Hulu, LLC

Robert Masao Wong

Richard W Tom

Jason A Kilar

Hua Zheng

Jean-Paul Colaco

Wing Chit Mak

Eugene Chuan-Huai Wei

Jessica Page Ivy

Brian Soebekti

Bryon Edward Schafer

Eden S Li

Charles Barclay Reeves

Wei Eugene Chuan-Huai

Jason Kilar

Bryon Schafer

A media server receives a first request to transmit the media program to the first device and streams the media program to the first device. The method monitors the streaming of the media program to the first device to generate media program streaming information and transmits the media program streaming information to a media program provider. A second request is received to resume transmission of the media program from a second device where the request includes a temporal location within the media program that was received from the media program provider. The media program provider determined the temporal location from the streaming information transmitted from the media server to the media program provider. The media server resumes transmission of the media program to the second device from the temporal location received from the media program provider.

Method and apparatus for synchronizing paused playback across platforms

A jog control for navigating a media program having a plurality of frames and a method for using the navigation control is disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, the control comprises a radial control at one of a plurality of user-selectable radial distances from a center of the jog control, the radial distance indicative of a jog control scale factor, wherein selection of the radial control selects and fixes the jog control scale factor until the control area is unselected, and wherein rotation of the selected radial control about a center of the jog control commands navigation through the plurality of media program frames at a rate determined by the selected jog control scale factor and an angular rate of the selected radial control about the center of the jog control.

Method and apparatus for intuitive navigation of a media program

A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and a memory structure for providing advertisements with a media program transmitted to a user device are described. The method permits the user to manage the provision of user information such as surveys and advertisement feedback to the media program provider to improve the advertising experience.

Providing a survey during an advertisement opportunity to improve advertising experience

A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and a memory structure for providing advertisements with a media program transmitted to a user device are described. The method permits the user to interrupt the playback of the advertisement and continue with the playback of the media program with no further advertisements, or to interrupt the playback of the advertisement to substitute a different version of the advertisement.

Method and apparatus for permitting user interruption of an advertisement and the substitution of alternate advertisement version

A method and apparatus for resuming playback of a media program, the playback initiated on a first device and resumed on a second device is disclosed. The method does not rely on additional messages transmitted from the playback devices, but rather on server side monitoring of the transmission of the media program.

To address the requirements described above, a method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and a memory structure for providing advertisements with a media program transmitted to a user computer. The method permits the user to provide survey responses in exchange for viewing a media program with fewer advertisement, and permits the user to manage the survey responses.

Growing community of inventors

Los Angeles, CA, United States of America

Robert Masao Wong