Identifying items in a content stream

• US 9,538,209 B1
• Filed: 03/26/2010
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kokenos, Danae M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Randy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brown, Reuben M
• Application Number:
  US12/732,963
• Time in Patent Office: 2,475 Days
• Field of Search: 725/23, 725/2, 725/6, 725/8, 725/113, 725/136, 725/42, 725/37, 725/14, 725/19, 725/20, 386/241
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2353 specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12

Abstract

Techniques described herein identify items within a content stream and output information pertaining to these items. For instance, the techniques may monitor an audio and/or video stream to identify products, geographical locations, particular people, or any other item of interest. In response to identifying an item of interest, the techniques obtain an instruction that determines what type of information to output with the content stream.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

monitoring a video stream being displayed by a content output device;

detecting a content identifier (ID) within the video stream based at least partly on the monitoring of the video stream, the content ID being associated with an item offered for acquisition that is displayed in one or more frames of the video stream, the content ID being inserted into the video stream at a location that is at least one of;

adjacent to an image of the item,

outside of a viewable area of a display of the content output device displaying the video stream, or

inside of a viewable area of a display of the content output device displaying the video stream,

wherein the content ID, having been inserted into the video stream, is imperceptible to a human viewing the content output device based on at least one of a size of the content ID or a number of frames used to display the content ID; and

at least partly in response to the detecting of the content ID;

mapping the content ID to the item and an instruction;

determining information to display on the content output device pertaining to the item based at least in part on the instruction; and

causing display of, on the content output device and with the video stream, the determined information pertaining to the item.

2. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the content ID is also included within an audio stream being presented by the content output device, and detecting the content ID comprises taking one or more screen shots of the video stream, capturing audio associated with the one or more screen shots and analyzing each respective screenshot and associated audio for the content ID.

3. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the content ID comprises a barcode or a universal product code (UPC) identifying the item offered for acquisition.

4. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the content ID comprises an identifier that identifies an advertisement associated with the item offered for acquisition.

5. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the video stream being displayed by the content output device comprises a live video stream.

6. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the video stream being displayed by the content output device comprises a television broadcast signal.

7. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 6, wherein the content output device comprises a television and the monitoring is performed by a set-top box coupled to the television.

8. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the content output device comprises a laptop computer, a personal computing device, a tablet computer, a personal media player, a cellular telephone, a portable electronic device, or an electronic book (eBook) reader device.

9. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the content ID is identified within an advertisement that forms a portion of the video stream, and wherein the item offered for acquisition comprises a digital item or a physical item offered for purchase during the advertisement.

10. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the determined information pertaining to the item comprises a cost of the item or an availability of the item.

11. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the determined information pertaining to the item comprises an overlay allowing a user viewing the video stream to request more information about the item.

12. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the instruction comprises an instruction to cause display of a price or an availability of the item, and wherein the determined information pertaining to the item comprises the cost or the availability of the item.

13. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more computer-readable media reside within the content output device, within a device that is integral with the content output device, within a device that is not integral with the content output device, or a combination thereof.

14. A method comprising:

under control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions,

monitoring a content stream being provided to a content output device for output by the content output device;

detecting a content identifier (ID) within the content stream based at least partly on the monitoring of the content stream, the content ID being associated with an item offered for acquisition that is displayed in one or more frames of the content stream, the content ID being inserted into the content stream at a location that is at least one of;

adjacent to an image of the item,

outside of a viewable area of a display of the content output device displaying the content stream, or

inside of a viewable area of a display of the content output device displaying the content stream,

wherein the content ID, having been inserted into the video stream, is imperceptible to a human viewing the content output device based on at least one of a size of the content ID or a number of frames used to display the content ID; and

at least partly in response to the detecting of the content ID;

identifying the item;

determining information pertaining to the item; and

outputting the determined information to the content output device.

15. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the content identifier comprises a barcode, a universal product code (UPC), or a unique visual or audio fingerprint.

16. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the monitoring of the content stream further comprises sending a portion of the content stream to a group of human users to identify the item offered for acquisition within the content stream.

17. A method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

receiving feedback from users that have previously consumed the content stream, and wherein the feedback includes an identification of the item;

verifying the item based at least partly on the user feedback; and

updating, in response to a threshold number of users providing feedback, the identification of the item.

18. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the content stream being output by the content output device comprises a video, an audio stream, or both.

19. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the determined information pertaining to the item comprises a name of the item, an image of the item, an offering service that offers the item, a price of the item, an availability of the item, options associated with the item, a rating of the item, a review associated with the item, or a combination thereof.

20. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the determined information pertaining to the item comprises an overlay allowing a user consuming the content stream to request more information about the item.

21. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the content stream being output by the content output device is being broadcast to the content output device in substantially real time.

22. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the monitoring of the content stream is triggered at least partly in response to receiving an instruction from a user consuming the content stream.

23. A method as recited in claim 14, further comprising identifying an advertisement for the item offered for acquisition at least partly in response to the monitoring of the content stream, and wherein the identifying of the item occurs at least partly in response to the identifying of the advertisement.

24. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the content stream being displayed by the content output device comprises a television broadcast signal.

25. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

memory accessible by the one or more processors;

a monitoring module, stored in the memory and executable on the one or more processors to detect a content identifier (ID) within a content stream being broadcast to a content output device, the content ID being associated with an item, the content ID being recognized in one or more frames of the content stream, the content ID being inserted into the content stream at a location that is at least one of;

adjacent to an image of the item,

outside of a viewable area of a display of the content output device displaying the content stream, or

inside of a viewable area of a display of the content output device displaying the content stream,

wherein the content ID, having been inserted into the video stream, is imperceptible to a human viewing the content output device based on at least one of a size of the content ID or a number of frames used to display the content ID; and

an output module stored in the memory and executable on the one or more processors to output, on the content output device and with the content stream, information pertaining to the item at least partly in response to the monitoring module detecting the content ID.

26. A system as recited in claim 25, wherein the content stream comprises a plurality of content identifiers (IDs) and respective content, provided in the one or more frames, and at least some of the content IDs comprise barcodes or universal product codes (UPCs) associated with respective items, and wherein the monitoring module is executable on the one or more processors to locate the barcodes or the UPCs associated with the respective items.

27. A system as recited in claim 26, wherein the monitoring module is executable on the one or more processors to locate the content IDs associated with the respective portions of the content stream.

28. A system as recited in claim 27, wherein at least one of the portions of the content stream comprises an advertisement for the respective item.

29. A system as recited in claim 26, further comprising a mapping module, stored in the memory and executable on the one or more processors to map each located content ID to the respective item.

30. A system as recited in claim 25, wherein the content stream being displayed by the content output device comprises a video stream, an audio stream, or both.

31. A system as recited in claim 25, wherein the content ID comprises a barcode or a universal product code (UPC) identifying the item.