Roku, Inc.

Gracenote, Inc.

Universal Electronics Inc.

The Nielsen Comapny (US), LLC

Qterics, Inc.

Kurt Roman Thielen

Markus Kurt Cremer

Shashank C Merchant

Peter Dunker

Steven D Scherf

Seunghyeong Lee

Chungwon Seo

Brian Paul Johnson

George Earl Harvey

Peter William Ellison

Matthew Jorgensen

John R Burbank

Robert Edward Taylor

Patrick James Sansonetti

Ryan Michael Melville

James Joseph Alviani

Paul D Arling

Kuldip Singh Johal

A remote control is configured by using a service access history associated with at least a one of the remote control and a controllable appliance to determine a first service accessible via use of the controllable appliance that is to be associated with the programmable key and by transmitting to the remote control data for use by the remote control in configuring the remote control such that activation of the programmable key will cause the remote control to transmit a command to the controllable appliance to cause the controllable appliance to access the first service and for causing a display of an indicator for the first service in a display of the controlling device that is associated with the programmable key.

Controlling device configurable to enable selection of one or more services

A first network signal is received indicating a device identifier in response to a transaction involving an electronic device uniquely associated with the device identifier. An entity identifier specific to an entity associated with the transaction is determined. In response to an initialization event of the electronic device, a second network signal from the electronic device is received that identifies the electronic device. In response to the second network signal, a configuration is communicated to the electronic device that is specific to the entity associated with the transaction.

Configuring an electronic device based on a transaction

A system includes a mobile device and a receiving device associated with a media access device. The receiving device obtains from the mobile device during a process in which the mobile device and the receiving device are paired a first identifier that uniquely identifies the mobile device. The first identifier is then associated within the receiving device to a universal advertising identifier. Thereafter, when the mobile device is determined to be in proximity to the receiving device, at least the universal advertising identifier is caused to be provided to a remote server. In this manner, the remote server can track at least a presence of a user with the media access device.

Systems and methods for using an identifier to capture information about a user experience associated with a media access device

In one aspect, an example method includes (i) identifying, by a playback device, a media device that provides media content to the playback device; (ii) providing, by the playback device, replacement media content for display; (iii) determining, by the playback device, that while the playback device is displaying the replacement media content a remote control transmitted an instruction to the identified media device; (iv) determining, by the playback device, a playback-modification action corresponding to the instruction and the identified media device; and (v) modifying, by the playback device, playback of the replacement media content in accordance with the playback-modification action.

Modifying playback of replacement content based on control messages

A media presentation device determines a voice command associated with media content presented by the media presentation device. The media presentation device then listens for and detects utterance of the determined voice command during presentation of the media content, and the media presentation device responds to the detected utterance by performing an action that facilitates user purchase of the good or service associated with the media content segment.

Media presentation device with voice command feature

A method may include receiving a check-in request at a server of a consent management platform from a content-presentation device. The request may by or include an authentication certificate for establishing a secure communicative connection. A device token cryptographically-signed by the server, a global identifier (GID) unique to the content-presentation device, and a device-based device record may be received over the secure communicative connection. The server may retrieve a server-based device record for the device from a flat database using the GID as an index key, and then compare a device-based sequence number in the device-based device record with a server-based sequence number in the server-based device record. If the sequence numbers match, the server may send a check-in complete message to the content-presentation. If the sequence numbers do not match, the server may initiate a synchronization procedure with the content-presentation device.

Consent management system with check-in and synchronization process

In one aspect, an example method includes (i) providing, by a playback device, replacement media content for display; (ii) determining, by the playback device, that a remote control transmitted to the playback device an instruction configured to cause a modification to operation of the playback device while the playback device displays the replacement media content; (iii) determining, by the playback device based on the instruction, an overlay that the playback device is configured to provide for display in conjunction with the modification; (iv) determining, by the playback device, a region within a display of the playback device corresponding to the overlay; and (v) modifying, by the playback device, a transparency of the region such that the overlay is visible through the replacement media content when the playback device provides the overlay for display.

Responsive to detection of remote control signals that modify operation of the playback device

In one aspect, a method carried out by a content-presentation device may include transmitting a consent-processing request, including an identifier string unique to the device, to a consent management platform disposed in a computing cloud. The string may be used to establish an interactive session for user selection of consent options associated with a consent package having consent features of a media distribution system that require user consent for activation on the device. The consent package may be one of multiple consent packages targeted for the device by the consent management platform. The interactive session may prompt for consent choices of consent options, each choice being acceptance or rejection of consent to activating features of the consent package. The consent choices may be provided to the consent management platform via the interactive session, and corresponding information may be stored in a device-based activation whitelist for each consent-to feature.

Consent management system with client operations

In one aspect, an example method includes (i) providing, by a playback device, replacement media content for display; (ii) determining, by the playback device that while the playback device is displaying the replacement media content a remote control transmitted an instruction to a media device that provides media content to the playback device; (iii) determining, by the playback device, a playback-modification action corresponding to the instruction and the media device; and (iv) modifying, by the playback device, playback of the replacement media content in accordance with the playback-modification action.

Modifying playback of replacement content responsive to detection of remote control signals that control a device providing video to the playback device

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.

Establishment and use of time mapping based on interpolation using low-rate fingerprinting, to help facilitate frame-accurate content revision

A computing system detects that a media presentation device such as a television is in a content-selection mode in which a user is likely to select video content to be presented by the media presentation device, at a time when the media presentation device is not using a video-on-demand service. In response, the computing system causes the media presentation device to present a prompt for user approval to have the media presentation device present video content of the video-on-demand service. By presenting this prompt at a time when the media presentation device is in a content-selection mode and is not using the video-on-demand service, the disclosed mechanism can thereby help foster use of the video-on-demand service.

Method and system for triggering use of a video-on-demand service by a media presentation device

In one aspect, an example method includes (i) identifying, by a playback device, a media device based on a control message received from the media device by way of an audio and/or video interface, where the media device provides media content to the playback device; (ii) providing, by the playback device, replacement media content for display; (iii) determining, by the playback device, that while the playback device is displaying the replacement media content a remote control transmitted an instruction to the identified media device; (iv) determining, by the playback device, a playback-modification action corresponding to the instruction and the identified media device; and (v) modifying, by the playback device, playback of the replacement media content in accordance with the playback-modification action.

A method may include receiving a registration request at a server of a consent management platform from a content-presentation device, and using an authentication certificate in the request to establish a secure communicative connection. The server may generate: a global ID (GID) from information received over the secure connection; a device-based device record for the device, and including the GID and a unique address indicator; and a cryptographically-signed token. The GID, device record, and token may be transmitted to the device. The unique address indicator may be associated with consent packages having features of a media distribution system that require user consent to associated agreements for activation on the device. The server may generate a server-based device record duplicating the device-based device record, and including the consent packages and indicators of consent agreement status initialized to undeclared. The server may store the server-based device record in a flat database.

Consent management system with device registration process

A computing system identifies multiple matching points between (i) query fingerprints representing a media stream being received by a client and (ii) reference fingerprints, each identified matching point defining a respective match between a query fingerprint timestamped with client time defined according to a clock of the client and a reference fingerprint timestamped with true time defined according to a timeline within a known media stream. Further, the computing system performs linear regression based on the timestamps of the matching points, to establish a mapping between true time and client time. The computing system then uses the mapping to determine a client-time point at which the client should perform a content revision or other action with respect to the media stream being received by the client. And the computing system causes the client to perform the content revision or other action at the determined client-time point.

Growing community of inventors

Maple Grove, MN, United States of America

Kurt Roman Thielen