System and method for Taking Control of a System During a Commercial Break

• US 20080297669A1
• Filed: 05/31/2007
• Published: 12/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Zalewski, Gary M., Russell, Riley R.
• Granted Patent: US 10,356,366 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/844
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• 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 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• 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 21/4781 Games
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

During output of a primary media stream from a cable, satellite, television, radio or internet source, a condition, signal or indication of a commercial break is detected causing a context switch to occur and enabling other services, programming or devices to intervene during the commercial break and causing an alternative output to be produced by a process or device. When the commercial break is over, the system may optionally rejoin with the primary media stream.

Claims

1. A multi-channel media rendering apparatus comprising:

a first input module to receive a first content stream;

a second input module to receive a second content stream;

a stream selector to select one of the first content stream or the second content stream according to an automatic selection signal; and

an output module to emit the selected one of the first content stream or the second content stream.

2. The multi-channel media rendering apparatus of claim 1 wherein the selection signal indicates an occurrence of a commercial break in the first content stream.

3. The multi-channel media rendering apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first content stream is one of an audio stream, a video stream or an audio-visual stream.

4. The multi-channel media rendering apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second content stream is one of an audio stream, a video stream or an audio-visual stream.

5. The multi-channel media rendering apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second content stream is an interactive computer game.

6. The multi-channel media rendering apparatus of claim 1 wherein the stream selector is to select the second content stream when the selection signal indicates an occurrence of a commercial break in the first content stream, and

the second content stream contains a replacement commercial.

7. The multi-channel media rendering apparatus of claim 1 wherein the stream selector is to select the second content stream when the selection signal indicates an occurrence of a commercial break in the first content stream, and

the second content stream contains an interactive computer game.

8. The multi-channel media rendering apparatus of claim 7 wherein the second content stream comprises an advertising component.

9. The multi-channel media rendering apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a stream transition module to compose a transition from the first stream to the second stream.

10. The multi-channel media rendering apparatus of claim 9 wherein the transition comprises a fade-out of the first stream and a fade-in of the second stream.

11. The multi-channel media rendering apparatus of claim 9 wherein the transition comprises an alpha blend between the first stream and the second stream.

12. The multi-channel media rendering apparatus of claim 1 wherein the output module is an audio reproduction module comprising at least one loudspeaker.

13. The multi-channel media rendering apparatus of claim 1 wherein the output module is an audio reproduction module comprising at least one headphone.

14. The multi-channel media rendering apparatus of claim 1 wherein the output module is an audio-video monitor.

15. The multi-channel media rendering apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an interactive computer game console integrated with the first input module, the second input module and the stream selector, wherein

the second input module receives a signal containing an interactive game of the interactive computer game console.

16. The multi-channel media rendering apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a distributed data network interface to receive the automatic selection signal from a remote server on the distributed data network.

17. The multi-channel media rendering apparatus of claim 16 wherein the automatic selection signal is transmitted over the distributed data network according to a Transmission Control Protocol (“

TCP”

).

18. The multi-channel media rendering apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a content analysis module to analyze the first content stream, the signal analysis module to produce the automatic selection signal.

19. The multi-channel media rendering apparatus of claim 18 wherein the content analysis module is to detect a commercial break by analyzing a sideband signal of the first content stream.

20. The multi-channel media rendering apparatus of claim 1 wherein the automatic selection signal is to actuate a line-in control of the display module.