Method and apparatus for presenting media programs

• US 9,681,190 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2016
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• 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: King, Robert, Roberts, Linda, Chang, E-Lee, Sung, Ja-Young, Schultz, Natasha Barrett
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US15/062,299
• Publication Number:
  US 20160192014A1
• Time in Patent Office: 463 Days
• Field of Search: 715728, 715723, 715763-765, 715851-854
• 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, identifying temporal actions initiated by equipment of users during presentation of a media program to the equipment of users. A timeline is modified that corresponds to a linear progression of the media program, wherein the modified timeline includes symbols indicative of the temporal actions. The modified timeline is provided to the equipment of the users. The modified timeline is presented at displays of the equipment of the plurality of users, together with the media program. The symbols are situated in relation to the presentation of the media program, wherein the symbols can be selected by input cursors at the displays of the equipment of the users. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

identifying, by a processing system comprising including a processor, a temporal action initiated by equipment of a first user of a plurality of users, during a presentation of a media program;

responsive to the identifying of the temporal action, modifying, by the processing system, a timeline to obtain a modified timeline that corresponds to a linear progression of the media program, wherein the modified timeline comprises an iconic symbol indicative of the temporal action and situated in relation to the linear progression of the media program; and

providing, by the processing system, the modified timeline to equipment of a second user of the plurality of users, wherein the modified timeline is presented as a graphical overlay, together with the media program, at a display of the second user, and wherein the iconic symbol is selectable by an input cursor at the display of the second user.

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, and wherein the method further comprises detecting, by the processing system, the input cursor located at or near the iconic symbol, wherein the temporal action comprises 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 processing system, a display event to occur at the display of the second user responsive to the input cursor located at or near the iconic symbol, 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 modified timeline, the input cursor is located over the comment icon of the modified timeline and producing a communications log up to a point on the graphical overlay of the modified 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 is representable 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 graphical 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 representation of the user corresponds to a motion of a body of the avatar, and wherein an expression of the avatar representation of the user comprises an expression of a plurality of expressions.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical 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 second user.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical overlay is presented to equipment of the plurality of users, and wherein the graphical 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 graphical overlay comprises an avatar representation of the user, and wherein responsive to a mouse pointer positioned over the avatar representation of the user, a color of the avatar representation of the user changes.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the iconic symbol comprises a comment icon situated on the modified timeline presented by the graphical overlay, and further comprising causing, by the processing 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 users that correspond to the comment icon.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable storage device, comprising executable instructions which, responsive to being that when executed by a processing system including a processor, cause the processor to facilitate performance of operations comprising:

identifying temporal actions initiated by equipment of a plurality of users during presentation of a media program to the equipment of the plurality of users;

modifying a timeline to obtain a modified timeline that corresponds to a linear progression of the media program, wherein the modified timeline comprises symbols indicative of the temporal actions; and

providing the modified timeline to the equipment of the plurality of users, wherein the modified timeline is presented at displays of the equipment of the plurality of users, together with the media program, wherein the symbols are situated in relation to the presentation of the media program, and wherein the symbols is selectable by input cursors at the displays of the equipment of the plurality of users.

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 program comprises an audio-video program, audio-only, video with no audio, or a combination thereof, wherein the modified timeline is presentable on a display device of a user of the displays of the equipment of the plurality of users together with a presentation of the media program, and wherein the modified timeline comprises a menu button, an iconic symbol including an avatar, a callout or both, an operative control, a timeline, or combinations thereof.

18. A system, comprising:

a memory storing executable instructions; and

a controller comprising a processing system including a processor; and

coupled to the a memory, wherein the controller, responsive to executing the that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the controller, facilitate performance of performs operations comprising;

identifying a temporal action initiated by equipment of a first user of a plurality of users, during a presentation of a media program;

responsive to the identifying of the temporal action, generating a modified timeline that corresponds to a linear progression of the media program, wherein the modified timeline comprises a symbol indicative of the temporal action and situated in relation to the linear progression of the media program; and

providing the modified timeline to equipment of a second user of the plurality of users, wherein the modified timeline is presented together with the media program, at a display of the second user, and wherein the symbol is selectable by an input cursor at the display of the second user.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein a display event is performed at the display of the second user in response to a selecting of the input cursor located at or near the symbol, wherein the display event is viewable on the display of the second user and comprises expanding the symbol, providing a pop-up menu with selective options, or providing a communications log.

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