| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20080216120 | PROGRAM GUIDE SYSTEM FOR RECORDING TELEVISION PROGRAMS - An interactive program guide system is provided. The system facilitates recording of programs selected from the program guide. The system handles the recording and viewing of pay programs, parentally-controlled programs, consecutive programs on different television channels, and programs with and without copy protection. Programs may be recorded using combination television videocassette recorder (TV/VCR) units. | 09-04-2008 |
| 20080228733 | Method and System for Determining Content Treatment - Metadata determines treatment of content by automated systems, including “user generated content” web sites. The metadata may be conveyed with the content or may be determined by other techniques, including systems based on digital watermarking or content fingerprinting. In some arrangements, treatment depends on the temporal length of a content excerpt that matches a pre-existing work. In others, treatment depends on popularity—either of the content, or a pre-existing work from which it was derived. A great variety of other factors and contexts can also be considered. Automated tools to preliminarily identify possible “fair use” can be realized; further determination may be made by human evaluators (including crowd-source approaches). | 09-18-2008 |
| 20090187435 | SECURITY METHODS EMPLOYING DRIVERS LICENSES AND OTHER DOCUMENTS - Driver's licenses and other security documents include one or more machine-readable features, each conveying plural bits of information. These features are used in a variety of ways to increase security, and/or to enhance functionality. In one embodiment, data encoded on a driver's license is used at airport check-in, to link to a state DMV database and obtain information by which the document, and its custodian, can be authenticated. In like fashion, a license can be used to authenticate a bearer and/or his/her age prior to the sale of alcohol or tobacco products. In other embodiments, different elements of a driver's license (e.g., the substrate, photo, text data, and machine-readable data) are logically bound together (e.g., interlinked through payloads conveyed by different machine-readable features) as a deterrent against counterfeiting. Driver's licenses can be similarly logically bound to personal checks and other documents. Many other arrangements are also disclosed. | 07-23-2009 |
| 20090252401 | Methods, Objects and Apparatus Employing Machine Readable Data - The present invention relates generally to steganography and data hiding. One claim recites an object including: electronic processing circuitry having an operating or performance metric associated therewith; and steganographic indicia carried by the object, the steganographic indicia is usable as an index to verify the operating or performance metric. Another claim recites an apparatus including: electronic memory; and machine-readable indicia usable as a registry index including data that provides an indication regarding an expected capacity of the electronic memory. Other combinations are described and claimed as well. | 10-08-2009 |
| 20100119208 | CONTENT INTERACTION METHODS AND SYSTEMS EMPLOYING PORTABLE DEVICES - A portable device, such as a cell phone, is used to “forage” media content from a user's environment. For example, it may listen to a television viewed by a traveler in an airport lounge. By reference to digital watermark or other data extracted from the content, the device can identify the television program, and enable a variety of actions. For example, the device may instruct a DVR to record the remainder of the television program—or determine when the program will be rebroadcast, and instruct the DVR to record the program in its entirety at that later time. The device may also identify content that preceded (or follows) the foraged content. Thus, a user who tunes-in just at the end of an exciting sporting event can capture one of the following commercials, identify the preceding program, and download same for later viewing. In other aspects, a cell phone can be used as a “second screen,” through which a user can interact with ambient content—such as reviewing electronic program guide data, or enjoying interactive television features. A great variety of other functions and arrangements are also detailed. | 05-13-2010 |
| 20100150395 | Data Transmission by Extracted or Calculated Identifying Data - The present invention relates to data transmission, and more particularly relates to use of extracted or calculated identifying data as proxies in transmission. One claim recites a method including: receiving identifying data and information from a handheld device, the identifying data having been calculated from audible portions or video portions of first content utilizing at least a programmed electronic processor housed within the handheld device, in which the handheld device comprises a media player for rendering audio or video content to a user of the handheld device, and the information comprises capabilities associated with the handheld device; with reference to a database, determining additional content, enhanced or improved relative to the first content, that is associated with: i) the identifying data, and ii) the information; and providing metadata associated with the additional content to the handheld device. These techniques could be advantageously applied to cell phones. Of course, other combinations and claims are also provided. | 06-17-2010 |
