System and method for delivering secondary content to movie theater patrons

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11375347-B2
Application number	US-201313844038-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2013
Priority date	Feb 20, 2013
Publication date	Jun 28, 2022
Grant date	Jun 28, 2022

Abstract

Systems and methods disclosed herein include systems and methods for delivering secondary content to a plurality of user devices, the secondary content comprising events synchronized to primary content. The process can include: delivering an application to a plurality of user devices, the application configured to play or executed secondary content on the user devices; and causing the secondary content executed on the user devices to be synchronized with primary content.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
transmitting, by a user device to a server, a primary content information and a selection of at least one of an alternative audio or subtitles corresponding to the alternative audio, the primary content information identifying a primary content, the alternative audio being an alternate for a primary audio configured to be played along with the primary content in a venue, the alternative audio being the same as the primary audio except that the alternative audio does not include one or more categories of words designated by a user of the user device to be blocked from the primary audio;
receiving, by the user device from the server, the at least one of the alternative audio or the subtitles, in response to transmitting the primary content information and the selection of the alternative audio;
synchronizing, by the user device having a device display, the at least one of the alternative audio or the subtitles received from the server with the primary content being played in the venue; and
playing, by the user device on the device display, the at least one of the alternative audio or the subtitles in synchronization with the primary content being played by a primary content delivery device on a primary content display in the venue, the primary content display being separate from the user device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user device includes a plurality of features, and wherein while playing the at least one of the alternative audio or the subtitles in synchronization with the primary content being played by the primary content delivery device on the primary content display in the venue, one or more of the plurality of features of the user device are disabled.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the one or more of the plurality of features of the user device include a camera, and wherein the camera is disabled while playing the at least one of the alternative audio or the subtitles in synchronization with the primary content being played by the primary content delivery device on the primary content display in the venue.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the one or more of the plurality of features of the user device include a call receiver or a text receiver, and wherein the call receiver or the text receiver is disabled while playing the at least one of the alternative audio or the subtitles in synchronization with the primary content being played by the primary content delivery device on the primary content display in the venue.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the one or more of the plurality of features of the user device include a speaker, and wherein the speaker is disabled while playing the at least one of the alternative audio or the subtitles in synchronization with the primary content being played by the primary content delivery device on the primary content display in the venue.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user device plays the alternative audio in synchronization with the primary content while the primary audio is being played in the venue, and wherein the method further comprises:
performing, by the user device, noise cancellation to filter out the primary audio being played in the venue based on knowledge of the primary audio prior to being played in the venue.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more categories of words include swear words or words that refer to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, cultural status or sexual orientation.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein synchronizing is based on detecting at least one of an audio cue in the primary audio being played in the venue or a visual cue in the primary content being played in the venue.

9. A user device comprising:
a device display;
a processor; and
an application software;
the processor configured to execute the software application to:
transmit, to a server, a primary content information and a selection of at least one of an alternative audio or subtitles corresponding to the alternative audio, the primary content information identifying a primary content, the alternative audio being an alternate for a primary audio configured to be played along with the primary content in a venue, the alternative audio being the same as the primary audio except that the alternative audio does not include one or more categories of words designated by a user of the user device to be blocked from the primary audio;
receive, from the server, the at least one of the alternative audio or the subtitles, in response to transmitting the primary content information and the selection of the alternative audio;
synchronize the at least one of the alternative audio or the subtitles received from the server with the primary content being played in the venue; and
play, on the device display, the at least one of the alternative audio or the subtitles in synchronization with the primary content being played by a primary content delivery device on a primary content display in the venue, the primary content display being separate from the user device.

10. The user device of claim 9 , wherein the user device includes a plurality of features, and wherein while playing the at least one of the alternative audio or the subtitles in synchronization with the primary content being played by the primary content delivery device on the primary content display in the venue, one or more of the plurality of features of the user device are disabled.

11. The user device of claim 10 , wherein the one or more of the plurality of features of the user device include a camera, and wherein the camera is disabled while playing the at least one of the alternative audio or the subtitles in synchronization with the primary content being played by the primary content delivery device on the primary content display in the venue.

12. The user device of claim 10 , wherein the one or more of the plurality of features of the user device include a call receiver or a text receiver, and wherein the call receiver or the text receiver is disabled while playing the at least one of the alternative audio or the subtitles in synchronization with the primary content being played by the primary content delivery device on the primary content display in the venue.

13. The user device of claim 10 , wherein the one or more of the plurality of features of the user device include a speaker, and wherein the speaker is disabled while playing the at least one of the alternative audio or the subtitles in synchronization with the primary content being played by the primary content delivery device on the primary content display in the venue.

14. The user device of claim 9 , wherein the processor is configured to execute the software application to play the alternative audio in synchronization with the primary content while the primary audio is being played in the venue, and wherein the processor is further configured to execute the software application to:
perform noise cancellation to filter out the primary audio being played in the venue based on knowledge of the primary audio prior to being played in the venue.

15. The user device of claim 9 , wherein the one or more categories of words include swear words or words that refer to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, cultural status or sexual orientation.

16. The user device of claim 9 , wherein synchronizing is based on detecting at least one of an audio cue in the primary audio being played in the venue or a visual cue in the primary content being played in the venue.

17. A method comprising:
transmitting, by a user device to a server, a primary con

Assignees

• Disney Entpr Inc

Inventors

• Chen Alexander
• Voris James
• Arana Mark
• Silverman Leon
• Korpinen Tuomo

Classifications

• H04N21/43079

  of additional data with content streams on multiple devices · CPC title

• H04N21/2143

  located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum (arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106) · CPC title

• H04W4/18 Primary

  Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals · CPC title

• H04N21/25891

  being end-user preferences (retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18) · CPC title

• H04N21/4126

  The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones · CPC title