Packaged media playback with remotely obtained supplemental content

• US 8,918,806 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2009
• Issued: 12/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Prestenback, Kyle J., Antimary, Christopher R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Goodarzi, Nasser
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peng, Fred
• Application Number:
  US12/416,502
• Publication Number:
  US 20100254674A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,092 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2743 Video hosting of uploaded data from client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42646 for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium, e.g. DVD, CD-ROM
• 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 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• 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 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8715 involving the mixing of the reproduced video signal with a non-recorded signal, e.g. a text signal

Abstract

Fans or other persons can upload content that others can choose to view when they play back a film, television show or other packaged media content item. A server system receives a playback indication from a remote media player via a data network, and in response retrieves an uploaded supplemental content item. The playback indication can not only identify the film, television show or other packaged media content item, but can further identify a playback location in the identified content item, such as a specific scene. The server system can use such information to select and retrieve one of a number of uploaded supplemental content items. The server system transmits the supplemental content item to the media player, which then plays back the supplemental content item in association with the packaged media content item.

Claims

1. A method for including supplemental content in packaged media playback, comprising:

receiving a playback indication from a remote media player via a data network, the playback indication associated with playback of a packaged media content item recorded on a non-user packaged medium, the playback indication including a packaged media content item identifier identifying the content item recorded on the non-user packaged medium;

retrieving a user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content item from a data storage system in response to the received playback indication by matching the packaged media content item identifier with a user-provided supplemental content item identifier, each user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content item in the data storage system having a user-provided supplemental content item identifier associating the user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content item with a user-selected one of a plurality of packaged media content items; and

transmitting the retrieved user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content item to the remote media player via the data network for playback on the remote media player simultaneously in association with playback of the packaged media content item in a display area.

2. The method claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a plurality of user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content items and corresponding user-provided supplemental content item identifiers from a plurality of user-operated remote devices;

storing the plurality of received user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content items in the data storage system; and

wherein retrieving the user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content item from the data storage system comprises;

selecting one of the plurality of user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content items stored in the data storage system at least partly in response to matching the packaged media content item identifier from the received playback indication with a supplemental content item identifier from the data storage system; and

retrieving the selected one of the user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content items.

3. The method claimed in claim 2, wherein selecting one of a plurality of user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content items comprises selecting one of a plurality of user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content items at least partly in response to an algorithm having a random selection component.

4. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the packaged media content item identifier identifies a packaged media content item and a playback sequence location in the packaged media content item.

5. The method claimed in claim 4, wherein receiving a playback indication from a remote media player comprises receiving a playback indication from a remote media player in real-time while the remote media player is playing back the packaged media content item.

6. A server system for including supplemental content in packaged media playback, comprising:

a data storage subsystem, the data storage subsystem storing user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content items;

a network interface; and

a processing system, the processing system programmed or configured to effect;

receiving a playback indication from a remote media player via a data network, the playback indication associated with playback of a packaged media content item recorded on a non-user packaged medium, the playback indication including a packaged media content item identifier identifying the content item recorded on the non-user packaged medium;

retrieving a user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content item from a data storage system in response to the received playback indication by matching the packaged media content item identifier with a user-provided supplemental content item identifier, each user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content item in the data storage system having a user-provided supplemental content item identifier associating the user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content item with a user-selected one of a plurality of packaged media content items; and

transmitting the retrieved user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content item to the remote media player via the data network, wherein the supplemental content item is played in a display area simultaneously in association with playing back of the packaged media content item.

7. A media player having a feature for including supplemental content in packaged media playback, comprising:

a media receptacle for receiving a non-user packaged medium;

a network interface; and

a processing system comprising a processor and memory, the processing system programmed or configured to effect;

playing back a packaged media content item recorded on the non-user packaged medium;

transmitting a playback indication to a remote system via the network interface to request supplemental content, the playback indication associated with playing back the packaged media content item, the playback indication including a packaged media content item identifier identifying the content item recorded on the non-user packaged medium;

receiving a user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content item from the remote system via the network interface in response to the transmitted playback indication, the user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content item having a user-provided association with the packaged media content item indicated by a user-provided supplemental content item identifier; and

playing back the user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content item simultaneously in association with playing back the packaged media content item in a display area.

