Patents Assigned to Hulu LLC
  • Topic model based media program genome generation
    Patent number: 9483738
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method defines information for a set of genomes where the set of genomes describe characteristics of media programs. The method also defines which genomes in the set of genomes correspond to which topics in a set of topics. Textual information for a plurality of media programs and the information are input into a model and the model is trained to determine a probability distribution of terms for the set of topics based on analyzing the textual information and the genome information. The method then outputs the trained model. The probability distribution of terms is usable to determine genomes for each of the plurality of media programs where a genome corresponds to a topic and is associated with a media program based on terms found in the textual information for the media program and the probability distribution of terms for the topic correspond to the genome.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Tao Xiong, Wei Wang, Guoxin Zhang, Zhibing Wang
  • Searching media program databases
    Patent number: 9477721
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, article of manufacture for providing list of a plurality of media programs responsive to a user search query is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises the steps of accepting an general search query from a user computer, identifying a synonym for the general search query, identifying a category for the general search query according to the identified synonym, performing a categorical search of a media program database using the identified synonym and the identified category to obtain a search result, and transmitting the search result to the user computer for presentation on a display communicatively coupled to the user computer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Ting-hao Yang, Zhibing Wang, Yizhe Tang, Qian Chang
  • Remote automated updates for an application
    Patent number: 9467498
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method updates a media program streaming application. The method includes running an update application to determine when the streaming application on the computing device needs to be updated based on update information from a remote server and reviewing the update information to determine when the media program streaming application needs to be updated. When the media program streaming application needs to be updated, the method loads a set of updateable core files in a plurality of updateable core files from a core memory into an application execution memory. Then, the method sends a request for a set of remote core files to the remote server, receives the set of remote core files, and loads the set of remote core files into the application execution memory. The set of updateable core files and the set of remote core files in the application execution memory are executed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Jonathan Hayden Pitcairn Gomes, Daniel Honig Bear, Lyudmil Vladimirov Antonov
  • Method and apparatus for intuitive navigation of a media program
    Patent number: 9448723
    Abstract: A jog control for navigating a media program having a plurality of frames and a method for using the navigation control is disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, the control comprises a radial control at one of a plurality of user-selectable radial distances from a center of the jog control, the radial distance indicative of a jog control scale factor, wherein selection of the radial control selects and fixes the jog control scale factor until the control area is unselected, and wherein rotation of the selected radial control about a center of the jog control commands navigation through the plurality of media program frames at a rate determined by the selected jog control scale factor and an angular rate of the selected radial control about the center of the jog control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Robert Masao Wong, Charles Barclay Reeves, Eugene Chuan-Huai Wei
  • Transferring a broadcast transmission to a remote device
    Patent number: 9445143
    Abstract: An approach is described that includes determining that a remote device has moved outside of a pre-defined area associated with a digital video recorder (DVR), and transmitting program data from the DVR to the remote device while the remote device remains outside of the pre-defined area. Another approach includes a digital video recorder (DVR) having a memory and a processor. The DVR operates to: receive an incoming transmission signal; transmit a selected program to a primary display device; determine that a remote device has moved outside of a pre-defined area; and transmit program data corresponding to the selected program to the remote device while the remote device remains outside of the pre-defined area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Kulvir S. Bhogal, Gregory J. Boss, John J. Gontkof, Rick A. Hamilton, II, Brian M. O'Connell
  • Providing directed advertising based on user preferences
    Patent number: 9426537
    Abstract: A method determines user preference information for a user for a number of advertisements in a set of advertising blocks and a temporal distribution of the advertising blocks. When each advertising block in the set of advertising blocks occurs according to the temporal distribution during sending of a video program, the method determines a number of advertisements in the advertising block based on the user preference information, determines advertisements for the advertising block equal to the number of advertisements, and sends the determined advertisements during the advertising block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Richard W. Tom, Eric I. Feng, Hua Zheng, Jean-Paul Colaco, Adam W. Miller
  • Encoding optimization using quality level of encoded segments
    Patent number: 9392304
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes encoding a media file using a variable bitrate encoding algorithm based on a plurality of bitrate ranges to generate a set of encoded segments. For each bitrate range, an encoded segment for each segment of the media file is determined from the set of encoded segments based on a quality level of the encoded segment and each bitrate range. The method then identifies a playlist for each bitrate range including the encoded segment for each segment of the media file that was determined for each bitrate range. At least one playlist includes an encoded segment that was generated based on another bitrate range using the variable bitrate encoding algorithm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Baptiste Coudurier, Eric Buehl, Robert A. Post, Jr., Alexander V. Gutarin
