USER-BASED MEDIA CONTENT CHAPTERING SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20100333123A1
• Filed: 06/30/2009
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Mehta, Japan A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,959,558 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/13
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/73 using meta-information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44226 on social networks
• 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 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

An exemplary method includes providing, by a media content access subsystem, a media content program for presentation to a user, receiving user input with the media content access subsystem, capturing, by the media content access subsystem, a snapshot image of the media content program based on the user input, associating, by the media content access subsystem, metadata with the snapshot image, and transmitting, by the media content access subsystem, data representative of the snapshot image and the metadata to a media content chaptering subsystem for use by the media content chaptering subsystem in chaptering the media content program. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing, by a media content access subsystem, a media content program for presentation to a user;

receiving user input with said media content access subsystem;

capturing, by said media content access subsystem, a snapshot image of said media content program based on said user input;

associating, by said media content access subsystem, metadata with said snapshot image; and

transmitting, by said media content access subsystem, data representative of said snapshot image and said metadata to a media content chaptering subsystem for use by said media content chaptering subsystem in chaptering said media content program.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving additional user input with said media content access subsystem, said additional user input specifying a caption for said snapshot image;

associating, by said media content access subsystem, said caption with said snapshot image; and

transmitting, by said media content access subsystem, data representative of said caption to said media content chaptering subsystem for use in said chaptering of said media content program.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising providing a caption input tool in a graphical user interface, said caption input tool configured to facilitate said user providing said additional user input specifying said caption for said snapshot image.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving additional user input with said media content access subsystem, said additional user input specifying a publication setting for said snapshot image;

associating, by said media content access subsystem, said publication setting with said snapshot image; and

transmitting, by said media content access subsystem, data representative of said publication setting to said media content chaptering subsystem for use in publishing said snapshot image.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising providing a publication setting selection tool in a graphical user interface, said publication setting selection tool configured to facilitate said user providing said additional user input specifying said publication setting for said snapshot image.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving said data representative of said snapshot image and said metadata with said media content chaptering subsystem;

storing, by said media content chaptering subsystem, said data representative of said snapshot image and said metadata to a storage device;

receiving, by said media content chaptering subsystem, a request for said snapshot image from another media content access subsystem;

determining, by said media content chaptering subsystem, that said another media content access subsystem has permission to access said snapshot image based on said publication setting; and

transmitting, by said media content chaptering subsystem, data representative of said snapshot image to said another media content access subsystem in response to said request.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving said data representative of said snapshot image with said another media content access subsystem; and

providing, by said another media content access subsystem, said snapshot image for display in a graphical user interface.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

detecting, by said another media content access subsystem, a user selection of said snapshot image in said graphical user interface; and

providing, by said another media content access subsystem, a plurality of selectable options for display in said graphical user interface in response to said user selection, said plurality of selectable options including an option to initiate playback of said media content program beginning at a playback time associated with said snapshot image.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising initiating, by said another media content access subsystem, playback of said media content program beginning at said playback time associated with said snapshot image in response to a user selection of said option to initiate playback of said media content program beginning at said playback time associated with said snapshot image.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said metadata comprises at least one of a timestamp indicating a playback time associated with said snapshot image, a user profile identifier indicative of said user, and a media content program identifier indicative of said media content program.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said media content access subsystem comprises a set-top box.

12. The method of claim 1, tangibly embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one computer-readable medium.

13. A method comprising:

maintaining, by a media content chaptering subsystem, a library of end-user-provided media content chaptering data;

maintaining, by said media content chaptering subsystem, end-user-provided publication settings data for said end-user-provided media content chaptering data;

receiving, by said media content chaptering subsystem and from a media content access subsystem, a request for said end-user-provided media content chaptering data;

identifying, by said media content chaptering subsystem and based on said end-user-provided publication settings data, at least a subset of said requested end-user-provided media content chaptering data to which a user associated with said media content access subsystem has permission to access; and

transmitting, by said media content chaptering subsystem, data representative of said at least a subset of said requested end-user-provided media content chaptering data to said media content access subsystem.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said end-user-provided media content chaptering data comprises a plurality of end-user-provided snapshot images of at least one media content program and metadata associated with said plurality of end-user-provided snapshot images.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said maintaining of said library of said end-user-provided media content chaptering data comprises:

receiving said end-user-provided media content chaptering data from a plurality of media content access subsystems via a network; and

aggregating said received end-user-provided media content chaptering data in said library of end-user-provided media content chaptering data.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving said data representative of said at least a subset of said requested end-user-provided chaptering data with said media content access subsystem; and

providing, by said media content access subsystem, said at least a subset of said requested end-user-provided chaptering for display in a graphical user interface.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said at least a subset of said requested end-user-provided chaptering data comprises a plurality of snapshot images of a media content program, the method further comprising:

detecting, by said media content access subsystem, a user selection of one of said snapshot images in said graphical user interface; and

providing, by said media content access subsystem, a plurality of selectable options for display in said graphical user interface in response to said user selection, said plurality of selectable options including an option to initiate a playback of said media content program beginning at a playback time associated with said one of said snapshot images.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising initiating, by said media content access subsystem, said playback of said media content program beginning at said playback time associated with said one of said snapshot images in response to a user selection of said option to initiate playback of said media content program beginning at said playback time.

19. A system comprising:

a plurality of media content access subsystems configured to

provide media content for presentation to a plurality of end users,

capture media content chaptering data for said media content based on user input provided by said end users,

capture publication settings data associated with said media content chaptering data based on additional user input provided by said end users, and

transmit said media content chaptering data and said publication settings data over a network;

a media content chaptering subsystem configured to

receive said media content chaptering data and said publication settings data from said plurality of media content access subsystems via said network, and

selectively publish said media content chaptering data for access by at least a subset of said media content access devices via said network based on said publication settings data.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said media content chaptering data comprises a plurality of snapshot images of said media content and metadata associated with said plurality of snapshots images.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said metadata comprises playback times associated with said plurality of snapshots images.

22. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

a media content delivery subsystem configured to transmit data representative of said media content over said network;

wherein said plurality of media content access subsystems comprises a plurality of set-top boxes configured to receive said data representative of said media content from said media content delivery subsystem via said network.