Apparatus, systems and methods for accessing and synchronizing presentation of media content and supplemental media rich content in response to selection of a presented object

• US 9,544,660 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2013
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Landow, Kate, Card, John Anthony, Overbaugh, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): MENDOZA, JUNIOR O
• Application Number:
  US13/863,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20130227622A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,366 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2353 specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• 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 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43079 of additional data with content streams on multiple devices
• 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 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4621 Controlling the complexity of the content stream or additional data, e.g. lowering the resolution or bit-rate of the video stream for a mobile client with a small screen arrangements for using the results of monitoring on user's side in broadcast systems H04H60/65; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program

Abstract

Media rich content systems and methods are operable to provide access to supplemental media rich content in response to user selection of a presented object of interest. An exemplary embodiment receives at a media device a video stream comprising at least a plurality of video frames, wherein at least one of the video frames is configured to present an object of interest; processes a supplemental media rich content trigger associated with the at least one video frame, wherein the supplemental media rich content trigger comprises information that identifies a region where the object of interest is presented in the video frame, and comprises information configured to access supplemental media rich content associated with the object of interest; receives a user selection of the object of interest presented in the at least one video frame; and presents the supplemental media rich content on a presentation device.

Claims

1. A method for presentation of supplemental media rich content based on a plurality of supplemental media rich content triggers embedded in a media content stream received at a media device, wherein a first supplemental media rich content trigger causes the media device to establish a communication link to a media content rich content server, and wherein a later received second supplemental media rich content trigger causes the media device to close the communication link, the method comprising:

receiving at the media device a first video frame in the video stream comprising at least a plurality of video frames, wherein the first video frame is configured to present an object of interest;

receiving the first supplemental media rich content trigger at the media device, where in response to receiving the first supplemental media rich content trigger, the method comprises;

processing a first supplemental media rich content trigger associated with the object of interest of the first video frame, wherein the first supplemental media rich content trigger comprises;

first location information that identifies a first region where the object of interest is presented in the first video frame,

first content access information configured to access the supplemental media rich content associated with the object of interest from the media rich content server, and

a communication link establishment request; and

establishing the communication link between the media device and the media rich content server in response to the communication link establishment request;

receiving one of a user selection of the object of interest and a second supplemental media rich content trigger, wherein the received one of the user selection and the second supplemental media rich content trigger is received after the media device has established the communication link;

if the user selection of the object of interest is received prior to receiving the second supplemental media rich content trigger, the method further comprising;

accessing the supplemental media rich content from the media rich content server over the communication link in response to the user selection of the object of interest; and

presenting the supplemental media rich content on a presentation device;

if the second supplemental media rich content trigger is received prior to receiving the user selection of the object of interest, the method further comprising;

processing a second supplemental media rich content trigger after processing of the first supplemental media rich content trigger, wherein the second supplemental media rich content trigger comprises a communication link closing request; and

closing the communication link in response to the communication link closing request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the video stream comprises the first supplemental media rich content trigger and the second supplemental media rich content trigger, wherein the supplemental media rich content is then presented on the presentation device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at the media device a second video frame in the video stream,

wherein the second video frame is received after the first video frame,

wherein the first supplemental media rich content trigger resides in data of the first video frame, and

wherein the second supplemental media rich content trigger resides in data of the second video frame.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the supplemental media rich content from the media rich content server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the supplemental media rich content is an interactive supplemental media rich content configured to receive a user response.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sensing location of a pointer on the presented first video frame corresponding to a geometric region in the first video frame where the object of interest is presented; and

sensing actuation of the pointer, wherein the actuation of the pointer corresponds to receiving the user selection.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein closing the communication link in response to the communication link closing request comprises:

closing the communication link in response to the processing of the communication link closing request of the received second supplemental media rich content trigger that is received prior to receiving the user selection of the object of interest.

8. A method for presentation of supplemental media rich content, the method comprising:

receiving at a media device a first video frame in a video stream comprising at least a plurality of video frames, wherein the first video frame is configured to present an object of interest;

processing a first supplemental media rich content trigger associated with the object of interest of the first video frame, wherein the first supplemental media rich content trigger comprises;

first location information that identifies a first region where the object of interest is presented in the first video frame,

first content access information configured to access the supplemental media rich content associated with the object of interest from a media rich content server, and

a communication link establishment request;

establishing a communication link between the media device and the media rich content server in response to the communication link establishment request;

receiving a user selection of the object of interest, wherein the user selection is received after the media device begins to establish the communication link;

accessing the supplemental media rich content from the media rich content server over the communication link in response to the user selection of the object of interest;

receiving the supplemental media rich content from the media rich content server;

presenting the supplemental media rich content on a presentation device;

processing a second supplemental media rich content trigger after processing of the first supplemental media rich content trigger, wherein the second supplemental media rich content trigger comprises a communication link closing request; and

closing the communication link in response to the communication link closing request,

