Patents Examined by Michael H Hong
  • Patent number: 11750896
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are system, apparatus, article of manufacture, method and/or computer program product embodiments, and/or combinations and sub-combinations thereof, for utilizing a content recommendation system powering a streaming media publisher channel to enhance an ad creative being shown to the user via awareness or performance campaigns. This method allows the platform to present the most relevant Machine Language (ML) personalized in-channel content to the publisher platform users in endemic banners that run on the platform which then correspondingly helps drive user reach. An example embodiment operates by implementing personalized content banners that may act as a hook for channel users opening their streaming device, both active and lapsed, to enter back into the channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: ROKU, INC.
    Inventors: Rohit Mahto, Kelly Lee, Madhulika Taneja, Mehul Sanghavi
  • Patent number: 11727924
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices are described herein for placing secondary content into a break of unknown duration in a stream of primary content. In one aspect, the described techniques may include streaming a segment of primary content, for example, by a reduce capability client device, such as a mobile device or tablet. The device may receive information indicative of a break in the streaming of the primary content. The device may play secondary content based on receiving the information indicative of the break. The device may determine when a next segment of the primary content is available, and begin streaming the next segment of the primary content upon detecting that the second segment of the primary content is available.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin Aaron Miller, Jason D. Justman, Lora Clark Bouchard, Michael Ellery Bouchard, Kevin James Cotlove, Mathew Keith Gitchell, Stacia Lynn Haisch, Jonathan David Kersten, Matthew Karl Marchio, Peter Arthur Pulliam, George Allen Smith, Todd Christopher Tibbetts
  • Patent number: 11729437
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and articles for optimizing the placement of content, such as advertisements, within content breaks. The systems disclosed herein automatically identify the optimal allocation of content within breaks included in advertisement placement opportunities. This is achieved by scoring placed advertisements and determining whether a prospective advertisement can be placed within a break. The system may score the placed advertisements based on rules provided by a media content provider and multiple buyers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: WIDEORBIT LLC
    Inventors: Trevan Zosel, Brian Edward Thoman, Francisco Lopez Alvarez, William E. Offeman
  • Patent number: 11706474
    Abstract: A system includes a computing platform having processing hardware and a memory storing an asset library and software code including a recommendation engine. The processing hardware executes the software code to receive, from a user, group generation data and a preferences profile of the user, the group generation data identifying a group including the user and another user, and to send, to the other user, an invitation to join the group. The processing hardware also executes the software code to receive, from the other user, one of an acceptance or a refusal of the invitation, obtain, in response to receiving the acceptance, a preferences profile of the other user, generate, using the preferences profiles of the user and the other user, a group preferences profile for the group, and identify, using the recommendation engine and the group preferences profile, one or more assets in the asset library for the group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Sarah Depew, Claudia Cervon
  • Patent number: 11706470
    Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods are provided for on-target rate optimization for video.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Xinyu Zhou, Qie Hu Huang, Shuang Li, Ying Zhang, Yongzhen Lu, Vamshi Krishna Surabhi, Vykunth Ashok, Robert James Victor, Kirtan Modi
  • Patent number: 11695972
    Abstract: A method and system to help control when to monitor for presence of replaceable advertisements in a media stream. An example method includes determining a time offset based at least on a difference between (i) a time of occurrence of a content event in a media stream as indicated by data carried in-band with the media stream and (ii) a time of occurrence of the content event in the media stream as indicated by schedule data that is not carried in-band with the media stream. Further, the method includes applying the determined time offset as a basis to adjust a scheduled time of an advertisement in the media stream, and using the adjusted scheduled time of the advertisement in the media stream as a basis to control when to monitor for presence of a replacement advertisement in the media stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: Roku, Inc.
