Patents Examined by Alfonso Castro
  • Patent number: 9973806
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to streaming of media content. In one example embodiment, an electronic device for playing video content may comprise a user interface, a processor and a memory. The memory may comprise computer program code, which, when run in the processor causes the electronic device to receive a first request to play first video content associated with a first video stream at the user interface, and in response to receiving the first request, pre-buffer data related to the first video stream; while pre-buffering this data and before playing the first video content at the user interface; display (at the user interface) a still image corresponding to a portion of the first video content in a first video tile at a first size; and re-size the first size to a second size such that a zooming-out effect of the displayed still image is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: SPOTIFY AB
    Inventors: Theodoros Tsiridis, Daniel Fleming, Tobias van Schneider
  • Patent number: 9961377
    Abstract: A content distribution method including receiving in-band signals from respective content providers, where the in-band signals include video content. The method further includes: receiving at a placement opportunities information module first messages associated respectively with the content providers, where the first messages are advertisement messages and/or program messages and have respective formats; and mapping the first messages to second messages, where the second messages have a same format, and where the same format is different than the respective formats and is standardized for point of presence devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel M. Miner, Matthew Pinto, Roberto Nery Da Fonseca
  • Patent number: 9961409
    Abstract: There is provided a reception device configured to receive content broadcast via a broadcasting network, the reception device including an application execution unit configured to execute a link application that is able to change a layout of a screen with reference to a video of the received content, and an application control unit configured to control the application execution unit based on application control information relating to the link application so that activation of the link application is restricted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naohisa Kitazato, Yoshiharu Dewa
  • Patent number: 9906818
    Abstract: Provided is a method of providing a broadcasting service and playing a broadcast by using an object state transmitting method, in which a data capacity of a video may be remarkably reduced to transmit a broadcasting image and image data of the broadcasting image may be received and played. Accordingly, according to the method of providing a broadcasting service and playing a broadcast by using an object state transmitting method, a broadcasting image having a small data capacity may be transmitted, received and provided at a high image quality at the same time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: MINKONET CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tae Woo Kim, Dong Hwal Lee, Won Gil Ryim
  • Patent number: 9883222
    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: October 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    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: 9881535
    Abstract: In an image display device having a frame rate converting (FRC) portion, it is possible to prevent image degradation of a combined image display portion such as an OSD and PinP attributed to the FRC process. The image display device includes: an FRC portion 10 for converting the number of frames of an input image signal by interpolating an image signal subjected to a motion compensation process between the frames of the input image signal; an OSD processing portion 14 for superposing an OSD signal on the input image signal, and a controlling portion 15. The FRC portion 10 has a motion vector detecting portion 11e for detecting a motion vector between the frames of the input image signal, an interpolation vector evaluating portion 11f for allocating interpolation vector between frames based on the motion vector information, and an interpolation frame generating portion 12d for generating an interpolation frame from the interpolation vector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshiharu Hanaoka, Kenichiroh Yamamoto, Hiroyuki Furukawa, Masafumi Ueno, Yasuhiro Yoshida
  • Patent number: 9883241
    Abstract: The embodiments herein provide a system and method for measuring active participation of audience watching a TV programs and advertisements, in terms of age and gender. The system comprises a monitoring device which is configured to record TV audio, room audio and TV visual outputs, using an image sensor. The monitoring device is further configured to detect the audience engagement level, in watching the TV show, by monitoring the audience expressions and behavior. The audience engagement level is also detected by tracking the eye ball movement of the audience. The monitoring device is configured to continuously check and detect visitors who have joined along with already registered viewers to watch the TV programs. The monitored information is analyzed and visitor/viewer profile is created accordingly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: SUREWAVES MEDIATECH PRIVATE LIMITED
    Inventors: Rajendra Kumar Khare, Manajit Rath, Kishore Adekhandi Krishnamurthy
  • Patent number: 9872055
    Abstract: A system includes a first communication system, a second communication system and a network processor in communication with the first communication system and the second communication system. The first communication system and the network processor communicate first network signals therebetween. The first network signals include first higher priority network signals and first lower priority network signals. The second communication system and the network processor communicate second network signals therebetween. The second network signals include second higher priority network signals and second lower priority network signals. The network processor communicates a first congestion notification request signal to the first communication system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Robin M. Mathews, Henry Derovanessian
  • Patent number: 9866923
    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: August 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: CBS Interactive Inc.
