Method and apparatus for viewing instant replay

• US 9,363,575 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2013
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roku, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Roku, Inc.
• Inventors: Wood, Anthony, Michels, Wim, Ellis, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): HARVEY, DAVID E
• Application Number:
  US13/778,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20140241696A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,197 Days
• Field of Search: 386/244, 386/248, 386/353, 725/139, 725/100
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2387 Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4884 for displaying subtitles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8233 the additional signal being a character code signal

Abstract

A system includes a client device configured to detect an initial play request for a portion of a video stream and detect a subsequent play request for the portion of the video stream. A content server coupled to the client device is configured to transmit the portion of the video stream to the client device based upon the initial play request. A closed captioning information server coupled to the client device is configured to transmit the closed captioning information to the client device based on the initial play request. The client device is configured to display the portion of the video stream and the closed captioning information based upon the subsequent play request.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, from a content server, streamed internet content at a client device for presentation on a display, wherein the client device is a streaming media player;

receiving public tag information and private tag information from an information server, wherein the public tag information includes closed captioning content corresponding to at least a portion of the streamed internet content at the client device, wherein the streamed internet content and the corresponding closed captioning content are different streams of data that are simultaneously buffered at the client device, and wherein the private tag information includes comments of a first user, that are only viewable by designated second users;

initially playing a portion of a video stream through the client device including the corresponding private tag information and without the corresponding closed captioning information, wherein the closed captioning information corresponds to the portion of the video stream and is stored in a buffer of the client device for a pre-determined time duration;

receiving a request to replay the portion of the video stream through the client device after initially playing the portion of the video stream through the client device without the closed captioning information;

retrieving the closed captioning information from the buffer based on the request;

synchronizing the portion of the video stream to be replayed with a corresponding portion of the closed captioning information based on a common clock; and

displaying the closed captioning information through the client device based on the request while simultaneously replaying the portion of the video stream, wherein upon completion of the replaying of the portion of the video stream, the closed captioning information is no longer displayed while the video stream continues to play.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the closed captioning information and the portion of the video stream are stored together in the buffer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information server is different from the content server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the streamed internet content is received via a first transmission, and the closed captioning content is received via a second transmission.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying comprises displaying the closed captioning information through the client device based on the request while simultaneously replaying the portion of the video stream for the pre-determined time duration.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second user is logged into the client device, and wherein the first user is associated with the second user through a network.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the private tag information associated with the first user is only available for viewing with the streamed internet content by the second user if the first user and the second user are associated on the network as being connected to one another, and wherein the public tag information is available for viewing by both the first and second users independent of their association with one another on the network.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the public tag information includes comments from a content provider of the streamed internet content.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the streamed internet content and the corresponding closed captioning content are different streams of data that are simultaneously received and simultaneously buffered.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second user is logged into the client device, and wherein the private tag information includes one or more comments provided by the second user.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the private tag information includes a plurality of comments uploaded by a plurality of users regarding a channel associated with the streamed internet content.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the initially playing the portion of the streamed internet content comprises:

playing the portion of the streamed internet content prior to receiving a subsequent remaining portion of the streamed internet content, and wherein the closed captioning corresponding to both the initially played portion and the subsequent remaining portion was received and buffered prior to the initially playing.

13. A method, comprising:

receiving, from a content server, streamed internet content at a client device for presentation on a display, wherein the client device is a streaming media player;

receiving public tag information and private tag information from an information server, wherein the public tag information includes closed captioning content corresponding to at least a portion of the streamed internet content at the client device, wherein the streamed internet content and the corresponding closed captioning content are different streams of data that are simultaneously buffered at the client device, and wherein the private tag information includes comments of a first user, that are only viewable by designated second users;

initially playing a portion of a video stream through the client device including the corresponding private tag information and without the corresponding closed captioning information, wherein the closed captioning information corresponds to the portion of the video stream and is stored in a buffer of the client device for a pre-determined time duration;

receiving a request to replay the portion of the video stream through the client device after initially playing the portion of the video stream through the client device without the closed captioning information;

receiving streamed internet content for the portion of the video stream at the client device, wherein the streamed internet content for the portion of the video stream includes closed captioning information retrieved from the content source in response to the request to replay;

synchronizing the portion of the video stream to be replayed with a corresponding portion of the closed captioning information based on a common clock;

replaying the portion of the video stream through the client device based on the request; and

displaying the closed captioning information through the client device based on the request while simultaneously replaying the portion of the video stream, wherein upon completion of the replaying of the portion of the video stream, the closed captioning information is no longer displayed while the video stream continues to play.

14. A tangible computer-readable device having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one computing device, causes the at least one computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a content server, streamed internet content at a client device for presentation on a display, wherein the client device is a streaming media player;

receiving public tag information and private tag information from an information server, wherein the public tag information includes closed captioning content corresponding to at least a portion of the streamed internet content at the client device, wherein the streamed internet content and the corresponding closed captioning content are different streams of data that are simultaneously buffered at the client device, and wherein the private tag information includes comments of a first user, that are only viewable by designated second users;

initially playing a portion of a video stream through the client device including the corresponding private tag information and without the corresponding closed captioning information, wherein the closed captioning information corresponds to the portion of the video stream and is stored in a buffer of the client device for a pre-determined time duration;

receiving a request to replay the portion of the video stream through the client device after initially playing the portion of the video stream through the client device without the closed captioning information;

retrieving the closed captioning information from the buffer based on the request;

synchronizing the portion of the video stream to be replayed with a corresponding portion of the closed captioning information based on a common clock; and

displaying the closed captioning information through the client device based on the request while simultaneously replaying the portion of the video stream, wherein upon completion of the replaying of the portion of the video stream, the closed captioning information is no longer displayed while the video stream continues to play.