Apparatus for generating content codes for audiovisual programs by multiple viewers

• US 20030026593A1
• Filed: 08/02/2001
• Published: 02/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Warner Bros Home Entertainment Incorporated (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Warner Bros Home Entertainment Incorporated (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ostrover, Lewis S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,231,131 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• 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 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

An apparatus for generating content codes for the scenes of a program includes a scene detector that detects the start of new scene, and a selector that allows a group of viewers to enter or select one or more content codes for the scene, the content codes being related to the audio and visual contents of the scene. The content code(s) and data identifying the scene are then stored for later use. The apparatus also includes a new scene indicator that is activated when a new scene is detected and is then deactivated after content code(s) have been inputted for the scene. Content codes may also be obtained from a set of viewers with a single content code being generated based on the entire set.

Claims

1. An apparatus for allowing several viewers to assign content codes to scenes in an audiovisual program comprising:

a device for playing the program and provided with a scene indicator to identify a new scene;

a content selector having several viewer inputs for generating respective individual content codes for a scene;

a memory for storing content codes associated with respective scenes; and

a control circuit adapted to generate a final control code for the respective scenes in accordance with said individual content codes.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said memory stores data relating to the beginnings and endings of scenes together with respective content codes.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising a scene indicator that is activated when a new scene is played.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said scene indicator is deactivated after a content code for the scene is generated.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising a plurality of respective scene indicators, each scene indicator being associated with one of said viewer inputs.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 further including a scene detector for automatically activating said scene indicator.

7. The apparatus of claim 3 further including a manually operated switch for activating said scene indicator.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a scene indicator that is activated when a new scene is played.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said scene indicator is deactivated after a content code for the scene is generated.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 further including a scene detector for automatically activating said scene indicator.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 further including a manually operated switch for activating said scene indicator.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said scene indicator is activated for a predetermined time.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising a scene timer adapted to indicate the time left to the end of the scene.

14. A viewer-operated apparatus for generating content codes for individual scenes of an audiovisual program based on inputs of several viewers, said apparatus comprising:

a player to present said program;

a scene detector coupled to said player to detect presentation of a new scene by said player;

a plurality of content selectors each having a viewer control for inputting a content code for the scene being presented; and

a controller to receive content codes from said plurality of content selectors and to generate a single content code based thereon.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 further comprising a memory for storing said single content codes.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said memory stores data relating to the beginnings and endings of scenes together with respective content codes.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising a scene indicator that is activated when a new scene is played.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said scene indicator is deactivated after a content code for the scene is generated.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 further including a scene detector for automatically activating said scene indicator.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 further including a manually operated switch for activating said scene indicator.

21. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a scene indicator that is activated when a new scene is played.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein said scene indicator is deactivated after a content code for the scene is generated.

23. The apparatus of claim 21 further including a scene detector for automatically activating said scene indicator.

24. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein said scene indictor is activated for a predetermined time period.

25. The apparatus of claim 21 further including a manually operated switch for activating said scene indicator.

26. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a plurality of scene indicators that are activated when a new scene is played.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein each said scene indicator is associated with a corresponding control selector.

28. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein each said plurality of scene indicators is deactivated when a viewer designates an individual content code for a scene.

29. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein each said plurality of scene indicators is deactivated when a viewer fails to designate an individual content code by the end of a respective scene.

30. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising an end of scene detector adapted to detect the end of a scene.

31. The apparatus of claim 30 further comprising a default value selector adapted to select a default value for the respective individual content code if the respective viewer fails to select an individual content code.

32. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising a default value selector adapted to select a default value for the respective individual content code if the respective viewer fails to select an individual content code.

33. An apparatus for generating content codes for a program formed of a sequence of scenes comprising:

a device adapted to play said program in sequence for an audiovisual monitoring system;

a scene detector coupled to said player and adapted to detect a starting point for each of said scenes being played by said player;

a scene indicator that is activated when a scene requiring content code is detected; and

selector means having viewer inputs to receive from a plurality of viewers a respective individual preference associated with the scene detected by said scene detector and to assign said content code corresponding to said individual preference.

34. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein said player is adapted to play one of a video tape, a DVD disk and a broadcast program.

35. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein said player is adapted to play said broadcast program, further comprising a receiver to receive said broadcast program.

36. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein said program includes scene identification codes identifying the starting points of the scenes, wherein said scene detector is adapted to detect said scene identification codes.

37. The apparatus of claim 33 further comprising an identification generator adapted to generate an identification that identifies said scene.

38. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein said scene detector includes a scene selector adapted to be activated by the viewer to indicate the starting point of said scene.

39. The apparatus of claim 33 further comprising a controller adapted to determine if said selector fails to provide said content code, said controller being adapted to generate in this case a default content code for said scene.

40. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein said scene indicator is deactivated when a content code is assigned to the corresponding scene.

41. A method of generating content codes for the sequential scenes of a program comprising:

displaying said program to a plurality of viewers;

identifying a scene of said program;

obtaining an individual preference of each said viewer regarding said scene;

generating a content code dependent on said individual preferences; and

storing said content code into a memory.

42. The method of claim 41 further comprising storing data relating the beginnings and endings of scenes together with said content codes into said memory.

43. The method of claim 41 further comprising activating a scene indication when a new scene is detected.

44. The method of claim 43 further comprising deactivating said scene indication after said content code is generated.

45. The method of claim 44 further comprising assigning a default value for the respective individual preference if no individual preference was selected by said viewer.

46. The method of claim 43 further comprising detecting an end of a current scene and deactivating said scene indication at the end of said current scene.

47. The method of claim 44 wherein said detecting each new scene and automatically generating said scene indication after the new scene is detected.

48. The method of claim 41 wherein new scenes are detected automatically by a scene detector.

49. The method of claim 41 wherein new scenes are detected by a viewer and wherein said scene indicator is activated by a manual switch operated by the viewer.

50. The method of claim 49 further comprising storing data related to the beginnings and endings of said scenes.

51. The method of claim 50 wherein further comprising generating timing signals indicative of said beginnings and endings.

52. The method of claim 41 further comprising displaying the program to a plurality of viewers, obtaining a content code from each viewer, and generating a single content code based thereon.

53. The method of claim 41 wherein if the scene is played by said player before the viewer chooses a respective content code and a default content code is assigned to said scene if the viewer does not choose a content code for the scene.

54. The method of claim 41 further comprising displaying said program to the viewers simultaneously to allow said viewers to select the content codes at the same time.

55. The method of claim 41 further comprising displaying said program to viewers sequentially.