Method and apparatus for presenting dynamic media content

• US 9,736,551 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2015
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2009
• 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: Meuninck, Troy C., Kashapov, Oleg
• Primary Examiner(s): Alcon, Fernando
• Application Number:
  US14/938,434
• Publication Number:
  US 20160066063A1
• Time in Patent Office: 643 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• 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 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/472 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4888 for displaying teletext characters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a set top box (STB) comprising a controller to analyze scheduled media content with limited temporal accessibility provided by a content provider, select a portion of the media content based on the analysis of the media content and a recipient media device to receive the portion of the media content, transmit the portion of the media content to a DVR to store the portion of the media content, and transmit a metadata pointer associated with the portion of the media content to a server. A request to accept the portion of the media content is received by the recipient media device via the server, and the portion of the media content is retrieved from the DVR by the server based on the metadata pointer when the recipient media device accepts the request. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

presenting, by an initiating device comprising a processor, media content provided by a media content provider;

receiving, by the initiating device, a selection of a portion of the media content and a selection of a recipient media device to receive the portion of the media content;

transmitting, by the initiating device, the portion of the media content to a media device coupled to the initiating device, wherein the media device stores the portion of the media content; and

transmitting to a server, by the initiating device, a metadata pointer associated with the portion of the media content, wherein the metadata pointer is stored at the server responsive to the recipient media device accepting a request to accept the portion of the media content stored on the media device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection is received via user input from selectable options presented in a graphical user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata pointer indicates a storage location on the media device for the portion of the media content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein responsive to the recipient media device accepting the request, the server utilizes the metadata pointer to retrieve the portion of the media content from the media device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein responsive to the recipient media device accepting the request, the server transmits the portion of the media content to the recipient media device for presentation by the recipient media device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the portion of the media content is overlaid on a current program presented by the recipient media device, thereby enabling simultaneous viewing of the portion of the media content and the current program.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the media content comprises audio content, video content, still image content, text content, or a combination thereof, and wherein the selection of the portion of the media content comprises a selection of a media content type associated with the portion of the media content.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the media device comprises a digital video recorder integrated with the initiating device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying a set of devices based on a user profile associated with the initiating device, wherein the recipient media device is selected from the set of devices.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is presented by the recipient media device.

11. A method comprising:

receiving, by a recipient device comprising a processor, a request from a server to accept a portion of media content, wherein the portion of media content is selected by an initiating device from media content provided by equipment of a media content provider and presented by the initiating device, wherein the portion of media content is stored on a media device coupled to the initiating device;

transmitting, by the recipient device, an acceptance responsive to the request to a server coupled to the initiating device, wherein the transmitting of the acceptance causes the server to store a metadata pointer associated with the portion of media content, and

receiving, by the recipient device, the portion of media content from the server.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the transmitting of the acceptance causes the server to utilize the metadata pointer to access the portion of media content stored on the media device.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the metadata pointer indicates a storage location on the media device for the portion of media content, and wherein responsive to the recipient device transmitting the acceptance, the server utilizes the metadata pointer to retrieve the portion of media content from the media device.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving the portion of media content from the server, wherein the server transmits the portion of media content responsive to the recipient device transmitting the acceptance; and

presenting the portion of media content.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the portion of media content is overlaid on a current program presented by the recipient device, thereby enabling simultaneous viewing of the portion of media content and the current program.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising presenting the request.

17. A method comprising:

receiving, by a media device comprising a processor, a portion of media content from an initiating device, wherein the portion of media content is selected by the initiating device from media content provided by equipment of a media content provider and presented by the initiating device;

storing, by the media device, the portion of media content;

receiving, by the media device, a signal from a server to transmit the portion of media content to the server for presentation at a recipient device, wherein the server transmits the signal responsive to an acceptance by the recipient device of a request from the initiating device to receive the portion of media content, wherein the portion of media content is located by the server based on a metadata pointer associated with the portion of media content and received by the server from the initiating device, and wherein the metadata pointer is stored at the server responsive to the recipient device accepting the request; and

transmitting, by the media device, the portion of media content to the server responsive to the signal.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the metadata pointer indicates a storage location at the media device for the portion of media content.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the media content comprises audio content, video content, still image content, text content, or a combination thereof, and wherein the portion of media content is stored according to a media content type associated with the portion of media content.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the media device comprises a digital video recorder integrated with the initiating device.