Medium and method for interactive seamless branching and/or telescopic advertising
DCFirst Claim
1. A non-transitory or otherwise statutory computer readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer are capable of causing the computer to:
- a. begin receiving a first segment of a main content continuous play media stream comprising a broadcast stream of video;
b. generate a signal to display the first segment, wherein a first visual portion of the first segment substantially fills a first visual display space during display of the first segment, and wherein the generated signal includes a highlighted discernible entity as a visual expansion cue that independently indicates actionability and invites a user to elect insertion of an expansion, wherein said cue is one of a plurality of expansion cues presented simultaneously in a visually distinguished subset of the first visual display space;
c. receive, if an expansion is not elected by the user, a continuing segment of the first segment of the main content continuous play media stream, wherein said continuing segment of the first segment of the main content continuous play media stream must be temporally adjacent to the displayed portion of the first segment in the main content continuous play media stream;
d. generate, if an expansion is not elected by the user, a signal to display said continuing segment of the main content continuous play media after displaying said first segment, wherein a visual portion of said continuing segment fills the first visual display space in spatiotemporal continuity with the first segment;
e. receive user input;
f. determine whether an expansion is elected by the user, wherein the user election of an expansion does not necessitate pushing of a physical button on a selector device, comprising;
i. generate a signal to display a change in said cue if the expansion is determined to be elected by the user during display of the first segment, wherein the change in said cue comprises at least a visual appearance change of said cue;
ii. dynamically determine an expansion decision point established in relation to when the user elected the expansion during display of the first segment if the expansion is elected, wherein the expansion decision point is at a second terminus of the first segment and at a first terminus of the second segment and establishes a beginning point of generating the signal to display the expansion; and
iii. dynamically determine a resume point as a landing offset that must be temporally located less than ten seconds from the expansion decision point in the main content continuous play media stream;
g. fetch the expansion if the expansion is elected by the user, wherein;
i. the expansion comprises (x) expansion content comprising video and (y) expansion instructions;
ii. the main content and the expansion content collectively comprise a presentation content;
iii. the expansion content comprises audio, video, still image(s) and/or text; and
iv. the expansion contains one or more interactive elements allowing for user input;
v. the expansion comprises an advertisement;
h. generate a signal to display a transition from the playing of the first segment to the expansion if the expansion is elected by the user, wherein the expansion fully or partially obscures the main content during the transition from the first segment to the expansion;
i. generate a signal to display the expansion if the expansion is elected by the user wherein a visual portion of the expansion content must fill the first visual display space in spatiotemporal continuity with the first segment and said continuing segment, whereby the display of the expansion content must replace the display of the first segment less than ten seconds after the expansion decision point;
j. receive said continuing segment of the main content continuous play media stream if the expansion is elected by the user;
k. temporarily cache a portion of said continuing segment during display of the expansion content; and
l. generate a signal to display said continuing segment at the resume point after displaying the expansion if the expansion is elected by the user, wherein a visual portion of said continuing segment must fill the first visual display space in spatiotemporal continuity with the expansion, whereby the display of said continuing segment must replace the display of the expansion less than ten seconds after finishing the display of the expansion content.
1 Assignment
Litigations
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method is described for playing stored continuous play content having a temporal flow. At least one segment of the continuous play content is associated with a plurality of links to other segments. The method includes playing at least one segment with temporal flow, determining whether a content expansion is desired, linking to and playing the expansion, if desired, or linking to and playing a continuing segment if the expansion is not desired. The method includes an additional link from the expansion to the continuing segment of the first segment such that the continuing segment is played after the expansion segment has been played. Other teachings include methods for playing stored content, for capturing and playing content, for capturing segment and linkage descriptions, storage mechanisms referencing the continuous play content and linkages and apparatuses for capturing and playing such content.
-
Citations
29 Claims
-
1. A non-transitory or otherwise statutory computer readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer are capable of causing the computer to:
-
a. begin receiving a first segment of a main content continuous play media stream comprising a broadcast stream of video; b. generate a signal to display the first segment, wherein a first visual portion of the first segment substantially fills a first visual display space during display of the first segment, and wherein the generated signal includes a highlighted discernible entity as a visual expansion cue that independently indicates actionability and invites a user to elect insertion of an expansion, wherein said cue is one of a plurality of expansion cues presented simultaneously in a visually distinguished subset of the first visual display space; c. receive, if an expansion is not elected by the user, a continuing segment of the first segment of the main content continuous play media stream, wherein said continuing segment of the first segment of the main content continuous play media stream must be temporally adjacent to the displayed portion of the first segment in the main content continuous play media stream; d. generate, if an expansion is not elected by the user, a signal to display said continuing segment of the main content continuous play media after displaying said first segment, wherein a visual portion of said continuing segment fills the first visual display space in spatiotemporal continuity with the first segment; e. receive user input; f. determine whether an expansion is elected by the user, wherein the user election of an expansion does not necessitate pushing of a physical button on a selector device, comprising; i. generate a signal to display a change in said cue if the expansion is determined to be elected by the user during display of the first segment, wherein the change in said cue comprises at least a visual appearance change of said cue; ii. dynamically determine an expansion decision point established in relation to when the user elected the expansion during display of the first segment if the expansion is elected, wherein the expansion decision point is at a second terminus of the first segment and at a first terminus of the second segment and establishes a beginning point of generating the signal to display the expansion; and iii. dynamically determine a resume point as a landing offset that must be temporally located less than ten seconds from the expansion decision point in the main content continuous play media stream; g. fetch the expansion if the expansion is