Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DELAYED PAUSING
Background
[0001] The present disclosure relates to user interfaces and controls, and in
particular,
to systems and methods for delaying pause of the play of a media asset.
Summary
[0002] Whether it is to allow a user to pause a movie to go make popcorn or
pause a
television show to answer a phone call, being able to pause a media asset has
become
expected in today's entertainment systems. When a user presses pause, using a
remote or
a button, current technologies translate the pushed button into a command to
be executed
on a central processing unit. However, there are many situations where current
pausing
technologies are wholly inadequate and inconvenient for a user. For example,
forced
advertisements embedded into media assets are a cornerstone of many streaming
services.
If the user issues a command (e.g., fast-forward, skip, pause) during forced
advertisements, the forced advertisements prohibit the central processing unit
from
executing the command. This makes the user unable to step away from the media
asset
without the risk of missing some of the media asset. In another example, a
user may wish
to pause a movie during the next break in action but is afraid that they will
either forget
or not know an appropriate time to pause. Due to the technical challenges
involved,
current pausing techniques lack a dynamic system that can respond to the
evolving
demands of a user viewing media content.
[0003] Accordingly, techniques are disclosed herein for improved systems and
methods
for delaying pause of play of a media asset. Various embodiments disclosed
herein
provide for receiving a command from a user to pause play of a media asset. In
response
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to detecting a condition corresponding to a segment of the media asset, the
system delays
pause of play of the media asset until after the segment is complete. Once the
segment
has completed, the system pauses the media asset. For example, the media asset
may be
a television show, such as "Doctor Who," divided into a number of segments,
wherein
.. some of the segments can be forced advertisements. When presented with a
segment that
is a forced advertisement, a user may wish to go make some food (or do some
other
activity) without missing any "Doctor Who." The user can press pause, and the
system
detects a condition associated with the forced advertisement segment, wherein
the
condition does not allow the central processing unit to execute commands
during the
.. segment. In response to detecting the condition, the system delays
executing the pause
command by keeping the pause command in a queue to be executed by the central
processing unit after the forced advertisement segment is complete. Once the
forced
advertisement is complete, the system executes the pause command and pauses
"Doctor
Who," ensuring that the user does not miss any of the show.
[0004] Various disclosed embodiments provide receiving a command from a user
to
pause a media asset. A determination about whether the command was received
during a
sequence within the media asset is made, wherein the sequence comprises a
sequence of
action or a sequence of dialog. In response to the determination that the
command was
received during a sequence, the system delays the pausing of the play of the
media asset
.. until after the sequence is complete. After the sequence is complete, the
system will pause
the media asset. For example, the media asset may be a movie, such as "The
Matrix
Revolutions," divided into a number of segments, wherein some of the segments
are action
scenes. During an action scene, a user may wish to pause the movie during the
next break
in action but is afraid they will either forget to issue a pause command or
not know an
appropriate time during the movie to pause. The user can issue a pause
command, and
the system detects that the command was received during a sequence of action.
In
response to detecting that the pause command was issued during an action
sequence, the
system delays executing the pause command by keeping the pause command in a
queue
to be executed by the central processing unit after the action sequence is
complete. Once
.. the action sequence is complete, the system executes the pause command and
pauses "The
Matrix Revolutions," allowing the user to take a break without interrupting a
pivotal action
scene and ensuring an optimal viewing experience for the user.
Brief Description of the Drawings
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[0005] The below and other objects and advantages of the disclosure will be
apparent
upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction
with the
accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts
throughout, and in which:
[0006] FIGS. 1A-1C show illustrative diagrams of user devices delaying pause
of play
of a media asset, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure;
[0007] FIG. 2 shows an illustrative diagram of a user device delaying pause of
play of
a media asset, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure;
[0008] FIG. 3 shows an illustrative block diagram of a user equipment (UE)
device
.. system, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure;
[0009] FIG. 4 shows an illustrative block diagram of a media system, in
accordance
with embodiments of the disclosure;
[0010] FIG. 5 is an illustrative flowchart of a process for delaying pause of
play, in
accordance with embodiments of the disclosure;
[0011] FIG. 6 is an illustrative flowchart of a process for detecting a
condition
corresponding to a segment of a media asset, in accordance with embodiments of
the
disclosure.
[0012] FIG. 7 is an illustrative flowchart of a process for delaying the pause
of the
play of the media asset, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure;
[0013] FIG. 8 is an illustrative flowchart of a process for delaying pause of
play of a
media asset, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure; and
[0014] FIG. 9 is an illustrative flowchart of a process for determining
whether a
command is received during a sequence within the media asset, in accordance
with
embodiments of the disclosure.
