Patents by Inventor Steven Michael Casagrande
Steven Michael Casagrande has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Publication number: 20230031929Abstract: Systems, devices and processes reduce the amount of memory or disk space needed to store encoded video content used in adaptive video streaming by eliminating certain portions of the recorded program from one or more copies of the encoded program. Content occurring before or after a scheduled start of a program, for example, can be retained in only a subset of the encoded copies so that the program content is available to be streamed, but only at certain video qualities. Commercials or other less popular portions may also be eliminated in one or more encoded copies. By eliminating the less-likely-to-be-viewed portions of the content from some (but not all) of the encoded copies, the total amount of storage space needed to store the encoded program is reduced without compromising the ability to play back all portions of the recorded program.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 3, 2022Publication date: February 2, 2023Applicant: DISH Network L.L.C.Inventor: Steven Michael Casagrande
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Publication number: 20230024837Abstract: Various systems, devices and methods automatically identify advertisements or other portions of television or other media content prior to broadcast using automated content analysis. Information about identified content may be used for any number of different purposes, including advertisement identification; advertisement replacement; second screen browsing or augmentation of identified content; tracking of times or places that ads or other content are viewed; and many others.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 3, 2022Publication date: January 26, 2023Applicant: DISH TECHNOLOGIES L.L.C.Inventors: Robert Drew Major, Christopher Boyd Tirpak, Steven Michael Casagrande
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Patent number: 11463785Abstract: Various systems, devices and methods automatically identify advertisements or other portions of television or other media content prior to broadcast using automated content analysis. Information about identified content may be used for any number of different purposes, including advertisement identification; advertisement replacement; second screen browsing or augmentation of identified content; tracking of times or places that ads or other content are viewed; and many others.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 2016Date of Patent: October 4, 2022Assignee: DISH Technologies L.L.C.Inventors: Robert Drew Major, Christopher Boyd Tirpak, Steven Michael Casagrande
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Patent number: 11463763Abstract: Systems, devices and processes reduce the amount of memory or disk space needed to store encoded video content used in adaptive video streaming by eliminating certain portions of the recorded program from one or more copies of the encoded program. Content occurring before or after a scheduled start of a program, for example, can be retained in only a subset of the encoded copies so that the program content is available to be streamed, but only at certain video qualities. Commercials or other less popular portions may also be eliminated in one or more encoded copies. By eliminating the less-likely-to-be-viewed portions of the content from some (but not all) of the encoded copies, the total amount of storage space needed to store the encoded program is reduced without compromising the ability to play back all portions of the recorded program.Type: GrantFiled: December 18, 2020Date of Patent: October 4, 2022Assignee: DISH Network L.L.C.Inventor: Steven Michael Casagrande
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Publication number: 20210105527Abstract: Systems, devices and processes reduce the amount of memory or disk space needed to store encoded video content used in adaptive video streaming by eliminating certain portions of the recorded program from one or more copies of the encoded program. Content occurring before or after a scheduled start of a program, for example, can be retained in only a subset of the encoded copies so that the program content is available to be streamed, but only at certain video qualities. Commercials or other less popular portions may also be eliminated in one or more encoded copies. By eliminating the less-likely-to-be-viewed portions of the content from some (but not all) of the encoded copies, the total amount of storage space needed to store the encoded program is reduced without compromising the ability to play back all portions of the recorded program.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 18, 2020Publication date: April 8, 2021Applicant: DISH Network L.L.C.Inventor: Steven Michael Casagrande
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Patent number: 10701455Abstract: Systems, devices and automated processes detect piracy of broadcast television signals through selective delay of decrypted code words that are used to render satellite or other received television signals. Smart cards or similar access control hardware are programmed to selectively delay delivery of cryptographic code words based upon the identity of the receiver device. The delayed delivery of the code words produces intentional glitches in the content rendered by the receiver, thereby allowing viewers of the rendered content to ascertain the identity of the device.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2017Date of Patent: June 30, 2020Assignee: Dish Technologies L.L.C.Inventor: Steven Michael Casagrande
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Patent number: 10575059Abstract: A television navigation device, such as a digital video recorder (DVR), searches for a television channel program lineup in an electronic program guide (EPG) of a service provider that matches the television channel program lineup for what the television navigation device understands to be that of a particular television channel. The television navigation device then assigns the particular television channel to the service provider's channel identifier of the matching television channel the EPG. This channel identifier will then be used by the television navigation device to command the receiving device associated with the service provider to tune to the particular television channel at the appropriate time.Type: GrantFiled: July 20, 2016Date of Patent: February 25, 2020Assignee: DISH Technologies L.L.C.Inventors: Steven Michael Casagrande, John Card, II
