US-12621528-B2 - Systems and methods for real-time segment notification

US12621528B2US 12621528 B2US12621528 B2US 12621528B2US-12621528-B2

Abstract

There are provided systems and methods for providing real-time media topic notifications. In particular, a selection of a topic within a media stream is received from a user associated with a first user device in an environment. User preferences for the selected upcoming media topic is received from the user via the first user device. A status of the upcoming media topic within the media stream is determined to cause a playing of the upcoming media topic. One or more actions to indicate the playing of the upcoming media topic to the user is executed based on the user preferences.

Inventors

Charles Dasher
Reda Harb

Assignees

ADEIA GUIDES INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20231215

Claims (20)

1 . A method for providing real-time notifications of media topics within a media content item, the method comprising: analyzing the media content item during output of the media content item on a first device, wherein the media content item is a live media content item; based, at least in part, on analyzing the media content item, identifying, using control circuitry, one or more topics that are to appear in a subsequent portion of the media content item; generating for display, using control circuitry, one or more identifiers corresponding to the one or more topics on the first device; receiving a selection of an identifier of the one or more identifiers corresponding to a particular topic of the one or more topics; in response to receiving the selection, generating for display, using control circuitry, a timeline indicating a presentation status of a particular segment corresponding to the particular topic on the first device; determining, using control circuitry, whether the output of the media content item has reached the particular segment; and in response to determining that the output of the media content item has reached the particular segment: updating, using control circuitry, the presentation status of the particular segment on the timeline; and transmitting a notification indicating that the output of the media content item has reached the particular segment.
2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising: executing, on the first device, one or more actions to indicate that the output of the media content item has reached the particular segment based on a user preference setting.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the one or more actions comprise any one or a combination of: providing an indication on a user interface of the first device, adjusting a volume of the first device, altering a graphical representation of the presentation status of the particular segment on the user interface of the first device, and causing the output of the particular segment on a second device.
4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising: determining a location of a user within a viewing environment; determining a proximity of the user to a second device in the viewing environment in response to determining that the location of the user is outside a pre-determined distance from a location of the first device; and causing the second device to play the particular segment of the media content item in response to determining that the proximity of the user is within a pre-determined distance to the second device.
5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein causing the second device to play the particular segment of the media content item comprises: generating configuration data corresponding to the second device, wherein the configuration data comprises a start time of the particular segment within the media content item; and transmitting the configuration data to the second device to initiate play of the particular segment of the media content item at the second device.
6 . The method of claim 4 , wherein causing the second device to play the particular segment of the media content item comprises: transmitting, via a central gateway, a multicast address to the second device; and routing, via the central gateway, a portion of the media content item corresponding to the particular topic to the second device based on the multicast address, wherein the portion comprises the particular segment.
7 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the user preference setting comprises at least one of: identifiers of one or more second devices for sending a notification relating to playing a portion of the media content item corresponding to the particular topic, interruption times, interruption preferences, and at least one user-preferred media topic.
8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising: generating a set of recommendations of subsequent topics within the media content item based at least in part on the particular topic.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein analyzing the media content item comprises performing at least one of: converting audio information of the media content item into a textual format; analyzing visual transitions in the media content item; and processing at least one of the textual format and the visual transitions to identify one or more keywords or phrases indicating the one or more upcoming topics within the media content item.
10 . A system for providing real-time notifications of media topics within a media content item, the system comprising control circuitry configured to: analyze the media content item during output of the media content item on a first device, wherein the media content item is a live media content item; based, at least in part, on analyzing the media content item, identify one or more topics that are to appear in a subsequent portion of the media content item; generate for display one or more identifiers corresponding to the one or more topics on the first device; receive a selection of an identifier of the one or more identifiers corresponding to a particular topic of the one or more topics; in response to receiving the selection, generate for display a timeline indicating a presentation status of a particular segment corresponding to the particular topic on the first device; determine whether output of the media content item has reached the particular segment; and in response to determining that the output of the media content item has reached the particular segment: update the presentation status of the particular segment on the timeline; transmit a notification indicating that the output of the media content item has reached the particular segment.
11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to: execute, on the first device, one or more actions to indicate that the output of the media content item has reached the particular segment based on a user preference setting.
12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more actions comprise any one or a combination of: providing an indication on a user interface of the first device, adjusting a volume of the first device, altering a graphical representation of the presentation status of the particular segment on the user interface of the first device, and causing the output of the particular segment on a second device.
13 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to: determine a location of a user within a viewing environment; determine a proximity of the user to a second device in the viewing environment in response to determining that the location of the user is outside a pre-determined distance from a location of the first device; and cause the second device to play the particular segment of the media content item in response to determining that the proximity of the user is within a pre-determined distance to the second device.
14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to: generate configuration data corresponding to the second device, wherein the configuration data comprises a start time of the particular segment within the media content item; and transmit the configuration data to the second device to initiate play of the particular segment of the media content item at the second device.
15 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to: transmit, via a central gateway, a multicast address to the second device; and route, via the central gateway, a portion of the media content item corresponding to the particular topic to the second device based on the multicast address, wherein the portion comprises the particular segment.
16 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the user preference setting comprises at least one of: identifiers of one or more second devices for sending a notification relating to playing a portion of the media content item corresponding to the particular topic, interruption times, interruption preferences, and at least one user-preferred media topic.
17 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to: generate a set of recommendations of subsequent topics within the media content item based at least in part on the particular topic.
18 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to analyze the media content item by: converting audio information of the media content item into a textual format; analyzing visual transitions in the media content item; and processing at least one of the textual format and the visual transitions to identify one or more keywords or phrases indicating the one or more upcoming topics within the media content item.
19 . The method of claim 1 , wherein: generating for display the timeline indicating the presentation status of the particular segment comprises generating for display a timepoint estimating a start time of the particular segment within the media content item; and updating the presentation status of the particular segment comprises updating the timepoint to a time when the output of the media content item reached the particular segment.
20 . The system of claim 10 , wherein control circuitry is configured to: generate for display the timeline indicating the presentation status of the particular segment by generating for display a timepoint estimating a start time of the particular segment within the media content item; and update the presentation status of the particular segment by updating the timepoint to a time when the output of the media content item reached the particular segment.

