US 7,391,791 B2 · Method and system for synchronization of content rendering

Abstract

A method and system for synchronizing the rendering of content at various rendering devices. Each rendering device has a device time and a rendering time. The synchronization system designates one of the rendering devices as a master rendering device and designates all other rendering devices as slave rendering devices. Each slave rendering device adjusts the rendering of its content to keep it in synchronization with the rendering of the content at the master rendering device. The master rendering device sends a message with its rendering time and corresponding device time to the slave rendering devices. Each slave rendering device, upon receiving the message from the master rendering device, determines whether it is synchronized with the master rendering time. If not, the slave rendering device adjusts the rendering of its content to compensate for the difference between the master rendering time and the slave rendering time.

Claims27

Dependent claims

A method for synchronizing a rendering of a content provided by a source at one or more devices which are nodes of a network, the content having a rendering time, the method comprising:

designating one of the one or more devices a master device, the master device having a master device time and a master rendering time;
designating remaining devices among one of the one or more devices as at least one slave device, the at least one slave device having a slave device time and a slave rendering time;
receiving the content for rendering by the master and at least one slave device;
sending from the master device to the at least one slave device an indication of when the master device renders content corresponding to the master rendering time;
determining a master device time domain, a slave device time domain, and a source time domain;
determining whether a time domain differential exists between the master rendering time, the slave rendering time;
and
adjusting, based on the received indication, the rendering of the content at the at least one slave device within the slave device time domain and in proportion to the time domain differential when present to account for variation between when the master device and the at least one slave device to render content that should be rendered at the same time.

5 more elements

A method for synchronizing rendering of content at devices which are nodes of network, each device having a device time and a rendering time, the device time of a device being in a time domain of the device, the method comprising:

designating one of the devices as a master device having a master rendering time and the one or more slave devices having a slave rendering time;
sending to each device content to be rendered at that device synchronized with the content sent to the other devices;
sending from the master device to the one or more slave devices a master device time corresponding to the master rendering time of the master device;
and upon receiving the sent master device time at the one or more slave devices,
exchanging time domain information between the master and one or more slave devices;
determining at least one time domain differential between the master rendering time and the slave rendering time between the master device and the one or more slave devices;
adjusting the rendering of the content at the one or more slave devices to account for a difference in the slave rendering time and the master rendering time calculated based on the master device time adjusted for a difference in time domains of the one or more slave devices and the master device.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and system for synchronization of content rendering

Life of this patent

Method and system for synchronization of content rendering

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims27