Digital Network-Based Video Tagging System

• US 20090092374A1
• Filed: 10/07/2007
• Published: 04/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gula Consulting Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Fall Front Wireless NY LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Kulas, Charles J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,285,121 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/248
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

A system for handling video tags. The tags are displayed synchronized to a video. A controller manages and modifies tag data that can be created by one or more users. The controller identifies a tag dataset for use with a video and provides information for synchronization and display of the tags. In a particular embodiment, features of a social-network website implementation are disclosed whereby a user community can post, filter, rate and display tags.

Claims

1. A method for identifying and providing additional content for presentation in synchronization with playback of a video, the method comprising:

selecting the video from a first location;

obtaining an identification;

using the obtained identification to select an associated dataset from a second location over a digital network, wherein the dataset includes the additional content and further includes synchronization information for displaying the additional content at predetermined times during playback of the video; and

transferring the dataset to a playback engine for synchronized playback of at least a portion of the additional content with the video according to at least a portion of the synchronization information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accepting a modification to the dataset by a first user to produce a first modified dataset;

accepting a modification to the first modified dataset by a second user to produce a second modified dataset; and

transferring the second modified dataset to the playback engine for synchronized playback of information in the second modified dataset with the video.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification includes an ID associated with the video.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the ID is embedded with a video file.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the ID is embedded with a video stream.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

deriving the identification, at least in part, from data in a file that includes at least a portion of the video.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein deriving includes:

generating a hash value from the data.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein deriving includes:

comparing multiple values in the data with multiple predetermined expected values.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining whether a statistical criterion is met based on the comparing.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the statistical criterion includes meeting a threshold percentage of expected values at predetermined locations in the data.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining an identification includes:

accepting a signal from a user input device; and

using the accepted signal to assist in the obtaining an identification.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the accepted signal is used to determine a file name.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the filename is associated with the video.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the filename is associated with the dataset.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein multiple datasets are used to provide additional content in synchronization with playback of the video.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the video is obtained over the digital network.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein synchronization information is included in the dataset.

18. An apparatus for identifying additional content to be presented in synchronization with playback of a video, the apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a machine-readable storage medium including one or more instructions executable by the processor for;

selecting the video from a first location;

obtaining an identification;

using the obtained identification to select an associated dataset from a second location over a digital network, wherein the dataset includes the additional content and further includes synchronization information for displaying the additional content at predetermined times during playback of the video; and

transferring the dataset to a playback engine for synchronized playback of the additional content with the video.

19. A machine-readable storage medium including instructions executable by a processor for identifying additional content to be presented in synchronization with playback of a video, the machine-readable storage medium comprising one or more instructions for:

selecting the video from a first location;

obtaining an identification;

using the obtained identification to select an associated dataset from a second location over a digital network, wherein the dataset includes the additional content and further includes synchronization information for displaying the additional content at predetermined times during playback of the video; and

transferring the dataset to a playback engine for synchronized playback of the additional content with the video.

20. A method for displaying tags from a tag dataset during playback of a video from a video file, wherein the video file is separate from the tag dataset, wherein the tag dataset includes information to present a tag in synchronization with playback of the video, the method comprising:

accessing the video file at a first location over a network;

accessing the tag dataset at a second location over a network;

playing back the video on a display;

reading a first time value from the tag dataset, wherein the play head time value is associated with tag design values; and

presenting a tag in accordance with a tag design value when playback of the video reaches the first time value.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein presenting includes displaying a tag.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

reading a second time value from the tag dataset; and

stopping the tag displaying when playback of the video reaches the second time value.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

reading one or more other time values from the tag dataset;

reading coordinate values associated with the time values; and

moving the displayed tag in accordance with the coordinate values.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein presenting includes playing back audio in synchronization with the video.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the audio is obtained from a location that is external to the tag dataset.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the external file is specified with a URL value from the dataset.

27. The method of claim 20, wherein presenting includes playing back additional video in synchronization with playback of the video from the video file.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the additional video is obtained from a location that is external to the tag dataset.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the external file is specified with a URL value from the dataset.

30. A method for modifying a tag dataset for displaying modified tags during playback of a video from a video file, wherein the tag dataset includes information to present tags in synchronization with playback of the video, the method comprising:

comparing tag content text against a database of one or more keywords; and

detecting at least one matching word in both the tag content text and the one or more keywords; and

performing a modification to the tag dataset in response to the detecting at least one match.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the performing a modification includes modifying the tag content text to remove a matched word.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the performing a modification includes preventing display of a tag associated with the tag content text that includes at least one matched word.

33. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

inserting a new tag in the tag dataset.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein the new tag includes advertising information.

35. The method of claim 30, wherein the performing a modification includes adding a link to a predetermined destination so that the destination is displayed when the user activates the link.