User-based media content chaptering systems and methods

• US 8,959,558 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2009
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Mehta, Japan A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Featherstone, Mark D
• Application Number:
  US12/495,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20100333123A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,058 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/87
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/73 using meta-information
• 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 21/44226 on social networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

An exemplary method includes providing, by a media content access subsystem, a media content program for presentation to a user, receiving user input with the media content access subsystem, capturing, by the media content access subsystem, a snapshot image of the media content program based on the user input, associating, by the media content access subsystem, metadata with the snapshot image, and transmitting, by the media content access subsystem, data representative of the snapshot image and the metadata to a media content chaptering subsystem for use by the media content chaptering subsystem in chaptering the media content program. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing, by a media content access subsystem, a media content program for presentation to a user;

receiving, by said media content access subsystem, user input representing a selection of a snapshot image to be associated with a predefined chapter of said media content program;

capturing, by said media content access subsystem, said snapshot image based on said user input;

associating, by said media content access subsystem, metadata with said snapshot image;

transmitting, by said media content access subsystem, data representative of said snapshot image and said metadata to a media content chaptering subsystem for use by said media content chaptering subsystem in chaptering said media content program; and

providing, by the media content access subsystem, said user with a publication setting selection tool configured for use by the user to create at least one group of users to whom permission to access said data representative of said snapshot image will be provided;

detecting, by another media content access subsystem, a user selection of said snapshot image displayed in a graphical user interface;

providing, by said another media content access subsystem, a plurality of selectable options for display in said graphical user interface in response to said user selection, said plurality of selectable options including an option to initiate playback of said media content program beginning at a playback time associated with said snapshot image; and

initiating, by said another media content access subsystem, playback of said media content program beginning at said playback time associated with said snapshot image in response to a user selection of said option to initiate playback of said media content program beginning at said playback time associated with said snapshot image.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by said media content access subsystem, additional user input specifying a caption for said snapshot image;

associating, by said media content access subsystem, said caption with said snapshot image; and

transmitting, by said media content access subsystem, data representative of said caption to said media content chaptering subsystem for use in said chaptering of said media content program.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, by said media content access subsystem, a plurality of publication setting options to said user;

receiving, by said media content access subsystem, additional user input specifying a publication setting among the plurality of publication setting options for said snapshot image;

associating, by said media content access subsystem, said publication setting with said snapshot image; and

transmitting, by said media content access subsystem, data representative of said publication setting to said media content chaptering subsystem for use in publishing said snapshot image.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said metadata comprises at least one of a timestamp indicating said playback time associated with said snapshot image, a user profile identifier indicative of said user, and a media content program identifier indicative of said media content program.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said media content access subsystem comprises a set-top box.

6. The method of claim 1, tangibly embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising providing a caption input tool in a graphical user interface, said caption input tool configured to facilitate said user providing said additional user input specifying said caption for said snapshot image.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein said publication setting selection tool is provided in a graphical user interface and is further configured to facilitate said user providing said additional user input specifying said publication setting for said snapshot image.

9. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving, by said media content chaptering subsystem, said data representative of said snapshot image and said metadata;

storing, by said media content chaptering subsystem, said data representative of said snapshot image and said metadata to a storage device;

receiving, by said media content chaptering subsystem, a request for said snapshot image from said another media content access subsystem;

determining, by said media content chaptering subsystem, that said another media content access subsystem has permission to access said snapshot image based on said publication setting; and

transmitting, by said media content chaptering subsystem, data representative of said snapshot image to said another media content access subsystem in response to said request.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein said plurality of publication setting options includes an option to publish said snapshot image to the public, an option to publish said snapshot image to a private group, an option to publish said snapshot image to a private user, an option to publish said snapshot image to a social network, and an option to publish said snapshot image to a user created group.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, by said another media content access subsystem, said data representative of said snapshot image; and

providing, by said another media content access subsystem, said snapshot image for display in a graphical user interface.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said plurality of selectable options further includes an option to view a caption associated with said snapshot image, an option to initiate playback of said media content program beginning at a beginning of said media content program, and an option to view an enlarged representation of said snapshot image.