    Inventors: Ashutosh Nayak, Cristyan Nevers, Robert Accettura
  • Patent number: 9866785
    Abstract: One or more components of a video display device such as a television set can be powered down in response to a determination that a video input source has been paused. The video signal provided by the video input source can be analyzed to determine whether the video source is paused. When the video input source is no longer paused, the powered down components can be restored to fill power operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignees: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., ATI Technologies, ULC
    Inventors: David A. Strasser, Larry A. Pearlstein
  • Patent number: 9848224
    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: August 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company(US), LLC
    Inventors: Jonathan Sullivan, Peter Lipa, Michael Sheppard, Alejandro Terrazas
  • Patent number: 9848232
    Abstract: Various arrangements for acquiring network configuration data are presented. In response to a television receiver being booted, the television receiver may determine if it can communicate with a service provider's server. If so, the television receiver may request network configuration data from the television programming broadcast network configuration server via a network interface. The television receiver may receive the network configuration data from the television programming broadcast network configuration server via the network interface. Based on the network configuration data, the television receiver may process television programming data received via the tuner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: EchoStar Technologies L.L.C.
    Inventors: Bhavesh Patel, Alan T. Pattison
  • Patent number: 9742512
    Abstract: A system including a wireless communication network entity and a wireless terminal having a broadcast receiver for receiving content. The network entity is, for example, a broadcast content provider and/or a wireless communication network. A process includes sending preview information to the terminal wherein the preview information references content not yet received by the wireless terminal, and sending expiration notification information metadata for the content referenced by the preview information wherein the expiration notification metadata enables presentation of content expiration information on a user interface of the terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: GOOGLE TECHNOLOGY HOLDINGS LLC
    Inventors: Karen L. Smetana, Jerome O. Vogedes
  • Patent number: 9681173
    Abstract: There are discloses a method of and a server for processing a user request for a web resource, the user request received at a server from an electronic device via a communication network. The method can be executed at the server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: YANDEX EUROPE AG
    Inventors: Nina Viktorovna Sapunova, Evgeny Valeryevich Eroshin, Ekaterina Vladimirovna Rubtcova, Maksim Pavlovich Voznin, Grigory Aleksandrovich Matveev, Nikita Alekseevich Smetanin
  • Patent number: 9654735
    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: February 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: Open Text SA ULC
    Inventors: Thomas S. Gilley, Eric Hoffert, Rabih Nassar, Paul Soukup
  • Patent number: 9621952
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for monitoring video content provided to a vehicle. In one embodiment a method includes: receiving video content at the vehicle; monitoring the video content based on guidelines data stored in a datastore; and selectively modifying the video content based on the monitoring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLP
    Inventors: David R. Petrucci, Douglas C. Martin, Charles A. Massoll
  • Patent number: 9615115
    Abstract: A server receives metadata associated with an advertisement in a transport signal stream from an encoder, the metadata identifying a specified frame of the transport signal stream corresponding to a point in time of the advertisement. The server instructs an encoder, by a server, to insert a marker into the specified frame of the transport signal stream, the marker identifying the point in time of the advertisement. The server receives data from a smart appliance. The server detects the marker in the data. The server identifies the marker as the specified frame of the transport signal stream played by the smart appliance. The server maps the marker to the identified point in time of the advertisement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: This Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: John Raymond Mick, Jr., Jeffrey Sherwin, Bryan David Santangelo
  • Patent number: 9609398
    Abstract: An information processing terminal includes an operation part to receive a user's operation, an output part to play back an arbitrarily input content while outputting posted information which is posted on the WEB in connection with the content, and a controller to output a content at a playback time, correlated to a posted time of posted information selected via the user's operation, to the output part with reference to a time table which stores the playback position of the content in connection with the posted time of the posted information relating to the content. The controller aligns a plurality of posted information, correlated to a desired content, in an order of posted times on the screen. Upon receiving a user's scroll operation, it is possible to scroll and display a plurality of posted information at the predetermined position on the screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Shinichi Itamoto, Hideaki Tanaka
  • Patent number: 9596496
    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: April 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, LP
    Inventors: Armstrong Soo, Bernard Ku, Zhi Li
  • Patent number: 9584843
    Abstract: The various embodiments disclosed herein provide methods, systems, and devices for capturing broadcast streams, analyzing the broadcast streams to obtain information about the media content transmitted in the broadcast streams, obtaining additional information about the media content if available, and assigning a unique event identifier specific to the instance of broadcast of the broadcast stream and/or media segment transmitted in the broadcast stream. In other embodiments, the unique event identifier is broadcasted to broadcast receiving devices. With the unique event identifier, broadcast receiving devices can access the obtained information associated with the media content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: STRATOSAUDIO, INC.
    Inventors: Kelly M. Christensen, John Phillip Hansen, Thomas Daniel Mock