Delivery of navigation data for playback of audio and video content
In accordance with the present invention a filtering process is based on the output side of a multimedia decoder. A navigator, located at a server system, monitors the current play position of multimedia content at a consumer system and compares that position with navigation objects. Each navigation object defines a start position, a stop position, and a filtering action to perform on the portion of the multimedia content that begins at the start position and ends at the stop position. When the current play position falls within the portion of multimedia content defined by a particular navigation object, the navigator sends the filtering action to the consumer system for processing. Filtering actions include skipping, muting, reframing, etc., the portion of multimedia content defined by a navigation object. Alternatively, the navigator may be located at a consumer system and the server system may provide access to the navigation objects (e.g. download) so that the consumer system monitors and filters the multimedia content based on the received navigation objects. A variety of systems may be used to implement the present invention, such as computer systems (consumer and server), television systems, and audio systems.
1. In a server system linked to a consumer system through a communication link, wherein the consumer system includes a processor, a memory, a decoder, and an output device for playing multimedia content, and wherein the server system enables the consumer system to filter multimedia content that is comprised of video content, audio content, or both, a method of assisting the consumer system to automatically identify portions of the multimedia content that are to be filtered and to thereafter automatically filter the identified portions, the method comprising the server system performing the acts of:
obtaining a plurality of navigation objects which can be loaded into a memory of the consumer system, each navigation object defining a portion of the multimedia content that is to be filtered by defining a start position, a stop position, and a specific filtering action to be performed on the portion of the multimedia content defined by the start and stop positions for that portion;
receiving a request for one or more navigation objects from the consumer system, the request identifying the multimedia content to be played at the consumer system;
sending the one or more navigation objects to the consumer system for processing;
whereby the consumer system is adapted to filter the multimedia content by activating the filtering action for each portion of the multimedia content defined by the start and stop positions of each navigation object.
2. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:
in response to the request, retrieving one or more navigation objects.
3. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:
the consumer system is adapted to disable at least one of the plurality of navigation objects such that the filtering action specified by the at least one of the plurality of navigation objects is ignored.
4. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the start position and stop position are time codes.
5. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the filtering action specified in at least one of the one or more navigation objects is skipping the portion of the multimedia content defined by the at least one navigation object.
6. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the multimedia content includes one or more channels of audio content, and wherein the filtering action specified in at least one of the one or more navigation objects is muting at least one channel of the audio content for the portion of the audio content defined by the at least one navigation object.
7. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein access to the server system is governed by a fee agreement, the method further comprising the act of receiving a fee from a user at the consumer system, the fee entitling the user to access the server to obtain one or more navigation objects.
8. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of navigation objects are based at least in part on the age appropriateness of the portions of the multimedia content defined by the plurality of navigation objects, age appropriateness being determined according to either industry or community standards.
9. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the act of downloading a consumer system multimedia navigator from the server system, the navigator activating the filtering actions of the one or more navigation objects at the consumer system.