Patents Examined by Alfonso Castro
  • Patent number: 11089340
    Abstract: Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, receiving a plurality of live video streams from a plurality of communication devices, the plurality of live video streams being associated with a common event. Further aspects may include aggregating the plurality of live video streams to generate a composite video stream for presenting a selectable viewing of the common event and providing the composite video stream to a device for presentation. Additional aspects may include adjusting the composite video stream according to user generated-input to generate an adjusted composite video stream, the user-generated input corresponds to a request to adjust the presentation of the common event. Other aspects may include providing the adjusted composite video stream to the device for presentation. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventor: Keith Crowe
  • Patent number: 11044030
    Abstract: The present technology relates to a reception apparatus, a transmission apparatus, and a data processing method that enable a frequency scan to be performed at a higher speed. The reception apparatus can receive a broadcast wave, perform the frequency scan on the broadcast wave on the basis of the number of providers information indicating the number of broadcasting providers providing a service in the same frequency band, and generate channel selection information for selecting the service, thereby enabling the frequency scan at a higher speed. The present technology is applicable to, for example, a receiver capable of receiving digital broadcasting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC
    Inventor: Jun Kitahara
  • Patent number: 11039199
    Abstract: A set-top box and a method of operating the same are provided. The set-top box, for example, may include, but is not limited to, a communication system configured to receive media content from a broadcast content source and communicate with a personal electronic device, and a media continuity system configured to receive, from the communication system, an indication that a user is watching media content through an over the top source on the personal electronic device, buffer the media content from the broadcast content source in a memory, determine, when the set-top box receives a request to play the media content, a difference between a timestamp associated with the media content as broadcast by the over the top source and the media content as broadcast by the broadcast content source, and output the media content using the buffer based upon the difference in the timestamp when the user returns home.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: SLING MEDIA L.L.C.
    Inventor: Yashaswini Harish
  • Patent number: 10979665
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure disclose an equalization circuit for a CATV plug-in fixed attenuator which comprises an equalizer, an equalization compensation circuit and a MCU module. The equalizer comprises a CATV plug-in fixed attenuator identification module and an equalizing module. The CATV plug-in fixed attenuator identification module is connected to the equalizing module and the MCU module. The equalization compensation circuit is connected to an output terminal of the equalizer and the MCU module. The embodiments enable identification of a changing attenuation value and compensation of the frequency response.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: Global Technology Inc.
    Inventors: Li Zhang, Mingjun Bao, Renhao Tan
  • Patent number: 10945048
    Abstract: A method for operating a programming receiver is provided. The method displays, by the programming receiver, a sequence of recorded video content comprising a video presentation and a plurality of segments of interstitial content; receives, at the programming receiver, a command to skip one of the plurality of segments of interstitial content; and presents a screen comprising a picture advertisement for the one of the plurality of segments of interstitial content, the screen requesting confirmation to skip the one of the plurality of segments of interstitial content in the sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: DISH TECHNOLOGIES L.L.C.
