Method and apparatus for presenting dynamic media content

• US 8,843,975 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2009
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Meuninck, Troy C., Kashapov, Oleg
• Primary Examiner(s): Alcon, Fernando
• Application Number:
  US12/421,834
• Publication Number:
  US 20100263009A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,992 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/91
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• 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 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• 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 21/4888 for displaying teletext characters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a set-top-box (STB) comprising a controller to analyze media content provided by a media content provider, wherein the media content is scheduled content with limited temporal accessibility, select at least a portion of the media content and at least one recipient media device to receive the portion of the media content, the selection of the portion of the media content being based on the analysis of the media content, transmit the portion of the media content to a DVR, wherein the DVR stores the portion of the media content, and transmit a metadata pointer associated with the portion of the media content stored in the DVR to a server, wherein a request to accept the portion of the media content is received by the at least one recipient media device via the server, and wherein the portion of the media content is retrieved from the DVR by the server based on the metadata pointer when the at least one recipient media device accepts the request. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A set-top box, comprising:

a memory to store executable computer instructions;

a controller coupled to the memory, wherein the controller, responsive to executing the computer instructions, performs operations comprising;

performing an analysis of media content provided by a media content provider system, wherein the media content includes scheduled content with limited temporal accessibility;

presenting a graphical user interface enabling a selection of a portion of the media content and a recipient media device to receive the portion of the media content, wherein the selection of the portion of the media content is based on the analysis of the media content and is based on a selection of a media content type associated with the portion of the media content, and wherein the media content type is one of audio, video, text or any combination thereof;

transmitting the portion of the media content corresponding to the media content type selected to a digital video recorder, wherein the digital video recorder stores the portion of the media content without storing an entire copy of the media content; and

generating a metadata pointer and transmitting the metadata pointer to a server,

wherein the metadata pointer indicates a storage location on a hard drive of the digital video recorder for the portion of the media content stored in the digital video recorder, wherein the transmitting of the metadata pointer causes the server to provide a request to accept the portion of the media content, wherein the server stores the metadata pointer responsive to the recipient media device accepting the request, and wherein the metadata pointer enables the server to retrieve the portion of the media content from the digital video recorder responsive to the recipient media device accepting the request.

2. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the portion of the media content includes a plurality of sub-portions of the media content, and wherein the transmitting of the portion of the media content to the digital video recorder causes the digital video recorder to maintain a library comprising the plurality of sub-portions of the media content.

3. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the metadata pointer does not identify a file name for the portion of the media content.

4. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface enables a selection of text content to be sent to the recipient media device.

5. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the transmitting of the metadata pointer by the set-top box is over an internet protocol television network.

6. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise selecting the recipient media device from an electronic programming guide.

7. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise identifying the recipient media device and associating the recipient device to the set-top box based on a user profile associated with the set-top box.

8. The set-top box of claim 7, wherein the user profile comprises an identifier associated with a group of recipient media devices that includes the recipient media device, an identifier associated with the set-top box, and wherein the operations further comprise communicating with the recipient media device based on the identifier.

9. The set-top box of claim 8, wherein the identifier corresponds to a media access control address.

10. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the metadata pointer does not indicate a uniform resource locator associated with the media content.

11. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the metadata pointer does not identify a file name for the portion of the media content, and wherein the metadata pointer does not indicate a uniform resource locator or uniform resource identifier for the portion of the media content.

12. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the recipient media device comprises a mobile device.

13. A recipient communications device, comprising:

a memory to store executable instructions;

a controller coupled to the memory, wherein the controller, responsive to executing the instructions, performs operations comprising;

receiving a request from an initiating communications device to accept media content selected by the initiating communications device, wherein the media content specifies a media content type among audio, video, text and combinations thereof, and wherein a portion of the media content is stored on a digital video recorder operably coupled to the initiating communications device responsive to a selection from a graphical user interface enabling the selection of the media content type specified by the initiating communications device;

transmitting an acceptance in response to the request to a server operably coupled to the initiating communications device, wherein the transmitting of the acceptance causes the server to store a metadata pointer associated with the media content that was received by the server from the initiating communications device, wherein the transmitting of the acceptance causes the server to utilize the metadata pointer to access the portion of the media content stored on the digital video recorder, wherein the metadata pointer indicates a storage location on a hard drive of the digital video recorder for the portion of the media content stored on the digital video recorder; and

receiving the portion of the media content from the server.