Detailed Description
[0015] FIG. 1A shows an illustrative diagram 100 of user device 102 delaying
pause of
play of a media asset, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure. In
this example,
a media asset may be playing on a user device 102. Although a television is
used in this
example a user device may be any device capable of sharing a media asset, such
as
televisions, laptops, tablets, smartphones, or similar devices capable of
playing a media
asset. A media asset may be any type of media including television programs,
movies,
audio books, podcasts, playlists, songs, videos, audio, images or similar
content, and any
combination thereof. In some embodiments, a media asset includes or is divided
into one
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or more segments. Segments may include advertisements, announcements,
instructions,
and/or similar such content. In one embodiment, a user device 102 stops
playback of a
media asset and displays a segment after a time period. In other embodiments,
after the
media asset has played for a period of time, the user device 102 displays a
segment. For
example, after a user has been viewing a media asset for ten minutes, the user
device 102
will cause a segment to be displayed to the user. In one embodiment, the user
device 102
is caused to display a segment by a server or other user device as discussed
below. In
FIG. 1A a user is viewing the media asset "Doctor Who," when the user device
102
displays a segment.
.. [0016] In this embodiment, the segment is a forced advertisement 104, and
during the
forced advertisement 104 the user issues a pause command by pressing the pause
button
112. In one embodiment, when the user issues a pause command, a user can be
presented
with a user interface such as shown in FIG. 1C to issue a pause command, e.g.,
pause after
playing a segment. In response to receiving the pause command, the user device
102
.. detects if there are any conditions associated with the advertisement 104
being played. In
this embodiment, the user device 102 detects that the segment is a forced
advertisement
104, which prohibits the user device 102 from executing a pause command. In
response
to detecting the condition, the user device 102 delays the pausing of play of
the media
asset until after the segment is complete. In this embodiment, after delaying
the pause
command, the user device 102 displays a message 106 for the user indicating
that the
media asset will pause after the segment is complete. In an embodiment, once
the
advertisement 104 has ended, the user device 102 pauses the play of "Doctor
Who."
[0017] FIG. 1B shows an illustrative diagram of a user device 102 delaying
pause of
play of a media asset, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure. In
one
embodiment, a media asset includes one or more sequences in the media asset,
wherein a
sequence includes events in the media asset that reveal important plot
elements. For
example, a sequence could include details of the conclusion of a plot or
storyline, plot
twists, character deaths, climatic events, dialog, and similar such events. In
other
embodiments, sequences of a media asset are identified by metadata of the
media asset.
In some embodiments, sequences of a media asset are identified using trained
machine
learning models. In an embodiment, the user device 102 is displaying a
sequence of a
media asset, wherein the media asset is "The Matrix Revolutions" and the
sequence is a
climatic action scene 108. During the climatic action scene 108 the user
device 102
receives a pause command from the user and determines, using metadata
associated with
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the media asset, that the pause command was received during a sequence of
action. In
response to determining that the command was received during the sequence, the
user
device 102 delays the pausing of play of the media asset until after the
sequence is
completed. In some embodiments, after delaying the pause command, the user
device 102
displays a message 110 for the user indicating that the media asset will pause
after the
sequence is complete. In an embodiment, once the climatic action scene 104 has
ended,
the user device 102 pauses the play of "The Matrix Revolutions."
[0018] FIG. 1C shows an illustrative diagram of a user device 102 delaying
pause of
play of a media asset, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure. In
this
embodiment, a user is viewing the media asset "Doctor Who" when the user
device 102
displays a segment. In this embodiment, the segment is a forced advertisement
114, and
during the forced advertisement 114, the user issues a pause command by
pressing the
pause button 112. In one embodiment, when the user issues a pause command, a
user can
be presented with a pause now option 116 and a pause after segment option 118.
In an
embodiment, if the user selects the pause now option 116, the user device 102
executes
the pause command, pausing the segment. In another embodiment, if the user
selects the
pause after segment option 118, the user device 102 delays the pause of play
of the media
asset until after the segment is complete. In other embodiments, additional
options can be
added, for example, an option allowing a user to select a time period
indicating how long
the pause of play will be delayed (e.g., 45 seconds).
[0019] FIG. 2 shows an illustrative diagram 200 of user device 202 delaying
pause of
play of a media asset, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure. In an
embodiment, the user device 202 is displaying a sequence of a media asset,
wherein the
media asset is "The Matrix Revolutions" and the sequence is a climatic action
scene 204.
