System and method for providing an interactive, visual complement to an audio program

• US 7,926,085 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2007
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Music Choice
• Original Assignee: Music Choice
• Inventors: Giannetti, Kelley L., Del Beccaro, David J., Farber, Stuart H., Steinberg, Robert M., O'Neill, Donna M., Tancredi, Christina B., Yurman, Ronald M., Rosenberg, Jeremy C.
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, NGOC K
• Application Number:
  US11/837,772
• Publication Number:
  US 20080046958A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,338 Days
• Field of Search: 707217-219, 707/231, 725114-118, 725143-148, 725/37
• US Class Current: 725/143
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/86 Arrangements characterised by the broadcast information itself
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2368 Multiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• 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 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4394 involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440236 by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures, audio is converted into text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/816 involving special video data, e.g 3D video

Abstract

A system and method for providing an interactive, visual complement to one or more audio programs. In one aspect, the system comprises an audio subsystem for generating an audio signal corresponding to a sound recording. The system also comprises a video subsystem for generating a video image specification based, at least in part, on the sound recording. In one aspect, the audio signal and video image specification are transmitted to an audio/video signal transmission system. The transmission system receives the video image specification and generates a video signal that conforms to the video image specification. The video signal and the audio signal are transmitted to at least one consumer receiver. In this way, the system provides a visual complement to an audio program.

Claims

1. A system for providing a visual complement to an audio service, comprising:

a first transmission system configured to transmit data to a second transmission system, wherein the second transmission system is configured to transmit the data to one or more audio/video receivers;

an audio subsystem configured to select sound recordings according to a playlist and transmit a selected sound recording to the first transmission system for relay to the second transmission system;

a storage device configured to store a plurality of video images;

a memory that stores a data structure that associates one or more of the plurality of video images with the selected sound recording, wherein at least one of the one or more video images that are associated with the selected sound recording is associated with a time duration; and

a video subsystem, wherein the audio subsystem is further configured to transmit to the video subsystem a trigger message after selecting a sound recording from a playlist, wherein the trigger message comprises an identifier associated with the selected sound recording, wherein

the video subsystem is configured to generate a video image specification based, at least in part, on pre-defined configuration data and information included in the trigger message, and is configured to generate the video image specification in response to receiving the trigger message.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the video subsystem is configured to generate a video image based, at least in part, on pre-defined configuration data and transmit the video image to the first transmission system for relay to the second transmission system after receiving the trigger message.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the second transmission system is configured to transmit the video image and the sound recording to the one or more audio/video receivers.

4. The system of claim 2, further comprising a storage unit for storing visual media assets, wherein the video subsystem is able to retrieve visual media assets from the storage unit.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein, after receiving the trigger message, the video subsystem is configured to determine, based, at least in part, on the pre-defined configuration data, a set of visual media asset identifiers.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein one or more of the visual media asset identifiers are associated with a screen position.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the video subsystem is configured to retrieve from the storage unit the visual media assets identified by the set of visual media asset identifiers and use the visual media assets and the screen position associated with the one or more visual media assets in generating the video image.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the video image is an MPEG video presentation.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein the pre-defined configuration data comprises a plurality of identifiers, each of which is associated with a sound recording, and associates a set of visual media asset identifiers with each of the plurality of identifiers.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the pre-defined configuration data further comprises one or more queues of visual media asset identifier sets and further associates one or more of the queues with one or more of the plurality of identifiers.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the video subsystem is configured to transmit the video image specification so that it is received by the second transmission system, and the second transmission system is configured to generate a video image conforming to the video image specification and transmit the video image to the one or more audio/video receivers.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a storage unit for storing visual media assets, wherein the second transmission system is able to retrieve visual media assets from the storage unit.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the video image specification comprises a visual media asset identifier.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the second transmission system is configured to retrieve from the storage unit the visual media asset identified by the visual media asset identifier and use the visual media asset in generating the video image after receiving the video image specification.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the pre-defined configuration data comprises a plurality of identifiers, each of which is associated with a sound recording, and associates a set of visual media asset identifiers with each of the plurality of identifiers.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the pre-defined configuration data further comprises one or more queues of visual media asset identifier sets and further associates one or more of the queues with one or more of the plurality of identifiers.

