IP Library Granted Patent US 8,990,848
Granted Patent B2
US 8,990,848 · App. 12/177,551 · Granted Mar 24, 2015

System and method for temporally adaptive media playback

Inventors: Andrea Basso (Marlboro, NJ); Lee Begeja (Gillette, NJ); David C. Gibbon (Lincroft, NJ); Zhu Liu (Marlboro, NJ); Bernard S. Renger (New Providence, NJ); Behzad Shahraray (Holmdel, NJ)
Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
H04N5/783H04N21/435H04N21/25891H04N21/4331G06Q30/02H04N21/812H04N7/17318H04N21/44222H04N21/235H04N21/4325H04N21/4402H04N21/4532H04N21/458
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,990,848
App. No.
12/177,551
Granted
Mar 24, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and computer readable-media for temporally adaptive media playback. The method for adaptive media playback includes estimating or determining an amount of time between a first event and a second event, selecting media content to fill the estimated amount of time between the first event and the second event, and playing the selected media content possibly at a reasonably different speed to fit the time interval. One embodiment includes events that are destination-based or temporal-based. Another embodiment includes adding, removing, speeding up, or slowing down selected media content in order to fit the estimated amount of time between the first event and the second event or to modify the selected media content to adjust to an updated estimated amount of time. Another embodiment bases selected media content on a user or group profile.

Claims (59)

1. A method comprising:

estimating, via a processor, an amount of time between a first event, and a second event, to yield an initial end time;

selecting specific pieces of media content to fill the amount of time between the first event and the second event based on the amount of time between the first event and the second event;

playing the specific pieces of the media content for the user, where two pieces of the specific pieces of the media content are played simultaneously; and

upon detecting a change of the second event:

updating the initial end time based on the change of the second event, to yield an updated end time;

altering the specific pieces of the media content based on the updated end time, to yield altered specific pieces of the media content, wherein the altered specific pieces of the media content have altered run-times based on the updated end time;

replacing the specific pieces of the media content being played with the altered specific pieces of the media content; and

generating a notification of the updated end time.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first event and second event are one of destination-based and temporal-based.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein altering of the specific pieces of the media content further comprises adding additional content to the specific pieces of the media content.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein altering further comprises playing the specific pieces of the media content at a different rate to fit the updated end time.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting the specific pieces of the media content is further based on one of a user profile and a group profile.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the specific pieces of the media content comprises one of entertainment content, news content, and advertising content.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting the specific pieces of the media content further comprises:

selecting a plurality of media segments that fit in the amount of time;

assigning each media segment in the plurality of media segments a level of importance based on a profile associated with the user;

ordering the plurality of media segments based on the level of importance of each media segment; and

altering one media segment of the plurality of media segments based on the updated end time, to yield the specific pieces of the media content, where the one media segment of the plurality of media segments is determined based on the level of importance of the one media segment.

8. A system comprising:

a processor;

a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

estimating an amount of time between a first event and a second event, to yield an initial end time;

selecting specific pieces of media content to fill the estimated amount of time between the first event and the second event based on the amount of time between the first even and the second event;

playing the specific pieces of media content for the user, where two pieces of the specific pieces of the media content are played simultaneously; and

upon detecting a change of the second event:

updating the initial end time based on a change of the second event to yield an updated end time;

altering the specific pieces of the media content based on the updated end time, to yield altered specific pieces of the media content, wherein the altered specific pieces of the media content have altered run-times based on the updated end time;

replacing the specific pieces of the media content being played with the altered specific pieces of the media content; and

generating a notification of the updated end time.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the first event and second event are one of destination-based and temporal-based.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the computer-readable storage medium has additional instructions stored which, when executed by the processor, result in operations comprising adding additional content to the specific pieces of the media content.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the computer-readable storage medium has additional instructions stored which, when executed by the processor, result in operations comprising playing the specific pieces of the media content one of faster and slower to fit the updated end time.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein selecting the specific pieces of the media content is further based on one of a user profile and a group profile.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the media content comprises one of entertainment content, news content, and advertising content.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein selecting the specific pieces of the media content comprises:

selecting a plurality of media segments that fit in the amount of time;

assigning a level of importance to each media segment in the plurality of media segments based in part on a profile associated with the user;

ordering the plurality of media segments based on the level of importance of each media segment in the plurality of media segments; and

altering one media segment of the plurality of media segments to fit the amount of time, to yield the specific pieces of the media content, where the one media segment altered is determined based on the level of importance associated with the media segment.

15. A computer-readable storage device having instructions stored which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

estimating an amount of time between a first event and a second event, to yield an initial end time;

selecting specific pieces of a media content to fill the amount of time between the first event and the second event based on the amount of time between the first event and the second event;

playing the specific pieces of the media content for the user, where two pieces of the specific pieces of the media content are played simultaneously; and

upon detecting a change of the second event:

updating the initial end time based on a change of the second event, to yield an updated end time;

altering the specific pieces of the media content based on the updated end time, to yield altered specific pieces of the media content, wherein the altered specific pieces of the media content have altered run-times based on the updated end time;

replacing the specific pieces of the media content being played with the altered specific pieces of the media content; and

generating a notification of the updated end time.

16. The computer-readable device of claim 15 , wherein the first event and second event are one of destination-based and temporal-based.

17. The computer-readable device of claim 15 , wherein altering of the specific pieces of the media content further comprises adding additional content to the specific pieces of the media content.

18. The computer-readable device of claim 15 , wherein altering of the specific pieces of the media content further comprises playing the specific pieces of media content at a different rate to fit the updated end time.

19. The computer-readable device of claim 15 , wherein selecting the specific pieces of the media content is further based on one of a user profile and a group profile.

20. The computer-readable device of claim 15 , wherein the specific pieces of the media content comprise one of entertainment content, news content, and advertising content.

21. The computer-readable device of claim 15 , wherein selecting the specific pieces of the media content further comprises:

selecting a plurality of media segments that fit in the amount of time;

assigning a level of importance to each media segment in the plurality of media segments based on a profile associated with the user;

ordering the plurality of media segments based on the level of importance of each media segment;

altering one media segment of the plurality of media segments to fit the amount of time, to yield the specific pieces of the media content, where the one media segment is determined based on the level of importance of each media segment.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 8, 2016
From: AT&T LABS, INC.
To: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
Reel/Frame 037442/0035 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 23, 2008
From: RENGER, BERNARD S.; BASSO, ANDREA; GIBBON, DAVID C.; LIU, ZHU; SHAHRARAY, BEHZAD; BEGEJA, LEE
To: AT&T LABS, INC.
Reel/Frame 021275/0969 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20100023964A1 · Jan 28, 2010