Patents Examined by Ricky Chin
  • Patent number: 9078025
    Abstract: The present invention provides techniques relating to rich media advertising. Techniques are provided in which an advertiser-provided image-based component of an advertisement creative is matched with an advertiser-provided audio component of the advertisement creative. A rich media advertisement may be served that includes the image-based component and a synchronously presented audio component. The image-based component and the audio-based component may be elements of a companion advertisement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Sudharsan Vasudevan, Suhas Sadanandan
  • Patent number: 9071729
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for providing user communication. First an invitation input may be received from a first user. The invitation input may comprise a recommendation to a second user to take an action regarding content to be delivered over a content delivery system. Then, the invitation input may be transmitted to the second user. Next, an acceptance input may be received from the second user. The acceptance input may comprise an acceptance to the invitation input. The acceptance input may then be transmitted to the first user in response to receiving the acceptance input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: Cox Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Lisa A. Pickelsimer, Mark Gathen, Joshua Musick, Robert Fabricant, David Werner, Andrew Zeldis
  • Patent number: 9043830
    Abstract: The present invention provides techniques relating to rich media advertising. Techniques are provided in which an advertiser-provided image-based component of an advertisement creative is matched with an advertiser-provided audio component of the advertisement creative. A rich media advertisement may be served that includes the image-based component and a synchronously presented audio component. Presentation of the rich media advertisement on a user computer may not require downloading or utilization of a video player.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Suhas Sadanandan, Sudharsan Vasudevan, Sudha Mahajan
  • Patent number: 9038102
    Abstract: A cable television system with integrated social streaming. The cable television system with integrated social streaming includes a set-top box in communication with a camera and/or a microphone that allows video and/or audio communication over a social streaming channel offered by the cable provider. The cable television system with integrated social streaming provides an interactive experience for a set-top box user by allowing the user to participate in video and/or audio conversations with friends on supported social streaming services.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: Cox Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Radhakrishnan Gopinath, Lalit T. Bhatia, Pujan Roka, Catalina Gard
  • Patent number: 9032441
    Abstract: A system, method, and computer program for self management of a live web event is provided. In exemplary embodiments, an individual associated with a channel may schedule a web event. Upon scheduling, a user, such as one or more presenters, may be provided a management interface through which content may be prepared for the live web event during a self preparation process. In exemplary embodiments, the user may upload content (e.g., images such as slides) and generate content (e.g., polling questions and answers) autonomously.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: BrightTALK Limited
    Inventors: Peter Rance, Dorian Logan, Kenneth Winter
  • Patent number: 9030607
    Abstract: A method and related apparatus for restraining erroneous image colors are provided for correcting pixel values of three sequential image fields of a video data while de-interlacing the video data. The method is utilized to correct the video data by detecting whether penetrations from luminance signals into chrominance signals or penetrations from chrominance signals into luminance signals occur in the video data. In embodiments of the present invention, the pixel chrominance signals of image fields with the same polarity are utilized to correct the pixel chrominance signals of another image field. Pattern matching and edge detection are utilized to determine whether penetrations from chrominance signals into luminance signals occur.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
    Inventors: Bing-Jhe Chen, Po-Wei Chao
  • Patent number: 9015761
    Abstract: A computer system includes a display that displays an electronic program guide to a user. A data storage unit includes keywords related to television shows currently being broadcast. A server device is configured to retrieve real-time data related to a person of interest from the internet by monitoring messages that they generate. The server device can then identify one or more matches between the retrieved data and the stored keywords, and can output a modified electronic program guide including an indication of matching keywords. This can allow an electronic program guide to include an inference of the television show that a person of interest is likely to be watching or talking about online.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Beamly Limited
    Inventors: Kevin Wright, Kerry Jones
  • Patent number: 9009767
    Abstract: A system, method and computer readable media are disclosed for presenting a simultaneous multimedia experience to a plurality of computing devices, each at different locations. The method involves coordinating a simultaneous presentation of multimedia content to a plurality of computing devices, receiving a control signal from a computer of one of the plurality of computing devices to control the presentation of multimedia content, and broadcasting the control assigned to each of the plurality of computing devices such that a control event substantially simultaneously occurs in the presentation of a multimedia content at each of the plurality of computing devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II, L.P.
    Inventors: Eric Cheung, Gerald Karam, Kermit Hal Purdy
  • Patent number: 9003455
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are described for providing digital content to televisions or other devices having media playback capabilities over a network infrastructure using virtual set top boxes (VSTBs).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Guest Tek Interactive Entertainment Ltd.
    Inventors: David Hulse, Thomas Duke
  • Patent number: 9003452
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatus for recording broadband content are provided. A user command to record desired content included in broadband content output by a service provider may be received by a programming processing component configured to receive the output broadband content. The programming processing component may determine whether the desired content will be recorded by the programming processing component. If it is determined that the desired content will be recorded by the programming processing component, then the desired content may be stored by the programming processing component in at least one memory. If it is determined that the desired content will not be recorded by the programming processing component, then a request to record the desired content may be communicated by the programming processing component to a content recording server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Cox Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Edgar V. Shrum, Jr., John Civiletto
  • Patent number: 8990852
    Abstract: Media system control technology, in which an advertisement on a selected content channel being experienced by a user using a media system is detected, advertisement preferences of the user are accessed from electronic storage, and secondary content is selected based on the accessed advertisement preferences of the user. The secondary content is substituted for the advertisement on the selected content channel, and the media system is controlled to output the secondary content instead of the advertisement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: PurpleComm Inc.
