Method and system for seamless navigation of content across different devices

• US 9,319,455 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2013
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: McCoy, Charles, Xiong, True, Wong, Ling Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): MIRZA, ADNAN M
• Application Number:
  US13/786,766
• Publication Number:
  US 20140258445A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,140 Days
• Field of Search: 709/216, 709/217
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561

Abstract

Certain aspects of a system and method for seamless navigation of content between different devices may include one or more devices communicably coupled to one or more servers through a communication network. The devices are capable of rendering content. The device generates the status information corresponding to the first content and communicates the status information to a server when the device navigates from the first content and/or to a second content. The device can render the second content based on a metadata associated with the second content received from the server. The server generates a metadata associated the first content based on the status information received from the device. The server saves the metadata associated with the first content. The server communicates the metadata associated with the first content to a device when the first content has to be rendered in the device.

Claims

1. A device for rendering content, said device comprising:

one or more processors and/or circuits in said device communicably coupled to a server, wherein said one or more processors and/or circuits are operable to;

generate status information corresponding to first content being rendered based on said device navigating from said first content to second content;

communicate said generated status information to said server; and

render said second content based on metadata associated with status information of said second content,

wherein, in an event said device navigates to said first content from said second content, based on said generated status information corresponding to said first content, said device renders said first content.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said one or more processors and/or circuits are operable to generate said status information corresponding to said first content being rendered when said device receives a request to navigate away from said first content to said second content.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said one or more processors and/or circuits are operable to receive said metadata from said server when said device receives a request to navigate to said second content.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein said navigating from said first content comprises one of:

navigating to a menu or turning off said device.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein said one or more processors and/or circuits are operable to generate said status information corresponding to said first content being rendered when said device receives a request to navigate to said second content, wherein said first content continues to be rendered after said navigation to said second content.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein said first content or said second content is rendered in a picture in picture format.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein said second content is same as said first content.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein said metadata comprises a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

9. The device of claim 1, wherein said status information corresponding to said first content comprises one or more of:

pause points, resume points, shared pause points, shared resume points, levels in a game, episodes in a serial and/or user performed actions, such as rewinding a portion of said first content, or re-playing a portion of said first content.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is associated with one or more user profiles corresponding to one or more users interacting with said device.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein said one or more processors and/or circuits are operable to render a prioritized list of a plurality of content based on said one or more user profiles.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein said one or more processors and/or circuits are operable to render one or more advertisements along with said first content and/or said second content based on said one or more user profiles.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein said one or more processors and/or circuits are operable to render said first content and/or said second content in accordance with one or more predefined parameters associated with said device and/or a communication network associated with said device.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein said one or more predefined parameters for said device comprise one or more of:

one or more file formats that said device is capable of rendering, one or more codecs that said device is capable of rendering, aspect ratio, two-dimensional (2D) display, three-dimensional (3D) display, touch screen display, and/or 3D sensors.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein said one or more predefined parameters for said communication network comprise one or both of:

bandwidth and/or connectivity.

16. A method for rendering content, said method comprising:

in a device communicably coupled to a server;

generating status information corresponding to first content being rendered based on said device navigating from said first content to second content;

communicating said generated status information to said server; and

rendering said second content based on metadata associated with status information of said second content,

wherein, in an event said device navigates to said first content from said second content, based on said generated status information corresponding to said first content, rendering said first content.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising generating said status information corresponding to said first content being rendered when said device receives a request to navigate away from said first content to said second content.

18. The method of claim 16, comprising receiving said metadata from said server when said device receives a request to navigate to said second content.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein said navigation from said first content is one of:

navigating to a menu or turning off said device.

20. The method of claim 16, comprising generating said status information corresponding to said first content being rendered when said device receives a request to navigate to said second content, wherein said second content is rendered as an overlay over said first content being rendered.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein said first content or said second content is rendered in a picture in picture format.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein said second content is same as said first content.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein said metadata comprises a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

24. The method of claim 16, wherein said status information comprises one or more of:

pause points, resume points, shared pause points, shared resume points, levels in a game, episodes in a serial and/or user performed actions, such as rewinding a portion of said first content, or re-playing a portion of said first content.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein said device is associated with one or more user profiles.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said one or more user profiles comprise one or more of:

user'"'"'s interest, user'"'"'s emotion and/or user'"'"'s location.

27. The method of claim 26, comprising rendering a prioritized list of a plurality of content based on said one or more user profiles.

28. The method of claim 26, comprising rendering advertisements along with said first content and/or said second content based on said one or more user profiles.

29. The method of claim 16, wherein said first content and/or said second content comprises live content, pre-stored content and/or a combination of both live content and pre-stored content.

30. The method of claim 16, comprising rendering said first content and/or said second content in accordance with predefined parameters associated with said device and/or a communication network associated with said device.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said one or more predefined parameters for said device comprises one or more of:

one or more file formats that said device is capable of rendering, one or more codecs that said device is capable of rendering, aspect ratio, two-dimensional (2D) display, three-dimensional (3D) display, touch screen display, and/or 3D sensors.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein said one or more predefined parameters for said communication network comprise one or both of:

bandwidth and/or connectivity.

33. A system comprising:

in a network comprising one or more devices coupled to a server, wherein at least one of said one or more devices comprises;

a first processor operable to;

generate first status information corresponding to first content being rendered based on said at least one of said one or more devices navigating said first content;

communicate said generated first status information to said server; and

wherein said server comprises;

a second processor operable to;

generate a first metadata based on said first status information associated with said first content; and

communicate said first metadata to at least one of other of said one or more devices, wherein said first content is rendered on said at least one of other of said one or more devices based on said first metadata.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein said first processor is operable to generate said first status information corresponding to said first content when said at least one of said one or more devices associated with said first processor receives a request to navigate said first content on said at least one of other of said one or more devices.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein said first processor is operable to communicate said first metadata to said at least one of other of said one or more devices when said at least one of said one or more devices receives another request to navigate away from said first content.

36. The system of claim 33, wherein said first processor is operable to render a second content based on a received second metadata associated with second status information of said second content, and wherein said received second metadata is received from said server when said at least one of said one or more devices receives a request to navigate from said first content to said second content.

37. The system of claim 33, wherein said second processor is operable to:

generate a second metadata associated with second content based on second status information associated with said second content; and

communicate said second metadata associated with said second content to said at least one of said one or more devices when said at least one of said one or more devices receives a request to navigate from said first content to said second content.

38. A server in a network, said server comprising:

one or more processors and/or circuits communicatively coupled to a plurality of devices, wherein said one or more processors and/or circuits are operable to;

generate metadata associated with first content based on received status information corresponding to said first content, wherein said status information is received from a device of said plurality of devices based on said device navigating from said first content to second content; and

communicate said metadata to said device of said plurality of devices, wherein, in an event said device of said plurality of devices navigates to said first content from said second content, based on said generated status information corresponding to said first content, said device renders said first content.

39. The server of claim 38, wherein said one or more processors and/or circuits are operable to generate said metadata associated with said first content based on said received status information corresponding to said first content, wherein said status information is received from said device of said plurality of devices when said device receives a request to navigate from said first content.

40. The server of claim 38, wherein said one or more processors and/or circuits are operable to communicate said metadata to said device when said device receives a request to navigate to said second content.

41. The server of claim 38, wherein said navigation of said first content comprises one or more of:

pausing, resuming, sharing, rewinding and/or re-playing a portion of said first content.

42. The server of claim 38, wherein said first content continues to be rendered after said navigation to said second content.