Multifunction Multimedia Device

• US 20110064386A1
• Filed: 12/04/2009
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TiVo Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Gharaat, Amir H., Patel, Mukesh K., Barton, James M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,417,096 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/250
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0244 Optimization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/422 Input-only peripherals , i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS] input devices also receiving signals from specially adapted client devices H04N21/4104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42201 biosensors, e.g. heat sensor for presence detection, EEG sensors or any limb activity sensors worn by the user input arrangements for interaction with the human body based on nervous system activity detection G06F3/015
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4415 using biometric characteristics of the user, e.g. by voice recognition or fingerprint scanning cryptography using biological data H04L9/3231; authentication in networks using biometric H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/442 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/29; arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information H04H60/35; monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; monitoring in wireless networks H04W24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/79 Processing of colour television signals in connection with recording

Abstract

A method for interpreting messages, user-defined alert conditions, voice commands and performing an action in response is described. A method for annotating media content is described. A method for presenting additional content associated with media content identified based on a fingerprint is described. A method for identifying that an advertisement portion of media content is being played based on a fingerprint derived from the media content is described. A method of one media device recording particular media content automatically in response to another media device recording the particular media content is described. A method of concurrently playing media content on multiple devices is described. A method of publishing information associated with recording of media content is described. A method of deriving fingerprints by media devices that meet an idleness criteria is described. A method of loading, modifying, and displaying a high definition frame from a frame buffer is described. A method of recording or playing media content identified based on fingerprints is described.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

playing media content, wherein the media content comprises an advertisement portion and a non-advertisement portion;

deriving one or more fingerprints from at least a portion of the media content being played;

determining that the one or more fingerprints are associated with the advertisement portion of the media content;

wherein the method is performed by a device comprising a processor.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising automatically fast forwarding through the advertisement portion.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising automatically muting the audio portion of the advertisement portion.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising replacing the advertisement portion with one or more alternate advertisements.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising recording only the non-advertisement portion of the media content.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining that the one or more fingerprints is associated with the advertisement portion of the media content comprises:

determining that the one or more fingerprints derived from the advertisement portion of the media content are not equivalent to any fingerprint in a set of fingerprints known to be derived from the non-advertisement portion of the media content.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining that the one or more fingerprints is associated with the advertisement portion of the media content comprises:

detecting one or more faces in the advertisement portion of the media content;

obtaining name information associated with the one or more faces;

determining that the name information does not match actor information associated with the non-advertisement portion of the media content.

8. A computer readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause performance of the steps comprising:

playing media content, wherein the media content comprises an advertisement portion and a non-advertisement portion;

deriving one or more fingerprints from at least a portion of the media content being played;

determining that the one or more fingerprints are associated with the advertisement portion of the media content.

9. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 8, the steps further comprising automatically fast forwarding through the advertisement portion.

10. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 8, the steps further comprising automatically muting the audio portion of the advertisement portion.

11. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 8, the steps further comprising replacing the advertisement portion with one or more alternate advertisements.

12. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 8, the steps further comprising recording only the non-advertisement portion of the media content.

13. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 8, wherein determining that the one or more fingerprints is associated with the advertisement portion of the media content comprises:

determining that the one or more fingerprints derived from the advertisement portion of the media content are not equivalent to any fingerprint in a set of fingerprints known to be derived from the non-advertisement portion of the media content.

14. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 8, wherein determining that the one or more fingerprints is associated with the advertisement portion of the media content comprises:

detecting one or more faces in the advertisement portion of the media content;

obtaining name information associated with the one or more faces;

determining that the name information does not match actor information associated with the non-advertisement portion of the media content.

15. An apparatus comprising:

one or more processors;

a subsystem configured to perform steps comprising;

playing media content, wherein the media content comprises an advertisement portion and a non-advertisement portion;

deriving one or more fingerprints from at least a portion of the media content being played;

determining that the one or more fingerprints are associated with the advertisement portion of the media content.

16. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, the steps further comprising automatically fast forwarding through the advertisement portion.

17. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, the steps further comprising automatically muting the audio portion of the advertisement portion.

18. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, the steps further comprising replacing the advertisement portion with one or more alternate advertisements.

19. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, the steps further comprising recording only the non-advertisement portion of the media content.

20. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein determining that the one or more fingerprints is associated with the advertisement portion of the media content comprises:

determining that the one or more fingerprints derived from the advertisement portion of the media content are not equivalent to any fingerprint in a set of fingerprints known to be derived from the non-advertisement portion of the media content.

21. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein determining that the one or more fingerprints is associated with the advertisement portion of the media content comprises:

detecting one or more faces in the advertisement portion of the media content;

obtaining name information associated with the one or more faces;

determining that the name information does not match actor information associated with the non-advertisement portion of the media content.

22. A method, comprising:

receiving a content stream, wherein the content stream comprises a non-advertisement portion and an advertisement portion;

identifying the advertisement portion in the content stream based on one or more fingerprints derived from content received on the content stream;

wherein the method is performed by a device comprising a processor.