    Inventors: Robert Drew Major, Mark B. Hurst
  • Patent number: 10924791
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to estimate demographics of a household are disclosed. An example method to determine demographics for non-panelist households includes calculating a first demographic constraint average and a second demographic constraint average based on a first demographic distribution of a first tuning event of a household and a second demographic distribution of a second tuning event of the household. The household is a non-panelist household. The example method also includes, based on the first demographic constraint average, determining a first likelihood of the household being associated with a first demographic constraint. The example method also includes, based on the second demographic constraint average, determining a second likelihood of the household being associated with a second demographic constraint. The example method also includes estimating a household characteristic of the household based on the first likelihood and the second likelihood.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: Jonathan Sullivan, Peter Lipa, Michael Sheppard, Alejandro Terrazas
  • Patent number: 10893311
    Abstract: A method of synchronization control in a synchronization gateway equipment is proposed. The method includes: receiving first metadata relating to a first audiovisual content, the metadata having an audiovisual content identifier, a first TV broadcast channel identifier, and time-and-date information; obtaining an identifier of a user interactivity element from the audiovisual content identifier; obtaining time-and-date information for presentation of a user interactivity element from the received time-and-date information; and transmitting, in synchronized manner with the time-and-date information for presentation of the interactivity element, a request for presentation of the user interactivity element corresponding to the identifier of the user interactivity element, the request including the identifier of the user interactivity element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: ORANGE
    Inventors: Emmanuel Soyer, Muriele Le Bihan, Yves Acket
  • Patent number: 10863224
    Abstract: An ad is placed in a movie, by analyzing inherent characteristics of the movie, analyzing viewed characteristics of the movie, analyzing viewer characteristics of a viewer of the movie, obtaining advertiser preferences for placement of the ad in the movie, determining costs of placing the ad in the movie based on the inherent characteristics of the movie, the viewed characteristics of the movie, the viewer characteristics and the advertiser preferences, and placing the ad in the movie in accordance with the inherent characteristics of the movie, the viewed characteristics of the movie, the viewer characteristics, the advertiser preferences and the determined costs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: Open Text SA ULC
    Inventors: Thomas S. Gilley, Eric Hoffert, Rabih Nassar, Paul Soukup
  • Patent number: 10853824
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to apply household-level weights to audience measurement data at a household-member level are disclosed. An example method to determine demographics of populations to measure media audiences of populations includes determining demographics for members of a first household of a sub-population. First demographics of a first member of the first household are different than second demographics of a second member of the first household. The example method includes calculating a first household-level weight for the first household based on a demographics distribution of the sub-population and aggregate demographics of a population.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: Michael Sheppard, Jonathan Sullivan, Peter Lipa, Alejandro Terrazas
  • Patent number: 10812865
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein enable a media device to be controlled from any location via a network-based device. For example, a user, using a control device, initiates a command that identifies media content to be streamed by the media device. The command is transmitted to a proxy device coupled to the media device and a network-based device. The proxy device transmits the command to the network-based device, which translates the command into a format compatible with the media device. The translated command is transmitted to the proxy device, which transmits the translated command to the media device. The media device streams the media content based on the received translated command. Alternatively, the control device and the proxy device are integrated as a single device, which generates and transmits the command to the network-based device, receives the translated command from the network-based device, and transmits the translated command to the media device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: Caavo Inc
    Inventors: Ashish D. Aggarwal, Vinod K. Gopinath, Sharath H. Satheesh, Bitto Niclavose
  • Patent number: 10805657
    Abstract: A method that incorporates teachings of the subject disclosure may include, for example, receiving, by a system comprising a processor, first media content from a service provider network over a high resolution channel at a first resolution, determining whether a first resolution exceeds a resolution threshold for viewing the first media content, transmitting a notification to the service provider network that the first resolution exceeds the resolution threshold, receiving the first media content from the service provider network over the high resolution channel at a second resolution according to the notification, wherein a difference between the first resolution and the second resolution provides unused bandwidth on the high resolution channel, and receiving second media content from the service provider network over the unused bandwidth of the high resolution channel. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: David Crawford Gibbon, Lee Begeja, Zhu Liu, Amy Ruth Reibman, Bernard S. Renger, Behzad Shahraray, Eric Zavesky
  • Patent number: 10798436
    Abstract: Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, identifying video content having a scheduled broadcast time during a first viewing period that satisfies a viewership threshold and facilitating a transfer of the video content to a multimedia storage device. The video content is transferred to the multimedia storage device during a second viewing period prior to the first viewing period. The video content includes the data to prevent the multimedia storage device from sending the video content to another device prior to the time when the program is scheduled to be broadcast. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Armstrong Soo, Bernard Ku, Zhi Li
  • Patent number: 10771861
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for generating links to points in a video stream corresponding to actual programming events of a show playing, played, or about to be played in the live video stream, improving the utility of streaming by enabling viewers to view information specifically related to a story and easily navigate to the start of the story within the video stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: CBS Interactive Inc.
    Inventors: Ashutosh Nayak, Cristyan Nevers, Robert Accettura
  • Patent number: 10764621
    Abstract: An authentication server that authenticates a user of a user terminal that plays a content stream provided by a content server, the authentication server authenticating the user. The authentication server includes storage means that stores registration information, authentication means that, when receiving an authentication request for content designated by a first user from a user terminal that the first user is using, compares information included in the authentication request with the registration information and authenticates the first user, generation means that, if the authentication succeeds, generates a first token indicating that the first user is an authenticated user, and communications means that transmits the generated first token to the user terminal. The generation means further generates a second token relating to the same content as the content designated by the first user, and the communications means is further configured to transmit the second token to the user terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: Rakuten, Inc.
