver device, receiving a television program depicting a sports program, where data associated with the sports program is represented in a score graphic that is to be displayed on a television display overlaying images of the sports program;

where the television receiver device is tuned to a selected television network, and where a location on the television display where the score graphic appears is determined by matching the displayed image to one or more template used by the selected television network;

storing the television program depicting the sports program;

analyzing the score graphic using optical character recognition and pattern matching to identify a change in at least one element of data displayed in the score graphic from one video frame to a subsequent video frame;

storing data associated with the time that the change in the element of data displayed in the score graphic occurred, where the display change is identified by optical character recognition and pattern matching analysis, and where the data includes an actual time of occurrence of the change in the element of data displayed in the score graphic where the change in the element of data displayed in the score graphic is identified by optical character recognition and pattern matching analysis;

playing the stored television program;

filtering the data change in the score graphic display according to at least one filter criterion to determine a category of event associated with data change in the score graphic display;

upon receipt of a signal generated by a viewer action, jumping to a point in playback time associated with the mark that occurs at a time prior to a score graphic event time that is offset from the actual score graphic event time by an offset time, and where the score graphic event record meets the at least one filter criterion; and

where the at least one filter criterion is selected by a user from a menu of events that the viewer chooses to use as chapter marks.

2. A method, comprising:

at a television receiver device, receiving a television program depicting a sports program, where data associated with the sports program is represented in a score graphic that is to be displayed on a television display overlaying images of the sports program;

where the television receiver device is tuned to a selected television network, and where a location on the television display where the score graphic appears is determined at least in part by matching the displayed image to one or more templates used by the selected television network;

storing the television program depicting the sports program;

analyzing the score graphic to identify a change in at least one element of data displayed in the score graphic from one video frame to a subsequent video frame, where the change in the at least one element of displayed data is identified by optical character recognition and pattern matching analysis;

storing an event record associated with the time that the change in the element of data displayed in the score graphic occurred, where the change in the at least one element of displayed data is identified by optical character recognition and pattern matching analysis; and

;

upon receipt of a signal generated by a viewer action, jumping to a point in playback time that is prior to and offset from the time that the change in the element of data displayed in the score graphic occurred by an offset time.

3. The method according to claim 2, where the event record represents an actual time of occurrence of the change in the element of data displayed in the score graphic.

4. The method according to claim 2, where a chapter mark is derived based on the offset time proceeding the time of the event record.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising playing back the stored television program, and upon receipt of a signal generated by a viewer action, jumping the playback to the chapter mark.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising filtering the data change in the score graphic display according to at least one filter criterion to determine a category of event associated with data change in the score graphic display.

7. The method according to claim 6, where the jumping is to a point in time associated with a chapter mark that meets the filter criterion.

8. The method according to claim 2, where the analyzing comprises optical character recognition analysis.

9. The method according to claim 2, where the analyzing comprises pattern matching analysis.

10. The method according to claim 2, where analyzing the score graphic comprises determining a type of action that occurred in the sports program.

11. The method according to claim 10, where the prescribed time offset is established on a basis of the type of action determined by the analyzing.

12. The method according to claim 2, further comprising filtering the data change in the score graphic display according to at least one filter criterion to determine a category of event associated with data change in the score graphic display.

13. The method according to claim 12, where the at least one filter criterion is selected by a user from a menu of events that the viewer may wish to chapter mark.

14. The method according to claim 2, further comprising identifying elements of graphics or text data within the score graphic.

15. The method according to claim 2, where the analyzing the score graphic is carried out during reception of the television program.

16. The method according to claim 2, where the template is received by the television receiver device or stored at the television receiver device in a database of known score graphic templates.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage device storing instructions which, when executed on one or more programmed processors, carry out a method according to claim 2.

18. A device, comprising:

a television receiver receiving a television program depicting a sports program, where data associated with the sports program is represented in a score graphic that is to be displayed on a television display overlaying images of the sports program, where the television receiver device is tuned to a selected television network;

a processor;

a storage device storing the television program depicting the sports program under control of the processor;

the processor determining a location on the television display where the score graphic appears is determined at least in part by matching the displayed image to one or more templates used by the selected television network;

the processor analyzing the score graphic to identify a change in at least one element of data displayed in the score graphic from one video frame to a subsequent video frame, where the change in the at least one element of displayed data is identified by optical character recognition and pattern matching analysis;

the processor storing an event record associated with the time that the change in the element of data displayed in the score graphic occurred, where the change in the at least one element of displayed data is identified by optical character recognition and pattern matching analysis; and

upon receipt of a signal generated by a viewer action, the processor being programmed to jump to a point in playback time that is prior to and offset from the time that the change in the element of data displayed in the score graphic occurred by an offset time.

19. The device according to claim 18, where a chapter mark is derived based on the time proceeding the time of the change in the element of data displayed in the score graphic by the offset time.

20. The device according to claim 19, where the jumping comprises jumping to a chapter mark.

21. The device according to claim 20, where analyzing the score graphic comprises determining a type of action that occurred in the sports program.

22. The device according to claim 21, where the prescribed time offset is established on a basis of the type of action determined by the analyzing.

23. The device according to claim 18, where the analyzing comprises optical character recognition analysis carried out in the processor.

24. The device according to claim 18, where the analyzing comprises pattern matching analysis.

25. The device according to claim 18, further comprising the processor retrieving and playing back the stored television program, and upon receipt of a signal generated by a viewer action via a user interface, jumping the play to a point in time associated with a chapter mark.

26. The device according to claim 25, further comprising filtering the data change in the score graphic display according to at least one filter criterion to determine a category of event associated with data change in the score graphic display.

27. The device according to claim 25, where the jumping is to a point in time associated with a chapter mark that meets the filter criterion.

28. The device according to claim 18, further comprising filtering the data change in the score graphic display according to at least one filter criterion to determine a category of event associated with data change in the score graphic display.

29. The device according to claim 28, where the at least one filter criterion is selected by a user from a menu of events that the viewer may wish to chapter mark.

30. The device according to claim 18, where the analyzing the score graphic is carried out during reception of the television program.

31. The method according to claim 18, where the template is received by the television receiver device or stored at the television receiver device in a database of known score graphic templates.