Patents Assigned to Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
  • Patent number: 9015745
    Abstract: Systems, methods and/or techniques for detection of user-initiated events in relation to a media device are described, for example utilizing a content recognition system. A method may be executed in a media device that is operable to play video content. The method may include receiving user interaction with the media device and the user interaction causes initiation of a feature that affects video content that plays on the media device. The method may include receiving one or more interactive events from a content recognition system in response to the user interaction. The method may comprise executing the one or more interactive events to affect video content that is playing on the media device, and display one or more overlay windows corresponding to the affected video content. One or more video fingerprints that correspond to the affected video content may be communicated to the content recognition system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
    Inventors: Nishith Kumar Sinha, Donald Jude Loheide, Matthew Paul Giles
  • Patent number: 9009770
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for increasing media consumption are disclosed. The present invention can provide viewers increased access to content of interest across various platforms, such as online articles, online audio and video clips, and television and radio broadcasts. In an embodiment, an individual viewing content online, such as a news article, is given a link. The link provides the viewer access to a list of content related to the article being viewed. The related content is not limited to the platform related content across, and allows the user to view the content, automatically set the content to be recorded by a digital video recorder, or reserve the content for future viewing. Accordingly, by providing the user with convenient access to content across platforms, based on their interests, they are more given media content they are more likely to enjoy. Accordingly, viewership of this content will increase, through this connection of individuals with content that aligns with their interests.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
    Inventors: Alex Wellen, David Bohrman
  • Patent number: 9003440
    Abstract: An automatic content recognition (ACR) enabled (ACR-enabled) connected TV device may be operable to present, utilizing ACR, an overlay starting at a time that is synchronized to an identified event in presented content. The overlay may comprise one or more messages associated with an online social network. The presented content may comprise a program, a movie, a game or a commercial. The one or more messages may be pre-generated, before presentation of the content, for presentation synchronized to the identified event during the presentation of the content. The one or more messages may be generate during broadcast or streaming of a program or a movie, and the presented content, which comprises the program or the movie, may be presented during a time-delayed playback. The ACR-enabled connected TV device may track, utilizing the ACR, how each of the presented one or more messages is actually being viewed and/or interacted with.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
    Inventors: Nishith Kumar Sinha, Donald Jude Loheide, Matthew Paul Giles
  • Patent number: 8997133
    Abstract: An automatic content recognition (ACR) enabled (ACR-enabled) connected TV device may be operable to collect viewing data, utilizing ACR. The viewing data may comprise viewer interaction information and/or content presentation information associated with the ACR-enabled connected TV device and/or a paired device. The ACR-enabled connected TV device may store the collected viewing data in the ACR-enabled connected TV device. The stored viewing data may be communicated to one or more network providers, by the ACR-enabled connected TV device, for determining customized services for the ACR-enabled connected TV device. The viewing data may be used to determine how to manage advertisements associated with the ACR-enabled connected TV device and/or at a network level associated with the one or more network providers. The viewing data may be used to determine user profiles. The viewing data may also be used to determine programming and/or advertisements targeted to the ACR-enabled connected TV device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
    Inventors: Nishith Kumar Sinha, Donald Jude Loheide, Matthew Paul Giles
  • Patent number: 8918832
    Abstract: An automatic content recognition (ACR)-enabled connected TV device may be operable to identify, utilizing an ACR system, an event that is to take place in a presented program. An overlay, which comprises information on possible outcomes of the identified event, may be presented by the ACR-enabled connected device utilizing the ACR system, within a specific time window synchronized with the identified event. The ACR-enabled connected device may identify, utilizing the ACR system, a predicted outcome selected by a viewer. The predicted outcome may be selected, within the specific time window, via interaction with the overlay on the ACR-enabled connected device. An actual outcome that actually takes place may be identified by the ACR-enabled connected device utilizing the ACR system. The ACR-enabled connected device may present, utilizing the ACR system, a message indicating whether the viewer is correct based on the identified actual outcome.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: Turner Broadcasting Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Nishith Kumar Sinha, Donald Jude Loheide, Matthew Paul Giles
  • Patent number: 8918804
    Abstract: An automatic content recognition (ACR)-enabled connected TV device coupled to an ACR system may be operable to detect, utilizing the ACR system, interaction with and/or watching of certain content by a viewer. A reward may be presented by the ACR-enabled connected TV device, utilizing the ACR system, based on the detected interaction and/or watching. The certain content may comprise a program, a commercial, a movie or a game associated with a network that is being presented. The reward may be redeemed to unlock additional features and/or content. The interaction may comprise sharing by the viewer, information on the certain content with one or more other viewers. The ACR-enabled connected TV device may then present the reward based on the sharing. The ACR-enabled connected TV device may be operable to present, utilizing the ACR system, information on alternative content with a higher reward value for the viewer to interact and/or watch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
