Patents Examined by Pinkal R Chokshi
  • Patent number: 11153663
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present technology may include systems and processes associated with automatically generating supercuts associated with programming content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: DISH Network L.L.C.
    Inventor: Jesse Montgomery
  • Patent number: 11128903
    Abstract: A server computing device receives, from a client device, a digest segment generated by the client device. The digest segment corresponds to a first media stream segment received by the client device, and the digest segment includes a representation of the first media stream segment. The server computing devices determines, using the digest segment, a playback command that corresponds to the first media stream segment and transmits, to the client device, the playback command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: ActiveVideo Networks, Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald A. Brockmann, Maarten Hoeben, Gerrit Willem Hiddink
  • Patent number: 11076206
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for manufacturing a viewer-relation type video and, more particularly, to an apparatus and a method for manufacturing a viewer relation-type video which can compose received videos according to a relationship with a viewer and provide the composed videos to the viewer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Inventors: Sol Jee Chun, Seung Hyun Ha
  • Patent number: 11070892
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to present supplemental media on a second screen are disclosed. An example method includes establishing a connection between a digital media device and a computing device based on information identifying the computing device and, in response to establishing the connection, receiving, at the computing device, a first notification from the digital media device including a location of supplemental media; accessing the supplemental media; and in response to accessing the supplemental media, sending a second notification that the supplemental media has been accessed, the second notification to enable media skipping on the digital media device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignee: THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
    Inventors: Padmanabhan Soundararajan, Venugopal Srinivasan, Alexander Topchy
  • Patent number: 11044497
    Abstract: A unified system is provided for splicing of or switching to advertisement videos arriving from sources or video origins into targeted ad spots available in a content video watched by a consumer. The system comprises a plurality of interconnected elements including a unified splicing engine, a markup processor with markup plugins and markup configuration, an ad decision engine, a media player, a data collection client, a plurality of video caches residing at a consumer device and ad services subsystem. The system delivers multiple assets and intelligently splice and switch between the assets to produce a single uninterrupted playout of a content video watched by the consumer on the consumer device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: ZODIAC SYSTEMS, LLC
    Inventors: Richard Neill, Leon Rivkin, Valerii Grishin, Alexei Savguira
  • Patent number: 11019401
    Abstract: A content signal switching controller receives first signal information about a first content signal provided by a first satellite antenna and received by a trunk distribution system. The first signal information indicates the quality of a satellite signal that is received by the first satellite antenna and that is converted to the first content signal. The content signal switching controller receives second signal information about a second content signal provided by a second satellite antenna. The second signal information indicates the quality of the satellite signal that is received by the second satellite antenna. In response to the content signal switching controller determining that the first signal information and the second signal information satisfy a first signal switching condition, a content signal switch instruction is provided to a switch device to switch the trunk distribution system from being provided the first content signal to being provided the second content signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Drew Chen, Richard Tatem, Dana Greer
  • Patent number: 11019391
    Abstract: An online system determines that a mobile device of a user and content device are connected to the same local network. To determine whether the content device is associated with the user, the online system provides a token and network ports to the content device. The content device establishes a connection to the mobile device using a selected network port to send the token. Responsive to receiving the token from the mobile device, the online system determines that the devices are connected to the same local network. The online system may also determine that the devices are within physical proximity to each other. The online system may send content items to the devices, and the user may view or interact with the content items simultaneously on multiple devices. Thus, the mobile device or content device acts as a complementary “second screen” or “control device” for the other device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Aidymar Bigio, Mateusz Marek Niewczas, Amir Shimoni, Tal Gilady
  • Patent number: 11006177
    Abstract: A system and method for utilizing a secured service provider memory are disclosed. An electronic device is associated with a subscriber and is in communication with a data distribution network configured to deliver data by a service provider to the subscriber. The data distribution network comprises a server in communication with the data distribution network and the server configured to deliver a stream of data over the data distribution network. The electronic device comprises a first memory communicatively connected to the server. The first memory is configured to receive and store data from the server and it is accessible by the subscriber. A second memory is also communicatively connected to the server. The second memory is configured to receive and store data from the server, though the second memory is accessible only by the service provider.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC
