Patents Examined by William J Kim
  • Content reception device, content reception system, content reception device control method, and program
    Patent number: 10469896
    Abstract: A content receiving device includes: a content receiver that acquires a content item; a generator that generates a thumbnail of the content item, which is acquired by the content receiver; a thumbnail storage that stores the thumbnail generated by the generator; a request receiver that receives the acquisition request for the thumbnail; and a transmitter. The transmitter transmits the thumbnail stored in the thumbnail storage, to a transmission source of the acquisition request for the thumbnail, in response to the acquisition request for the thumbnail being received by the request receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kunio Gobara
  • Interactive overlays to determine viewer data
    Patent number: 10462514
    Abstract: The disclosure provides a method for determining viewer data from interactive overlays. The method includes receiving media content from a content feed. The media device includes a unique identifier (UID). The method also includes determining a media program associated with the received media content based on a fingerprint of the received media content. The method further includes overlaying interactive overlay content onto the media program of the media content in an overlay area. The overlay area corresponds to a spatial position within at least one frame of the media content. The method also includes receiving a feedback response from a viewer based on the interactive overlay content. The method further includes determining viewer information from the feedback response of the viewer. The method further includes associating the viewer information of the feedback response with the UID of the media device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventor: Matthew Grover
  • Pacing control device, pacing control method, and program
    Patent number: 10462520
    Abstract: A pacing control device to perform pacing control on a content distributed from a content distribution device that performs streaming-based content distribution, includes an obtainer configured to obtain a communication quality threshold that corresponds to a communication environment in the pacing control device; and a controller configured not to make a request for the content to the content distribution device in a case where a communication quality in the pacing control device is lower than the communication quality threshold, and to make the request for the content to the content distribution device in a case where the communication quality is higher than the communication quality threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takuto Kimura, Arifumi Matsumoto, Masahiro Yokota
  • Multicast transmission method, apparatus and system for OTT media
    Patent number: 10462529
    Abstract: A multicast transmission method for OTT media is provided. According to the method, a terminal sends media description request information corresponding to OTT media to a multicast server; the terminal receives media description information fed back by the multicast server based on the media description request information, wherein the media description information may include multicast information, and the multicast information may include multicast group information; and the terminal receives, according to the multicast group information, a multicast packet from the multicast server, wherein the multicast packet is generated by encapsulating a media index file corresponding to the media description request information and/or a media content file corresponding to the media description request information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: XI'AN ZHONGXING NEW SOFTWARE CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kaibo Xu, Xingchang Zhu, Yingchuan Chen
  • Extraction of measurement data for third parties from an SCTE 130-3 based deployment
    Patent number: 10455267
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a method may include receiving subscriber metadata and ad asset metadata from ad campaign manager logic and provisioning the subscriber metadata and the ad asset metadata via a central controller to a subscriber information system and a content information system, respectively; intercepting ad decision messages, ad impression messages, and ad response messages with a digital ad router; accumulating the ad decision messages, the ad impression messages, and the ad response messages in a control structure applied to a measurement system; and operating the measurement system to correlate subregions of the control structure with the subscriber metadata and the ad asset metadata to form a measurement signal to control the ad campaign manager logic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: Cadent Tech, Inc.
    Inventor: Leslie M Carter
  • Adaptive multicast delivery of media streams
    Patent number: 10412464
    Abstract: Various systems, methods and devices adaptively manage the multicast delivery of multiple media programs. Each of the media programs is encoded into multiple media streams, each stream having a different bitrate, frame rate, resolution or other encoding parameter. A computer receives feedback about the delivery of the multiple streams and automatically adapts the number of streams available for at least one of the multiple media programs in response to the received feedback. This allows resources to be applied to those multicast streams having the greatest user demand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: Dish Technologies L.L.C.
