At&t Intellectual Property I, L.p.

At+t Corp.

Larry Stead

Brian Scott Amento

Christopher Harrison

Alicia Abella

Mukesh Nathan

Kermit Hal Purdy

Kevin Ansia Li

Eric Cheung

Dilek Zeynep Hakkani-Tur

Gokhan Tur

Jay Gordon Wilpon

Jeremy Huntley Wright

Ramon Caceres

Luis Zaman

Methods and systems for capturing, transmitting and processing data for generating ratings relating to multimedia programming based on passively obtained user cues are disclosed herein.

Automatic rating system using background audio cues

A method includes receiving, at a media server, a request to create a media content summary. The request includes a user-specified criterion. The method includes identifying segments of media content based on annotation data. The annotation data includes annotations associated with a first segment of the segments and a second segment of the segments. The first segment is identified based on a number of corresponding annotations. The method further includes generating the media content summary by automatically changing a first size of the first segment and a second size of the second segment such that a total size of the media content summary satisfies the user-specified criterion.

System and method to create a media content summary based on viewer annotations

A method includes determining, at a processor, a difference between a first user interest profile of a first user and a second user interest profile of a second user. The difference is associated with a portion of a first streaming media item. The method further includes transmitting, to a device associated with a third user interest profile of a third user, a first indication associated with the first streaming media item based on the difference. The first user, the second user, and the third user are distinct users.

Interest profiles for audio and/or video streams

A method includes receiving, at a media server, a request to create a media content summary. The request includes a user-specified criterion. The method also includes generating resized segments by automatically changing a size of each of one or more segments of media content until a total size of the resized segments satisfies the user-specified criterion and including the resized segments in the media content summary.

A method for collaborative annotating of a program of multimedia content includes enabling a first user to create a program annotation, enabling the first user to store annotation data, and enabling a second user to access the annotation data. The second user may navigate the program using the annotation and/or view the annotation while viewing the program. The first user may create the annotation while viewing the program, for example, by asserting an annotation button on a remote control device. The annotation may include the frame that was displayed when the user created the annotation, text, audio, an image, or video selected by the viewer. The annotations include chronological information indicative of a chronological location of the annotation within the program. The annotations may include 'rating annotations' indicating the author's subjective rating of a portion of the program that is in chronological proximity to the annotation's chronological location.

Collaborative annotation of multimedia content

A method of synchronizing first and second streams of a multimedia content program is operable for determining a temporal difference indicative of a relative timing between first and second streams of the program, the first stream being provided to a first multimedia processing resource (MPR) and the second stream being provided to a second MPR. The method includes manipulating at least one of the streams to reduce the temporal difference until the temporal difference is less than a predetermined threshold and enabling a viewer of the first stream to interact with a viewer of the second stream regarding the program. Interactions are visually detectable on a first display screen corresponding to the first MPR.

Dynamic synchronization of media streams within a social network

A method for collaborative sketch annotating of a program of multimedia content includes enabling a first user to create a sketch annotation, enabling the first user to store sketch annotation data related to the sketch annotation, and enabling a second user to access the sketch annotation. The second user may navigate the program using the sketch annotation and/or an indication of the sketch annotation. The first user may create the sketch annotation while viewing the program, for example, and the program may be paused for adding the sketch annotation to one or more paused frames. The sketch annotations may include chronological information indicative of a chronological location of the sketch annotation within the program.

Providing sketch annotations with multimedia programs

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a controller to collect data indicative of temporal actions initiated by a group of users during presenting a media program. The data indicative of the temporal actions are collected in a collective metadata archive. Portions of the media program are identified based on metadata for which a number of occurrences of the temporal actions exceeds a threshold number of occurrences. A compacted presentation of the portions of the media program is prepared based on the metadata. The compacted presentation includes the portions of the media program arranged consecutively. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Method and apparatus for presenting media programs

An illustrative method for transferring data to a device includes identifying the data that is to be transferred to the device, modulating the data with a signal, providing the signal to a contact microphone that is in physical contact with an individual, and transmitting the signal through a body of the individual to the device using the contact microphone. An illustrative method for authenticating the individual includes transmitting a signal through a body of the individual in response to the individual physically contacting an authentication device, receiving a modified signal including the signal as modified by the body of the individual, removing the signal from the modified signal to identify a unique body signature of the individual, comparing the unique body signature to a database to determine if the database includes the unique body signature, and selectively authenticating the individual based upon whether the database includes the unique body signature.

Growing community of inventors

Upper Montclair, NJ, United States of America

Larry Stead