Media player with networked playback control and advertisement insertion

• US 9,083,938 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Zalewski, Gary
• Primary Examiner(s): HARVEY, DAVID E
• Application Number:
  US13/843,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20130209067A1
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• Field of Search: 386/278, 386/290, 386/281, 386/282
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/06 with both visual and audible presentation of the material to be studied
• 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 21/438 Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. retrieving encoded video stream packets from an IP network
• 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 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/79 Processing of colour television signals in connection with recording

Abstract

A media player enables insertion of advertising content during playback of received content. This facilitates targeted product placement, advertisements, and the like. The media player identifies an advertising insertion event, which may be based on a viewer profile. Upon identification of an advertising insertion event, the media player varies playback of the received content to add advertising information.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more computer programs adapted to cause a processor based system to execute steps comprising:

receiving content;

accessing a social networking website hosted on a computer network and locating within the social networking website a plurality of different playback control records created for the content by members of the social networking website, wherein each of the plurality of different playback control records are configured to vary the content during playback of the content by both (a) inserting at least one advertisement into the content and by (b) varying the content in at least one other manner chosen by a creator of each respective playback control record;

receiving at least one of the located playback control records;

receiving the at least one advertisement; and

varying the content during playback of the content according to the at least one located playback control record.

2. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer programs are further adapted to cause the processor based system to execute steps comprising:

selecting the at least one advertisement based on profile information for a user of the processor based system.

3. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the varying the content in at least one other manner chosen by a creator of each respective playback control record comprises using one or more from the group consisting of:

deletion;

insertion;

reordering;

overlaying;

speed adjustment; and

presentation modification.

4. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving content comprises downloading the content from the social networking website.

5. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer programs are further adapted to cause the processor based system to execute steps comprising:

identifying the content.

6. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving content comprises recording the content as it is broadcast.

7. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving content comprises accessing the content from a storage device.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the accessing a social networking website comprises:

accessing a social networking website of a type that is supported at least in part by created playback control records being configured to insert at least one advertisement into each item of content.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the locating within the social networking website a plurality of different playback control records created for the content by members of the social networking website comprises:

receiving an option from the social networking website that comprises;

displaying only playback control records associated with the content.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the locating within the social networking website a plurality of different playback control records created for the content by members of the social networking website further comprises:

receiving additional options from the social networking website that comprise;

displaying all playback control records available on the social networking website; and

displaying only playback control records associated with downloadable content.

11. A method, comprising:

receiving content;

accessing a social networking website hosted on a computer network, by a processor based apparatus, and locating within the social networking website a plurality of different playback control records created for the content by members of the social networking website, wherein each of the plurality of different playback control records are configured to vary the content during playback of the content by both (a) inserting at least one advertisement into the content and by (b) varying the content in at least one other manner chosen by a creator of each respective playback control record;

receiving at least one of the located playback control records;

receiving the at least one advertisement; and

varying the content during playback of the content according to the at least one located playback control record.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the accessing a social networking website comprises:

accessing a social networking website of a type that is supported at least in part by created playback control records being configured to insert at least one advertisement into each item of content.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the locating within the social networking website a plurality of different playback control records created for the content by members of the social networking website comprises:

receiving an option from the social networking website that comprises;

displaying only playback control records associated with the content.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the locating within the social networking website a plurality of different playback control records created for the content by members of the social networking website further comprises:

receiving additional options from the social networking website that comprise;

displaying all playback control records available on the social networking website; and

displaying only playback control records associated with downloadable content.

15. A media player, comprising:

a network interface;

an output port; and

a processor configured to receive content, and access a social networking website hosted on a computer network via the network interface and locate within the social networking website a plurality of different playback control records created for the content by members of the social networking website, wherein each of the plurality of different playback control records are configured to vary the content during playback of the content by both (a) inserting at least one advertisement into the content and by (b) varying the content in at least one other manner chosen by a creator of each respective playback control record;

wherein the processor is further configured to receive at least one of the located playback control records, receive the at least one advertisement, vary the content during playback of the content according to the at least one located playback control record, and output the varied content to the output port.

16. The media player of claim 15, wherein the access a social networking website comprises:

access a social networking website of a type that is supported at least in part by created playback control records being configured to insert at least one advertisement into each item of content.

17. The media player of claim 15, wherein the locate within the social networking website a plurality of different playback control records created for the content by members of the social networking website comprises:

receiving an option from the social networking website that comprises;

displaying only playback control records associated with the content.

18. The media player of claim 17, wherein the locate within the social networking website a plurality of different playback control records created for the content by members of the social networking website further comprises:

receiving additional options from the social networking website that comprise;

displaying all playback control records available on the social networking website; and

displaying only playback control records associated with downloadable content.