Method and apparatus for presenting media programs

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10820054-B2
Application number	US-201715587432-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 5, 2017
Priority date	Nov 10, 2009
Publication date	Oct 27, 2020
Grant date	Oct 27, 2020

Abstract

Systems and processes that incorporate teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, identifying an action initiated by equipment of a first user of a number of users, during a presentation of a media program, and generating, responsive to the identifying of the action, an overlay comprising a symbol indicative of the action and situated in relation to the presentation of the media program. The overlay is presented, together with the media program, at a display of a second user of the plurality of users, wherein the symbol is selectable by the equipment of the second user. Other embodiments are disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
identifying, by a processing system including a processor, a temporal action initiated by equipment of a first user of a plurality of users, during a presentation of a media program to the plurality of users;
modifying, by the processing system, responsive to the identifying of the temporal action, a symbolic overlay, wherein the symbolic overlay comprises a symbol indicative of the temporal action and situated in relation to a progression of the media program, wherein the symbolic overlay, when provided to equipment of a second user of the plurality of users is presentable as a graphical overlay on the media program, together with the media program, at a display of the equipment of the second user, and wherein the symbol is selectable by the equipment of the second user;
receiving, by the processing system, user-generated input from the equipment of the second user, wherein the user-generated input indicates selection of the symbol; and
causing, by the processing system, the display of the equipment of the second user to present a pop-up menu with selective options according to the user-generated input.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the media program corresponds to a video stream, an audio stream, a sequence of still images, a sequence of text images, or combinations thereof, and wherein the temporal action comprises an audible signal of an end user, a movement of an input cursor of a graphical user interface, receipt of comment from the end user, or a combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising causing, by the processing system, a display event to occur at the display of the second user responsive to an input cursor located at or near the symbol, wherein the display event comprises expanding the symbol, or providing a communication log.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the selective options of the pop-up menu comprise viewing a user profile of a particular user of the plurality of users, changing of the symbol, viewing a communication log of users of the plurality of users, viewing a two-way communication log between two particular users of the plurality of users, or a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the selective options of the pop-up menu are displayed in response to a left click or a right click of a mouse, and wherein the communication log is produced in response to another of the left click or the right click of the mouse.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the symbolic overlay comprises a timeline, and wherein the symbol is a comment icon situated relative to the timeline, wherein an input cursor of the equipment of the second user, when located over the comment icon of the timeline, produces a communications log up to a point on the graphical overlay of the timeline where the comment icon is situated.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising determining a selection of certain users of the plurality of users is representable in the communications log, wherein the comment icon is responsive to a comment request presented as a timestamp in relation to the media program.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the graphical overlay comprises an avatar representation of the first user, an actual image of the first user, or combinations thereof, wherein the temporal action is expressed by way of the avatar representation of the first user, the actual image of the first user, or combinations thereof, wherein a gesture of the avatar representation of the first user corresponds to a motion of a body of the avatar representation, and wherein an expression of the avatar representation of the first user comprises an expression of a plurality of expressions.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the graphical overlay comprises an avatar representation of the first user, and wherein when the first user speaks, a message appears as a callout bubble proximate to the first user, or as an audio of the message.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the audio comprises real audio or synthesized audio from text generated by the equipment of the second user.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the graphical overlay is presented to equipment of the plurality of users, and wherein the graphical overlay includes the symbol depicting the temporal action.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the depicting of a corresponding symbolic overlay are selectable by a subset of the plurality of users of the corresponding symbolic overlay.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the graphical overlay comprises an avatar representation of the first user, and wherein responsive to a mouse pointer positioned over the avatar representation of the first user, the avatar representation of the first user changes a color.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the symbol comprises a comment icon situated on the symbolic overlay presented by the graphical overlay, and further comprising causing, by the processing system, an event to occur, responsive to positioning of a mouse pointer over the comment icon, wherein the event comprises production of a communications log showing comments made by all users of the plurality of users that correspond to the comment icon.

15. A non-transitory, machine-readable storage device, comprising executable instructions that when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations comprising:
identifying temporal actions initiated by equipment of a plurality of users during presentation of a media program to the equipment of the plurality of users;
modifying an overlay, wherein the overlay comprises symbols indicative of the temporal actions, wherein the overlay is presented at displays of the equipment of the plurality of users, as a graphical overlay on the media program, together with the media program, wherein the symbols are situated in relation to the presentation of the media program, and wherein the symbols are selectable by the equipment of the plurality of users;
receiving user-generated input from equipment of a user from the equipment of the plurality of users, wherein the user-generated input indicates selection of one of the symbols; and
causing a display of the equipment of the user to present a pop-up menu with selective options according to the user-generated input.

16. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage device of claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise facilitating an occurrence of an event, wherein the event comprises expanding the symbols or providing a communications log.

17. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage device of claim 15 , wherein the media program comprises an audio-video program, audio-only, video with no audio, or a combination thereof, and wherein the overlay comprises a menu button, an iconic symbol including an avatar, a callout or both, an operative control, a timeline, or combinations thereof.

18. A system, comprising:
a controller comprising a processing system including a processor; and
a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the controller, facilitate performance of operations comprising:
identifying a temporal action initiated by equipment of a first user of a plurality of users, during a presentation of a media program to the plurality of users;
generating, responsive to the identifying of the temporal action, an overlay comprising a symbol indicative of the temporal action and situated in relation to the presentation of the media program, wherein the overlay is presented together with the media program, at a display of equipment of a second

Assignees

• At & T Ip I Lp

Inventors

• Roberts Linda Ann
• Chang E-Lee
• Sung Ja-Young
• Schultz Natasha Barrett
• King Robert

Classifications

• H04N21/4788 Primary

  communicating with other users, e.g. chatting {(arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104)} · CPC title

• H04N21/4312

  involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations · CPC title

• G06F3/04817

  using icons (graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34) · CPC title

• H04N21/4532

  involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences (monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18) · CPC title

• G06F3/0482

  Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus · CPC title