System and method for supplying supplemental audio information for broadcast television programs

• US 8,756,644 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2013
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Inventor Holdings LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Inventor Holdings LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Walker, Jay S., Jorasch, James A., Sparico, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, NGOC K
• Application Number:
  US13/760,225
• Publication Number:
  US 20130152144A1
• Time in Patent Office: 496 Days
• Field of Search: 725/135, 725/138, 725/141, 725/144, 725/153, 348/552, 348476-485, 379/88.05, 379/88.06, 709217-219
• US Class Current: 725/122
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23113 involving housekeeping operations for stored content, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; snloading stored programs G06F9/445; housekeeping operations in file systems, e.g. deletion policies G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/233 Processing of audio elementary streams monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2387 Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25435 involving characteristics of content or additional data, e.g. video resolution or the amount of advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2547 Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4302 Content synchronisation processes, e.g. decoder synchronisation
• 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 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6137 involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6187 involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 : involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8547 : involving timestamps for synchronizing content
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method, computer readable medium and an apparatus for providing supplemental information related to a character featured on a broadcast television program, wherein the supplemental information is not broadcast along with the broadcast television program. A viewer can request specific supplemental information associated with the broadcast television program through a telephone or electronic network interface. In some embodiments, a service controller transmits the requested supplemental information such that an audio component of the supplemental information does not conflict with the audio component of the broadcast television program.

Claims

1. A method of providing supplemental information, comprising:

receiving, via a network, by a service controller device and from a first user device, a request for information supplemental to video being displayed by a second user device, the video not being output by the first user device and the request comprising an indication of synchronization information associated with the video being displayed by the second user device;

determining, by the service controller device and based at least in part on the synchronization information, the information supplemental to the video being displayed by the second user device; and

providing, by the service controller device and to the first user device, the information supplemental to the video being displayed by the second user device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the request, comprises:

receiving, via the network and by the service controller device, an indication of a wireless transmission of the synchronization information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the synchronization information comprises a time code and wherein the information supplemental to the video being displayed by the second user device is not provided to the second user device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the request further comprises an indication of a desired type of supplemental information, and wherein the determining of the information supplemental to the video being displayed by the second user device is further based at least in part on the indication of the desired type of supplemental information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the information supplemental to the video being displayed by the second user device, comprises:

determining a plurality of available supplemental information associated with the video being displayed by the second user device; and

selecting, from the plurality of available supplemental information and based at least in part on the synchronization information, a sub-set of the plurality of available supplemental information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing of the information supplemental to the video being displayed by the second user device, comprises:

providing, via the Internet, an interface via which the information supplemental to the video being displayed by the second user device may be accessed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing of the information supplemental to the video being displayed by the second user device, comprises:

transmitting, via the network, by the service controller device and to the first user device, the information supplemental to the video being displayed by the second user device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the supplemental information comprises supplemental video.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the supplemental information comprises supplemental audio.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the supplemental information comprises supplemental text.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the video being displayed by the second user device comprises a broadcast video.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the video being displayed by the second user device comprises a recorded video.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user device comprises a telephone device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the second user device comprises a television coupled to a time-shifted video playback device.

15. A service controller apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory in communication with the processor, the memory storing instructions that when executed by the processor result in;

receiving, via a network and from a first user device, a request for information supplemental to video being output by a second user device, the video not being output by the first user device and the request comprising an indication of synchronization information associated with the video being output by the second user device;

determining, based at least in part on the synchronization information, the information supplemental to the video being output by the second user device; and

providing, to the first user device, the information supplemental to the video being output by the second user device.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed by a processing device result in:

receiving, via a network and from a first user device, a request for information supplemental to video being output by a second user device, the video not being output by the first user device and the request comprising an indication of synchronization information associated with the video being output by the second user device;

determining, based at least in part on the synchronization information, the information supplemental to the video being output by the second user device; and

providing, to the first user device, the information supplemental to the video being output by the second user device.

17. A method for requesting supplemental information comprising:

transmitting, via a network, by a first user device and to a service controller device, a request for information supplemental to video being output by a second user device, the video not being output by the first user device and the request comprising an indication of synchronization information associated with the video being output by the second user device;

receiving, by the first user device and from the service controller device and in response to the transmitting of the request, the information supplemental to the video being output by the second user device, the information supplemental to the video being output by the second user device being based at least in part on the synchronization information; and

outputting, by the first user device and to a user of the first user device, the information supplemental to the video being output by the second user device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving, prior to the transmitting, by the first user device and from the second user device, an indication of the synchronization information.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the receiving, comprises:

receiving, by the first user device and from the second user device, a wireless transmission of data indicative of the synchronization information.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the synchronization information comprises a time code.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the request further comprises an indication of a desired type of supplemental information, and wherein the information supplemental to the video being output by the second user device is further based at least in part on the indication of the desired type of supplemental information.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the receiving of the information supplemental to the video being output by the second user device, comprises:

receiving, via the network, by the first user device and from the service controller device, a transmission indicative of the information supplemental to the video being output by the second user device.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the receiving of the information supplemental to the video being output by the second user device, comprises:

receiving, via an Internet interface, access to the information supplemental to the video being output by the second user device.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the outputting of the information supplemental to the video being output by the second user device, comprises:

outputting, via an Internet interface, the information supplemental to the video being output by the second user device.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein the supplemental information comprises supplemental video.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein the supplemental information comprises supplemental audio.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein the supplemental information comprises supplemental text.

28. The method of claim 17, wherein the video being output by the second user device comprises a recorded video.

29. The method of claim 17, wherein the first user device comprises a telephone device.

30. The method of claim 17, wherein the second user device comprises a time-shifted video playback device.