    Inventors: Nishith Kumar Sinha, Donald Jude Loheide, Matthew Paul Giles
  • Patent number: 8913143
    Abstract: In one general sense, a user may be presented with a multimedia experience corresponding to an entertainment event or venue by managing a sensor array having at least two sensors that are made configured to provide a stream of data units, associating location information with sensors in the sensor array, enabling the user to perceive a map related to an entertainment event or venue, relating the perceived map to one or more sensors within the sensor array, receiving a user request identifying a selected position within the map, identifying one or more sensors within the sensor array corresponding to the selection, and presenting to the user a multimedia experience based on one or more streams of data units associated with the selected sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignee: Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
    Inventor: Steven M. Blumenfeld
  • Patent number: 8896709
    Abstract: A method and system for image and metadata management are described in which a server may communicate with multiple cameras from a single photographic session or shoot. The server may receive a digital image from one of the cameras and may attach metadata to the digital image. The digital image may also have embedded metadata as a result of the image capture process in the camera. The attached metadata may comprise session-specific metadata created in connection with the photographic session and stored in the server prior to the digital image being received. The attached metadata may comprise location-specific metadata that may be provided to the server by a photographer through a wireless device. The server may transmit the digital image and its metadata to one or both of a social media outlet and a website. The server may enable an approval and selection process of the digital image for transmission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew Drooker, Brian K. O'Neil, Christopher Grakal
  • Patent number: 8893167
    Abstract: An automatic content recognition (ACR)-enabled connected TV device may be operable to identify, utilizing an ACR system, content in a presented program. An event category related to the identified content may be identified by the ACR-enabled connected device utilizing the ACR system. The ACR-enabled connected device may determine, utilizing the ACR system, whether to present an overlay associated with the event category, based on a user profile associated with the ACR-enabled connected device. The overlay for viewer interaction may be presented, based on the determination, by the ACR-enabled connected device utilizing the ACR system. The user profile may comprise information on categories of events that may be preferred by the viewer. The user profile may be determined based on input from the viewer. The user profile may also be determined based on viewing history and/or behavior associated with the ACR-enabled connected device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
    Inventors: Nishith Kumar Sinha, Donald Jude Loheide, Matthew Paul Giles
  • Patent number: 8893168
    Abstract: Systems, methods and/or techniques for synchronization of dial testing and audience response utilizing automatic content recognition (ACR) are described. Synchronized dial testing and audience response techniques may utilize a system that is operable to perform ACR and that may implement an abstraction layer. An ACR system may be operable to detect a desired portion (e.g., a frame or scene) of a program that is streaming or communicated over a live network or broadcast feed, to a smart TV for example. Synchronized dial testing and audience response techniques may be employed to initiate an interactive event or application that appears on a smart TV in response to a detected point or portion of a program, such that the content presented by the application is synchronized to the content of the live network or broadcast feed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
    Inventors: Nishith Kumar Sinha, Donald Jude Loheide, Matthew Paul Giles, Karl-Christian Sebastian Wolff-Ingham
  • Patent number: 8856817
    Abstract: An automatic content recognition (ACR)-enabled connected TV device may be operable to present, utilizing an ACR system, an overlay during presentation of content, based on one or more rules. The one or more rules may be implemented utilizing information provided by the ACR system. The presented overlay may be associated with a sponsor, and the one or more rules may comprise a timing rule, an advertisement separation rule, an advertisement conflict rule and/or an auto-scaling rule. An ad server coupled to the ACR system may determine whether the overlay associated with the sponsor may be appropriate for presentation. The presented overlay may comprise interactive content for viewer interaction, and the one or more rules may comprise a viewer interaction rule which ensures that, when the interactive overlay is presented, the presented content may be scaled so that the scaled presented content is not covered by the overlay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
    Inventors: Nishith Kumar Sinha, Donald Jude Loheide, Matthew Paul Giles
  • Publication number: 20140282658
    Abstract: An automatic content recognition (ACR) enabled display communication device that is operable to receive and consume content from a linear feed and a corresponding IP-based feed. The linear feed and the IP-based feed includes one or more content identifiers that identify similar content within the linear feed and the IP-based feed and also includes one or more corresponding automatic content recognition triggers. The ACR-enabled display communication device determines a first content identifier that is associated with a first content in the linear feed that is being consumed and requests IP segments in the IP-based feed that corresponds to the determined first content identifier and switches from consuming content in the linear feed to consuming content in the requested IP segments. The ACR-enabled display communication device stores the determined first content identifier and receives the requested IP segments from a remote server.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
    Inventors: Nishith Kumar Sinha, Matthew Paul Giles, Donald Jude Loheide
  • Publication number: 20140282670