elected by the user, wherein; i. the expansion comprises (x) expansion content comprising video and (y) expansion instructions; ii. the main content and the expansion content collectively comprise a presentation content; iii. the expansion content comprises audio, video, still image(s) and/or text; and iv. the expansion contains one or more interactive elements allowing for user input; v. the expansion comprises an advertisement; h. generate a signal to display a transition from the playing of the first segment to the expansion if the expansion is elected by the user, wherein the expansion fully or partially obscures the main content during the transition from the first segment to the expansion; i. generate a signal to display the expansion if the expansion is elected by the user wherein a visual portion of the expansion content must fill the first visual display space in spatiotemporal continuity with the first segment and said continuing segment, whereby the display of the expansion content must replace the display of the first segment less than ten seconds after the expansion decision point; j. receive said continuing segment of the main content continuous play media stream if the expansion is elected by the user; k. temporarily cache a portion of said continuing segment during display of the expansion content; and l. generate a signal to display said continuing segment at the resume point after displaying the expansion if the expansion is elected by the user, wherein a visual portion of said continuing segment must fill the first visual display space in spatiotemporal continuity with the expansion, whereby the display of said continuing segment must replace the display of the expansion less than ten seconds after finishing the display of the expansion content. - View Dependent Claims (2)
-
-
3. An audio and/or video presentation method:
-
a. begin receiving a first segment of a main content continuous play media stream; b. generating a signal to display the first segment, wherein a first visual portion of the first segment substantially fills a first visual display space during display of the first segment, and wherein the generated signal includes a highlighted discernible entity as an auditory, visual and/or tactile expansion cue that independently indicates actionability and invites a user to elect insertion of an expansion; c. receiving, if an expansion is not elected by the user, a continuing segment of the first segment of the main content continuous play media stream, wherein said continuing segment of the main content continuous play media stream must be temporally adjacent to the displayed portion of the first segment in the main content continuous play media stream; d. generating, if an expansion is not elected by the user, a signal to display said continuing segment of the main content continuous play media after displaying said first segment, wherein a visual portion of said continuing segment fills the first visual display space in spatiotemporal continuity with the first segment; e. receiving user input; f. determining whether an expansion is elected by the user, comprising; i. dynamically determining an expansion decision point established in relation to when the user elected the expansion during display of the first segment if the expansion is elected, wherein the expansion decision point is at a second terminus of the first segment and at a first terminus of the second segment and establishes the beginning point of generating the signal to display the expansion; and ii. dynamically determining a resume point as a landing offset that must be temporally located less than ten seconds from the expansion decision point in the main content continuous play media stream; g. fetching the expansion if the expansion is elected by the user, wherein; i. the expansion comprises expansion content and expansion instructions; ii. the main content and the expansion content collectively comprise a presentation content; iii. the expansion content comprises audio, video, still image(s) and/or text; and iv. the expansion contains one or more interactive elements allowing for user input; h. generating a signal to display the expansion if the expansion is elected by the user wherein a visual portion of the expansion content must fill the first visual display space in spatiotemporal continuity with the first segment and said continuing segment, whereby the display of the expansion content must replace the display of the first segment less than ten seconds after the expansion decision point; i. receiving said continuing segment of the main content continuous play media stream if the expansion is elected by the user; and j. generating a signal to display said continuing segment at the resume point after displaying the expansion if the expansion is elected by the user, wherein a visual portion of said continuing segment must fill the first visual display space in spatiotemporal continuity with the expansion, whereby the display of said continuing segment must replace the display of the expansion less than ten seconds after finishing the display of the expansion content. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
-
21. A non-transitory or otherwise statutory computer readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer are capable of causing the computer to:
-
a. begin receiving a main content continuous play media stream comprising a stream of audio, video and/or still image(s); b. generate a signal to play a first subset of the main content continuous play media stream, wherein a visual portion of said first subset substantially fills a first visual display space during play of said first subset, and wherein a highlighted discernible entity is presented during play of the first subset as a visual expansion cue that invites a user to elect insertion of an expansion, and wherein said visual expansion cue is one of a plurality of expansion cues that are presented simultaneously in a visually distinguished subset of the first visual display space during playing of the first subset; c. determine during playing of the first subset whether there is user input electing an expansion, wherein electing an expansion does not necessitate pushing of a physical button; d. if user input electing an expansion is not detected during playing of the first subset; i. generate a signal to play a second subset of the main content continuous play media stream that continues from and is temporally adjacent to the first subset of the main content continuous play media stream, wherein a visual portion of said second subset substantially fills the first visual display space during play of the second subset in spatiotemporal continuity with the first subset; e. if user input electing an expansion is detected during playing of the first subset; i. generate a signal to present a change in said expansion cue; ii. establish a resume point as a landing offset in the main content continuous play media stream temporally located less than ten seconds from where the user input was detected in the main content continuous play media stream; iii. fetch the expansion, wherein the expansion comprises expansion content; iv. generate a signal to play the expansion, wherein a visual portion of the expansion content substantially fills the first visual display space after a transition is presented while passing from playing the first subset of the main content continuous play media stream to playing the expansion; v. temporarily cache a portion of the main content continuous play media stream during play of the expansion; and vi. generate a signal to resume playing the main content continuous play media stream at the resume point, wherein a visual portion of the second subset of the main content continuous play media stream fills the first visual display space and replaces the visual portion of the expansion content in the first visual display space less than ten seconds after the expansion content ceases being played. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
-
Specification