Description

BACKGROUND The present disclosure relates to the field of media content tracking and interaction, and more particularly, to systems and methods for detecting and providing notifications related to upcoming media segments in a media stream in real-time to the user. SUMMARY Live television transmissions have conventionally used a strategy of teasing upcoming segments to engage viewers. This strategy involves a brief preview of intriguing content slated for later segments of a program with the primary intent of retaining the attention of the viewer. However, in real-world scenarios, viewers often find themselves distracted or preoccupied, leading to missed content, even if it was eagerly anticipated. While certain viewers might have access to replay features, sifting through an entire broadcast to locate a specific teased segment can be cumbersome. Existing approaches in the realm of enhancing live viewing experiences have provided interactive media guidance, e.g., allowing users to track and replay content that has already been aired. While these existing approaches may improve the viewer experience, they fail to provide an effective mechanism for viewers to track and access teased segments or topics of interest in real-time. Therefore, there is a need for a solution that seamlessly connects these enticing previews with the actual viewing experience, making content more accessible, and thus more captivating to the viewer. Accordingly, systems and methods are disclosed herein to improve upon and further overcome the shortcomings of existing systems and methods. The present disclosure relates to a field of media content tracking and interaction, and more particularly, to systems and methods for detecting and providing notifications related to upcoming media segments in a media transmission in real-time. In a first aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a method for providing real-time notifications of media topics within a media stream, the method comprising: determining, using control circuitry, a topic in a segment, e.g., an upcoming segment, or a portion of the content, of a media content item, e.g., a currently presented media content item; determining, using control circuitry, whether the topic of the segment matches a stored topic setting, for example a user preference; in response to determining that the topic matches the stored topic setting, generating, using control circuitry, a timeline indicating a presentation status of the segment; determining, using control circuitry, whether the segment is being currently presented, for example, by performing real time analysis of a live transmission or streamed content; and in response to determining that the segment is being currently presented, updating, using control circuitry, the presentation status of the segment on the timeline, for example, adding timestamps/timecodes to the timeline. In some examples, the method further comprises generating a timeline of segments that are ‘Coming Up.’ In this way, an upcoming topic(s) can be selected or subscribed to. The method may further comprise updating a progress bar to reflect the chosen topic(s). In this way, users are presented with available topics later in the show, as the show progresses. In some examples, the method further comprises executing one or more actions to indicate the playback of the upcoming media topic to the user based on user preferences. In some examples, the one or more actions comprise one or more of flashing of an indicator on a user interface of the first user device, increasing a volume of the first user device, altering a graphical representation of the selected upcoming media topic on the user interface of the first user device, sending a notification to the user across one or more second user devices within the environment based on the user preferences, and routing the playback of the upcoming media topic to the one or more second user devices based on the user preferences. In some examples, the method further comprises determining a location of the user within the environment, determining a presence of the user in proximity to a second user device in the environment based on the location of the user, wherein the location of the user is outside a pre-determined distance range from a location of the first user device; and triggering the second user device to playback the media content item corresponding to the selected upcoming media topic based on the determination of the presence of the user in proximity of the second user device. In some examples, triggering, by the control circuitry, the second user device may include dynamically generating, by the control circuitry, configuration data corresponding to the second user device, wherein the configuration data may include a start time and an end time of a portion of the media content item corresponding to the selected upcoming media topic; and transmitting, by the control circuitry, the configuration data to the second user devi