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US 8,302,143 B2Granted
Watermarked media content in IPTV or iTV networks
AssigneeAT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
InventorsTroy C. Meuninck, Oleg Kashapov
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a server having a controller to manage a library of pointers to altered media content, and enable a network element of an interactive media network to access additional media content responsive to detecting a selection of the watermark at the network element. The altered media content is created by embedding a watermark in media content presentable at the network element. Other embodiments are disclosed.
Claims25
A method at a set top box, comprising:
- altering, by a system including at least one processor, media content from a procured channel in an internet protocol television network by providing a watermark in the media content, wherein the watermark comprises an embedded link to additional media content and wherein the media content and watermark comprises first altered media content;
- invoking, by the system, an editor to associate the watermark with one or more metadata pointers that point to the additional media content according to the embedded link to generate a first group of one or more metadata pointers;
- receiving, by the system, a user selection of the watermark in the first altered media content;
- accessing, by the system, according to the first group of one or more metadata pointers the additional media content from a computer having access to the internet protocol television network responsive to the user selection of the watermark, wherein the additional media content replaces portions of the first altered media content to form second altered media content which includes portions of the first altered media content and the additional media content;
- storing, by the system, the second altered media content;
- creating, by the system, one or more metadata pointers that point to the second altered media content to generate a second group of one or more metadata pointers;
- and
- sending, by the system, a library comprising at least one of the first group or the second group of one or more metadata pointers, or both to a server for use in presentation of a media on demand option for access to at least the second altered media content by user devices having access to the internet protocol television network and wherein a selection of the watermark in the first altered media content by one or more of the user devices invokes access to at least one of the additional media content or the second altered media content via at least one or more metadata pointers of the library.
5 more elements
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising computer instructions, which when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:
- embedding a watermark in media content for presentation at a rendering device supported by an interactive television network using an editor to associate the watermark with one or more metadata pointers that point to additional media content according to an embedded link of the watermark to generate a group of one or more metadata pointers, wherein the watermark comprises the embedded link to the additional media content which is used to modify the media content when the watermark is selected by accessing via the one or more metadata pointers the additional media content based on a content exchange between the rendering device and a computer having access to a procured channel on the interactive television network to produce altered media content;
- and
- store the group of one or more metadata pointers, wherein a selection of the watermark by one or more user devices having access to the interactive television network invokes access to at least the altered media content containing the additional media content associated with the watermark, thereby producing the altered media content at the one or more user devices.
A media processor, comprising:
- a memory storing computer instructions;
- and
- a controller coupled to the memory, wherein when the controller, responsive to executing the computer instructions, performs operations comprising:
- receiving media content from an interactive television network, wherein the media content contains a watermark having an embedded link to access additional media content, wherein an editor associates the watermark with a pointer and wherein the pointer points to the additional media content;
- accessing the additional media content responsive to a detected selection of the watermark wherein the media content is modified responsive to the detected selection by replacing a portion of the media content with the additional media content transmitted between the controller and a computer having access to a procured channel of the interactive television network to form altered media content;
- storing the altered media content;
- creating one or more pointers that point to the altered media content;
- and
- sending a library comprising at least the second pointer or the second pointer and the first pointer to a server for use in presentation of a media on demand option for access to at least the altered media content by user devices having access to the internet protocol television network and wherein a selection of the watermark by one or more of the user devices invokes access to at least the altered media content via at least one or more pointers of the library.
6 more elements
A server, comprising:
- a memory comprising computer instructions;
- a controller coupled to the memory, wherein the controller when executing the computer instructions performs operations comprising:
- embedding a watermark in media content for presentation at a rendering device supported by an interactive television network using an editor to associate the watermark with one or more metadata pointers that point to additional media content according to an embedded link of the watermark to generate a group of one or more metadata pointers, wherein the watermark comprises the embedded link to the additional media content which is used to modify the media content when the watermark is selected by accessing via the one or more metadata pointers the additional media content based on a content exchange between the rendering device and a computer having access to a procured channel on the interactive television network to produce altered media content;
- and
- storing the group of one or more metadata pointers, wherein a selection of the watermark by one or more user devices having access to the interactive television network invokes access to the altered media content containing the additional media content associated with the watermark, thereby producing the altered media content at the one or more user devices.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.