14. The recipient communications device of claim 13, wherein the recipient communications device comprises a mobile device.

15. The recipient communications device of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving the request while presenting a media program, and

pausing the media program upon receiving the request.

16. The recipient communications device of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving the request while presenting a media program, and

presenting the request while presenting the media program.

17. The recipient communications device of claim 13, wherein the media content comprises scheduled content with limited accessibility.

18. A network element, comprising:

a memory to store executable instructions;

a controller coupled to the memory, wherein the controller, responsive to executing the instructions, performs operations comprising;

receiving a metadata pointer associated with media content from an initiating communications device responsive to a selection of the media content and a media content type for the media content, the selection being from a graphical user interface having options for selecting a media content type by the initiating communications device for transmission to a recipient communications device;

transmitting a request to accept a portion of the media content to the recipient communications device;

receiving an acceptance from the recipient communications device in response to the request;

storing the metadata pointer in the memory, responsive to the recipient communications device accepting the request and upon receiving the acceptance;

retrieving the portion of the media content from a digital video recorder operably coupled to the initiating communications device based on the metadata pointer responsive to receiving the acceptance, wherein the portion of the media content is retrieved without retrieving an entire copy of the media content; and

transmitting the portion of the media content to the recipient communications device.

19. The network element of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating text to describe the media content; and

extracting an image from the media content;

wherein the metadata pointer includes location information indicating a location of the portion of the media content on a hard drive of a digital video recorder, wherein the request to accept the media content includes the text and the image, wherein the metadata pointer does not identify a file name for the media content, and wherein the metadata pointer does not indicate a uniform resource locator or uniform resource identifier for the portion of the media content.

20. The network element of claim 18, wherein the receiving the metadata pointer by the network element is via an internet protocol television network.

21. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a media processor, a selection of a portion of media content, a media content type for the portion of the media content, and a recipient media device to receive the portion of the media content from selectable options provided via a graphical user interface;

transmitting, by the media processor, the portion of the media content corresponding to the media content type to a digital video recorder, wherein the digital video recorder stores the portion of the media content; and

transmitting, by the media processor, a metadata pointer to a server, wherein the metadata pointer is associated with the portion of the media content, wherein the metadata pointer is stored at the server responsive to the recipient media device accepting a request to accept the portion of media content, wherein the server retrieves the portion of the media content from the digital video recorder utilizing the metadata pointer responsive to the recipient media device accepting the request, and wherein the metadata pointer indicates a storage location on a hard drive of the digital video recorder for the portion of the media content stored in the digital video recorder.

22. The method of claim 21, comprising selecting the portion of the media content and the recipient media device from an electronic programming guide.

23. The method of claim 21, comprising identifying the recipient media device and associating the recipient media device to the media processor based on a user profile associated with the media processor.

24. A computer-readable storage device, comprising executable instructions which, responsive to being executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving media content from an initiating communications device responsive to a selection of the media content and a media content type from a graphical user interface having options for selecting a media content type by the initiating communications device for transmission to a recipient communications device;

storing the media content corresponding to the media content type; and

receiving a signal from a server to transmit the media content responsive to the server receiving an acceptance to a request for the media content from the recipient communications device, wherein the media content is located by the server based on a metadata pointer associated with the media content and received by the server from the initiating communications device, wherein the metadata pointer is stored at the server responsive to the recipient communications device accepting the request, and wherein the metadata pointer indicates a storage location on a storage device for the media content.

25. The computer-readable storage device of claim 24, wherein the metadata pointer does not identify a file name for the media content, wherein the metadata pointer does not indicate a uniform resource locator or uniform resource identifier for the media content, wherein the media content comprises a plurality of portions of the media content, and wherein the operations further comprise maintaining a library including the plurality of portions of the media content without maintaining an entire copy of the media content, and transmitting one of the plurality of portions of the media content to the server, wherein the one of the plurality of portions of the media content is transmitted by the server to the recipient communications device.