Patents Examined by Randy A Flynn
  • Patent number: 12108114
    Abstract: A system for managing media content annotations is configured to generate annotations having a format similar to a title and tailored to a user profile. The system identifies a media content item and identifies a user entity. The system selects from among a plurality of annotations linked to the media content item and stored in metadata. For example, the system may generate more than one annotation, generate links between each annotation and user profile information, and then select among the annotations for the most appropriate annotation for a given user. The annotation may include keywords or entities that are included in, linked to, or otherwise associated with the user profile information. The system outputs, or generates for output, a display that includes a representation of the media content item and the selected annotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2024
    Assignee: ROVI GUIDES, INC.
    Inventors: Ankur Anil Aher, Jeffry Copps Robert Jose
  • Patent number: 12101531
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are system, method, and computer program product embodiments for detecting human presence in front of a plurality of sensors, such as speaker sensors, and a device with a processor, such as a television. An example method includes varying, during a collection routine, a respective signal strength of one or more of a plurality of transmitters. The example method further includes receiving results of the collection routine in a form of raw data from a plurality of sensors. The example method further includes determining, by at least one processor, a respective geographical position of one or more humans present within a predetermined geographical range of the at least one processor based on the raw data from the plurality of sensors. Subsequently, the example method includes executing an action based on the respective geographical position of the one or more humans.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2024
    Assignee: Roku, Inc.
    Inventors: Jan Neerbek, Rafal Krzysztof Malewski, Brian Thoft Moth Møller, Paul Nangeroni, Amalavoyal Narasimha Chari
  • Patent number: 12075106
    Abstract: A message sending method, a message sending apparatus, a readable medium, and an electronic device are provided. The method includes: determining a message type of a current message received in a current time window, where the message type includes a first message type and a second message type; buffering the current message in a target buffer queue corresponding to the current message if the determined message type is the first message type, where each message in the target buffer queue has an associated timestamp; and sending the current message to a target client if the determined message type is the second message type, and a total number of messages sent to the target client within the current time window does not reach a first preset threshold, where the target client is a receiver of the current message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2024
    Assignee: BEIJING BYTEDANCE NETWORK TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Qing Liu
  • Patent number: 12063399
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatus for video processing. In one aspect, the apparatus may configure at least one frame of plurality of frames in a video stream. The apparatus may also divide the at least one frame into one or more slices, each of the one or more slices including one or more data packets. The apparatus may also map each of the one or more slices to one of one or more communication channels. The apparatus may also transmit each of the one or more slices including the one or more data packets via the one of the one or more communication channels. In another aspect, the apparatus may receive each of one or more slices via one of one or more communication channels. The apparatus may also decode each of the one or more slices including one or more data packets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2024
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Anand Prabhakar Satpute, Sandeep Kanakapura Lakshmikantha, Vinay Melkote Krishnaprasad, Ajit Venkat Rao
  • Patent number: 12058385
    Abstract: This application provides a livestreaming processing method performed by an electronic device. The method includes: obtaining real-time livestreaming data of a livestreaming room while displaying livestreaming content of the livestreaming room; acquiring a portion of the livestreaming content of the livestreaming room according to the real-time livestreaming data, and generating a promotion video according to the acquired portion of the livestreaming content; and; and transmitting the promotion video to a plurality of social networking accounts of a social networking application, wherein the transmitted promotion video provides an option for a user associated with one of the plurality of social networking accounts to join the livestreaming room.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2024
    Assignee: TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventor: Chunyong Chen
  • Patent number: 12052446
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for monitoring locally inserted media are disclosed. A disclosed apparatus includes instructions to detect, at a media device at an end user location, a frequency of a watermark that was spliced into a primary media stream received at the media device after the primary media stream was received at the end user location, associate identifying tags with segments of the primary media stream that were spliced, in response to the detection of the watermark, determine an advertisement associated with the segments of the primary media based on the identifying tags, present the primary media at a first time and the advertisement at second times, record a log including first identifying information including an identity of the content of the primary media and second identifying information including a change in the frequency of the watermark corresponding to the advertisement; and transmit the log to a data collection facility.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2024
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: Arun Ramaswamy, Paul C. Kemper
  • Patent number: 12052451
    Abstract: A re-multiplexing apparatus, a broadcasting system, a re-multiplexing method, and a program capable of, when broadcast data having a first resolution and broadcast data having a second resolution are broadcasted, synchronizing their outputs with each other are provided. A re-multiplexing apparatus includes a first re-multiplexing unit and a second re-multiplexing unit. The second re-multiplexing unit inserts a delay control packet at a timing corresponding to a timing of a first packet of an OFDM frame, the delay control packet being a packet containing control information for compensating for a difference between delay times of the first and second lines. When doing so, the second re-multiplexing unit generates, as the control information, an index value of a waiting time from a time when the delay control packet is received in a transmitting apparatus to a start of a modulation process for a packet following the delay control packet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2024
    Assignee: NEC Platforms, Ltd.
