Multifunction multimedia device

• US 10,097,880 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2009
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Gharaat, Amir H., Barton, James M., Patel, Mukesh K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Macasiano, Marilyn G
• Application Number:
  US12/631,765
• Publication Number:
  US 20110066489A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,231 Days
• Field of Search: 705 14, 705 141, 709219, 713176, 715721, 715850, 726 26, 345629, 382118, 725 46
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0244 Optimization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/422 Input-only peripherals , i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS] input devices also receiving signals from specially adapted client devices H04N21/4104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42201 biosensors, e.g. heat sensor for presence detection, EEG sensors or any limb activity sensors worn by the user input arrangements for interaction with the human body based on nervous system activity detection G06F3/015
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4415 using biometric characteristics of the user, e.g. by voice recognition or fingerprint scanning cryptography using biological data H04L9/3231; authentication in networks using biometric H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/442 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/29; arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information H04H60/35; monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; monitoring in wireless networks H04W24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/79 Processing of colour television signals in connection with recording

Abstract

A method for interpreting messages, user-defined alert conditions, voice commands and performing an action in response is described. A method for annotating media content is described. A method for presenting additional content associated with media content identified based on a fingerprint is described. A method for identifying that an advertisement portion of media content is being played based on a fingerprint derived from the media content is described. A method of one media device recording particular media content automatically in response to another media device recording the particular media content is described. A method of concurrently playing media content on multiple devices is described. A method of publishing information associated with recording of media content is described. A method of deriving fingerprints by media devices that meet an idleness criteria is described. A method of loading, modifying, and displaying a high definition frame from a frame buffer is described. A method of recording or playing media content identified based on fingerprints is described.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

causing, by a media device, display of video content;

subsequent to causing display of the video content, receiving, by the media device, user input specifically requesting information related to a specific feature of a currently playing scene of the video content, the user input specifically identifying the feature for which the information is being requested;

in response to receiving the request for the information related to the specific feature of the currently playing scene of the video content, the media device computing a fingerprint based on one or more first video frames from the video content;

querying a first server with the fingerprint to identify the requested information related to the specific feature of the currently playing scene of the video content, wherein the first server receives a plurality of fingerprints for the video content from multiple user devices, wherein each of the plurality of fingerprints is generated by a respective user device of the multiple user devices that meets an idleness criteria, and wherein the first server compares the fingerprint received from the media device with one of the plurality of fingerprints to identify the requested information;

retrieving, from a second server, additional content related to the specific feature of the currently playing scene of the video content;

overlaying, on one or more second video frames from the video content, the additional content;

causing, by the media device, display of the one or more second video frames.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the additional content comprises an advertisement selected based on the video content.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the fingerprint is computed based on the one or more first video frames from the video content by the media device subsequent to a user requesting display of the video content.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a face in the video content based on the fingerprint computed based on the one or more first video frames from the video content;

determining a name of a person associated with the face in the video content;

wherein presenting the additional content comprises the name of the person associated with the face.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first server and the second server are the same server.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first server and the second server are different servers.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the video content comprises 3-Dimensional video and wherein deriving a fingerprint from the video content comprises:

selecting a portion of a frame in the video content, wherein selecting the portion of the frame comprises automatically selecting objects that appear near to a user viewing the 3-Dimensional video;

deriving a fingerprint from the portion of the frame in the video content.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more first video frames and the one or more second video frames include one or more of the same video frames from the video content.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the specific feature for which the information is being requested is one of:

an identification of a specific geographic location of the scene, an identification of one or more specific people in the scene, or an identification of a specific object in the scene.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein presenting the additional content comprises presenting text identifying the specific geographic location, the one or more specific people, or the specific object.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause performance of steps comprising:

causing, by a media device, display of video content;

subsequent to causing display of the video content, receiving, by the media device, user input specifically requesting information related to a specific feature of a currently playing scene of the video content, the user input specifically identifying the feature for which the information is being requested;

in response to receiving the request for the information related to the specific feature of the currently playing scene of the video content, the media device computing a fingerprint based on one or more first video frames from the video content;