    Inventor: Daichi Tanaka
  • Patent number: 10757475
    Abstract: Novel tools and techniques to enable data to be tested on subscriber set-top boxes. Some solutions can connect a sever with a group of subscriber set-top boxes through a television distribution network. In some cases, a plurality of set-top boxes are selected, and at least one set-top box is determined to be inactive. In some cases, data are loaded and tested on the inactive set-top.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: CENTURYLINK INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LLC
    Inventors: Steven M. Casey, Felipe Castro, Misbah ur Rehman, Ronnie S. Dhaliwal
  • Patent number: 10750225
    Abstract: A method and a system of electronic devices that cooperate with one another to implement this method enable the transmission on demand of videos of fitness sessions on fixed and/or mobile electronic devices by: at least one video camera; a device for acquisition, encoding and transmission of video, connectable to the at least one video camera, provided with Internet connection; a first server, associated with the at least one video camera; a streaming platform, residing and executed on the first server; a second server, associated with the first server; a web application, residing and executed on the second server. The first server cooperates with the video camera to manage the videos received by the Internet connection. The second server cooperates with the streaming platform of the first server, enabling transmission on demand of the videos toward Internet-connected fixed and/or mobile electronic devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: MS45 SRL
    Inventor: Vincenzo Lardinelli
  • Patent number: 10728597
    Abstract: Novel tools and techniques might provide for implementing media content tracking functionality, and, in particular embodiments, implementing temporal markers for tracking at least partial playback of media content. In various embodiments, a computing system might receive a request for media content from a user over a network, and might retrieve the media content from a database. A transcoder might insert temporal markers in a transport stream of the media content, which is sent to the user device. The user device might decode the transport stream, might track each temporal marker as the media content is presented to the user, might generate a message by compiling a list of the accessed temporal markers, and might send the message to the computing system. The computing system might receive the message comprising the list of temporal markers, which are indicative of portions of the media content that were actually presented to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC
    Inventors: Gnanasekaran Swaminathan, Steven M. Casey, Felipe Castro
  • Patent number: 10721528
    Abstract: A system and method for provision of global audience profiling and prediction concerning broadcast and streaming media from disparate data sources. The system facilitates the input of an unlimited number of data sources from online and offline origins including social media and other user generated content web sites. The system identifies key words related to sentiment, topic, and audience attribute. The system then uses a multi-task learning procedure to determine the response for each source and finally to generalize across all sources thus linking a specific audience with identifiable characteristics to a response concerning broadcast or streaming media.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: Parrot Analytics Limited
    Inventors: Sione K. Palu, Arturas Vedrickas, Johan Chan, Wared Seger
  • Patent number: 10721508
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for streaming media content over a network are provided. One exemplary method of streaming media content over a network involves obtaining, at a client device coupled to the network from a device coupled to the network, a prioritized list of a plurality of content delivery sources on the network, selecting, by a media player at the client device, a first content delivery source of the plurality of content delivery sources based at least in part on the prioritized list, and requesting, by the media player, the media content from the first content delivery source via the network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: DISH TECHNOLOGIES L.L.C.
    Inventor: Robert Drew Major
  • Patent number: 10673550
    Abstract: A method includes receiving, by a wireless terminal from a content provider, preview information referencing video content not yet received by the wireless terminal and that is associated with bonus content that has limited availability, expiration notification metadata, and expiration window information corresponding to expiration of the limited availability of the bonus content. The method further includes determining that the video content has not been consumed or purchased and that the limited availability is nearing the expiration based on the expiration window information. The method further includes, responsive to the determining that the video content has not been consumed or purchased and that the limited availability is nearing the expiration, generating, based on the expiration notification metadata, a prompt indicating that the limited availability of the bonus content is to expire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC
    Inventors: Karen L. Smetana, Jerome O. Vogedes