| 20100154001 | INTERACTIVE TELEVISION PROGRAM GUIDE SYSTEM WITH OPERATOR SHOWCASE - A system is provided in which an interactive television program guide is implemented on user television equipment such as a set-top box. The program guide provides an operator showcase in the form of one or more operator showcase television listings screens, each of which contains a set of television listings information. The sets of television listings information are generated by querying a database of television listings data in a database in the set-top box. Each database query is based on content criteria previously selected by the cable system operator or other service provider. The service provider is also able to define the format with which the television listings information is displayed in the television listings screens. A title and logos may also be selected by the service provider for each screen. The operator showcase television listings screens may therefore by customized and branded by the service provider. The user may access multiple operator showcase television listings screens using a centralized operator showcase menu. | 06-17-2010 |
| 20100172540 | Synchronizing Rendering of Multimedia Content - Auxiliary data encoded in multimedia content signals synchronizes rendering of different media content types in multimedia content. This auxiliary data includes one or more digital watermarks that are used to synchronize playback of the different media content signals. The digital watermarks identify different media signals, identify rendering locations, such as temporal or spatial areas in a first signal where the media signal is to be rendered, or provide rendering control scripts for controlling playback. | 07-08-2010 |
| 20100179859 | Method and System for Facilitating On-Line Shopping - A shopper is presented with a customized online store whose inventory is defined by the shopper. In one embodiment, specification of the inventory is conducted in a bricks and mortar store—either during checkout, or by the shopper walking the aisles and scanning items with a barcode scanner pen or the like. The inventory may be defined—at least in part—by scanning items in the shopper's home. A variety of other novel features useful in on-line shopping are also disclosed. | 07-15-2010 |
| 20100199314 | METHODS EMPLOYING STORED PREFERENCE DATA TO IDENTIFY VIDEO OF INTEREST TO A CONSUMER - The picture information of video can be used in various ways to identify the video or its topical subject matter. This enables numerous novel arrangements in which particular video of interest to a particular consumer can be discerned. Preference data for the consumer, by which video of interest is identified, can be shared with third parties, e.g., in exchange for a fee. A variety of other embodiments and features are also detailed. | 08-05-2010 |
| 20100205628 | MEDIA PROCESSING METHODS AND ARRANGEMENTS - The present technology concerns cell phones and other portable devices, and more particularly concerns use of such devices in connection with media content (electronic and physical) and with other systems (e.g., televisions, digital video recorders, and electronic program directories). Some aspects of the technology allow users to easily transfer displayed content from cell phone screens onto a television screens for easier viewing, or vice versa for content portability. Others enable users to participate interactively in entertainment content, such as by submitting plot directions, audio input, character names, etc., yielding more engaging, immersive, user experiences. Still other aspects of the technology involve a program directory database, compiled automatically from information reported by network nodes that watch and identify content traffic passing into (and/or out of) networked computers. By identifying content resident at a number of different repositories (e.g., web sites, TV networks, P2P systems, etc.), such a directory allows cell phone users to identify the diversity of sources from which desired content can be obtained—some available on a scheduled basis, others available on demand. Depending on the application, the directory information may be transparent to the user—serving to identify sources for desired content, from which application software can pick for content downloading, based, e.g., on context and stored profile data. A great number of other features and arrangements are also detailed. | 08-12-2010 |
| 20100310119 | Methods Employing Topical Subject Criteria in Video Processing - The picture information of video can be used in various ways to identify the video or its topical subject matter. This enables numerous novel arrangements in which particular video of interest to a particular consumer can be discerned. A variety of other embodiments and features are also detailed. | 12-09-2010 |