querying a first server with the fingerprint to identify the requested information related to the specific feature of the currently playing scene of the video content, wherein the first server receives a plurality of fingerprints for the video content from multiple user devices, wherein each of the plurality of fingerprints is generated by a respective user device of the multiple user devices that meets an idleness criteria, and wherein the first server compares the fingerprint received from the media device with one of the plurality of fingerprints to identify the requested information;

retrieving, from a second server, additional content related to the specific feature of the currently playing scene of the video content;

overlaying, on one or more second video frames from the video content, the additional content;

causing, by the media device, display of the one or more second video frames.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 11, wherein the additional content comprises an advertisement selected based on the video content.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 11, wherein the fingerprint is computed based on the one or more first video frames from the video content by the media device subsequent to a user requesting display of the video content.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 11, the steps further comprising:

detecting a face in the video content based on the fingerprint computed based on the one or more first video frames from the video content;

determining a name of a person associated with the face in the video content;

wherein presenting the additional content comprises the name of the person associated with the face.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 11, wherein the first server and the second server are the same server.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 11, wherein the first server and the second server are different servers.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 11, wherein the video content comprises 3-Dimensional video and wherein deriving a fingerprint from the video content comprises:

selecting a portion of a frame in the video content, wherein selecting the portion of the frame comprises automatically selecting objects that appear near to a user viewing the 3-Dimensional video;

deriving a fingerprint from the portion of the frame in the video content.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 11, wherein the one or more first video frames and the one or more second video frames include one or more of the same video frames from the video content.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 11, wherein the specific feature for which the information is being requested is one of:

an identification of a specific geographic location of the scene, an identification of one or more specific people in the scene, or an identification of a specific object in the scene.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 19, wherein presenting the additional content comprises presenting text identifying the specific geographic location, the one or more specific people, or the specific object.

21. An apparatus comprising:

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that causes display of video content;

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that, subsequent to causing display of the video content, receives user input specifically requesting information related to a specific feature of a currently playing scene of the video content, the user input specifically identifying the feature for which the information is being requested;

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that, in response to receiving the request for the specific feature of the currently playing scene of the video content, computes a fingerprint based on one or more first video frames from the video content;

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that queries a first server with the fingerprint to identify the requested specific feature of the currently playing scene of the video content, wherein the first server receives a plurality of fingerprints for the video content from multiple user devices, wherein each of the plurality of fingerprints is generated by a respective user device of the multiple user devices that meets an idleness criteria, and wherein the first server compares the fingerprint received from the media device with one of the plurality of fingerprints to identify the requested information;

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that retrieves, from a second server, additional content related to the specific feature of the currently playing scene of the video content;

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that overlays, on one or more second video frames from the video content, the additional content;

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that causes display of the one or more second video frames.

22. The apparatus as recited in claim 21, wherein the additional content comprises an advertisement selected based on the video content.

23. The apparatus as recited in claim 21, wherein the fingerprint is computed based on the one or more first video frames from the video content by a media device subsequent to a user requesting display of the video content.

24. The apparatus as recited in claim 21, further comprising a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that detects a face in the video content based on the fingerprint computed based on the one or more first video frames from the video content;

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that determines a name of a person associated with the face in the video content;

wherein presenting the additional content comprises the name of the person associated with the face.

25. The apparatus as recited in claim 21, wherein the first server and the second server are the same server.

26. The apparatus as recited in claim 21, wherein the first server and the second server are different servers.

27. The apparatus as recited in claim 21, wherein the video content comprises 3-Dimensional video and wherein deriving a fingerprint from the video content comprises:

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that selects a portion of a frame in the video content, wherein selecting the portion of the frame comprises automatically selecting objects that appear near to a user viewing the 3-Dimensional video;

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that derives a fingerprint from the portion of the frame in the video content.

28. The apparatus as recited in claim 21, wherein the one or more first video frames and the one or more second video frames include one or more of the same video frames from the video content.

29. The apparatus as recited in claim 21, wherein the specific feature for which the information is being requested is one of:

an identification of a specific geographic location of the scene, an identification of one or more specific people in the scene, or an identification of a specific object in the scene.

30. The apparatus as recited in claim 29, wherein presenting the additional content comprises presenting text identifying the specific geographic location, the one or more specific people, or the specific object.