    Inventors: Alejandro Gutierrez, John E. Sormark, Shashank C. Merchant, Brian P. Jentz, John L. Haynes, III
  • Patent number: 11695982
    Abstract: According to various embodiments, a content casting method of an electronic device may comprise: an operation of obtaining a content list including a plurality of pieces of content information from an external server; an operation of selecting at least one piece of content from the content list on the basis of at least one of the state of a user, the type of content, and the state of an external electronic device; and an operation of transmitting information on the selected at least one piece of content to the external electronic device so as to cause the external electronic device to play the selected at least one piece of content through a short-range wireless network. Additional various embodiments identified through the specification are possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Inventors: Seonho Lee, Hosung You, Kyungtae Kim, Bunam Jeon, Yoonjeong Choi, Taeho Ha
  • Patent number: 11681201
    Abstract: A photonics reservoir computing system is described. The system is configured for propagating at least one optical signal so as to create resulting radiation signals in the output channels. The photonics reservoir computing system further comprises weighting elements for weighting signals from the output channels, and at least one optical detector for optically detecting signals from the output channels. The system is adapted for estimating signals from the output channels through an output of the optical detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignees: UNIVERSITEIT GENT, IMEC VZW
    Inventors: Peter Bienstman, Andrew Katumba, Jelle Heyvaert, Joni Dambre, Matthias Freiberger
  • Patent number: 11683109
    Abstract: A scientific system and methods are disclosed for optimizing television (e.g., “CTV” and “OTT”) advertising and related expenditure to maximize efficiency and return on investment (“ROI’) for advertisers. The scientific system comprises an initial-feedback engine that develops and refines creatives or outcomes by creating and using an artificial intelligence (“AI”) engine that creates an initial feedback loop from social media platforms and subsequently uses an intelligent advertisement-selection engine that takes the highest performing advertising on the social media platforms and directs or imports them for connected television or over-the-top advertising. The system includes a performance engine that optimizes performance of the connected television and over-the-top advertising and then moves the winning combination of a creative or outcome resulting from the application inventory, the audience segment, the part of day, the frequency or the like to linear television purchase actions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: tvScientific, Inc.
    Inventors: Jason Fairchild, David Koye
  • Patent number: 11671640
    Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods are provided for audience recognition. A method may include receiving over-the-top (OTT) advertisement impression data comprising metadata and content of advertisement bid requests, the metadata indicative of scheduled OTT media presentation; receiving user activity data indicative of day-part times when viewers watch content absent from the OTT advertisement impression data; generating, based on the OTT advertisement impression data, a first demographic probability vector; generating, based on the user activity data, a second demographic probability vector; generating, based on a combination of the first demographic probability vector and the second demographic probability vector, a third demographic probability vector, each entry of the third demographic probability vector indicative of a third probability that a viewer is in a respective age range; and generating an indication of the third demographic probability vector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Kirtan Modi, Robert James Victor, Vykunth Ashok, Xinyu Zhou, Qie Hu Huang, Shuang Li
  • Patent number: 11659213
    Abstract: The exemplary embodiments relate to devices, systems and methods for a streaming service to provide fast video stream startup at a user device. The streaming service may determine that a video stream for on-demand content is to be provided to the user device and is to include multiple subclips corresponding to the on-demand content and a dynamic content insertion opportunity (DCIO). A first set of multimedia data is transmitted to the user device that corresponds to a first subclip of the on-demand content. When a predetermined condition corresponding to the DCIO is satisfied, a second set of multimedia data is transmitted to the user device that includes multimedia data corresponding to at least the multiple subclips.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: VIACOM INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Spencer Shanson, Matt Tretin, Ivan Zubok, Pavlo Kalmykov, Edwin Rodriguez
  • Patent number: 11653038
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are system, apparatus, article of manufacture, method and/or computer program product embodiments, and/or combinations and sub-combinations thereof, for facilitating dynamic content modification. An example embodiment operates by provisioning, by a content-management system in network communication with a content-presentation device, the content-presentation device with multiple supplemental content segments including a primary supplemental content segment and a backup supplemental content segment in response to a modifiable content segment being scheduled to be present at an upcoming time on a channel that is being received by the content-presentation device. After the provisioning and before the upcoming time, the example embodiment selects one of the provisioned supplemental content segments for application by the content-management system in the dynamic content modification at the upcoming time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: Roku, Inc.
    Inventor: Matthew Grover
  • Patent number: 11653064
    Abstract: Methods and systems for determining and using disliked content are described. The method includes obtaining, by a service provider system, channel viewing data from a user device of a user, pre-processing, by a content analysis unit, the channel viewing data to mitigate inaccuracies and inconsistencies in the channel viewing data, scaling, by the content analysis unit, the pre-processed channel viewing data to highlight temporal dislike aspects of the pre-processed channel viewing data, applying, by the content analysis unit, machine learning algorithms to the scaled channel viewing data to generate a disliked content ratings matrix, and outputting, by the content analysis unit to user interface systems in the service provider system, to provide enhanced user viewing. The user interface systems including a recommender system, an alternate content generation system, or both.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: Charter Communications Operating, LLC
    Inventor: Srilal M. Weerasinghe
  • Patent number: 11645845
    Abstract: The present invention enables detection of a sponsorship credit display in a broadcast program with higher precision. A sponsorship credit display detection device 100 according to the present invention includes: a CM segment detection unit 120 that extracts a cut point, which is a time point where a frame in which the volume of an audio signal of a broadcast program is less than a volume threshold value and the amount of change from a previous frame is at least a pixel change threshold value is played, and detects a CM segment by comparing an interval of the extracted cut point with a CM defined length; a sponsorship credit display segment estimation unit 130 that estimates, as a sponsorship credit display segment, a predetermined time period before or after at least one continuous CM segment detected by the CM segment detection unit 120; and an output unit 140 that outputs information indicating the sponsorship credit display segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasunori Oishi, Takahito Kawanishi, Kaoru Hiramatsu, Kunio Kashino
  • Patent number: 11641495
    Abstract: A computing system that identifies a media stream that a media client is processing for presentation determines which frame format of the media stream the media client is processing for presentation. And the computing system uses that determined frame format as a basis to facilitate dynamic content modification. For instance, based on then determined frame format, the computing system could work to ensure that replacement or overlay content that the media client obtains to facilitate dynamic content modification of the media stream is of that determined frame format. Further or alternatively, based on the determined frame format, the computing system could work to ensure that the media client gets provisioned with reference fingerprints of that particular frame format of the media stream, for use to facilitate client-side fingerprint matching to confirm that the media stream continues to be identified media stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: Roku, Inc.