    Inventors: Robert Drew Major, Mark B. Hurst, Herrick Muhlestein
  • Communication device and communication method
    Patent number: 10404937
    Abstract: HDMI transmission of uncompressed image data, on which dynamic range processing is performed, is performed from an HDMI source device and a display in appropriate luminance is performed in an HDMI sink device. When HDMI input switching is performed, a television receiver 13 transmits transmission request information to an HDMI source device in a destination of the input switching and acquires dynamic range conversion definition information of uncompressed image data at intended timing. Also, when it is possible to acquire the dynamic range conversion definition information of the uncompressed image data, the television receiver 13 minimizes transmission of the dynamic range conversion definition information from a BD recorder 11 by sending reception recognition information back.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yasuhisa Nakajima
  • Receiver apparatus and synchronization processing method thereof
    Patent number: 10397633
    Abstract: A receiver apparatus includes: a broadcast receiver that receives a broadcast stream, a first time code being added to each first unit of first image data of the broadcast stream; a communication receiver that receives a communication stream via a network, a second time code being added to at least each first unit of second image data of the communication stream, the second image data being synchronized with the first image data and reproduced; a criterion time generator configured to generate criterion time; a time code processor configured to obtain the first time code added to the received broadcast stream and the second time code added to the communication stream at a predetermined timing, and to calculate an amount of delay of the second time code behind the first time code; and an adjuster configured to adjust the criterion time with reference to the amount of delay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC
    Inventor: Naohisa Kitazato
  • Traffic system and method for handling advertisements with content broadcast networks including responsiveness to changes in programming parameters
    Patent number: 10390068
    Abstract: A computer-implemented system and method for providing information to a traffic system allowing a traffic system operator to make faster and better decisions related to whether or not to import specific break structure files. The system, via a dashboard, permits the traffic system operator to select a single network, a group of specific networks or all networks for importation of the specific break structure files. The system and method are configured to handle changes in any of three important programming categories, namely windows, breaks and programming content. The programming categories are separated into easy-to-read columns listing the number of changes for a given future time period allowing the traffic system operator to easily locate the changes. Such a system and method solves the problem of traffic system operators having to “blindly” import data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Inventors: David S. Hardy, Mark T. Elmasri, Asif Abdul Muneer Balgar
  • Systems and methods for prompting a user to view an important event in a media asset when the user is using another application
    Patent number: 10382829
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described herein for a media guidance application on a first device that detects a user's engagement with a second device, and alerts the user to an important event in the media asset, thereby reminding the user to view the media asset presented on the first device. The media guidance application may determine when the next important event will occur in the media asset and determine an estimated usage time of the second device based on the application with which the user is engaged on the second device. Depending on the estimated usage time and the time of the next important event in the media asset, the media guidance application may restrict the amount of content presented to the user on the second device so that the user will end his or her engagement with the second device prior to the important event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc.
    Inventors: Vishwas Sharadanagar Panchaksharaiah, Vikram Makam Gupta
  • Method and system for generating a recommendation for at least one further content item
    Patent number: 10382723
    Abstract: Method and system (100) for generating a recommendation for at least one further content item is disclosed. A personalized content channel is enabled to play out a plurality of content items (programs) complying with multiple selection criteria. At least one further content item is recommended by a recommender engine (107), the at least one further content item complying with fewer of the multiple criteria. In an embodiment, at least one of the at least one recommended further content item is selected and the multiple selection criteria are adjusted by a scheduler (109) on the basis of at least one characteristic of the selected recommended further content item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: S.I.SV.EL. SOCIETA ITALIANA PER LO SVILUPPO DELL'ELETTRONICA S.P.A.
    Inventors: Serverius Petrus Paulus Pronk, Adolf Proidl
  • Echo cancellation in a bidirectional communication system for out of band signaling to a user device
    Patent number: 10382802
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques for bidirectional communication in a network, such as a cable television (CATV) system, for return band with echo cancellation. The techniques result in a minimum loss of available return bandwidth to facilitate forward out of band (OOB) communication to a client device, e.g., set top box (STB), within the extended return band, such as a return band extended beyond a frequency previously used for OOB communications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC
    Inventors: Marcel F. Schemmann, William P. Dawson, Derald Cummings
  • Method and apparatus for selecting at least one media item
    Patent number: 10382819
    Abstract: Items having a plurality of attributes associated therewith, each of said associated attributes having a rating, the rating indicating the importance of the attribute to the user can be selected (201) and displayed (205) with its associated attributes and corresponding ratings. The ratings can be adjusted (207) and at least one item similar to one of the selected at least one first item is selected (209) based on the rating of at least one of the displayed attributes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: S.I.SV.EL. SOCIETA ITALIANA PER LO SVILUPPO DELL'ELETTRONICA S.P.A.
