Method and apparatus for presenting media programs

• US 9,313,547 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2015
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Roberts, Linda, Chang, E-Lee, Sung, Ja-Young, Schultz, Natasha Barrett, King, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US14/639,180
• Publication Number:
  US 20150181298A1
• Time in Patent Office: 404 Days
• Field of Search: 715/728, 715/723, 715763-765, 715851-854
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42225 characterized by types of remote control, e.g. universal remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• 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 21/47205 for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally
• 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 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8547 involving timestamps for synchronizing content

Abstract

Systems and processes that incorporate teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, determining a temporal action initiated by equipment of a user of a plurality of users, while a media program is presented to a display of the equipment of the user. A symbolic overlay is generated comprising an iconic symbol corresponding to the temporal action. The symbolic overlay is provided, and when presented together with the media program at the display, comprises a linear presentation of a timeline corresponding to a temporal progression of the media program and the iconic symbol situated in relation to the linear presentation of the timeline when displayed. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining, by a system comprising a processor, a temporal action initiated by equipment of a user of a plurality of users, while a media program is presented to a display device;

generating, by the system, a symbolic overlay from the temporal action, wherein the symbolic overlay comprises an iconic symbol; and

providing, by the system, the symbolic overlay that when presented together with the media program at the display comprises a linear presentation of a timeline, wherein the timeline corresponds to a temporal progression of the media program; and

determining an input cursor located at or near a symbol of the presentation of the symbolic overlay, wherein the iconic symbol is situated in relation to the linear presentation of the timeline when presented at the display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the media program corresponds to a video stream, an audio stream, a sequence of still images, a sequence of text images, or combinations thereof, the method further comprising detecting, by the system an input cursor located at or near the iconic symbol of the presentation, wherein the temporal action is initiated in response to an audible signal of an end user, a movement of an input cursor of a graphical user interface, receipt of comment from the end user, or a combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing, by the system, a display event to occur responsive to the input cursor located at or near the iconic symbol when displayed, wherein the display event comprises expanding the iconic symbol, providing a pop-up menu with selective options, or providing a communication log.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the selective options of the pop-up menu comprise viewing a user profile of a particular user of the plurality of users, changing of the iconic symbol, viewing a communication log of users of the plurality of users, viewing a two-way communication log between two particular users of the plurality of users, or a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the selective options of the pop-up menu are displayed in response to a left click or a right click of a mouse produces and wherein the communication log is produced in response to another of the left click or the right click of the mouse.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the iconic symbol is a comment icon situated relative to the linear presentation of the timeline, the input cursor is located over the comment icon on the linear presentation of the timeline and producing a communications log up to a point on the linear presentation of the timeline where the comment icon is situated.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining a selection of certain users of the plurality of users to be represented in the communications log, wherein the comment icon is responsive to a comment request presented as a timestamp in relation to the media program.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the symbolic overlay comprises an avatar representation of the user, an actual image of the user, or combinations thereof, wherein the temporal action is expressed by way of the avatar representation of the user, the actual image of the user, or combinations thereof, wherein a gesture of the avatar corresponds to a motion of a body of the avatar, and wherein an expression of the avatar comprises an expression of a plurality of expressions.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the symbolic overlay comprises an avatar representation of the user, and wherein when the user speaks, a message appears as a callout bubble proximate to the user, or as an audio of the message.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the audio comprises real audio or synthesized audio from text generated by the equipment of the user.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the symbolic overlay is presented to equipment of the plurality of users, and wherein the symbolic overlay includes the iconic symbol depicting the temporal action.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the depictions of a corresponding symbolic overlay are selectable by a subset of the plurality of users of the corresponding symbolic overlay.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the symbolic overlay comprises an avatar representation of the user, and wherein responsive to a mouse pointer positioned over the avatar representation of the user, the avatar representation of the user changes color.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the iconic symbol comprises a comment icon situated on the linear presentation of the timeline presented by the presentation of the symbolic overlay, and further comprising causing, by the system, an event to occur, responsive to positioning of a mouse pointer over the comment icon, wherein the event comprises production of a communications log showing comments made by all users of the plurality of user that correspond to the comment icon.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable storage device, comprising executable instructions which, responsive to being executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

determining temporal actions initiated at equipment of a plurality of users while providing media content to the equipment of the plurality of users;

providing a symbolic overlay generated from the temporal actions that when presented at a display together with the media content comprises a linear presentation of a timeline, wherein the timeline corresponds to a temporal progression of presentation of the media content; and

determining an input cursor located at or near a symbol of the presentation of the symbolic overlay, wherein the symbol is situated in relation to the linear presentation of the timeline when presented at the display.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise causing an event to occur, wherein the event comprises expanding the symbol, providing a pop-up menu with selective options, or providing a communications log.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the media content comprises video content, audio-only content, video with no audio content, or a combination thereof, wherein the symbolic overlay is presentable on a display device of the equipment of the user together with a presentation of the media content, and wherein the symbolic overlay comprises a menu button, an iconic symbol including an avatar, a callout or both, an operative control, a timeline, or combinations thereof.

18. A device, comprising:

a memory storing executable instructions; and

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

providing a client program having a graphical user interface to a media device, wherein the client program presents a symbolic overlay comprising a linear presentation of a timeline corresponding to a temporal progression of a presentation of media content received by the media device that superimposes the symbolic overlay onto the media content received by the media device and enables the media device to associate a comment with the media content received by the media device, and wherein the comment is presented by a symbol situated relative to the linear presentation of the timeline corresponding to the temporal progression of the media content.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise:

performing a display event in response to detecting an input cursor located at or near the symbol, wherein the display event is viewable on a display and comprises expanding the symbol, providing a pop-up menu with selective options, or providing a communications log.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein when the pop-up menu with selective options is presented, and wherein the comments associated with the symbol are listed chronologically.