Open API video system and method of making and using same

• US 20080282302A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 11/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chad Steelberg, Ryan Steelberg
• Original Assignee: Chad Steelberg, Ryan Steelberg
• Inventors: Steelberg, Ryan, Steelberg, Chad
• Granted Patent: US 8,122,467 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/110
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4431 characterized by the use of Application Program Interface [API] libraries
• 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 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• 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 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 for domestic distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A video player unit, system and method, and a video hierarchy. Included are at least one memory device, a plurality of communication access points for receiving at least one program play, an open application programming interface associated with the at least one memory device, wherein a plurality of applications correspondent to the open application programming interface allow a user to manipulate metadata associated with ones of the programs plays, wherein the metadata relates to interframe interactivity with detailed aspects of the ones of the program plays, and at least one correlation engine in communication with the open application programming interface, wherein the at least one correlation engine provides for correlation among at least for the interframes of the program play to ones of the interframes of other ones of the program plays.

Claims

1. A video player unit, comprising:

at least one memory device;

a plurality of communication access points for receiving at least one program play;

an open application programming interface associated with said at least one memory device, wherein a plurality of applications correspondent to said open application programming interface allow a user to manipulate metadata associated with ones of the programs plays, wherein said metadata relates to interframe interactivity with detailed aspects of the ones of the program plays; and

at least one correlation engine in communication with said open application programming interface, wherein said at least one correlation engine provides for correlation among at least for the interframes of the program play to ones of the interframes of other ones of the program plays, and among the interframe interactivity to the interframes of the program play to interframe interactivity with the other ones of the interframes of the other ones of the program plays.

3. The video player unit system of claim 1, wherein the metadata is associated with the program play upon receipt of the program play.

4. The video player unit system of claim 1, wherein the metadata is associated with the program play via the open application programming interface.

5. The video player unit system of claim 1, wherein the metadata is associated with the program via use of the application.

6. The video player unit system of claim 1, wherein said communication access point is at least one selected from the group consisting of satellite communication, coaxial cable communication, WiFi communication, WiMax communication, wireless LAN communication, telephonic communication, DSL communication, T-111 communication, and Ethernet communication.

7. The video player unit system of claim 1, further comprising an operating environment associated with the at least one memory unit, wherein the interaction with the at least one application is via said operating environment.

8. The video player unit system of claim 1, wherein the open application programming interface is remote from said at least one memory unit.

9. The video player unit system of claim 1, wherein the applications consistent with the open application programming interface are pushed to said at least one memory unit.

10. The video player unit system of claim 1, wherein the applications consistent with the open application programming interface are pulled to said at least one memory unit.

11. The video player unit system of claim 1, wherein said communication access points further comprise a plurality of communication media types selected from the group consisting of cable television channels, satellite television channels, radio channels, worldwide web, email, and remote data libraries

12. The video player unit system of claim 1, wherein the application exposes substantially all objects that appear in the program play to the interaction.

13. The video player unit system of claim 1, wherein the interaction is via at least one overlay provided by the application.

14. The video player unit system of claim 13, wherein the interaction is via at least two interacting overlays provided by at least one of the application.

15. The video player unit system of claim 1, wherein the interaction is governed by user preferences as assessed through prior ones of the interactions.

16. The video player unit system of claim 1, wherein the interaction comprises a referral to secondary content not associated directly with the program play.

21. The video hierarchy of claim 1, wherein said program play comprises a core application.

2. A video player unit system, comprising:

at least one video monitor;

at least one memory unit having associated therewith an open application programming interface; and

at least one communication access point, wherein at least one program play is received over said at least one communication access point for play on said video monitor, and wherein at least one application associated with the open application programming interface interacts on metadata associated with the program play.

17. A video hierarchy for providing interframe interaction with one or more program plays, comprising:

at least one program play comprising a plurality of frames;

at least one metatag stream at least partially corresponded to interframe aspects within each of the plurality of frames;

at least one message bus in communication with the metatag stream;

a plurality of filters in communication with the message bus, wherein each of the plurality of filters delivers messages to and forwards messages from said message bus directing interactions between said metatag stream and the interframe aspects; and

a plurality of applications, wherein each of said plurality of applications is corresponded to multiple ones of said plurality of filters, and wherein each of said plurality of filters is corresponded to at least one of said plurality of applications, and wherein each of said plurality of applications generates ones of the messages and receives ones of the messages.

18. The video hierarchy of claim 17, wherein ones of said plurality of filters comprise at least one selected from the group consisting of key word filters, commerce-type filters, location filters, geolocation filters, correlation filters, insertion filters, social filters, programmatic publishing filters, and automatic publishing filters.

19. The video hierarchy of claim 17, wherein at least one of said applications responds to ones of the messages generated by at least one other of the applications.

20. The video hierarchy of claim 17, wherein at least one of said filters responds to ones of the messages generated by at least one other of the filters.

22. The video hierarchy of claim 17, wherein the metatag stream is non-thematic with respect to the program play.

23. The video hierachy of claim 17, wherein the metatag stream is thematic only with respect to the interframe aspects of the program play.

24. An open application interface video system, comprising:

an open application interface into which are programmed a plurality of primary applications for interacting with metatags associated with interframe aspects of a program play;

a reporting aspect for tracking and reporting the propriety of the interacting for one or more of the plurality of applications; and

at least one locking aspect, wherein at least a portion of the interacting is locked out by the locking aspect in favor of one of no interacting and interacting by a different one of the applications.