During the climatic action scene 204, the user device 202 receives a pause
command from
the user and determines, using metadata associated with the media asset, that
the pause
command was received during a sequence of action. In response to determining
that the
command was received during the sequence, the user device 202 delays the
pausing of
play of the media asset until after the sequence is completed. In some
embodiments, after
delaying the pause command, the user device 202 displays a message 206 for the
user
indicating that the media asset will pause after the sequence is complete. In
an
embodiment, once the climatic action scene 204 has ended, the user device 202
pauses the
play of "The Matrix Revolutions." In some embodiments, after delaying the
pause
command, the user device 202 displays a pause anyway option 208. In an
embodiment,
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the user device 202 allows a user to select the pause anyway option 208 which
overrides
the delaying of the pause. When the user issues the override command, the user
device
202 executes the pause command without delay. In some embodiments, before or
after
delaying the pause command, the user device 210 displays a custom delay option
210. In
.. an embodiment, when the user selects the custom delay option, the user
device 202 allows
a user to select a time period indicating how long the pause will be delayed.
For example,
a user could select the custom delay option 210 and set the time period for
delaying the
pause to fifteen minutes. The custom delay option 210 may allow a user to
delay a pause
for any amount of time. In an embodiment, when the user selects the custom
delay option,
.. the user device 202 allows a user to select an option for delaying the
pause after a type of
scene or dialog. For example, the custom delay option 210 may allow a user to
delay a
pause until after a scene has ended.
[0020] FIGS. 3-4 describe exemplary devices, systems, servers, and related
hardware for
delaying pause of play of a media asset, in accordance with one embodiment. In
the
.. system 300, there can be more than one user equipment device 302, but only
one is shown
in FIG. 3 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing. In addition, a user may
utilize more
than one type of user equipment device and more than one of each type of user
equipment
device. In an embodiment, there may be paths between user equipment devices,
so that
the devices may communicate directly with each other via communications paths,
as well
.. as other short-range point-to-point communications paths, such as USB
cables, IEEE 1394
cables, wireless paths (e.g., Bluetooth, infrared, IEEE 802-11x, etc.), or
other short-range
communication via wired or wireless paths. BLUETOOTH is a certification mark
owned
by Bluetooth SIG, INC. In an embodiment, the user equipment devices may also
communicate with each other directly through an indirect path via the
communications
.. network 306.
[0021] The user equipment devices may be coupled to communications network
306.
Namely, the user equipment device 302 is coupled to the communications network
306
via communications path 304. The communications network 306 may be one or more
networks including the Internet, a mobile phone network, mobile voice or data
network
.. (e.g., a 4G or LTE network), cable network, public switched telephone
network, or other
types of communications network or combinations of communications networks.
The
path 304 may separately or in together with other paths include one or more
communications paths, such as, a satellite path, a fiber-optic path, a cable
path, a path that
supports Internet communications (e.g., IP TV), free-space connections (e.g.,
for broadcast
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or other wireless signals), or any other suitable wired or wireless
communications path or
combination of such paths. In one embodiment path 304 can be a wireless path.
Communications with the user equipment device may be provided by one or more
communications paths but is shown as a single path in FIG. 3 to avoid
overcomplicating
the drawing.
[0022] The system 300 also includes media content source 312, and server 314,
which
can be coupled to any number of databases providing information to the user
equipment
devices. The media content source 312 represents any computer-accessible
source of
content, such as a storage for audio content, metadata, or, similar such
information. The
server 314 may store and execute various software modules for implementing the
delaying
pause of play functionality. In some embodiments, the user equipment device
302, media
content source 312, and server 314 may store metadata associated with a media
asset.
[0023] FIG. 4 shows a generalized embodiment of a user equipment device 400,
in
accordance with one embodiment. In an embodiment, the user equipment device
400 is
the same user equipment device 302 of FIG. 3. The user equipment device 400
may
receive content and data via input/output (hereinafter "I/0") path 402. The
I/0 path 402
may provide audio content (e.g., broadcast programming, on-demand programming,
Internet content, content available over a local area network (LAN) or wide
area network
(WAN), and/or other content) and data to control circuitry 404, which includes
processing
circuitry 406 and a storage 408. The control circuitry 404 may be used to send
and receive
commands, requests, and other suitable data using the I/0 path 402. The I/0
path 402
may connect the control circuitry 404 (and specifically the processing
circuitry 406) to
one or more communications paths. I/0 functions may be provided by one or more
of
these communications paths but are shown as a single path in FIG. 4 to avoid
overcomplicating the drawing.