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Patent number: 10575063Abstract: Original transmitters of television broadcast content, such as national broadcasters, may tunnel various data such as SCTE-35 messages through a special closed captioning service before handoff to their local affiliates. The tunneled SCTE-35 messages may thus survive the re-encoding of both the local broadcaster to an over-the-air (OTA) retransmission, and re-encoding by any subsequent cable or satellite television providers as well. An uplink center and television service provider (e.g., a cable or satellite system) may receive the transport stream from the local broadcaster, may strip out the tunneled SCTE-35 messages from extra closed captioning streams at the uplink, re-create the SCTE-35, and then process it at the uplink of the satellite system, for example, by performing ad insertion, re-muxing the SCTE-35 for the satellite broadcast, and/or modifying it and sending it over the satellite broadcast on a separate PID to the set top boxes for those STBs for ad insertion.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 2017Date of Patent: February 25, 2020Assignee: DISH Network L.L.C.Inventors: Steven Michael Casagrande, Charlie William Zetterower, Kenneth Robert Hodge
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Patent number: 10367913Abstract: Methods, systems and devices for characterizing user viewing behavior are described. A method of tracking user viewing includes presenting media content to a user via a media device, the media content including closed-caption information, and determining that a user has initiated, at a first time, a user interface event (e.g., a “trick-mode” event) that modifies a playback rate of the media content. An offset time is determined, corresponding to a difference between the first time and a second time corresponding to an occurrence of a unique string within the closed-caption information Viewing behavior of the user is then characterized based on the media content, the offset time relative to the unique string, and an event type associated with the user interface event.Type: GrantFiled: May 28, 2015Date of Patent: July 30, 2019Assignee: DISH Technologies L.L.C.Inventor: Steven Michael Casagrande
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Publication number: 20190141406Abstract: Original transmitters of television broadcast content, such as national broadcasters, may tunnel various data such as SCTE-35 messages through a special closed captioning service before handoff to their local affiliates. The tunneled SCTE-35 messages may thus survive the re-encoding of both the local broadcaster to an over-the-air (OTA) retransmission, and re-encoding by any subsequent cable or satellite television providers as well. An uplink center and television service provider (e.g., a cable or satellite system) may receive the transport stream from the local broadcaster, may strip out the tunneled SCTE-35 messages from extra closed captioning streams at the uplink, re-create the SCTE-35, and then process it at the uplink of the satellite system, for example, by performing ad insertion, re-muxing the SCTE-35 for the satellite broadcast, and/or modifying it and sending it over the satellite broadcast on a separate PID to the set top boxes for those STBs for ad insertion.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 29, 2017Publication date: May 9, 2019Inventors: Steven Michael Casagrande, Charlie William Zetterower, Kenneth Robert Hodge
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Patent number: 10257575Abstract: The various examples described herein generally provide systems and methods for generating a hybrid electronic programming guide (EPG) that includes both broadcast content and other types of content, such as over-the-top (OTT) content. In examples, broadcast content may be content provided by a satellite, terrestrial, or cable television provider. Other types of content, e.g., the OTT content, may be content that is delivered over an open network, such as the Internet. In examples, a secure processor may be employed to determine if a subscriber is authorized to access the OTT content based on subscription information received via a broadcast transmission.Type: GrantFiled: August 5, 2015Date of Patent: April 9, 2019Assignee: NagraStar, LLCInventors: Gregory Duval, Christopher Boyd Tirpak, Steven Michael Casagrande
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Patent number: 10136171Abstract: Systems and methods for automatically recording content based on user web activity data are provided. One such method includes receiving, by a receiving device, user web activity information associated with a user of the receiving device. The receiving device further receives content information associated with program content that will be available for viewing via the receiving device at a future time. The received user web activity information and the content information are compared to determine program content relevant to the user. A timer is automatically set, in advance of a time when the relevant program content will be available for viewing, to record the program content relevant to the user when the program content becomes available for viewing.Type: GrantFiled: May 16, 2016Date of Patent: November 20, 2018Assignee: DISH Technologies L.L.C.Inventor: Steven Michael Casagrande
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Patent number: 10104420Abstract: A content provider transmits instructions to a content receiver to record multiple instances of content. The instances of content are included in the same frequency band of a broadcast transmitted by the content provider via a first communication link and scrambled utilizing the same control word. The content provider determines to supplement the multiple instances of content and transmits an instruction to record a supplemental instance of content from a second content provider via a second communication link. The content receiver receives the instructions and accordingly receives, descrambles, and stores the multiple instances of content and the supplemental instance of content. In some implementations, the first communication link may be a satellite communication link and the second communication link may be a different type of communication link such as a terrestrial broadcast communication link and/or an Internet protocol communication link.Type: GrantFiled: October 12, 2015Date of Patent: October 16, 2018Assignee: DISH Technologies, L.L.C.Inventor: Steven Michael Casagrande