    Inventors: Jack H. Chang, William H. Sheu, Sherman Tuan
  • Patent number: 8973072
    Abstract: a media file is electronically communicated by programmatically generating a link for an electronic communication, where the link identifies a media file that is stored on a given terminal of a user. Selection of the link at a remote terminal is detected, indicating that a recipient of the electronic communication has selected to view the media file. In response to the link in the message being selected from the remote terminal, streaming data from the media file to the recipient. An embodiment such as described may be performed from a user terminal or system, correspond to, for example, where the media file was recorded, created and/or stored.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Connected Experiences, Inc.
    Inventors: Luc E. Julia, Boris Henriot, Maklouf Serghine
  • Patent number: 8949876
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and user-interfaces for creating a collaborative review of an offering may facilitate multiple people (users) collaborating on a review by submitting short statements concerning particular characteristics, traits, or qualities concerning the offering. Users can also vote on the validity or strength of each submitted statement. Votes on statements are tabulated, scores are computed, and the information is fed back to the user. These actions take place over a network with users of computing devices interacting with the system running on one or more servers. In one embodiment, the end results of this process is a single collaborative review for each offering that reflects the experiences, knowledge, and understanding of multiple people concerning that offering. The collaborative review may be made accessible via a network as a useful resource for people in making decisions about that offering.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Productwiki, Inc.
    Inventors: Omar Ismail, Erik Kalviainen, Amanie Ismail
  • Patent number: 8949895
    Abstract: An interactive mosaic channel video stream with indicators as to the action on a given video stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc.
    Inventors: David E. Shanks, Matthew J. Thompson, Mark A. Shurgot, David E. Feldstein, Richard F. Purpura
  • Patent number: 8943538
    Abstract: A method comprises retrieving a profile of a given user, the given user having a given-user device; delivering a content item to the given-user device; receiving one or more user-specified tags associated with the content item; identifying one or more buddies of the user as indicated in the profile; and delivering the one or more tags to the one or more buddies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald Jacoby, Brenda O'Kane
  • Patent number: 8943523
    Abstract: A mobile content distribution system in an airplane, a train, or a bus is capable of receiving wireless broadcast channels from a wireless service provider. The system offers a user purchase of wireless services including one or more broadcast channels provided by the wireless service provider, receives information indicative of a route from an originating location to a destination location, and determines if the content distribution system is authorized to receive services from the wireless service provider according to the information; and if the content distribution system is not authorized to receive services from the wireless service provider according to the information, the system provide a refund to the user. If the system is within an authorized area, the system determines if the system is authorized to provide full service from the wireless service provider according to the information and if the system is not authorized to provide full service, the system provides a partial refund to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Thomas Anthony Stahl, Darrel Wayne Randall, Aaron Michael Smith
  • Patent number: 8938756
    Abstract: A receiving device includes: a receiver configured to receive AV content; a feature extractor configured to extract a feature from data of the received AV content; an identification result acquirer configured to acquire an identification result of the AV content identified from the extracted feature by using an Automatic Content Recognition technique; a command acquirer configured to acquire a command for controlling operation of an application program run in conjunction with the AV content in accordance with the acquired identification result; and a controller configured to control operation of the application program in accordance with the acquired command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Naohisa Kitazato
  • Patent number: 8913194
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus and method to reduce the deterioration of visibility of an image displayed on an image display device occurring under various lighting conditions when the brightness of ambient light is brighter than that of the image display device, and includes a sensor to sense the brightness of an external light, a unit to store a luminance-contrast model curve representing an optimal contrast value for a particular luminance for each brightness of the external light, a unit to determine a target luminance value according to the sensed brightness of the external light, to obtain a contrast value corresponding to the target luminance value with reference to the luminance-contrast model curve corresponding to the sensed brightness, and to adjust an input image to have the target luminance value and the obtained contrast value, and a unit to adjust the saturation of the adjusted input image according to the target luminance value and the obtained contrast value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: In-ji Kim, Hyun-wook Ok, Chang-Yeong Kim, Du-sik Park, Young-ran Han, Won-hee Choe
  • Patent number: 8904437
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a phrase similarity is reduced when a common genre characteristic word is included in a program of interest interested by a user and a similar phrase program including the same phrase. A genre similarity is increased when a common genre characteristic word is included in the program of interest and a similar genre program including the same genre as the program of interest. The similar phrase program is presented based on the phrase similarity, and the similar genre program is presented based on the genre similarity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Wataru Nakano, Masaru Suzuki, Masayuki Okamoto, Tomohiro Yamasaki, Isao Mihara, Masahiro Sekine, Junya Takakura
  • Patent number: 8904414
    Abstract: A method of delivering video content is disclosed that includes receiving a request at a video content gifting server from a first set-top box device. The request indicates a selection to purchase video content for a second subscriber associated with a second set-top box device. The method also includes sending notification information to the second set-top box device. The notification information indicates that the video content has been purchased for the second subscriber. Further, the method includes receiving viewing preferences data at the video content gifting server from the second set-top box device. The viewing preferences data indicates a particular time that the second subscriber is to receive the video content. Additionally, the method includes sending video content download data to a particular network entity. The video content download data includes instructions to send the video content to the second set-top box device at the particular time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Bernard Ku, Arshad Khan, Niral Sheth