    Inventor: Adolf Proidl
  • Media distribution network, associated program products, and methods of using the same
    Patent number: 10372882
    Abstract: A media server is disclosed, and comprises one or more non-transitory computer-readable memory devices upon which at least one set of instructions are stored, one or more processors, a request module, an authentication module, a filtering module, a publishing module, and a commercialization module. The request module is electronically coupled with the one or more non-transitory computer-readable memory devices for requesting data associated with media content from one or more remote electronic devices electronically coupled with the media server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Inventor: Joseph Schuman
  • Roll-off parameter determining method and module
    Patent number: 10368116
    Abstract: A roll-off parameter determining module disposed at a receiving terminal is provided. The receiving terminal receives first roll-off information of a first frame and second roll-off information of a second frame. The first frame is adjacent to the second frame. The module for determining a roll-off parameter includes: a register unit; a first determining unit, determining whether one of the first roll-off information and the second roll-off information includes a first data type, and generating a first roll-off parameter indicator; a second determining unit, determining whether one of the first roll-off information and the second roll-off information includes a second data type and outputting a second roll-off parameter indicator; and a look-up table (LUT) unit, looking up an LUT according to the first roll-off parameter indicator and a second roll-off parameter indicator to output a roll-off parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: MSTAR SEMICONDUCTOR, INC.
    Inventors: Szu-Hsiang Lai, Yu-Shen Chou, Kai-Wen Cheng
  • Media streaming devices with noise mitigation
    Patent number: 10356142
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed for streaming media content. The systems, methods, and computer-readable media described herein may improve user experiences and reduce device failures by mitigating problems between devices. In an example method described herein, a media streaming device may be connected to a display device in order to facilitate streaming of content. A processing apparatus of the media streaming device may determine that the display device is not presenting content streamed from the media streaming device and in turn switch the antenna radiation pattern from a first pattern to a second pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Jagan Vaidyanathan Rajagopalan, Amit Shailesh Gaikwad
  • Detection of the presence of television signals embedded in noise using cyclostationary toolbox
    Patent number: 10348939
    Abstract: Detecting the presence of a television signal embedded in a received signal including the television signal and noise. Either first-order or second order cyclostationary property of the signals may be used for their detection. When the first-order cyclostationary property is used, the received signal is upsampled by a factor of N, a synchronous averaging of a set of M segments of the upsampled received signal is performed, an autocorrelation of the signal is performed; and the presence of peaks in the output of the autocorrelation function is detected. When the second order cyclostationary property of the signal is used, the received signal is delayed by a fixed delay (symbol time), the received signal is multiplied with the delayed version, and a tone (single frequency) in the output is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: Kiran Srinivas Challapali, Bin Dong, Dagnachew Birru
  • Digital overlay offers on connected media devices
    Patent number: 10341706
    Abstract: A computing device includes memory for storing commercial metadata and offer metadata harvested from within an offer distribution network. A processor compares the commercial metadata related to a broadcast commercial to be streamed to a client media device with the offer metadata related to available offers from offer providers, to generate a comparison. The processor then selects an offer from the available offers based on the comparison; determines when and over what video stream the broadcast commercial is to be streamed; detects that a screen device is paired to the client media device; and delivers the offer to a display of the screen device during streaming of the broadcast commercial over the video stream to the client media device. When a user of the screen device selects an indicia of the offer, the offer is collected into a virtual wallet from which the offer can be redeemed in various ways.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: David John Evans, Thomas Greenway, Martin Ian Spicer
  • Digital overlay offers on connected media devices
    Patent number: 10341705
    Abstract: A computing device includes memory for instructions and offers in a virtual wallet. A processor pairs private area networking (PAN) circuitry with a television to enable interaction with offers delivered in conjunction with commercials streamed to the television. The processor detects a first offer delivered in conjunction with a particular broadcast commercial, the first offer including a selectable indicia and delivers the first offer to the virtual wallet responsive to detecting selection of the selectable indicia.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: David John Evans, Thomas Greenway, Martin Ian Spicer
  • Systems and methods for alerting a user to missed content in previously accessed media
    Patent number: 10341742
    Abstract: Methods and systems are described herein for notifying a user about content that the user has previously missed in media. Users may get easily distracted when viewing media by mobile device notifications or other users viewing the media with the user. Consequentially, the user may miss content in media. The user may miss the same content in the media when consuming the media for a second time if the distractions are still present. An interactive media guide determines when the user has previously missed content in media and alerts the user when the content is going to be missed for a second time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc.
    Inventors: Clayton Kim, Lucas Waye, Richard Eric Miller, Matthew John Emerson