Recording and playback system based on multimedia content fingerprints

• US 9,781,377 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2014
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Poniatowski, Bob, Matthews, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Harvey, David
• Application Number:
  US14/225,393
• Publication Number:
  US 20140205267A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,288 Days
• Field of Search: 386291, 386296, 386298, 386249, 386250
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/278 Content descriptor database or directory service for end-user access details of content or meta data based information retrieval of video data in video databases G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43074 of additional data with content streams on the same device, e.g. of EPG data or interactive icon with a TV program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• 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 21/440245 the reformatting operation being performed only on part of the stream, e.g. a region of the image or a time segment
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• 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 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4884 for displaying subtitles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/91 : Television signal processing therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 : involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

A method for recording media content based on media content fingerprints is described. A media device records content received in a content stream from a scheduled start time of a media content to a scheduled end time of the media content to create a content recording. The media device derives one or more fingerprints from the content recording. A fingerprint database is queried with the one or more fingerprints to determine that a first portion of the content recording comprises an advertisement and a second portion of the content recording comprises the media content. In response to a request to play the content recording, starting playback of the content recording at the beginning of the second portion of the content recording.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

responsive to a request to record specific content, recording, by a media device, content received in a content stream from at least a scheduled start time of a media content to at least a scheduled end time of the media content to create a content recording;

deriving, by the media device, one or more first fingerprints from a first portion of the content recording and one or more second fingerprints from a second portion of the content recording;

based on the one or more second fingerprints, recognizing one or more faces in the second portion of the content recording, the one or more faces associated with the specific content;

based on the one or more first fingerprints, determining that the one or more faces associated with the specific content are not recognized in the first portion of the content recording;

in response to a request to play the content recording, based on having recognized the one or more faces in the second portion but not the first portion, starting playback of the content recording at the beginning of the second portion of the content recording, skipping over the first portion.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the scheduled start time is based on information associated with an electronic programming guide (EPG).

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the specific content is a television program for which the media device was requested to create the content recording.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the media device derives the one or more first fingerprints and one or more second fingerprints concurrently with recording the content received in the content stream.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising deleting the first portion from the content recording based on determining that the one or more faces are not recognized in the first portion of the content recording, while continuing to store the second portion of the content recording.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the first portion and the second portion using searching for any of a plurality of faces associated with the specific content in time windows within the content recording until at least one of the plurality of faces is detected.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more faces correspond to actors listed for the specific content, the specific content being a television show, the first portion corresponding to other content in which the actors do not appear, the first portion including at least one of another television show or an advertisement.

6. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media, storing instructions, which when executed by one or more processors cause performance of:

responsive to a request to record specific content, recording, by a media device, content received in a content stream from at least a scheduled start time of a media content to at least a scheduled end time of the media content to create a content recording;

deriving, by the media device, one or more first fingerprints from a first portion of the content recording and one or more second fingerprints from a second portion of the content recording;

based on the one or more second fingerprints, recognizing one or more faces in the second portion of the content recording, the one or more faces associated with the specific content;

based on the one or more first fingerprints, determining that the one or more faces associated with the specific content are not recognized in the first portion of the content recording;

in response to a request to play the content recording, based on having recognized the one or more faces in the second portion but not the first portion, starting playback of the content recording at the beginning of the second portion of the content recording, skipping over the first portion.

7. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 6, wherein the scheduled start time is based on information associated with an electronic programming guide (EPG).

8. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 6, wherein the specific content is a television program for which the media device was requested to create the content recording.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 6, wherein the media device derives the one or more first fingerprints and one or more second fingerprints concurrently with recording the content received in the content stream.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 6, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause deleting the first portion from the content recording based on determining that the one or more faces are not recognized in the first portion of the content recording, while continuing to store the second portion of the content recording.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 6, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause identifying the first portion and the second portion using searching for any of a plurality of faces associated with the specific content in time windows within the content recording until at least one of the plurality of faces is detected.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 6, wherein the one or more faces correspond to actors listed for the specific content, the specific content being a television show, the first portion corresponding to other content in which the actors do not appear, the first portion including at least one of another television show or an advertisement.

11. An apparatus comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory storing instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to;

responsive to a request to record specific content, record, by a media device, content received in a content stream from at least a scheduled start time of a media content to at least a scheduled end time of the media content to create a content recording;

derive, by the media device, one or more first fingerprints from a first portion of the content recording and one or more second fingerprints from a second portion of the content recording;

based on the one or more second fingerprints, recognize one or more faces in the second portion of the content recording, the one or more faces associated with the specific content;

based on the one or more first fingerprints, determine that the one or more faces associated with the specific content are not recognized in the first portion of the content recording;

in response to a request to play the content recording, based on having recognized the one or more faces in the second portion but not the first portion, start playback of the content recording at the beginning of the second portion of the content recording, skipping over the first portion.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the scheduled start time is based on information associated with an electronic programming guide (EPG).

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the specific content is a television program for which the media device was requested to create the content recording.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the media device derives the one or more first fingerprints and one or more second fingerprints concurrently with recording the content received in the content stream.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein execution of the instructions further causes the apparatus to delete the first portion from the content recording based on determining that the one or more faces are not recognized in the first portion of the content recording, while continuing to store the second portion of the content recording.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the memory further stores instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to identify the first portion and the second portion using searching for any of a plurality of faces associated with the specific content in time windows within the content recording until at least one of the plurality of faces is detected.