Interactive Broadcast Television

• US 20160044226A1
• Filed: 08/06/2014
• Published: 02/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Totalvu Corporation
• Original Assignee: Smart Blonde Co.
• Inventors: Williams, Michael Glenn
• Granted Patent: US 10,326,964 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• 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 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8547 involving timestamps for synchronizing content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/222 Studio circuitry; Studio devices; Studio equipment cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors, or control thereof H04N23/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A system includes a memory and a processor coupled to the memory. The processor receives a video feed from a camera, where the video feed includes video from a filmmaking set. The processor also sends the video feed to a viewer electronic device. The processor also receives a command to control an aspect of the filmmaking set and sends the command to the filmmaking set.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to;

receive a video feed from a camera, wherein the video feed comprises video from a filmmaking set for a television or internet broadcast show;

send the video feed to a plurality of viewer electronic devices, wherein the plurality of viewer electronic devices are physically remote from the filmmaking set;

receive a command to control an aspect of the filmmaking set from at least one of the plurality of viewer electronic devices; and

send the command to the filmmaking set, wherein a change to the aspect of the filmmaking set by the command is incorporated into the video feed sent to the plurality of viewer electronic devices.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the camera is configured to be electronically controlled, wherein the processor is further configured to send the command to the camera, and wherein the command comprises an electronic signal that automatically adjusts a focus of the camera, adjusts a direction the camera faces, or adjusts a position of the camera on the filmmaking set.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive an audio feed from a microphone, wherein the audio feed comprises audio from the filmmaking set; and

send the audio feed to the viewer electronic device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive an audio feed from a microphone; and

send the audio feed to a speaker, wherein the speaker is a headphone worn by a person on the filmmaking set.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the audio feed comprises advice or instruction to the person on the filmmaking set, wherein the person is a participant or actor in a television program being filmed on the filmmaking set, and further wherein the audio feed is sent during a filming of the television program.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a video display, and wherein the processor is further configured to:

display the video feed on the video display;

receive a viewer video feed from a camera of the viewer electronic device; and

display the viewer video feed on the video display as a part of the television or internet broadcast show.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a viewer video feed from a camera of the viewer electronic device; and

send the viewer video feed to a video display at the filmmaking set.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the command comprises an electronic signal that automatically controls the aspect of the filmmaking set, and further wherein the aspect is a door, a window, a lock, a thermostat, an appliance, an ice maker, a beverage dispenser, an electric light, a fireplace, a curtain, a clock, a telephone, a doorbell, a cabinet, or a movable robot.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the filmmaking set comprises a plurality of cameras and the camera is a first camera of the plurality of cameras, and wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a selection of a second camera of the plurality of cameras from the viewer electronic device;

receive, in response to receiving the selection, a second video feed from the second camera; and

send, in response to receiving the selection, the second video feed.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a chat message from the viewer electronic device, wherein the chat message is text-based; and

send the chat message to at least one of a plurality of other viewer electronic devices.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a first participant selection from the viewer electronic device to associate a first user account being used on the viewer electronic device with a person on the filmmaking set, wherein the person is a participant or actor in a television program being filmed on the filmmaking set; and

receive a second participant selection from at least one of the plurality of other viewer electronic devices to associate a second user account being used on the at least one of the plurality of other viewer electronic devices with the person.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the chat message is sent only to the other viewer electronic devices from which the second participant selection has been received.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a plurality of chat messages from the plurality of other viewer electronic devices; and

track content in the plurality of chat messages.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the content comprises a particular word, a particular phrase, a photo, a particular alphanumeric sequence, a hashtag, or a hyperlink.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the command based on the content.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a message based on the content;

send the message to a visual display;

receive an audio signal of a response to the message; and

send the audio signal to a speaker at the filmmaking set.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a message based on the content;

generate an audio signal of the message; and

send the audio signal to a speaker at the filmmaking set.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to receive a mark-up of the video feed from the viewer electronic device, wherein the mark-up comprises a drawing, a text, an annotation, a graphic overlaid on the video feed, a hyperlink, a graphics interchange format (GIF) object, or a hashtag.

19. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, a video feed from a camera, wherein the video feed comprises video from a filmmaking set for a television or internet broadcast show;

sending, by the processor, the video feed to a plurality of viewer electronic devices, wherein the viewer electronic devices are physically remote from the filmmaking set;

receiving, by the processor, a command to control an aspect of the filmmaking set from at least one of the viewer electronic devices; and

sending, by the processor, the command to the filmmaking set, wherein a change to the aspect of the filmmaking set by the command is incorporated into the video feed sent to the plurality of viewer electronic devices.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the plurality of viewer electronic devices are physically remote from each other.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon for execution by a processor, the instructions comprising:

instructions to receive, by the processor, a video feed from a camera, wherein the video feed comprises video from a filmmaking set for a television or internet broadcast show;

instructions to send, by the processor, the video feed to a plurality of viewer electronic devices, wherein the plurality of viewer electronic devices are physically remote from the filmmaking set;

instructions to receive, by the processor, a command to control an aspect of the filmmaking set from the viewer electronic devices; and

instructions to send, by the processor, the command to the filmmaking set, wherein a change to the aspect of the filmmaking set by the command is incorporated into the video feed sent to the plurality of viewer electronic devices.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the plurality of viewer electronic devices are viewers of the television or internet broadcast show.