| 20100325673 | INTERACTIVE TELEVISION PROGRAM GUIDE SYSTEM WITH PAY PROGRAM PACKAGE PROMOTION - A system is provided that allows a user to select a pay program for purchase from a program guide. The program guide determines whether the selected program is part of a package of pay programs. If the selected program is part of a package, information regarding the package is provided to the user so that the user may decide whether to purchase the package. If the selected program is part of several packages, information for all packages is provided. The system automatically sets reminders for packages containing repetitive programming. The system monitors whether the user has watched any of the programs in such packages. When the user watches a program from the package, the remaining reminders are cancelled. If a user does not watch any programs in a package of any type, purchase of the package is cancelled and the user is provided with the opportunity to reschedule. | 12-23-2010 |
| 20110098029 | SENSOR-BASED MOBILE SEARCH, RELATED METHODS AND SYSTEMS - A smart phone senses audio, imagery, and/or other stimulus from a user's environment, and acts autonomously to fulfill inferred or anticipated user desires. In one aspect, the detailed technology concerns phone-based cognition of a scene viewed by the phone's camera. The image processing tasks applied to the scene can be selected from among various alternatives by reference to resource costs, resource constraints, other stimulus information (e.g., audio), task substitutability, etc. The phone can apply more or less resources to an image processing task depending on how successfully the task is proceeding, or based on the user's apparent interest in the task. In some arrangements, data may be referred to the cloud for analysis, or for gleaning. Cognition, and identification of appropriate device response(s), can be aided by collateral information, such as context. A great number of other features and arrangements are also detailed. | 04-28-2011 |
| 20110098056 | INTUITIVE COMPUTING METHODS AND SYSTEMS - A smart phone senses audio, imagery, and/or other stimulus from a user's environment, and acts autonomously to fulfill inferred or anticipated user desires. In one aspect, the detailed technology concerns phone-based cognition of a scene viewed by the phone's camera. The image processing tasks applied to the scene can be selected from among various alternatives by reference to resource costs, resource constraints, other stimulus information (e.g., audio), task substitutability, etc. The phone can apply more or less resources to an image processing task depending on how successfully the task is proceeding, or based on the user's apparent interest in the task. In some arrangements, data may be referred to the cloud for analysis, or for gleaning. Cognition, and identification of appropriate device response(s), can be aided by collateral information, such as context. A great number of other features and arrangements are also detailed. | 04-28-2011 |
| 20110159921 | METHODS AND ARRANGEMENTS EMPLOYING SENSOR-EQUIPPED SMART PHONES - The present technology concerns improvements to smart phones and related sensor-equipped systems. Some embodiments relate to smart phone-assisted commuting, e.g., by bicycle. Some involve novel human-computer interactions, e.g., using tactile grammars—some of which may be customized by users. Others involve spoken clues, e.g., by which a user can assist a smart phone in identifying what portion of imagery captured by a smart phone camera should be processed, or identifying what type of image processing should be conducted. Some arrangements include the degradation of captured content information in accordance with privacy rules, which may be location-dependent, or based on the unusualness of the captured content, or responsive to later consultation of the stored content information by the user. A great variety of other features and arrangements are also detailed. | 06-30-2011 |
| 20110161076 | Intuitive Computing Methods and Systems - A smart phone senses audio, imagery, and/or other stimulus from a user's environment, and acts autonomously to fulfill inferred or anticipated user desires. In one aspect, the detailed technology concerns phone-based cognition of a scene viewed by the phone's camera. The image processing tasks applied to the scene can be selected from among various alternatives by reference to resource costs, resource constraints, other stimulus information (e.g., audio), task substitutability, etc. The phone can apply more or less resources to an image processing task depending on how successfully the task is proceeding, or based on the user's apparent interest in the task. In some arrangements, data may be referred to the cloud for analysis, or for gleaning. Cognition, and identification of appropriate device response(s), can be aided by collateral information, such as context. A great number of other features and arrangements are also detailed. | 06-30-2011 |