    Inventor: Tomoaki Hotaka
  • Patent number: 12003816
    Abstract: The presentation invention relates to methods and apparatus for managing cable network power consumption. An exemplary method in accordance with one embodiment includes the steps of: receiving a message by a cable modem instructing the cable modem to reduce power consumption; increasing, by the cable modem, a buffer size of at least one of: (i) a cable modem downlink buffer included in the cable modem, or (ii) a cable modem uplink buffer included in the cable modem in response to receiving the message; and switching, by the cable modem, from a first mode of operation to a second mode of operation after performing one or both of: (i) transmitting uplink data to the cable modem termination system, and (ii) transmitting downlink data to a wireless base station, said second mode of operation being a power savings modem of operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2024
    Assignee: Charter Communications Operating, LLC
    Inventor: Volkan Sevindik
  • Patent number: 11973994
    Abstract: Provided is a media processing method. The method is used for uploading a function provided by a user or a third party and obtaining media processing parameters provided by the user. The method includes the following steps: receiving the description information of the media processing and determining whether a function that fulfills the requirement of the description information exists in a system; in a case where the function that fulfills the requirement of the description information exists, selecting the function that fulfills the requirement of the description information from the system; and in a case where the function that fulfills the requirement of the description information does not exist, selecting the function from the system according to the priority or selecting the function that fulfills the requirement of the description information from outside the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Shanghai JiaoTong University
    Inventors: Yiling Xu, Qi Yang, Yunfeng Guan
  • Patent number: 11962815
    Abstract: A first networked device may perform operations including receiving, from a media source device, a first media stream and a first media stream identifier. The first networked device may receive the first media stream via a wireless network connection. Operations may further include receiving, from a second networked device, a second media stream identifier that corresponds to a second media stream the second networked device is receiving from the media source device. Operations may further include determining a common stream characteristic between the first media stream and the second media stream and, in response to determining the common stream characteristic, grouping the second networked device with the first networked device. Operations may further include transmitting, to a controller device, an indication that the first networked device and second networked device are grouped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
    Inventors: Arthur L. Coburn, IV, Jeffrey Torgerson
  • Patent number: 11956499
    Abstract: Systems, devices and automated process allow automatic replacement of advertisements or other content in previously-broadcast television programs. A content management system or the like operating on a digital network receives indicia from playback devices that have encountered identified advertisements that are stored in digital video recorders or that are otherwise contained within previously-broadcast television programs. The encounters are recorded in a database for subsequent analysis. If desired, the previously-broadcast advertisements may be replaced with more relevant or engaging advertisements prior to playback to the viewer, thereby allowing a fresher, more relevant and more engaging experience for the viewer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Sling TV L.L.C.
    Inventor: R. Drew Major
  • Patent number: 11943270
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and system to provide the ability for a user to make audio and/or audio-video phone calls simultaneously while watching (co-viewing) provider video content in remote locations. A control system is provided to set up call, direct provider video content, and provide for the phone calls and video content to be delivered and then synchronized. The phone calls may be routed by the control system to PSTN destinations or Internet based destinations and calls made or received may be bridged to other Internet based sources. The provider video content may be provided directly from its source or routed through NAT traversal or through the control system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: NT IP Holdings, LLC
    Inventors: Garry M Paxinos, Anastasios Kyriakides, Kenneth Alvin Hosfeld, Anastasios Nicholas Kyriakides, II
  • Patent number: 11924480
    Abstract: In one aspect, a method includes identifying an upcoming content modification opportunity on a channel. The method also includes responsive to identifying the upcoming content modification opportunity on the channel, identifying a group of multiple content-presentation devices tuned to the channel. The method also includes using, at least in part, an amount of content-presentation devices in the identified group as a basis to determine an amount of system resources to request. The method also includes requesting the determined amount of system resources for use in performing actions that facilitate at least a portion of the content-presentation devices in the identified group performing respective content-modification operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Roku, Inc
    Inventor: Matthew George Grover
  • Patent number: 11917215
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described for receiving a first request, associated with a first user profile, to record a content item, and storing, at a server and based on the first request, a first copy of the content item, accessible via the first user profile. A second request to record the content item may be received, associated with a second user profile, and content consumption history associated with the second user profile may be identified. Based on such content consumption history, a determination may be made to refrain from storing a second copy of the content item based on the second request. In response to receiving a request, associated with the second user profile, to access the content item, the content item may be played at a device associated with the second user profile based on the stored first copy of the content item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc.
