Informational banner customization and overlay with other channels

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9924236-B2
Application number	US-201514933818-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 5, 2015
Priority date	Nov 5, 2015
Publication date	Mar 20, 2018
Grant date	Mar 20, 2018

Abstract

Embodiments are directed towards extracting an informational banner from a first source and combining it with video content from a second source. The informational banner may be a news ticker, a scoreboard, an informational window of a program, etc. The informational banner is selected or identified from the first source using one or more different automated or user-selectable methods. The extracted informational banner is combined with video content from the second source at a display location that is automatically determined or selected by a user. The combined content is then provided to a display device for presentation to the user.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving first video content having program content and an informational banner, wherein the program content and the informational banner are to be presented together in an image area of the first video content;
identifying metadata associated with the first video content, the metadata including information that defines a size and pixel location of the informational banner in the image area of the first video content;
overlaying, based on the size and the pixel location of the informational banner defined in the metadata, a plurality of guide lines on the image area of the first video content for presentation to the user on a display device;
receiving input from the user to modify a position of each of the plurality of guide lines;
defining a first informational banner in the first video content based on the position of a first set of the plurality of guide lines;
defining a second informational banner in the first video content based on the position of a second set of the plurality of guide lines;
extracting the defined first informational banner from the first video content;
extracting the defined second informational banner from the first video content;
receiving second video content for presentation on the display device having a display area;
selecting a first display location for the extracted first informational banner within the display area of the display device;
selecting a second display location for the extracted second informational banner within the display area of the display device, the second display location being selected independently from selecting the first display location;
generating display content by combining the second video content and the extracted first and second informational banners with the extracted first informational banner positioned at the selected first display location and the extracted second informational banner positioned at the selected second display location; and
providing the display content to the display device for presentation to a user, having the second video content display simultaneously with the extracted first and second informational banners from the first video content.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the informational banner includes a news ticker, a scoreboard, or an informational window of a program.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a remainder of the display area of the display device based on a size of the extracted first and second informational banners; and
modifying the second video content to fit within the remainder of the display area such that the second video content and the extracted first and second informational banners do not overlap when combined to generate the display content.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the display content further comprises overlaying the extracted first and second informational banners on the second video content so as to cover a portion of the second video content.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising manipulating at least one of a size, a color, a rotation, a position, or a border of the extracted first informational banner prior to combining with the second video content.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first display location includes a size and pixel location of the extracted first informational banner in the display area.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the defined first informational banner is identified by a size and pixel location in the first video content.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the display content further comprises:
preventing at least the first informational banner from being combined with the second video content when the program content of the first video content is a commercial.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
storing at least the extracted first informational banner prior to receiving the second video content; and
pausing the storing of the extracted first informational banner during commercials in the program content of the first video content so as to remove non-informational banner content that is present during the commercials from the stored extracted first informational banner.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting the display location for the extracted first informational banner further comprises:
analyzing the second video content to determine if the second video content contains a second informational banner; and
if the second video content includes the second informational banner, setting the first display location for the extracted first-informational banner to be adjacent to the second informational banner without overlapping the second informational banner;
if the second video content does not include the second informational banner, setting the first display location for the extracted first informational banner based on a user-defined display location.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting the display location for the extracted first informational banner further comprises:
analyzing the second video content to determine if the second video content contains a second informational banner; and
if the second video content includes the second informational banner, extracting the second informational banner, setting the first display location for the extracted first informational banner to be at a bottom of the display area and setting another display location for the extracted second informational banner adjacent to the first informational banner without overlapping the first informational banner;
if the second video content does not include the second informational banner, setting the first display location for the extracted first informational banner based on a user-defined display location.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
prior to receiving the first video content:
storing the second video content for future playback;
receiving a request to play the stored second video content;
determining that the stored second video content includes another informational banner; and
identifying the first video content based on the other informational banner, wherein the informational banner in the first video content includes current information; and

wherein the extracted first informational banner includes the current information and is combined with the stored second video content to generate the display content.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first video content and the second video content are from a same channel such that the other informational banner includes old information and is replaced with the current information from the extracted first informational banner from the first video content.

14. A television receiver, comprising:
a memory that stores instructions; and
a processor that executes the instructions to:
receive first video content with metadata that defines a size and pixel location of a first informational banner in the first video content;
overlay, based on the size and the pixel location of the first informational banner, a plurality of guide lines on the first video content;
provide the first video content overlaid with the plurality of guide lines to a display device for presentation to a user, a position of at least a portion of the plurality of guide lines on the first video content being manipulatable by the user;
receive input from the user to modify the position of at least one of the plurality of guide lines on the first video content;
select the first informational banner from the first video content based on the position of a first set of the plurality

Assignees

• Echostar Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Nguyen Phuc H
• Bruhn Christopher William

Classifications

• H04N21/4314

  for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid · CPC title

• H04N21/44008

  involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream (arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59) · CPC title

• H04N21/4263

  involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners · CPC title

• H04N21/4886 Primary

  for displaying a ticker, e.g. scrolling banner for news, stock exchange, weather data · CPC title

• H04N21/4334

  Recording operations (recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27) · CPC title