Employing Automatic Content Recognition to Allow Resumption of Watching Interrupted Media Program From Television Broadcast

A system comprising:

• data processing hardware;
• and
• memory hardware in communication with the data processing hardware, the memory hardware storing instructions that when executed on the data processing hardware cause the data processing hardware to perform operations comprising:
• detecting a viewing cessation of a media program communicated from a source, upon which the media program was previously stored, to a media device;
• determining a location of the viewing cessation based on a cessation query fingerprint communicated from the media device, wherein the cessation query fingerprint is associated with sequential frames of media content associated with the media program and is generated by the media device;
• in response to detecting the viewing cessation, storing in a database a record indicating that the viewing cessation of the media program on the channel occurred, wherein the stored record specifies (i) the source associated with the media program and (ii) the location of the viewing cessation within the media program;
• detecting a user-initiated viewing recommencement of the channel of the media device;
• and
• in response to detecting the user-initiated viewing recommencement of the channel, and an availability of record indicating that the viewing cessation of the media program on the channel occurred, the record specifying (i) the source associated with the media program and (ii) the location of the viewing cessation within the media program associated with the viewing cessation is stored in a database:
• indicating that the viewing cessation of the media program on the channel occurred, and
• communicating, with the media device, to indicate (i) the source associated with the media program and (ii) the location of the viewing cessation within the media program, and to cause the media device to display an overlay, wherein the overlay is configured to receive input that causes the media device to stream the media program from the indicated source starting at the location of the viewing cessation.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a data processing hardware to cause the data processing hardware to perform operations comprising:

• detecting a viewing cessation of a media program communicated from a source, upon which the media program was previously stored, to a media device via a channel of the media device according to a schedule;
• determining a location of the viewing cessation based on a cessation query fingerprint communicated from the media device, wherein the cessation query fingerprint is associated with sequential frames of media content associated with the media program and is generated by the media device;
• in response to detecting the viewing cessation, storing in a database a record indicating that the viewing cessation of the media program on the channel occurred, wherein the stored record specifies (i) the source associated with the media program and (ii) the location of the viewing cessation within the media program;
• detecting a user-initiated viewing recommencement of the channel of the media device;
• and
• in response to detecting the user-initiated viewing recommencement of the channel, and an availability of record indicating that the viewing cessation of the media program on the channel occurred, the record specifying (i) the source associated with the media program and (ii) the location of the viewing cessation within the media program associated with the viewing cessation is stored in a database:
• indicating that the viewing cessation of the media program on the channel occurred, and
• communicating, with the media device, to indicate (i) the source associated with the media program and (ii) the location of the viewing cessation within the media program, and to cause the media device to display an overlay, wherein the overlay is configured to receive input that causes the media device to stream the media program from the indicated source starting at the location of the viewing cessation.