    Inventors: Veeresh Babu, Reda Harb
  • Patent number: 11910048
    Abstract: Systems and techniques are provided for synchronizing playback of a video at a plurality of client-side nodes in a network including a server-side node and the plurality of client-side nodes. The system includes logic to receive a sync video message at the server from a first client-side node identifying a sync event time. The system includes logic to map the sync event time at the server to a sync frame identifier. The server sends a follower sync video message to a follower set of one or more other client-side nodes including the sync frame identifier. In response to the follower sync video message the one or more client-side nodes in the follower set can synchronize playing the video at a frame corresponding to the sync frame identifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Haworth, Inc.
    Inventors: Rupen Chanda, Yuri Kiryanov
  • Patent number: 11902611
    Abstract: A method is provided including receiving a planned route of a vehicle and a request to download content from a cloud server, the planned route traveling through an area covered by a plurality of edge servers, determining a state comprising possible connections between the vehicle and each of the plurality of edge servers at a plurality of time steps during the planned route, inputting the state to a trained model, the model being trained to output an action comprising a partition of the content across the plurality of edge servers that minimizes latency of transmission of the content from the cloud server to the vehicle via the plurality of edge servers, based on the state, and partitioning the content across the plurality of edge servers based on the action out by the trained mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Siqi Huang, Haoxin Wang, Akila C. Ganlath, Prashant Tiwari
  • Patent number: 11889141
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described herein such that, a media guidance application presents, in an interactive program guide, a virtual content source for binge watching a program series. The media guidance application may determine a program series a user is currently watching. The media guidance application may receive a user selection of a media asset. The media guidance application may determine a length of time between a current time and a start time of the media asset. The media guidance application may determine the next episodes of the program series the user can watch before the start time of the media asset and present them using a virtual content source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc.
    Inventors: William L. Thomas, Margret B. Schmidt, Alexander W. Liston, Jonathan A. Logan, Gabriel C. Dalbec, Mathew C. Burns, Ajay Kumar Gupta
  • Patent number: 11882321
    Abstract: A media client ascertains a plurality of matching points between (i) query fingerprints representing a media stream being received by the client and (ii) reference fingerprints, each identified matching point defining a respective match between a query fingerprint that is timestamped with client time defined according to a clock of the client and a reference fingerprint that is timestamped with true time defined according to a timeline within a known media stream. Further, the client performs linear regression based on the timestamps of the ascertained plurality of matching points, to establish a mapping between true time and client time. The client then uses the established mapping as a basis to determine a client-time point at which the client should perform an action with respect to media stream being received by the client. And the client performs the action at the determined client-time point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: Roku, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Dunker, Markus K. Cremer, Shashank C. Merchant, Kurt R. Thielen
  • Patent number: 11871089
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for video transmission using tokens. According to one example, computer-readable storage media storing computer-readable instructions, which when executed by a computer having at least one processor, cause the computer to: generate a video including an animation of an avatar object of a distributor generated on the basis of motion data regarding a motion of the distributor and an animation of a token object given by a viewer to the distributor operating according to a predetermined rule; and transmit, toward a plurality of viewer terminals via a communication line, coordinate data including data regarding coordinates of the token object associated with a reference time, and audio data regarding a voice of the distributor associated with the reference time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: GREE, Inc.
    Inventors: Shuhei Asada, Motoki Uchida
  • Patent number: 11856272
    Abstract: Within an advertising buying platform, advertising buyers are able to direct advertising content to TV/OTT/VOD inventory that matches targeted market segments. The advertising buyers select from a list of available market segments, and the system pairs the market segments to an anonymous dataset of media consumers (using a database of hashed online IDs). The dataset of hashed online IDs is then mapped to external OEM IDs (such as from a Smart TV) via the functions of a hashed identity mapping method. This permits the advertiser to target advertising content to a population of TV viewers. Also described herein are methods of bidding on programmatic TV content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: VIDEOAMP, INC.
    Inventors: Debajyoti Ray, Ross McCray, David Gullo