  • Configuring advertisements in a video segment based on a game result
    Patent number: 9358452
    Abstract: Configuration of advertisements in a streaming video segment from a serving node is based on a result of an interactive game process executing on a client device. A configuration of advertisements in the streaming video is determined based on the game result. The configuration may include which advertisements are selected to play during ad slots to be included in the video segment, or a number of ad slots to be provided in the video segment. The serving node may configure the video segment with the advertisements selected based on the game result in the determined number of ad slots so that the selected advertisements are played during the ad slots when the video segment is streamed to the client device. If the video segment is configured with no ad slots based on the game result, then the video segment may be streamed to the client device without advertisements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Jean-Paul Colaco, Jessica P. Ivy, Arash Nikkar, Thomas C. Tate
  • Remotely controlling devices and processing asynchronous events for testing
    Patent number: 9363157
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a script executes code on a testing device to automatically control a control device. A media player on the control device interacts with a video streaming service. The testing device receives events from the control device based on the control device being controlled by the script to perform actions. The actions performed by the control device results in the events being asynchronously sent to the testing device. The events is then stored in the event buffer. The script initiates a wait for routine that waits for a target event to occur before execution of the script can continue and receives the events from the event buffer where the events are stored in the event buffer. The script then analyzes the events to determine if the target event occurred to allow the script to continue execution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Andrew Sherman Carter, Myul Ryul Jang, Dallas Stephan Mahrt
  • Scene detection using weighting function
    Patent number: 9336824
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes analyzing characteristics of a media program to label parts of the media program with a plurality of labels where parts of the media program that are determined to be substantially similar are labeled with a same label. The method then analyzes different partitionings of a sequence of the labels to determine partitions for the media program based on a weighting function that is configured to weight the different partitionings based on portions created from the partitions in the different partitionings. Then, a partitioning for the media program is outputted based on comparing the different partitionings of the sequence of labels using the weighting function. The outputted partitioning partitions the media program into a set of portions and provides points for insertion of information for a service in the media program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Ravi Khadiwala, Baptiste Coudurier
  • Keyframe alignment for encoding video at multiple bitrates
    Patent number: 9319678
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method receives a frame type storage medium including frame type decisions made by a first encoding process to encode a video at a first bitrate to generate a first encoded video. While performing a second encoding process to encode the video at a second bitrate to generate a second encoded video, the method performs: retrieving information from the storage medium regarding a frame type decision made during the first encoding process; inserting a keyframe in the second encoded video based on the retrieved information from the storage medium, wherein the inserted keyframe in the second encoded video is aligned with a corresponding keyframe in the first encoded video; and continuing to retrieve information from the storage medium and inserting keyframes in the second encoded video. Keyframes in the first encoded video are aligned with keyframes in the second encoded video.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventor: Baptiste Coudurier
  • Ad inventory management system
    Patent number: 9313533
    Abstract: Estimating ad inventory in an online video streaming system accurately handles interdependencies among targeted attributes. The estimating includes determining a probability distribution of samples taken from electronic data records of ad impressions in an interactive online video streaming service, among a population comprising each different combination of targeted attributes recorded for each of the samples. In addition, the estimating may include populating an electronic data structure with data relating the each different combination of the targeted attributes to corresponding forecasted number of available impressions in a defined time period, based on the probability distribution and a forecasted total number of available impressions in the time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Tony T. Zhang, Wing Chit Mak
  • Framework for generating programs to process beacons
    Patent number: 9305032
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method receives an object model determined from a specification for processing beacons. The method determines first information for a beacon object referenced in a basefact object to determine which beacon objects are applicable for the basefact object. Second information is determined for the structured data fields referenced in the basefact object to determine which output fields map to which structured data fields and third information is determined for a set of transformations for a set of input fields in the set of composite objects for the beacon to determine how to perform transformations to transform the set of input fields to the set of output fields. The method then generates instructions for a target program to process the beacons to transform the set of input fields to the set of output fields and map the set of output fields to the structured data fields.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Lucas Waye, Kevin Seng, Viral Bajaria, Shane Moriah
  • Overlay of visual representations of captions on video
    Patent number: 9307292