    Inventors: Chung Won Seo, Shashank C. Merchant, Yong-joo Hong, Yoan Magniez
  • Patent number: 11638058
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method including (i) detecting that query fingerprint data representing frames of video content being rendered by a media presentation device matches reference fingerprint data representing frames of multiple channels of video content, including detecting that the query fingerprint data matches multiple instances of reference fingerprint data each representing frames of a different respective channel in the multiple channels of video content, and (ii) responsive to at least the detecting that the query fingerprint data representing the frames of the video content being rendered by the device matches the reference fingerprint data representing the frames of the multiple channels of video content, configuring the device with channel-icon fingerprint data representing channel icons of the multiple channels of video content, to enable the device to perform channel-icon fingerprint matching to determine which channel of the multiple channels is being rendered by the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: Roku, Inc.
    Inventors: Andreas Schmidt, Shashank Merchant, Markus Kurt Peter Cremer
  • Patent number: 11632595
    Abstract: Systems, methods and computer-readable media for a decentralized application system that enables participating parties to automate the buying and selling of TV media units and/or aggregated TV and premium video audiences is described. The value-based TV/premium video media exchange application system allows the participants to interact with the system directly and/or automate transactions and execution between systems, while ensuring proper governance over each participants own rules and economics associated with the transactions, as well as individual campaign constraints and requirements. The decentralized application system significantly lowers current transaction and execution barriers, timing and costs, while providing a highly accountable and trusted system across all of the exchange participants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: FreeWheel Media, Inc.
    Inventors: Seth Haberman, Gerrit Niemeijer, Robert Bress, Claudio Marcus
  • Patent number: 11620543
    Abstract: A method includes identifying, based on sensor data received by a motion sensor, a physical activity performed by a user of the computing system during a time period and determining whether the user consumed media during the time period that the user performed the physical activity. The method also includes responsive to determining that the user consumed the media during the time period that the user performed the physical activity, determining, based on data indicative of the media consumed by the user, an updated physical activity performed by the user during the time period; and outputting data indicating the updated physical activity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Ant Oztaskent, Flavio Lerda
  • Patent number: 11622150
    Abstract: This application is directed to changing a TV operating mode based on a potential relationship among viewers of a connected TV. In some implementations, a method includes: determining viewer identities and identifying the potential relationship among the viewers or a subset of the viewers; in accordance with a determination that the potential relationship allows the viewers to share private information, placing or maintaining the connected TV in or into a first operating mode that is unrelated to media content being displayed and allows personal information to be displayed on the connected TV; and in accordance with a determination that the potential relationship does not allow the viewers to share private information, placing or maintaining the connected TV in or into a second operating mode that is unrelated to the media content and does not allow personal information to be displayed on the connected TV.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Alok Chandel, Eric H C Liu, Pierre-Yves Laligand, Justin Koh
  • Patent number: 11611795
    Abstract: A sales administration system that manages online sales via overlays on a video stream. Customers can comment on or respond to the video stream, and may order products using simple phrases such as “Sold”. The system can stream video with overlays to multiple clients simultaneously, including websites and mobile apps. Comments from all clients are received, aggregated, processed for orders, and displayed to the sales administrator. The system is coupled to a merchant's operational data, providing immediate visibility to changes in inventory and orders. Video overlays may be updated automatically by the system as this operational data changes, for example highlighting products with low stock. The system may analyze customer comments and orders both during the video stream and after the sales session is complete, and may generate recommendations to improve sales effectiveness. For backorders, customers may preauthorize charges to be at the front of the queue for shipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: COMMENTSOLD, LLC
    Inventor: Brandon Kruse