Coordinated Output of Messages and Content

• US 20090214191A1
• Filed: 02/26/2008
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Allard, James F
• Granted Patent: US 8,358,909 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/248
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2625 for delaying content or additional data distribution, e.g. because of an extended sport event
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• 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 21/8547 involving timestamps for synchronizing content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8063 using time division multiplex of the PCM audio and PCM video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

A data stream is provided to a user in which a number of data streams may be integrated together at proper times within the data streams. For example, a first data stream may be displayed for a user while a second data stream may be received. The second data stream may be determined to contain data content corresponding to the first data stream in a particular temporal relationship. Based on a determination of various parameters or characteristics of the first and/or second data stream, the second data stream may be integrated into or combined with the first data stream at a desired time point within the first data stream to create a combination data stream. The combination data stream may be presented to the user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a message during a particular time in an output of content;

determining a point in time that the message was sent; and

coordinating output of the message with the output of the content to be dependent, at least in part, on whether the point in time that the message was sent is earlier than the particular time in the output of the content.

2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the content is a television program and the message is text based.

3. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the content is broadcast content that is recorded by a client device that performs the receiving, the determining and the coordinating.

4. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the particular time in the output of the content is indicated by a timestamp that is comparable directly with a timestamp included in the message that indicates the point in time the message was sent.

5. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the coordinating includes translating a timestamp included in the content that indicates the particular time in the output of the content to be comparable with a timestamp included in the message that indicates the point in time the message was sent.

6. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the coordinating includes providing an alert that is output before output of the message indicating that the point in time that the message was sent is earlier than the particular time in the output of the content.

7. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the coordinating includes determining whether the message relates to the content.

8. A method as described in claim 7, wherein the determining includes ascertaining whether the message mentions a title of the content.

9. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the coordinating is based at least in part on a location that relates to where the message was sent.

10. A method as described in claim 9, wherein the coordinating further includes providing an alert that is output before output of the message indicating that the point in time that the message was sent is earlier than the particular time in the output of the content and the location from which the message was sent corresponds to a location that relates to the content.

11. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the message is sent via stream that is different than a stream used to provide the content.

12. A client device comprising one or more modules to:

output content using one or more time shifting techniques;

ascertain whether a message received by the client device relates to the content;

determine a point in time that the message was sent; and

manage output of the message based at least in part on whether the determined point in time that the message was sent is earlier than a point in time in the output of the content that has not yet occurred using the one or more time shifting techniques.

13. A client device as described in claim 12, wherein the content is broadcast to the client device and stored based on one or more commands implemented by the client device.

14. A client device as described in claim 13, wherein the content is stored by forming the one or more commands to be communicated over a network to a network digital video recorder.

15. A client device as described in claim 12, wherein the management of the output of the message includes output of an alert that indicates that the determined point in time that the message was sent is earlier than the point in time in the output of the content that has not yet occurred using the one or more time shifting techniques.

16. A client device as described in claim 12, wherein the management of the output of the message is further based on whether a location from which the message was sent corresponds to a location that relates to the content.

17. One or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that are executable to determine that a message received from a sender was sent at a point in time that is earlier than a particular time in an output of content and form a notification to be sent to the sender that indicates a result of the determination.

18. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 17, wherein the content is time shifted.

19. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 17, wherein the instructions are further executable to output the message in conjunction with the content when the point in time the message was sent has passed the particular time in the output of the content.

20. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 17, wherein the instructions are further executable to output an alert before output of the message indicating that the point in time that the message was sent is earlier than the particular time in the output of the content and a location from which the message was sent corresponds to a location that relates to the content.