    Abstract: A device that handles operations for automatic content recognition detects utilizing the automatic content recognition (ACR) operations, a conflict when a first overlay and a second overlay are concurrently presented on a channel on the device. The device may modify the presentation of the first overlay and/or the second overlay for the channel based on the detection. The device utilizes the ACR operations to determine an identity of the channel based on a unique identifier such as a channel logo. The device utilizes the ACR operations to determine a location where the first overlay and/or the second overlay is presented based on the channel identity and may relocate the first overlay and/or the second overlay from the determined location to a new location. If the conflict is detected, the device may be resize, defer or cancel presentation of one of the first overlay and/or the second overlay for the channel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
    Inventors: Nishith Kumar Sinha, Matthew Paul Giles, Donald Jude Loheide
  • Publication number: 20140282723
    Abstract: An automatic content recognition (ACR) enabled display communication device may present a linear advertisement campaign. A second screen communication device (SSCD) that is paired with an ACR-enabled display communication device, may detect when content associated with a linear advertisement campaign is available for display on the SSCD. A location of the SSCD may be determined when the SSCD detects that the content associated with the linear advertisement campaign is available for display. The SSCD may customize content for presentation in order to offer one or more products and/or services to a viewer of the SSCD based on the determined location. The SSCD determines assets that are required and/or utilized for the customization of the content so that it may be presented on the SSCD. The SSCD may acquire the determined assets from one or more servers and control presentation of the content based on information corresponding to the acquired assets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
    Inventors: Nishith Kumar Sinha, Matthew Paul Giles, Donald Jude Loheide, Brainerd Sathianathan, Balaji Gopinath, Karl-Christian Wolff-Ingham
  • Publication number: 20140282657
    Abstract: A second screen communication device that is paired with an automatic content recognition (ACR) enabled display communication device launches an interactive application in response to an invitation cue generated and presented by the ACR-enabled display communication device while the ACR-enabled display communication device is displaying linear broadcast content. The linear broadcast content is a non-IP based broadcast content. The interactive application launched on the second screen communication device enables interaction with interactive content displayed by a user interface on the second screen communication device based on the invitation cue. The second screen communication device may generate one or more control elements that are utilized to control the interaction with the interactive content.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
    Inventors: Nishith Kumar Sinha, Matthew Paul Giles, Donald Jude Loheide
  • Publication number: 20140282697
    Abstract: A second screen communication device that is paired with an automatic content recognition (ACR) enabled display communication device is operable to detect presentation of a linear advertisement campaign on the ACR-enabled display communication device and control presentation of content, which is associated with the linear advertisement campaign, on the second screen communication device. The content that is associated with the linear advertisement campaign comprises a plurality of messages. The second screen communication device is operable to select one or more of the plurality of messages for presentation on the second screen communication whenever the linear advertisement campaign is detected during the presentation on the ACR-enabled display communication device. The screen communication device may be operable to sequence through presentation of the plurality of messages on the ACR-enabled display communication device based on the selection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
    Inventors: Nishith Kumar Sinha, Matthew Paul Giles, Donald Jude Loheide, Brainerd Sathianathan, Balaji Gopinath, Karl-Christian Wolff-Ingham
  • Patent number: 8832723
    Abstract: A method and system for a synchronous event manager for automatic content recognition (ACR) are described. A display device, such as a connected television or mobile device, may be operable to perform ACR and may utilize a synchronous event manager comprising a software layer that may continuously be executed as a background process. The software layer may comprise a single framework or framework from which to execute one or more user-interaction applications. The software layer may monitor internal and external events and may detect an event trigger produced in response to a match resulting from the ACR. After receiving a user-interaction application corresponding to the detected event trigger, the software layer may launch or invoke the user-interaction application from the single framework. In some instances, multiple user-interaction applications may be launched concurrently from the single framework. These user-interaction applications may interface with each other through the single framework.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
    Inventors: Nishith Kumar Sinha, Donald Jude Loheide, Matthew Paul Giles
  • Patent number: 8010094
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention comprise systems and methods for providing mobile devices having themed multimedia effects. One embodiment comprises a method in receiving a plurality of multimedia effects associated with a theme at a mobile device, receiving mobile device information comprising call log information, power source level, and signal strength associated with a wireless connection between the mobile device and a second device, detecting a mobile device event associated with the mobile device, determining a multimedia effect correlated with the mobile device event based at least in part on the mobile device information and the theme, and outputting the multimedia effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
    Inventors: Ross Cox, Randall Lee Coston, Eric Wayne Breier, Christine Elizabeth Bielinski, Kimberly Jo Roth-Beaudot, Win S. Gowland, Stephen Neal Griffin, Paul Nicholas Condolora, Molly Anne Chase
  • Patent number: D563968
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2008
    Assignee: Turner Broadcasting Systems, Inc. (TBS, Inc.)
    Inventors: Blake Lewin, Diana Swift Hughes, Amy Elizabeth Whigham, David Samuel Stone, Gregory Matthew Vagen, Dale Alan Herigstad, Kevin John Hosmann
  • Patent number: D586351
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2009
    Assignee: Turner Broadcasting Systems, Inc. (TBS, Inc.)
    Inventors: Mitchell B. Gelman, Sandra Gail Malcolm, Andrew Robert Michell, Richard Montgomery Mullig, David Anderson Payne, Anwer Sultan, Aaron Christopher Tighe, Eric A. Breitbard, Melanie McKinley McLaughlin