    Inventors: Clinton J. Smoyer, Andrew V. Cook, Jade D. Kerr, Michael P. Morrissey, Kevin M. McBride
  • Patent number: 10951938
    Abstract: Methods and systems for providing content. A selection of a single virtual channel may be received from the user. Virtual programming data for the single virtual channel may be accessed. The virtual programming data may define content to be provided over the single virtual channel. The content may be provided over the single virtual channel in accordance with the virtual programming data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Raghvendra Savoor, Zhi Li
  • Patent number: 10904584
    Abstract: In some implementations, a system may include a video broadcasting service, implemented on a server, configured to enable a mobile computing device to broadcast a live feed media stream of an event, over a network, to a plurality of viewing devices. The video broadcasting service is configured to receive the live feed media stream, over the network, from the mobile computing device, where the live feed media stream originates from an external device having a camera configured as a video source for the live feed media stream. The external device may be communicatively coupled to the mobile computing device. The video broadcasting service is configured to provide the live feed media stream, over the network, to the plurality of viewing devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: Twitter, Inc.
    Inventor: Wayne Chang
  • Patent number: 10887654
    Abstract: An example content playing apparatus includes an output device including a display and a speaker; and one or more controllers configured to recognize a plurality of users viewing content played by the output device, select at least one of the plurality of users based on one or more criteria, and control playing of the content according to the at least one selected user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hyun-jee Kim, Won-keun Kong, Nam-suk Lee
  • Patent number: 10869074
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed herein for enabling multiple users' digital rights to be applied as needed to access media while those users are present to consume media. In particular, a media guidance application may receive a selection of a media asset and determine that the user equipment device does not allow access to the media asset. In response, the media guidance application may identify all the users consuming content from that user equipment device and retrieve digital rights for each user. The media guidance application may compare the digital rights of each user with digital rights required to access the media asset. The media guidance application may, based on the comparison, identify a set of digital rights (e.g., for another user present) that enable access to the media asset, and use those digital rights to access the media asset for consumption.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin Bruce Lenhart, Sean Matthews, Benjamin Holms Maughan
  • Patent number: 10856045
    Abstract: Apparatus, systems, articles of manufacture, and methods are disclosed for handling exceptions reported by media device meters. An example apparatus includes a static display detector to determine whether current measurements for a media presentation device at a time corresponding to an exception reported by a media device meter indicate the media presentation device was in a static display state at the time corresponding to the exception. The example apparatus includes a muted viewing detector to determine whether the media presentation device was in a muted viewing state at the time of the exception based on an audio level associated with the media presentation device, and an exception modifier to determine whether to modify the exception based on whether the media presentation device was in the static display state and whether the media presentation device was in a muted viewing state at the time of the exception.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: Charles Clinton Conklin, Michael Lombardi
  • Patent number: 10856028
    Abstract: Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, modifying a user profile associated with a user associated with a content service to generate an updated user profile according to consumption of media content by the user and user feedback information associated with the consumption of the media content, determining a user context according to information associated with user device, where the user context includes current activity of the user, modifying a set of media content according to the user context that is determined to generate an updated set of media content, where a type of media content is eliminated from the set of media content in the updated set of media content according to the user context, and presenting the updated set of content at a presentation device of the user via a personal media channel of the user associated with the content service. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Zhu Liu, Eric Zavesky, Bernard S. Renger, Behzad Shahraray, David Crawford Gibbon, Tan Xu, Lee Begeja, Raghuraman Gopalan
  • Patent number: 10848820
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and systems to help disambiguate channel identification in a scenario where fingerprint data of media content being rendered by a media presentation device matches multiple reference fingerprints corresponding respectively with multiple different channels. Upon detecting such a multi-match, a server or other entity will perform disambiguation based at least in part on a comparison of time of broadcast of the media content being rendered by the media presentation device with time of broadcast of the media content represented by the reference fingerprints. The server or other entity will thereby determine the channel on which the media content being rendered by the media presentation device is arriving, so as to facilitate taking channel-specific action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: Gracenote, Inc.