wherein the object of interest is a first object of interest, the media rich content server is a first media rich content server, wherein the first supplemental media rich content trigger comprises information that identifies the first region where the first object of interest is presented in the first video frame, wherein the presented supplemental media rich content is first supplemental media rich content, wherein the communication link closing request is a first communication link closing request associated with the first object of interest, wherein a second video frame is configured to concurrently present the first object of interest and a second object of interest, and further comprising;

processing a third supplemental media rich content trigger associated with the second video frame, wherein the third supplemental media rich content trigger comprises information that identifies a second region of the second object of interest in the second video frame, and comprises information configured to access a second media rich content server having second supplemental media rich content associated with the second object of interest;

receiving a user selection of the second object of interest presented in the at least one video frame;

establishing a second communication link to the second media rich content server in response to the received user selection of the second object of interest;

receiving the second supplemental media rich content from the second media rich content server;

presenting the second supplemental media rich content;

processing a fourth supplemental media rich content trigger after processing of the third supplemental media rich content trigger, wherein the fourth supplemental media rich content trigger comprises a second communication link closing request associated with the second object of interest; and

closing the second communication link to the second media rich content server in response to the second communication link closing request.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the communication link to the first media rich content server and the communication link to the second media rich content server are concurrently open.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

concurrently presenting the first supplemental media rich content and the second supplemental media rich content.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the second communication link closing request is received before the first communication link closing request such that presentation of the first object of interest continues after presentation of the second object of interest ends in response to closing the second communication link.

12. A method for presentation of supplemental media rich content received by a media device, the method comprising:

presenting the supplemental media rich content on a presentation device in response to;

receiving at the media device a first supplemental media rich content trigger, wherein the first supplemental media rich content trigger is associated with the presented supplemental media rich content; and

receiving a user selection of an object of interest associated with the supplemental media rich content,

wherein the user selection is received before a second supplemental media rich content trigger is received,

wherein a video frame showing the object of interest is presented to the user, and

wherein the supplemental media rich content is received at the media device over a communication link established at the media device;

if the second supplemental media rich content trigger is received at the media device before the user selection, the method further comprising;

processing, at the media device, the second supplemental media rich content trigger after processing of the first supplemental media rich content trigger, wherein the second supplemental media rich content trigger comprises a communication link closing request; and

closing the communication link at the media device in response to the media device receiving the second supplemental media rich content trigger having the communication link closing request.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving at the media device a first video frame in a video stream comprising at least a plurality of video frames, wherein the first video frame is configured to present the object of interest;

processing the first supplemental media rich content trigger associated with the object of interest of the first video frame, wherein the first supplemental media rich content trigger comprises;

first location information that identifies a first region where the object of interest is presented in the first video frame;

first content access information configured to access the supplemental media rich content associated with the object of interest from a media rich content server; and

a communication link establishment request;

establishing a communication link between the media device and the media rich content server in response to the communication link establishment request.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a user selection of the object of interest that is presented on the first video frame, wherein the user selection is received after the media device begins to establish the communication link; and

accessing the supplemental media rich content from the media rich content server over the communication link in response to the user selection of the object of interest.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

presenting the supplemental media rich content on a display coupled to the media device.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a video stream that comprises the first supplemental media rich content trigger and the second supplemental media rich content trigger.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a video stream that comprises a first video frame that presents the object of interest and a second video frame that does not present the object of interest,

wherein the second video frame is received after the first video frame, and

wherein the first and second supplemental media rich content triggers reside respectively in data of the first and second video frames.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

sensing location of a pointer on the presented first video frame corresponding to a geometric region in the first video frame where the object of interest is presented; and

sensing actuation of the pointer, wherein the actuation of the pointer corresponds to receiving the user selection.

19. A system, comprising:

an object identification module configured to;

identify an object of interest in a first video frame;

determine a geometric region in the first video frame corresponding to a location in the first video frame where the object of interest is presented; and

identify a second video frame wherein the object of interest is no longer presented,

wherein the second video frame is received after the first video frame;

a trigger generator module configured to;

generate a first supplemental media rich content trigger associated with the object of interest, wherein the supplemental media rich content trigger comprises location information corresponding to the geometric region, comprises a communication link establishment request configured to cause a media device to establish a communication link between the media device and a media rich content server having supplemental media rich content associated with the object of interest, and comprises access information configured to cause the media device to access the media rich content server to receive the supplemental media rich content associated with the object of interest in response to receiving a user selection of the object of interest; and

generate a second supplemental media rich content trigger with a communication link closing request associated with the second video frame, wherein the communication link closing request comprises information configured to cause the media device to close the communication link established by the first supplemental media rich content trigger if the user selection has not been received at the media device prior to receiving the second supplemental media rich content trigger; and

a processor system configured to;

incorporate the generated supplemental media rich content trigger into a media content stream proximate to the first video frame; and

incorporate the generated communication link closing request into the media content stream proximate to the second video frame.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor system is further configured to incorporate the generated supplemental media rich content trigger into a portion of the first video frame, and is configured to incorporate the generated communication link closing request into a portion of the second video frame.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the access information configured to cause the media device to access the media rich content server is further configured to cause the media device to present the supplemental media rich content on a presentation device that is coupled to the media device.