17. The system of claim 1, further comprising a video image generator coupled to the video subsystem, wherein the video subsystem is configured to provide the video image specification to the video image generator, the video image generator is configured to generate a video image conforming to the video image specification and transmit the video image so that it is received by the second transmission system, and the second transmission system is configured to transmit the video image and the sound recording to the one or more audio/video receivers.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a storage unit for storing visual media assets, wherein the video image generator is able to retrieve visual media assets from the storage unit.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the video image specification comprises a visual media asset identifier.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the video image generator is configured to retrieve from the storage unit the visual media asset identified by the visual media asset identifier and use the visual media asset in generating the video image after receiving the video image specification.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the video image specification is contained within an HTML document and the video image is an MPEG video presentation.

22. A method for providing a visual complement to an audio service, comprising:

selecting a sound recording;

transmitting the selected sound recording to a consumer device that is operable to reproduce the sound recording;

after selecting the sound recording, transmitting a trigger message, wherein the trigger message comprises an identifier that is associated with the selected sound recording;

after transmitting the trigger message, receiving the trigger message and generating a video image based, at least in part, on pre-defined configuration data and the identifier contained in the trigger message; and

transmitting the video image to the consumer device so that the video image can be reproduced by the consumer device while the consumer device is reproducing at least some portion of the sound recording, wherein

the step of generating the video image comprises generating, in response to receiving the trigger message, a video image specification based, at least in part, on the pre-defined configuration data and the identifier contained in the trigger message.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of transmitting the selected sound recording to a consumer device comprises:

transmitting the sound recording to a first transmission system;

receiving the sound recording at the first transmission system; and

transmitting the sound recording from the first transmission to a second transmission system, which is configured to broadcast the sound recording to a plurality of consumer devices, including said consumer device.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of transmitting the selected sound recording to a consumer device comprises broadcasting the sound recording to a plurality of consumer devices, including said consumer device.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of selecting the sound recording comprises selecting the sound recording from a playlist.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising transmitting the video image specification to a device that is configured to generate the video image based on the video image specification.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the video image specification comprises a visual media asset identifier.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the device is configured to obtain the visual media asset identified by the visual media asset identifier and use the visual media asset in generating the video image.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein the pre-defined configuration data comprises a plurality of identifiers, each of which is associated with a sound recording, and associates a set of visual media asset identifiers with each of the plurality of identifiers.

30. A method for providing a visual complement to an audio service, comprising:

storing a playlist for an audio channel of the audio service;

transmitting, from a first transmission system to a second transmission system, a sound recording specified in the playlist; and

transmitting a data packet comprising a video image specification while the sound recording is being transmitted, wherein the video image specification specifies a visual complement for the channel by specifying one or more visual media asset identifiers, each of which identifies one or more visual media assets, one or more of said visual media asset identifiers identifying a visual media asset associated with the sound recording that is being transmitted, said data packet further comprising sound recording information associated with the sound recording, the sound recording information comprising the title of the sound recording and the name of the artist who recorded the sound recording, wherein

the step of transmitting the data packet comprising the video image specification and sound recording information comprises transmitting the data packet to a system comprising a video image generator, wherein the video image generator is configured to generate a video image using the video image specification and the system is configured to provide the generated video image to an audio/video device that is operable to display the video image to a user of the device, and wherein the video image generator is configured to generate the video image by retrieving the visual media assets identified in the video image specification.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the system comprises an audio/video receiver coupled to the audio/video device.

32. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

after transmitting the first data packet to the system and while the sound recording is still being transmitted, transmitting a second data packet to the system, the second data packet comprises a video image specification that specifies a visual complement for the channel.

33. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

selecting the sound recording specified in the playlist prior to transmitting, from the first transmission system to the second transmission system, said sound recording; and

in response to selecting said sound recording, transmitting to a video subsystem a trigger message, wherein the trigger message comprises an identifier associated with said selected sound recording.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the video subsystem is configured to generate a video image specification based, at least in part, on pre-defined configuration data and information included in the trigger message.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the video subsystem is configured to generate the video image specification in response to receiving the trigger message.

36. The method of claim 30, wherein, for at least one visual media asset identifier specified by the video image specification, the video image specification specifies a screen location that is associated with said visual media asset identifier.