# US 10,375,429 B1 · Virtual communal viewing of television content > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,375,429 B1 - Document ID: US10375429B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 15/257,509 - Filed: 2016-09-06 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2011-03-08 - Assignees: CSC Holdings, LLC - Applicants: CSC Holdings, LLC - Inventors: Jonathan Greenfield - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10375429B1 ## CPC - H04N 21/242: Synchronisation processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Programme Clock References] {(arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18)} - H04N 21/2387: Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play - H04N 21/25883: {being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address (arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52)} - H04N 21/25891: {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)} - H04N 21/4532: {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)} - H04N 21/47202: {for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand} - H04N 21/47217: {for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks (specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312)} - H04N 21/4753: {for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password (cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08)} - H04N 21/4788: 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)} - H04N 21/6131: {involving transmission via a mobile phone network (wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006)} - H04N 21/6181: {involving transmission via a mobile phone network (arrangements for providing broadcast or conference services to substation in data switching networks in combination with wireless systems H04L12/189; wireless uplink channel access H04W74/004)} - H04N 21/6587: Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection - H04N 21/812: {involving advertisement data (advertising per se G06Q30/02)} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract System, method, and computer program product embodiments are described for viewing synchronized content. An embodiment operates by establishing a viewing party to view synchronized content. Then, viewing party characteristics associated with the viewing party are received. Then, a piece of content relevant to the one or more viewers of the viewing party is selected using the received viewing party characteristics. Then, the embodiments operates by synchronizing display of the selected piece of content at set-top boxes (STBs) of corresponding viewers in the viewing party, where control of the synchronously displayed piece of content is provided to one or more viewers within the viewing party. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method, comprising: establishing a viewing party to view synchronized content, the viewing party including a plurality of viewers; receiving viewing party characteristics associated with the viewing party; using the received viewing party characteristics to select a piece of content relevant to the plurality of viewers of the viewing party; and synchronizing display of the selected piece of content at set-top boxes (STBs) of corresponding viewers in the viewing party, wherein control of the synchronously displayed piece of content is provided to one or more viewers within the viewing party. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the selected piece of content is advertisement content. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the selected piece of content is selected by a first STB from the STBs associated with the viewing party. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising: requesting the STBs to select the piece of content selected by the first STB for synchronous display. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: requesting one or more servers to select the same piece of content for sending to each STB of the viewing party. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the viewing party characteristics include information related to one or more of: demographics associated with the viewing party, psychographics associated with the viewing party, a location associated with the viewing party, a number of viewers in the viewing party, or an existence of the viewing party. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: enabling voice communication between each viewer in the viewing party. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more viewers within the viewing party are allowed to control the synchronization of the content to each viewer according to an assigned priority. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more viewers within the viewing party are allowed to control the synchronization of the piece of content to each viewer in response to one of the following commands: ordering, pause, rewind, instant replay, skip back, fast forward, skip ahead, play or stop. ### Claim 10 A system, comprising: a user interface that enables establishing a viewing party that includes a plurality of users to view synchronized content; and a head end controller configured to: receive viewing party characteristics associated with the viewing party, use the received viewing party characteristics to select a piece of content relevant to the plurality of viewers of the viewing party, and synchronize display of the selected piece of content at set-top boxes (STBs) of corresponding viewers in the viewing party, wherein control of the synchronously displayed piece of content is provided to one or more viewers within the viewing party. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the selected piece of content is advertisement content. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the selected piece of content is selected by a first STB from the STBs associated with the viewing party. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the head end controller is further configured to request the STBs to select the piece of content selected by the first STB for synchronous display. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the head end controller is further configured to request one or more servers to select the same piece of content for sending to each STB of the viewing party. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the viewing party characteristics include information related to one or more of: demographics associated with the viewing party, psychographics associated with the viewing party, a location associated with the viewing party, a number of viewers in the viewing party, or an existence of the viewing party. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more viewers within the viewing party are allowed to control the synchronization of the content to each viewer according to an assigned priority. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more viewers within the viewing party are allowed to control the synchronization of the piece of content to each viewer in response to one of the following commands: ordering, pause, rewind, instant replay, skip back, fast forward, skip ahead, play or stop. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the head end controller is further configured to provide information about: a list of accessible viewing parties associated with a program of interest of a first viewer from the one or more viewers, a list of accessible viewing parties associated with a currently-tuned channel or program of the first viewer, or a list of viewers who are tuned to the currently-tuned channel or program of the first viewer. ### Claim 19 A non-transitory computer-readable device having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one computing device, cause the at least one computing device to perform operations comprising: establishing a viewing party to view synchronized content, the viewing party including a plurality of viewers; receiving viewing party characteristics associated with the viewing party; using the received viewing party characteristics to select a piece of content relevant to the plurality of viewers of the viewing party; and synchronizing display of the selected piece of content at set-top boxes of corresponding viewers in the viewing party, wherein control of the synchronously displayed piece of content is provided to one or more viewers within the viewing party.