Method and apparatus for presenting dynamic media content

• US 9,215,513 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2014
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Meuninck, Troy C., Kashapov, Oleg
• Primary Examiner(s): Alcon, Fernando
• Application Number:
  US14/460,468
• Publication Number:
  US 20140359666A1
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• 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 21/4332 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• 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 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; 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 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4888 for displaying teletext characters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a set top box (STB) comprising a controller to analyze scheduled media content with limited temporal accessibility provided by a content provider, select a portion of the media content based on the analysis of the media content and a recipient media device to receive the portion of the media content, transmit the portion of the media content to a DVR to store the portion of the media content, and transmit a metadata pointer associated with the portion of the media content to a server. A request to accept the portion of the media content is received by the recipient media device via the server, and the portion of the media content is retrieved from the DVR by the server based on the metadata pointer when the recipient media device accepts the request. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A server comprising:

a memory to store executable instructions;

a controller coupled to the memory, wherein the controller, responsive to executing the instructions, performs operations comprising;

receiving a metadata pointer associated with media content from an initiating device responsive to a selection of the media content and a media content type for the media content;

transmitting a request to accept a portion of the media content to a recipient device;

storing the metadata pointer in the memory, responsive to the recipient device accepting the request;

retrieving the portion of the media content from a recording device operably coupled to the initiating device; and

transmitting the portion of the media content to the recipient device.

2. The server of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise receiving an acceptance from the recipient device in response to the request, and wherein the retrieving is performed based on the metadata pointer and responsive to receiving the acceptance.

3. The server of claim 2, wherein the storing is performed upon receiving the acceptance.

4. The server of claim 1, wherein the portion of the media content is retrieved without retrieving an entire copy of the media content.

5. The server of claim 1, wherein the selection is from a graphical user interface having options for selecting the media content type by the initiating device for transmission to the recipient device.

6. The server of claim 5, wherein the graphical user interface enables selection of text content from the media content to be sent to the recipient device.

7. The server of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating text to describe the media content; and

extracting an image from the media content;

wherein the metadata pointer includes location information indicating a location of the portion of the media content on the recording device, wherein the request to accept the media content includes the text and the image.

8. The server of claim 7, wherein the metadata pointer does not identify a file name for the media content, and wherein the metadata pointer does not indicate a uniform resource locator or uniform resource identifier for the portion of the media content.

9. The server of claim 1, wherein the request includes a sample of the portion of the media content.

10. A computer-readable storage device, comprising executable instructions which, responsive to being executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a metadata pointer associated with media content from a first communication device responsive to a selection of the media content and a media content type for the media content, the selection being from a graphical user interface having options for selecting the media content type by the first communication device for transmission to a second communication device;

transmitting a request to accept a portion of the media content to a second communication device;

receiving an acceptance from the second communication device in response to the request;

storing the metadata pointer, responsive to the second communication device accepting the request;

retrieving the portion of the media content from a recording device operably coupled to the first communication device based on the metadata pointer and responsive to receiving the acceptance; and

transmitting the portion of the media content to the second communication device.

11. The computer-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein the storing is performed upon receiving the acceptance.

12. The computer-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein the portion of the media content is retrieved without retrieving an entire copy of the media content.

13. The computer-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein the graphical user interface enables selection of text content from the media content to be sent to the second communication device.

14. The computer-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating text to describe the media content; and

extracting an image from the media content;

wherein the metadata pointer includes location information indicating a location of the portion of the media content on the recording device, wherein the request to accept the media content includes the text and the image.

15. The computer-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein the request includes a sample of the portion of the media content.

16. A method comprising:

receiving, by a server, a metadata pointer associated with media content from an initiating device responsive to a selection of the media content;

transmitting, by the server, a request to accept a portion of the media content to a recipient device;

storing, by the server, the metadata pointer, responsive to the recipient device accepting the request;

retrieving, by the server, the portion of the media content from a recording device operably coupled to the initiating device; and

transmitting, by the server, the portion of the media content to the recipient device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving an acceptance from the recipient device in response to the request.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the storing is performed upon receiving the acceptance, and wherein the retrieving is performed based on the metadata pointer and responsive to receiving the acceptance.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the selection includes a selection of a media content type for the media content.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the selection is from a graphical user interface having options for selecting the media content type by the initiating device for transmission to the recipient device, and wherein the graphical user interface enables selection of text content from the media content to be sent to the recipient device.