Media content access systems and methods

• US 9,173,001 B1
• Filed: 06/27/2006
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Roberts, Brian, Stallings, Heath, Relyea, Don
• Primary Examiner(s): Alata, Yassin
• Application Number:
  US11/474,992
• Time in Patent Office: 3,409 Days
• Field of Search: 725/47, 725/60, 725/68, 725/85, 725/100, 725/139, 725/151
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26208 the scheduling operation being performed under constraints
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/654 Transmission by server directed to the client
• 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 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 21/8405 represented by keywords

Abstract

In one of many possible embodiments, a system includes a media content processing subsystem configured to process a flagging request, which designates a scene within the media content instance as a flagged scene. The processing subsystem is further configured to generate an actionable data module containing additional content corresponding to the flagged scene.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a media content processing subsystem configured to;

receive media content through a network from a media content provider;

provide the media content to a viewer;

process a flagging request from the viewer, said flagging request designating a scene within a media content instance of the media content as a flagged scene; and

generate an indicator to be temporarily displayed as an overlay on said flagged scene on a display device in communication with said media content processing subsystem indicating that said scene has been flagged;

automatically generate an actionable data module corresponding to said flagged scene in response to said flagging request;

wherein said actionable data module comprises;

a media content identifier;

date and time of said flagged scene; and

additional content corresponding to said flagged scene, said additional content including at least one of an outtake, an alternative program ending, a director'"'"'s cut, a commercial for a product shown in said flagged scene, a cast photograph;

wherein said additional content is included with said media content received from the media content provider.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said media content processing subsystem is further configured to update said actionable data module with data located on said network;

and wherein the updating includes requesting from and receiving from said network updated additional content corresponding to said flagged scene.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said additional content comprises one or more links to content located on said network.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

the media content provider configured to provide said media content processing subsystem with a data stream comprising said media content instance of the media content;

wherein said additional content is at least in part derived from said data stream substantially simultaneously with said scene being flagged from said media content instance of the media content in said data stream.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said media content processing subsystem comprises a storage device, and wherein said additional content comprises one or more links to content stored within said storage device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said media content processing subsystem comprises at least one of a set-top box, home communication terminal, digital home communication terminal, stand-alone personal video recorder, digital video disc player, video-enabled phone, and personal computer.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said media content instance comprises at least one of a television program, pay-per-view content, video-on-demand content, Internet content, digital video disc content, and audio programming content.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said additional content comprises at least one of descriptive information corresponding to said media content instance, purchasing options corresponding to one or more of said products displayed in said flagged scene, one or more links to web content, recording options, and one or more key words corresponding to said flagged scene.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said media content processing subsystem is further configured to generate one or more graphical user interfaces configured to provide a user with access to said additional content corresponding to said flagged scene.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a user input device configured to communicate with said media content processing subsystem;

wherein said user input device is configured to generate said flagging request.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more access devices configured to communicate with said media content processing subsystem;

wherein said access devices are configured to access said additional content corresponding to said flagged scene.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said media content processing subsystem is further configured to customize one or more options available to a user of said media content processing subsystem, wherein said customization is based on said actionable data module.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein said media content processing subsystem is further configured to receive at least one key word into the actionable data module, and at least one of provide access to additional content associated with said at least one key word, provide a link to users who flag media content having said at least one key word, and automatically record other media content having said at least one key word.

16. The system of claim 2, wherein said updated additional content is pinged for latency, and any content that has a latency that does not meet predefined transmission standards of said network is excluded from the updated additional content.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a storage device; and

a processor communicatively coupled to said storage device, said processor configured to

receive a media content instance through a network from a media content provider;

process a flagging request received from a viewer while viewing the media content instance, said flagging request designating a scene within the media content instance as a flagged scene;

generate an indicator to be temporarily displayed as an overlay on said flagged scene on a display device in communication with said media content processing subsystem indicating that said scene has been flagged;

automatically generate an actionable data module corresponding to said flagged scene in response to said flagging request; and

store said actionable data module within said storage device;

wherein said actionable data module comprises;

a media content identifier;

date and time of said flagged scene; and

additional content corresponding to said flagged scene, said additional content including at least one of an outtake, an alternative program ending, a director'"'"'s cut, a commercial for a product shown in said flagged scene, a cast photograph, and advertiser information;

wherein said additional content is included with said media content received from the media content provider.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said processor is further configured to update said actionable data module with data located on said network;

and wherein the updating includes requesting from and receiving from said network updated additional content corresponding to said flagged scene.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

a receiving device configured to receive a data stream comprising said media content instance;

wherein said additional content is at least in part derived from said data stream substantially simultaneously with said scene being flagged from said media content instance of the media content in said data stream.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said additional content comprises one or more links to content stored within said storage device.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said additional content comprises at least one of descriptive information corresponding to said media content instance, purchasing options corresponding to one or more of said products displayed in said flagged scene, one or more links to web content, recording options, and one or more key words corresponding to said flagged scene.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a graphics engine, wherein said graphics engine is configured to generate one or more graphical user interfaces configured to provide a user with access to said additional content corresponding to said flagged scene.

21. A method comprising:

receiving a media content instance through a network from a media content provider;

receiving from a viewer of the media content instance a flagging request, said flagging request designating a scene within the media content instance as a flagged scene;

processing said flagging request; and

generating an indicator to be temporarily displayed as an overlay on said flagged scene on a display device in communication with said media content processing subsystem indicating that said scene has been flagged;

automatically generating, in a media content processing subsystem, an actionable data module corresponding to said flagged scene in response to said flagging request;

wherein said actionable data module comprises;

a media content identifier;

date and time of said flagged scene; and

additional content corresponding to said flagged scene, said additional content including at least one of an outtake, an alternative program ending, a director'"'"'s cut, a commercial for a product shown in said flagged scene, a cast photograph, and advertiser information;

wherein said additional content is included with said media content received from the media content provider.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising updating said actionable data module with data located on a network;

and wherein the updating includes requesting from and receiving from said network updated additional content corresponding to said flagged scene.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said additional content comprises one or more links to content located on said network.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein said additional content comprises at least one of descriptive information corresponding to said media content instance, purchasing options corresponding to one or more of said products displayed in said flagged scene, one or more links to web content, recording options, and one or more key words corresponding to said flagged scene.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising generating one or more graphical user interfaces configured to provide a user with access to said additional content corresponding to said flagged scene.