Multifunction multimedia device

• US 9,369,758 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2014
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TiVo Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Gharaat, Amir, Barton, James, Patel, Mukesh K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yang, Ryan R
• Application Number:
  US14/259,145
• Publication Number:
  US 20140229969A1
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0244 Optimization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/422 Input-only peripherals , i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS] input devices also receiving signals from specially adapted client devices H04N21/4104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42201 biosensors, e.g. heat sensor for presence detection, EEG sensors or any limb activity sensors worn by the user input arrangements for interaction with the human body based on nervous system activity detection G06F3/015
• 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 21/4415 using biometric characteristics of the user, e.g. by voice recognition or fingerprint scanning cryptography using biological data H04L9/3231; authentication in networks using biometric H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/442 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/29; arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information H04H60/35; monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; monitoring in wireless networks H04W24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/79 Processing of colour television signals in connection with recording

Abstract

A method for interpreting messages, user-defined alert conditions, voice commands and performing an action in response is described. A method for annotating media content is described. A method for presenting additional content associated with media content identified based on a fingerprint is described. A method for identifying that an advertisement portion of media content is being played based on a fingerprint derived from the media content is described. A method of one media device recording particular media content automatically in response to another media device recording the particular media content is described. A method of concurrently playing media content on multiple devices is described. A method of publishing information associated with recording of media content is described. A method of deriving fingerprints by media devices that meet an idleness criteria is described. A method of loading, modifying, and displaying a high definition frame from a frame buffer is described. A method of recording or playing media content identified based on fingerprints is described.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that receives media content from a media source;

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that loads one or more uncompressed high-definition frames of the media content into a frame buffer;

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that receives, from a remote source and concurrently with receiving of the media content, a message;

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that writes information associated with the message into the frame buffer to overlay at least a portion of the one or more uncompressed high-definition frames loaded into the frame buffer;

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that sends the media content to a display device for display of the media content with information associated with the message overlaying the media content.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that receives the media content from multiple media sources.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that derives a fingerprint from the one or more high-definition frames loaded in the frame buffer at a rate in which the one or more high-definition frames are loaded in the frame buffer.

4. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that receives audio input from a user when the one or more uncompressed high-definition frames are displayed;

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that stores each portion of the audio input in association with corresponding frames that were being displayed when the audio input was received.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that synchronizes display of the one or more uncompressed high-definition frames with a second apparatus displaying the one or more uncompressed high-definition frames from a second frame buffer.

6. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that uploads the one or more uncompressed high-definition frames from the apparatus to a web server.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more uncompressed high-definition frames comprises consecutive frames in a media file.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the information associated with the message is presented at a particular scheduled time based on the playing of the multimedia content and wherein the particular scheduled time is in a commercial break during the playing of the multimedia content.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the message is received from a social networking website.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the message is an audio file and wherein writing the information associated with the message into the frame buffer comprises text based on the audio file.

11. A method comprising:

receiving media content from a media source;

loading one or more uncompressed high-definition frames of the media content into a frame buffer;

receiving, from a remote source and concurrently with receiving the media content, a message;

writing information associated with the message into the frame buffer to overlay at least a portion of the one or more uncompressed high-definition frames loaded into the frame buffer;

sending the media content to a display device for display of the media content with the information associated with the message overlaying the media content.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the receiving further comprises receiving media content from multiple media sources.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising deriving a fingerprint from the one or more high-definition frames loaded in the frame buffer at a rate in which the one or more high-definition frames are loaded in the frame buffer.

14. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

receiving audio input from a user when the one or more uncompressed high-definition frames are displayed;

storing each portion of the audio input in association with corresponding frames that were being displayed when the audio input was received.

15. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising synchronizing display of the one or more uncompressed high-definition frames with a device displaying the one or more uncompressed high-definition frames from a second frame buffer.

16. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising uploading the one or more uncompressed high-definition frames to a web server.

17. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the one or more uncompressed high-definition frames comprises consecutive frames in a media file.

18. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the information associated with the message is presented at a particular scheduled time based on the playing of the multimedia content and wherein the particular scheduled time is in a commercial break during the playing of the multimedia content.

19. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the message is received from a social networking website.

20. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the message is an audio file and wherein presenting the information associated with the message comprises presenting text based on the audio file.

21. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions, which executed by processor, perform the steps of:

receiving media content from a media source;

loading one or more uncompressed high-definition frames of the media content into a frame buffer;

receiving, from a remote source and concurrently with receiving the media content, a message;

writing information associated with the message into the frame buffer to overlay at least a portion of the one or more uncompressed high-definition frames loaded into the frame buffer;

sending the media content to a display device for display of the media content with the information associated with the message overlaying the media content.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 21, wherein the receiving further comprises receiving media content from multiple media sources.

23. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 21, the steps further comprising deriving a fingerprint from the one or more high-definition frames loaded in the frame buffer at a rate in which the one or more high-definition frames are loaded in the frame buffer.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 21, the steps further comprising:

receiving audio input from a user when the one or more uncompressed high-definition frames are displayed;

storing each portion of the audio input in association with corresponding frames that were being displayed when the audio input was received.

25. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 21, the steps further comprising the first device synchronizing display of the one or more uncompressed high-definition frames with a device displaying the one or more uncompressed high-definition frames from a second frame buffer.

26. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 21, the steps further comprising uploading the one or more uncompressed high-definition frames to a web server.

27. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 21, wherein the one or more uncompressed high-definition frames comprises consecutive frames in a media file.

28. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 21, wherein the information associated with the message is presented at a particular scheduled time based on the playing of the multimedia content and wherein the particular scheduled time is in a commercial break during the playing of the multimedia content.

29. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 21, wherein the message is received from a social networking website.

30. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 21, wherein the message is an audio file and wherein presenting the information associated with the message comprises presenting text based on the audio file.