# US 8,473,996 B2 · Apparatus and methods for syndication of on-demand video

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 8,473,996 B2
- Document ID: US8473996B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 12/726,318
- Filed: 2010-03-17
- Published: 2010-09-23
- Granted: 2013-06-25
- Earliest claimed: 2009-03-17
- Assignees: Activevideo Networks, Inc.
- Applicants: Donald Gordon; Hsuehmin Li; Ellen Rose Fratzke
- Inventors: Donald Gordon; Hsuehmin Li; Ellen Rose Fratzke
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8473996B2

## CPC

- H04N 21/44012: {involving rendering scenes according to scene graphs, e.g. MPEG-4 scene graphs}
- H04N 21/23412: {for generating or manipulating the scene composition of objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects}
- H04N 21/8153: {comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image}
- H04N 21/8543: using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] {(information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80)}
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

Metadata are provided to video generators using a syndication protocol, so that the video generators may produce interactive video content for television subscribers. Metadata relating to source media content are transformed in a computer process from a storage format into a syndication format. Relevant metadata to transform are chosen to reflect the type of interactivity desired by a television service provider and the demands of the video generation process. The transformed metadata are published according to a syndication protocol, so that another computer process that participates in the protocol may generate the interactive video content using the metadata, the source media content, and subscriber commands.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for providing interactive video content to a subscriber device based on a media asset, the media asset including source media content and associated source media metadata, the media metadata being encoded in a storage format that conforms to a media metadata specification, the method comprising:
receiving the media asset from a data communication network;
in a first computer process, transforming at least a portion of the metadata from the storage format into a syndication format that conforms to a syndication metadata specification;
publishing the transformed metadata to a plurality of interactive video content generators according to a syndication protocol; and
in a second computer process, at least one of the plurality of interactive video content generators generating interactive video content that includes at least a portion of the transformed metadata in response to receiving a request for the interactive video content from the subscriber device.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein receiving the metadata includes receiving a data package comprising the metadata.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method according to claim 2, wherein receiving the data package includes receiving a collection of data packages including the data package.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the data communication network includes the Internet, a satellite network, a local area network, a wide area network, a storage area network, or network attached storage.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the metadata includes information identifying a location from which the media asset may be retrieved.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the media metadata specification is an Asset Distribution Interface specification.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the syndication metadata specification is an RSS specification.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the syndication protocol is an RSS protocol.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein generating video content includes encoding the content according to an MPEG specification.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method according to claim 9, wherein encoding the content according to an MPEG specification includes stitching together a plurality of MPEG video streams according to a graphics layout template.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method according to claim 10, further comprising distributing the encoded video content to a given user for display on a user display device.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method according to claim 11, wherein distributing the encoded video content includes distributing over a wide area network, a satellite network, a broadcast network, a cable network, or the Internet.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The method according to claim 11, further comprising:
receiving an electronic command relating to the distributed video content from a user interface associated with the user display device; and
in a computer process, generating second interactive video content from at least the transformed metadata and the electronic command.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method according to claim 13, wherein the second video content is also generated from the source media.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the video content is also generated from the source media.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the second computer process comprises an MPEG Object.

### Claim 17

A computer program product comprising a tangible, computer-readable medium having thereon non-transitory computer program code for instructing a computer processor to perform a method for providing interactive video content to a subscriber device based on a media asset, the media asset including source media content and associated source media metadata, the media metadata being encoded in a storage format that conforms to a media metadata specification, the product including:
program code for receiving the media asset from a data communication network;
program code for transforming, in a first computer process, at least a portion of the metadata from the storage format into a syndication format that conforms to a syndication metadata specification;
program code for publishing the transformed metadata to a plurality of interactive video content generators according to a syndication protocol; and
program code for generating, in a second computer process in at least one of the plurality of interactive video content generators, interactive video content that includes at least a portion of the transformed metadata, in response to receiving a request for the interactive video content from the subscriber device.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The computer program product according to claim 17, further comprising program code for receiving a data package comprising the metadata.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The computer program product according to claim 18, further comprising program code for receiving a collection of data packages comprising the data package.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein the data communication network includes the Internet, a satellite network, a local area network, a wide area network, a storage area network, or network attached storage.

### Claim 21 (depends on 17)

The computer program product according to claim 17, further comprising program code for parsing the metadata to obtain information identifying a location from which the media asset may be retrieved.

### Claim 22 (depends on 17)

The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein the media metadata specification is an Asset Distribution Interface specification.

### Claim 23 (depends on 17)

The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein the syndication metadata specification is an RSS specification

### Claim 24 (depends on 17)

The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein the syndication protocol is an RSS protocol.

### Claim 25 (depends on 17)

The computer program product according to claim 17, further comprising program code for encoding the content according to an MPEG specification.

### Claim 26 (depends on 25)

The computer program product according to claim 25, further comprising program code for stitching together a plurality of MPEG video streams according to a graphics layout template.

### Claim 27 (depends on 26)

The computer program product according to claim 26, further comprising program code for distributing the encoded video content to a given user for display on a user display device.

### Claim 28 (depends on 27)

The computer program product according to claim 27, wherein distributing the encoded video content includes distributing over the Internet, a wide area network, a satellite network, a broadcast network, or a cable network.

### Claim 29 (depends on 27)

The computer program product according to claim 27, further comprising:
program code for receiving an electronic command relating to the distributed video content from a user interface associated with the user display device; and
program code for generating, in a computer process, second interactive video content from the transformed metadata and the electronic command.

### Claim 30 (depends on 29)

The computer program product according to claim 29, further comprising program code for generating the video content from the source media.

### Claim 31 (depends on 17)

The computer program product according to claim 17, further comprising program code for generating the video content from the source media.

### Claim 32 (depends on 17)

The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein the second computer process comprises an MPEG Object.

### Claim 33

A system for providing interactive video content to a subscriber device based on a media asset, the media asset including source media content and associated source media metadata, the media metadata being encoded in a storage format that conforms to a media metadata specification, the system comprising:
an interface port for receiving the media asset from a data communication network;
a first processor module, operatively coupled with the interface port, for
(1) transforming at least a portion of the metadata from the storage format into a syndication format that conforms to a syndication metadata specification, and
(2) publishing the transformed metadata to a plurality of interactive video content generators according to a syndication protocol; and
a second processor module in at least one of the plurality of interactive video content generators for generating interactive video content that includes at least a portion of the transformed metadata in response to receiving a request for the interactive video content from the subscriber device.

### Claim 34 (depends on 33)

The system of claim 33, wherein the interface port is an Ethernet port.

### Claim 35 (depends on 33)

The system of claim 33, wherein the first processor module comprises a microprocessor.

### Claim 36 (depends on 35)

The system of claim 35, wherein the second processor module comprises a microprocessor.

### Claim 37 (depends on 33)

The system of claim 33, further comprising a local area network or a wide area network for operatively coupling the first processor module to the second processor module.