13. A method comprising:

maintaining, by a media content chaptering subsystem, a library of end-user-provided media content chaptering data, said end-user-provided media content chaptering data comprising a plurality of end-user-provided snapshot images associated with at least one predefined chapter of at least one media content program;

maintaining, by said media content chaptering subsystem, end-user-provided publication settings data for said end-user-provided media content chaptering data, said end-user-provided publications settings data including an end-user-created group of users to whom permission to access said end-user-provided media content chaptering data will be provided;

receiving, by said media content chaptering subsystem and from a media content access subsystem, a request for said end-user-provided media content chaptering data;

identifying, by said media content chaptering subsystem and based on said end-user-provided publication settings data, at least a subset of said requested end-user-provided media content chaptering data to which a user associated with said media content access subsystem has permission to access;

transmitting, by said media content chaptering subsystem, data representative of said at least a subset of said requested end-user-provided media content chaptering data to said media content access subsystem;

detecting, by said media content access subsystem, a user selection of one of said plurality of end-user provided snapshot images;

providing, by said media content access subsystem, a plurality of selectable options for display in a graphical user interface in response to said user selection, said plurality of selectable options including an option to initiate a playback of said media content program beginning at a playback time associated with said one of said plurality of end-user provided snapshot images; and

initiating, by said media content access subsystem, said playback of said media content program beginning at said playback time associated with said one of said plurality of end-user provided snapshot images in response to a user selection of said option to initiate said playback of said media content program beginning at said playback time.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said end-user-provided media content chaptering data further comprises metadata associated with said plurality of end-user-provided snapshot images.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said maintaining of said library of said end-user-provided media content chaptering data comprises:

receiving said end-user-provided media content chaptering data from a plurality of media content access subsystems via a network; and

aggregating said received end-user-provided media content chaptering data in said library of end-user-provided media content chaptering data.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving, by said media content access subsystem, said data representative of said at least a subset of said requested end-user-provided chaptering data; and

providing, by said media content access subsystem, said at least a subset of said requested end-user-provided chaptering for display in said graphical user interface.

17. A system comprising:

a media content access subsystem that

provides media content for presentation to an end user,

captures media content chaptering data for said media content based on user input provided by said end user, said user input representing a selection of a snapshot image to be associated with a predefined chapter of said media content as media content chaptering data,

captures publication settings data associated with said media content chaptering data based on additional user input provided by said end user, said additional user input provided by said end user including a creation of at least one group of users to whom permission to access said media content chaptering data will be provided, and

transmits said media content chaptering data and said publication settings data over a network;

a media content chaptering subsystem that

receives said media content chaptering data and said publication settings data from said media content access subsystem via said network,

selectively publishes said media content chaptering data for access by one or more other media content access subsystems via said network based on said publication settings data;

wherein a media content access subsystem included in said one or more other media content access subsystems

accesses said media content chaptering data for said media content via said network,

detects a user selection of said snapshot image,

provides a plurality of selectable options for display in a graphical user interface in response to said user selection, said plurality of selectable options including an option to initiate playback of said media content beginning at a playback time associated with said snapshot image, and

initiates playback of said media content beginning at said playback time associated with said snapshot image in response to a user selection of said option to imitate playback of said media content beginning at said playback time associated with said snapshot image.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said media content chaptering data further comprises a plurality of snapshot images of said media content and metadata associated with said plurality of snapshot images.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

a media content delivery subsystem configured to transmit data representative of said media content over said network;

wherein said media content access subsystem and said one or more other media content access subsystems comprise a plurality of set-top boxes configured to receive said data representative of said media content from said media content delivery subsystem via said network.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein said metadata comprises playback times associated with said plurality of snapshots images.