# US 12,192,549 B2 · Method and system for providing social media content synchronized to media presentation

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- Number: US 12,192,549 B2
- Document ID: US12192549B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/317,884
- Filed: 2023-05-15
- Published: 2023-09-07
- Granted: 2025-01-07
- Earliest claimed: 2012-11-16
- Assignees: ESW Holdings, Inc.
- Applicants: ESW Holdings, Inc.
- Inventors: Aslam Khader; Larry Alan Westerman
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12192549B2

## 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 21/2665: Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
- H04N 21/4302: {Content synchronisation processes, e.g. decoder synchronisation}
- H04N 21/43072: {of multiple content streams on the same device}
- H04N 21/4325: {by playing back content from the storage medium (reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79)}
- H04N 21/433: Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
- H04N 21/435: Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
- H04N 21/4524: {involving the geographical location of the client (retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00)}
- 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 21/4622: {Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet (web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859)}
- H04N 21/47202: {for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand}
- 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 21/84: Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors {(systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73)}
- H04N 21/8547: involving timestamps for synchronizing content
- H04N 21/231: Content storage operation, e.g. caching movies for short term storage, replicating data over plural servers, prioritizing data for deletion
- H04N 21/235: Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
- 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 21/6125: {involving transmission via Internet (transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82)}
- H04N 21/6175: {involving transmission via Internet (broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82)}
- H04N 21/6582: {Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number (arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38)}
- H04N 21/6587: Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

A computer system provides a method for delivering a video stream to a viewer and delivering, in synchrony with the video stream, social media content created during the current and previous viewings of the video stream by first-time viewers of the video stream.

## Claims

### Claim 1

In a computer system, a method for playback of a video stream together with associated media content, the method comprising:
presenting a video stream for display on a first user device;
retrieving from storage first media content associated with the video stream along with a first media offset time stamp relative to the video stream;
presenting the first media content to a second user device at a time in the video stream corresponding to a time indicated by the first media offset time stamp;
receiving from a third user device second media content associated with the video stream;
determining if the second media content is generated by a naïve viewer; and if the second media content is generated by a naïve viewer of the video stream:
associating a second media offset time stamp relative to the video stream with the second media content;
storing the second media content with the associated second media offset time stamp; and
presenting the second media content to the second user device.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining if the second media content is generated by a naïve viewer of the video stream is responsive to a determination that a time zone of the third user device is different than a time zone of the first user device.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining if the second media content is generated by a naïve viewer of the video stream is responsive to a determination that the third user device was a source of any of the stored first media content with a time stamp later than the relative time of the second media content.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second media content are conveyed to the second user device by a means different than the means by which the video stream is conveyed to the first user device.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second user devices are the same device.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the second and third user devices are the same device.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the first, second and third user devices are the same device.

### Claim 8

A system for presentation of video content, the system comprising:
a stream server module configured to serve a video stream to a first user device; a media content storage and retrieval module configured to store and retrieve
media content associated with the video stream and a time stamp of media content creation relative to a time of the associated video stream;
a content presentation module configured to retrieve the media content from the media content storage and retrieval module responsive to a media offset time of the video stream and present the media content to a second user device;
a content receiver module configured to receive media content from a third user device; and
a content analysis module configured to determine if received media content was created by a näive viewer;
wherein the system is operative to:
serve a video stream from the stream server module to the first user device;
synchronous with the presentation of the video stream, retrieve associated first media content from the media content storage and retrieval module based on the media offset time of the video stream and present the retrieved first media content to the second user device using the content presentation module;
during the presentation of the video stream, receive at the content receiver module second media content associated with the video stream from the third user device;
upon receipt of the second media content, determine using the content analysis module whether the second media content received from the third user device was created by a naïve viewer of the video stream; and
upon determining that the received second media content was created by a naïve viewer of the video stream, store the received second media content with an associated media offset time stamp using the media content storage and retrieval module and present the received second media content to the second user device using the content presentation module.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the content server module is a DVD or Blu-ray disc player.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the content presentation module is configured to receive relative timing information from the stream server module.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the content presentation module is configured to receive relative timing information from the first user device.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the content analysis module is configured to determine if the second media content is created by a naïve viewer of the video stream based on whether a time zone of the third user device is different than a time zone of the first user device.

### Claim 13 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the content analysis module is configured to determine if the second media content is created by a naïve viewer of the video stream based on whether any of the stored first media content was created by an author of the second media content at a relative time later than the relative time of the second media content.

### Claim 14 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the content analysis module is configured to determine if the second media content is created by a naïve viewer of the video stream based on whether any of the stored first media content was received from the third user device at a relative time later than the relative time of the second media content.

### Claim 15 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the first and second media content are conveyed to the second user device by a means different than the means by which the video stream is conveyed to the first user device.

### Claim 16 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the first and second user devices are the same device.

### Claim 17 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the second and third user devices are the same device.

### Claim 18 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the first, second and third user devices are the same device.