Coordinated output of messages and content

• US 8,358,909 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2008
• Issued: 01/22/2013
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Cervetti, David Garcia
• Assistant Examiner(s): Traore, Fatoumata
• Application Number:
  US12/037,907
• Publication Number:
  US 20090214191A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,792 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a client device, a message that is for a user of the client device and originated from another device during a particular time in an output of content;

determining whether the received message relates to the content;

responsive to determining that the received message relates to the content, determining a point in time that the received message was sent; and

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

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

3. A computer-implemented 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 the point in time, and the coordinating.

4. A computer-implemented 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 received message that indicates the point in time the received message was sent.

5. A computer-implemented 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 received message that indicates the point in time the received message was sent.

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

7. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the determining includes ascertaining whether the received message mentions a title of the content.

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

9. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 8, wherein the coordinating further includes providing an alert that is output before output of the received message indicating that the point in time that the received message was sent is earlier than the particular time in the output of the content and the location from which the received message was sent corresponds to a location that relates to the content.

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

11. A client device comprising one or more modules embodied on one or more computer-readable memory devices to:

output content using one or more time shifting techniques;

ascertain whether a message received by the client device relates to the content, the ascertainment comprising scanning the message received by the client for keywords, the message for a user of the client device and originated from another client device;

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.

12. A client device as described in claim 11, wherein the content is broadcast to the client device and stored based on one or more commands implemented by the client device.

13. A client device as described in claim 12, wherein the content is stored by forming the one or more commands to be communicated over a network to a network digital video recorder.

14. A client device as described in claim 11, 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.

15. A client device as described in claim 11, 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.

16. One or more computer-readable memory devices comprising instructions that are executable by a client device to determine that a message received by the client device, which is for a user of the client device and originated from a sender from another client device, is related to content that is time shifted and was sent at a point in time that is earlier than a particular time in an output of the content and form a notification to be sent from the client device to the sender that originated the message that indicates a result of the determination.

17. One or more computer-readable memory devices as described in claim 16, 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.

18. One or more computer-readable memory devices as described in claim 16, 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.