Method and apparatus for providing collaborative viewing of a media stream

• US 8,646,017 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2008
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Amento, Brian, Stead, Larry
• Primary Examiner(s): Lonsberry, Hunter B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huerta, Alexander Q
• Application Number:
  US12/013,836
• Publication Number:
  US 20090183220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,213 Days
• Field of Search: 725/120, 725/135, 725/139, 725/106, 725 37- 61, 709217-219
• US Class Current: 725/120
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• 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 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4661 Deriving a combined profile for a plurality of end-users of the same client, e.g. for family members within a home user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47205 for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally
• 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 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing collaborative viewing of a media stream are disclosed. For example, the method establishes a viewing group having a plurality of members, and provides at least one media stream that is accessible by the plurality of members of the viewing group. The method then receives one or more annotations from at least one of the plurality of members of the viewing group relating to the at least one media stream, and saves each of the one or more annotations with a temporal marker. The method then provides the one or more annotations to at least one of the plurality of members of the viewing group.

Claims

1. A method for providing a media stream via a network, comprising:

establishing, by a processor, a viewing group having a plurality of members, wherein the viewing group is defined by a member of the plurality of members;

providing, by the processor, the media stream that is accessible by the plurality of members of the viewing group, wherein the media stream comprises a video;

receiving, by the processor, a first annotation from a first member of the plurality of members of the viewing group who has accessed the media stream at a first time period;

saving, by the processor, the first annotation with a temporal marker;

generating, by the processor, an interest profile of the viewing group based upon the first annotation;

providing, by the processor, the first annotation to a second member of the plurality of members of the viewing group who accesses the media stream at a second time period, wherein the second time period is subsequent to the first time period;

receiving, by the processor, a second annotation from the second member of the plurality of members;

saving, by the processor, the second annotation with another temporal marker;

updating, by the processor, the interest profile of the viewing group based upon the second annotation; and

generating, by the processor, an additional media stream based upon the interest profile of the viewing group, wherein the additional media stream comprises a video of a highlighted portion from the media stream, wherein the highlighted portion is selected based upon the first annotation and the second annotation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the media stream is stored at a network server of the network and made accessible to the plurality of members of the viewing group.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the media stream is transmitted to the plurality of members of the viewing group, and wherein the media stream is stored locally in an endpoint device of a member of the plurality of members of the viewing group.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first annotation is only transmitted when the second member of the plurality of members of the viewing group requests viewing of the media stream.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first annotation comprises a video annotation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first annotation comprises a text annotation.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first annotation comprises an audio annotation.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations for providing a media stream via a network, the operations comprising:

establishing a viewing group having a plurality of members, wherein the viewing group is defined by a member of the plurality of members;

providing the media stream that is accessible by the plurality of members of the viewing group, wherein the media stream comprises a video;

receiving a first annotation from a first member of the plurality of members of the viewing group who has accessed the media stream at a first time period;

saving the first annotation with a temporal marker;

generating an interest profile of the viewing group based upon the first annotation;

providing the first annotation to a second member of the plurality of members of the viewing group who accesses the media stream at a second time period, wherein the second time period is subsequent to the first time period;

receiving a second annotation from the second member of the plurality of members;

saving the second annotation with another temporal marker;

updating the interest profile of the viewing group based upon the second annotation; and

generating an additional media stream based upon the interest profile of the viewing group, wherein the additional media stream comprises a video of a highlighted portion from the media stream, wherein the highlighted portion is selected based upon the first annotation and the second annotation.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the media stream is stored at a network server of the network and made accessible to the plurality of members of the viewing group.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the media stream is transmitted to the plurality of members of the viewing group, and wherein the media stream is stored locally in an endpoint device of a member of the plurality of members of the viewing group.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the first annotation is only transmitted when the second member of the plurality of members of the viewing group requests viewing of the media stream.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the first annotation comprises a video annotation.

13. An apparatus for providing a media stream via a network, comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

establishing a viewing group having a plurality of members, wherein the viewing group is defined by a member of the plurality of members;

providing the media stream that is accessible by the plurality of members of the viewing group, wherein the media stream comprises a video;

receiving a first annotation from a first member of the plurality of members of the viewing group who has accessed the media stream at a first time period;

saving the first annotation with a temporal marker;

generating an interest profile of the viewing group based upon the first annotation;

providing the first annotation to a second member of the plurality of members of the viewing group who accesses the media stream at a second time period, wherein the second time period is subsequent to the first time period;

receiving a second annotation from the second member of the plurality of members;

saving the second annotation with another temporal marker;

updating the interest profile of the viewing group based upon the second annotation; and

generating an additional media stream based upon the interest profile of the viewing group, wherein the additional media stream comprises a video of a highlighted portion from the media stream, wherein the highlighted portion is selected based upon the first annotation and the second annotation.