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method receiving a request for a media program from a user device. The method then determines a set of visual representations of captions for the media program and determines video information for the media program. Visual representations from the set of visual representations of captions are sent with the video information over a network to the user device where text for the captions has been pre-rendered in the sent visual representations before sending of the visual representations to the user device. Also, the user device is configured to directly render and overlay a visual representation of a caption from the visual representations over a portion of the video information without rendering of the text for caption on the portion of the video information at the user device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Baptiste Coudurier, Robert A. Post
  • Splicing of video for parallel encoding
    Patent number: 9307261
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method receives a video at a partial encoder. The partial encoder determines characteristics of the video by performing a portion of an encoding process of the video. The method analyzes the characteristics of the video to determine splice points in the video to splice the video into multiple parts. The video is spliced into a plurality of parts based on the splice points and the plurality of parts are sent to a plurality of encoders. The plurality of encoders encode the plurality of parts substantially in parallel, the encoded plurality of parts are combined to form an encoded version of the video, and the partial encoder does not encode any of the encoded plurality of parts in the encoded version of the video.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventor: Baptiste Coudurier
  • Method and apparatus for providing directed advertising based on user preferences
    Patent number: 9286616
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and a memory structure for providing advertisements with a media program transmitted to a user device are described. The method permits the user to control the presentation of advertisements. In one embodiment, the method receives an identification of the media program to be sent to the user device, transmits metadata defining an advertising break having at least one advertisement opportunity within the media program, at the advertisement opportunity, transmits advertising control options, receives a user selection for the advertising control options, sends the advertisement to the user device according to the user selection for the advertising control options, receives advertising viewing data describing the streaming of the advertisement to the user device, and stores the advertisement viewing data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Jason A. Kilar, Brian Soebekti, Thomas C. Tate, Wing Chit Mak, Richard W. Tom, Eric I. Feng, Hua Zheng, Jean-Paul Colaco, Xin Jin
  • Device activation for a service using an outputted representation
    Patent number: 9226023
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method activates a first device for using a service. A second device receives, from a third device, a user identifier for a user and a unique identifier for the first device. The user identifier originates from the third device and the unique identifier originates from the first device in a representation outputted by the first device. The second device determines a user account for the service, the user account being associated with the user identifier for the user. The second device associates the unique identifier for the first device with the user account. Then, the second device communicates with the first device to activate the first device to use the service in response to receiving the user identifier and the unique identifier. The second device allows access to the service from an application running on the first device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Ilya Haykinson, Daniel Honig Bear
  • Local binary pattern-based optical flow
    Patent number: 9208578
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method determines a first local binary pattern for a first image in a video and a second local binary pattern for a second image in the video. Then, the method determines an optical flow between the first image and the second image based on a distance between the first local binary pattern and the second local binary pattern. The optical flow is output for use in aligning the first image to the second image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Tao Xiong, Zhibing Wang, Heng Su, Guoxin Zhang
  • Remote automated updates for an application
    Patent number: 9210211
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method updates a media program streaming application for a media program streaming service. The method downloads the application, which includes a bootstrap application, through a distribution site. The bootstrap application receives a manifest from a remote server that lists remote core files. The bootstrap application determines if a core memory contains updateable core files corresponding to the remote core files. The method determines if an updateable core file is present in the core memory that matches a remote core file and loads the updateable core file from the core memory into a memory. If an updateable core file that matches the remote core file is not present in the core memory, the method requests the remote core file from the remote server and loading the received remote core file into the memory. The method then executes the core files in the memory without recompilation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Jonathan Hayden Pitcairn Gomes, Daniel Honig Bear, Lyudmil Vladimirov Antonov
  • Configuring advertisements in a video segment based on a game result
    Patent number: 9199163
    Abstract: Configuration of advertisements in a streaming video segment from a serving node is based on a result of an interactive game process executing on a client device. A configuration of advertisements in the streaming video is determined based on the game result. The configuration may include which advertisements are selected to play during ad slots to be included in the video segment, or a number of ad slots to be provided in the video segment. The serving node may configure the video segment with the advertisements selected based on the game result in the determined number of ad slots so that the selected advertisements are played during the ad slots when the video segment is streamed to the client device. If the video segment is configured with no ad slots based on the game result, then the video segment may be streamed to the client device without advertisements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Jean-Paul Colaco, Jessica P. Ivy, Arash Nikkar, Thomas C. Tate