8. The media player claimed in claim 7, wherein the processor system is programmed or configured in response to programming code read from the non-user packaged medium.

9. The media player claimed in claim 7, wherein playing back the user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content item simultaneously in association with playing back the packaged media content item comprises playing back the user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content item to display in a secondary screen while playing back the packaged media content item to display in a primary screen.

10. The media player claimed in claim 7, wherein:

the packaged media content item identifier identifies a packaged media content item and a playback sequence location in the packaged media content item; and

transmitting the playback indication comprises transmitting the playback indication in real-time while playing back the packaged media content item.

11. The media player claimed in claim 7, wherein:

the packaged media content item identifier identifies a packaged media content item and a playback sequence location in the packaged media content item; and

playing back the user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content item simultaneously in association with playing back the packaged media content item in a display area comprises playing back the user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content item while playing back the packaged media content item and at a time substantially corresponding to the playback sequence location relative to a beginning of playback.

12. The media player claimed in claim 11, wherein playing back the user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content item while playing back the packaged media content item and at a time substantially corresponding to the playback sequence location relative to a beginning of playback comprises playing back the user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content item to display in a secondary screen while playing back the packaged media content item to display in a primary screen.

13. The media player claimed in claim 11, wherein the playback sequence location corresponds to information identifying a scene in the packaged media content item.

14. The media player claimed in claim 11, wherein the playback sequence location corresponds to information identifying a timecode in the packaged media content item.

15. A packaged media product for playback on a media player, the packaged media product comprising a machine-readable non-user packaged medium on which is recorded in machine-readable form a packaged media content item and code for instructing the media player to effect:

playing back the packaged media content item recorded on the non-user packaged medium;

transmitting a playback indication to a remote server system via the network interface, the playback indication associated with playing back the packaged media content item, the playback indication including a packaged media content item identifier identifying the content item recorded on the non-user packaged medium;

receiving a user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content item from the remote server system via the network interface in response to the transmitted playback indication, the supplemental content item having a user-provided association with the packaged media content item indicated by a user-provided supplemental content item identifier; and

playing back the user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content item simultaneously in association with playing back the packaged media content item in a display area.

16. The packaged media product claimed in claim 15, wherein the code for instructing the media player to effect playing back the user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content item simultaneously in association with playing back the packaged media content item comprises code for instructing the media player to effect playing back the user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content item to display in a secondary screen while playing back the packaged media content item to display in a primary screen.

17. The packaged media product claimed in claim 15, wherein:

the packaged media content item identifier identifies a packaged media content item and a playback sequence location in the packaged media content item; and

the code for instructing the media player to effect transmitting the playback indication comprises code for instructing the media player to effect transmitting the playback indication in real-time while playing back the packaged media content item.

18. The packaged media product claimed in claim 15, wherein:

the packaged media content item identifier identifies a packaged media content item and a playback sequence location in the packaged media content item; and

the code for instructing the media player to effect playing back the user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content item simultaneously in association with playing back the packaged media content item comprises code for instructing the media player to effect playing back the user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content item while playing back the packaged media content item and at a time substantially corresponding to the playback sequence location relative to a beginning of playback.

19. The packaged media product claimed in claim 18, wherein the code for instructing the media player to effect playing back the user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content item while playing back the packaged media content item and at a time substantially corresponding to the playback sequence location relative to a beginning of playback comprises code for instructing the media player to effect playing back the user-provided non-advertisement supplemental content item to display in a secondary screen while playing back the packaged media content item to display in a primary screen.

20. The packaged media product claimed in claim 18, wherein the playback sequence location corresponds to information identifying a scene in the packaged media content item.

21. The packaged media product claimed in claim 18, wherein the playback sequence location corresponds to information identifying a timecode in the packaged media content item.