    Inventors: Chung Won Seo, Youngmoo Kwon, Jaehyung Lee
  • Patent number: 10834471
    Abstract: A device (DC) for controlling the transmission of frames by a master component (OM) or slave component (OE1) of a communication network (RC) capable of bidirectional transmission of non-video data frames, in timeslots defined by a table. This device (DC) is designed, when the so called receiver component (OM) receives, in a time slot having a first duration, a frame of non-video data transmitted by a so-called emitter component (OE1) in a second duration starting at the same time as the first duration and strictly less than said first duration, to trigger a delay of a third duration in the range between the second and first durations, and, when the end of this delay occurs while the frame of non-video data has not been fully received, to order the deletion in the receiver component (OM) of received data of this frame of non-video data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: PSA AUTOMOBILES SA
    Inventors: Antony Boisserie, Julien Poussard, Gregory Cardon
  • Patent number: 10834451
    Abstract: A hardware media items scheduling and packaging system, which schedules and distributes channels to be viewed on a plurality of consumer devices, extracts contextual data from program-specific information associated with programming media content of a channel received from a distribution source device. A plurality of potential non-programming media items is determined for a plurality of users based on a match between a sentiment type of each of a plurality of non-programming media items and the extracted contextual data. Based on at least the extracted contextual data and the sentiment type of each of the plurality of potential non-programming media items, a plurality of candidate spots in the programming media content is determined. Based on at least a set of constraints and user estimation data associated with the plurality of users, a schedule of non-programming media item(s) is dynamically generated for at least one candidate spot in the programming media content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: TURNER BROADCASTING SYSTEM, INC.
    Inventors: Wassim Samir Chaar, José Antonio Carbajal Orozco, Andreea Popescu
  • Patent number: 10827208
    Abstract: A transmitting method according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: encoding a video signal and generating encoded data including a plurality of access units; storing the plurality of access units in a packet in a unit that defines one access unit as one unit or in a unit defined by dividing one access unit, and generating a packet group; transmitting the generated packet group as data; generating first information and second information, the first information indicating a presentation time of a first access unit that is presented first among the plurality of access units, and the second information being used to calculate a decoding time of the plurality of access units; and transmitting the first information and the second information as control information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Noritaka Iguchi, Tadamasa Toma, Hisaya Katou
  • Patent number: 10791357
    Abstract: A hardware media items scheduling and packaging system, which schedules and distributes channels to be viewed on a plurality of consumer devices, extracts contextual data from program-specific information associated with programming media content of a channel received from a distribution source device. A plurality of potential non-programming media items is determined for a plurality of users based on a match between a sentiment type of each of a plurality of non-programming media items and the extracted contextual data. Based on at least the extracted contextual data and the sentiment type of each of the plurality of potential non-programming media items, a plurality of candidate spots in the programming media content is determined. Based on at least a set of constraints and user estimation data associated with the plurality of users, a schedule of non-programming media item(s) is dynamically generated for at least one candidate spot in the programming media content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: TURNER BROADCASTING SYSTEM, INC.
    Inventors: Wassim Samir Chaar, José Antonio Carbajal Orozco, Andreea Popescu
  • Patent number: 10785538
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatuses are described for a recommendation ranking system that uses viewing and/or browsing data of content items available from a communication system received from users of the system. The viewing and browsing data may be obtained from the users through different availability periods having varying price points for viewing the content items. Weighted values may be applied to the viewing and browsing data based on the price point or availability period of the content items associated with the collected data. A popularity index for the content items of the communication system may be determined based on the adjusted viewing and browsing data and a ranking of recommendations for content items may be generated based at least on the popularity index of the content items.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Vamsi Potluru, Hans Sayyadi