System and method for enhancing recorded radio or television programs with information on the world wide web

• US 9,344,670 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2013
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Incertis Carro, Fernando
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui, Kieu Oanh T
• Application Number:
  US14/029,429
• Publication Number:
  US 20140112637A1
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18
• 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 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• 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 21/4725 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 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/91 Television signal processing therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/9201 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the video signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a system, method and computer program for enabling a user (an auditor or a viewer) to access complementary information related to one or a plurality of sequences or topics of interest in a recorded program previously broadcast on the radio or television and played back on a device, such as an audio or video tape or disk recorder/player. The preferred embodiment of the invention relates to a system and method for enabling a person listening to or watching a recorded program, to select one or a plurality of topics drawing his or her attention and for immediately receiving further information related to these topics from the World Wide Web. The system is based on the synchronization of local times of transmitters and recorders. The flow of information transmitted, received and recorded is always synchronized, independently of the relative positions of recorders and transmitters.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device from a user, a selection of a program previously recorded on a recording device from a channel, the program having an associated start program time and end program time;

determining, by the computing device, a subset of program time between the start program time and the end program time;

receiving, by the computing device, a selection from the user of one or more topics associated with the program and the subset of program time;

upon the receiving of the selection of the one or more topics, obtaining, by the computing device from a server associated with a hyperlink related to the subset of program time and the program, additional information relating to the one or more topics; and

displaying, by the computing device, the additional information to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising playing the recorded program on the recording device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising resetting, by the computing device, a program-timer on the computing device.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising determining, by the computing device, a selection time based on the program-timer.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising selecting, by the computing device, a hyperlink corresponding to the selection time from a program-table.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising displaying, by the computing device, a web page associated with the hyperlink on the computing device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional information comprises services related to the one or more topics.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the obtaining of the additional information further comprises executing the services.

9. A system comprising:

a processor;

a storage medium for tangibly storing thereon program logic for execution by the processor, the program logic comprising;

program selection receiving logic executed by the processor for receiving, from a user, a selection of a program previously recorded on a recording device from a channel, the program having an associated start program time and end program time;

program time determining logic executed by the processor for determining a subset of program time between the start program time and the end program time;

topic selection receiving logic executed by the processor for receiving a selection from the user of one or more topics associated with the program and the subset of program time;

obtaining logic executed by the processor for obtaining, upon the receiving of the selection of the one or more topics, from a server associated with a hyperlink related to the subset of program time and the program, additional information relating to the one or more topics; and

displaying logic executed by the processor for displaying the additional information to the user.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising playing logic executed by the processor for playing the recorded program on the recording device.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising resetting logic executed by the processor for resetting a program-timer on the computing device.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising determining logic executed by the processor for determining a selection time based on the program-timer.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising hyperlink selecting logic executed by the processor for selecting a hyperlink corresponding to the selection time from a program-table.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising web page displaying logic executed by the processor for displaying a web page associated with the hyperlink on the computing device.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the additional information comprises services related to the one or more topics.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the obtaining logic for obtaining the additional information further comprises executing logic executed by the processor for executing the services.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computer program code for execution by a processor, the computer program code comprising instructions for:

receiving, by the processor from a user, a selection of a program previously recorded on a recording device from a channel, the program having an associated start program time and end program time;

determining, by the computing device, a subset of program time between the start program time and the end program time receiving, by the computing device, a selection from the user of one or more topics associated with the program and the subset of program time;

upon the receiving of the selection of the one or more topics, obtaining, by the computing device from a server associated with a hyperlink related to the subset of program time and the program, additional information relating to the one or more topics; and

displaying, by the computing device, the additional information to the user.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions for resetting a program-timer on the computing device.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions for determining a selection time based on the program-timer.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, further comprising instructions for selecting a hyperlink corresponding to the selection time from a program-table.