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Patent number: 10062417Abstract: Systems and methods for selectively recording and bookmarking a portion of broadcast media content include receiving a video stream containing the broadcast media content, determining a video segment of the video stream to be output to a display device, and performing OCR on characters present within the video segment. The systems and methods may further include detecting a trigger event in the OCR of the video segment and creating a digital bookmark corresponding to the detected trigger event. The systems and methods may include generating a recording of a portion of the broadcast media content, whereby the recording begins prior to the trigger event and concludes after the trigger event, and storing the digital bookmark associated with the generated recording.Type: GrantFiled: November 29, 2016Date of Patent: August 28, 2018Assignee: DISH Technologies L.L.C.Inventors: William Beals, Steven Michael Casagrande
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Publication number: 20180213297Abstract: Systems, devices and automated processes detect piracy of broadcast television signals through selective delay of decrypted code words that are used to render satellite or other received television signals. Smart cards or similar access control hardware are programmed to selectively delay delivery of cryptographic code words based upon the identity of the receiver device. The delayed delivery of the code words produces intentional glitches in the content rendered by the receiver, thereby allowing viewers of the rendered content to ascertain the identity of the device.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 28, 2017Publication date: July 26, 2018Applicant: Echostar Technologies L.L.C.Inventor: Steven Michael Casagrande
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Patent number: 10021444Abstract: Various arrangements for using closed captioning data in controlling content recording are presented. An indication of one or more closed captioning elements and corresponding positional data may be received. The content instance comprising closed captioning elements may also be received. A recording time period may be defined for the content instance based at least in part on the indication of the one or more closed captioning elements and the corresponding positional data for the content instance. The content instance may be recorded at least partially based on the defined recording time period for the content instance.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2017Date of Patent: July 10, 2018Assignee: DISH Technologies L.L.C.Inventor: Steven Michael Casagrande
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Patent number: 9942599Abstract: A method for synchronized utilization of an electronic device is provided. The method receives closed captioning data from an audio/video content receiver for a set of audio/video content; retrieves detail for a first event occurring in the set of audio/video content, wherein the first event is indicated by the received closed captioning data; and presents content to a user, using the electronic device, based on the retrieved detail.Type: GrantFiled: February 24, 2017Date of Patent: April 10, 2018Assignee: ECHOSTAR TECHNOLOGIES LLCInventor: Steven Michael Casagrande
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Publication number: 20170332119Abstract: Systems and methods for automatically recording content based on user web activity data are provided. One such method includes receiving, by a receiving device, user web activity information associated with a user of the receiving device. The receiving device further receives content information associated with program content that will be available for viewing via the receiving device at a future time. The received user web activity information and the content information are compared to determine program content relevant to the user. A timer is automatically set, in advance of a time when the relevant program content will be available for viewing, to record the program content relevant to the user when the program content becomes available for viewing.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 16, 2016Publication date: November 16, 2017Inventor: Steven Michael Casagrande
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Patent number: 9736418Abstract: Arrangements for preparing a television channel for presentation are presented. A tuner of a television receiver may tune to a first television channel and the first television channel may be output for presentation. One or more idle tuners of the television receiver may be identified. One or more television channels other than the first television channel may be selected for preparation. The one or more television channels may be selected prior to receiving user input selecting a television channel of the one or more television channels for presentation. Each of the one or more television channels may be prepared for presentation by tuning, by each tuner of the one or more idle tuners, to the one or more television channels prior to receiving the user input selecting the television channel of the one or more television channels for presentation.Type: GrantFiled: July 1, 2015Date of Patent: August 15, 2017Assignee: ECHOSTAR TECHNOLOGIES L.L.C.Inventors: David Kummer, Steven Michael Casagrande, Charlie William Zetterower, Kenneth Robert Hodge, William Michael Beals
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Publication number: 20170208369Abstract: Various systems, devices and methods automatically identify advertisements or other portions of television or other media content prior to broadcast using automated content analysis. Information about identified content may be used for any number of different purposes, including advertisement identification; advertisement replacement; second screen browsing or augmentation of identified content; tracking of times or places that ads or other content are viewed; and many others.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 29, 2016Publication date: July 20, 2017Applicant: ECHOSTAR TECHNOLOGIES L.L.C.Inventors: Robert Drew Major, Christopher Boyd Tirpak, Steven Michael Casagrande