[0024] The control circuitry 404 may be based on any suitable processing
circuitry such
as the processing circuitry 406. As referred to herein, processing circuitry
should be
understood to mean circuitry based on one or more microprocessors,
microcontrollers,
digital signal processors, programmable logic devices, field-programmable gate
arrays
(FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc., and may
include a multi-
core processor (e.g., dual-core, quad-core, hexa-core, or any suitable number
of cores) or
supercomputer. In some embodiments, processing circuitry may be distributed
across
multiple separate processors or processing units, for example, multiple of the
same type
of processing units (e.g., two Intel Core i7 processors) or multiple different
processors
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(e.g., an Intel Core i5 processor and an Intel Core i7 processor). The delay
of pause
functionality can be at least partially implemented using the control
circuitry 404. The
delay of pause functionality described herein may be implemented in or
supported by any
suitable software, hardware, or combination thereof The delay of pause
functionality can
be implemented on user equipment, on remote servers, or across both.
[0025] In client/server-based embodiments, the control circuitry 404 may
include
communications circuitry suitable for communicating with one or more servers
that may
at least implement the described delay of pause functionality. The
instructions for
carrying out the above-mentioned functionality may be stored on the one or
more servers.
Communications circuitry may include a cable modem, an integrated service
digital
network (ISDN) modem, a digital subscriber line (DSL) modem, a telephone
modem, an
Ethernet card, or a wireless modem for communications with other equipment, or
any
other suitable communications circuitry. Such communications may involve the
Internet
or any other suitable communications networks or paths. In addition,
communications
circuitry may include circuitry that enables peer-to-peer communication of
user
equipment devices, or communication of user equipment devices in locations
remote from
each other (described in more detail below).
[0026] Memory may be an electronic storage device provided as the storage 408
that is
part of the control circuitry 404. As referred to herein, the phrase
"electronic storage
device" or "storage device" should be understood to mean any device for
storing
electronic data, computer software, or firmware, such as random-access memory,
read-
only memory, hard drives, optical drives, digital video disc (DVD) recorders,
compact
disc (CD) recorders, BLU-RAY disc (BD) recorders, BLU-RAY 3D disc recorders,
digital
video recorders (DVRs, sometimes called a personal video recorders, or PVRs),
solid-
state devices, quantum storage devices, gaming consoles, gaming media, or any
other
suitable fixed or removable storage devices, and/or any combination of the
same. The
storage 408 may be used to store various types of content described herein.
Nonvolatile
memory may also be used (e.g., to launch a boot-up routine and other
instructions).
Cloud-based storage, described in relation to FIG. 3, may be used to
supplement the
storage 408 or instead of the storage 408.
[0027] The control circuitry 404 may include audio generating circuitry
and tuning
circuitry, such as one or more analog tuners, audio generation circuitry,
filters or any other
suitable tuning or audio circuits or combinations of such circuits. The
control circuitry
404 may also include scaler circuitry for upconverting and down converting
content into
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the preferred output format of the user equipment device 400. The control
circuitry 404
may also include digital-to-analog converter circuitry and analog-to-digital
converter
circuitry for converting between digital and analog signals. The tuning and
encoding
circuitry may be used by the user equipment device 400 to receive and to
display, to play,
or to record content. The circuitry described herein, including, for example,
the tuning,
audio generating, encoding, decoding, encrypting, decrypting, scaler, and
analog/digital
circuitry, may be implemented using software running on one or more general
purpose or
specialized processors. If the storage 408 is provided as a separate device
from the user
equipment device 400, the tuning and encoding circuitry (including multiple
tuners) may
be associated with the storage 408.
[0028] The user may utter instructions to the control circuitry 404, which are
received
by the microphone 416. The microphone 416 may be any microphone (or
microphones)
capable of detecting human speech. The microphone 416 is connected to the
processing
circuitry 406 to transmit detected voice commands and other speech thereto for
processing.
[0029] The user equipment device 400 may optionally include an interface 410.
The
interface 410 may be any suitable user interface, such as a remote control,
mouse,
trackball, keypad, keyboard, touchscreen, touchpad, stylus input, joystick, or
other user
input interfaces. A display 412 may be provided as a stand-alone device or
integrated
with other elements of the user equipment device 400. For example, the display
412 may
be a touchscreen or touch-sensitive display. In such circumstances, the
interface 410 may
be integrated with or combined with the microphone 416. When the interface 410
is
configured with a screen, such a screen may be one or more of a monitor, a
television, a
liquid crystal display (LCD) for a mobile device, active matrix display,
cathode ray tube
display, light-emitting diode display, organic light-emitting diode display,
quantum dot
display, or any other suitable equipment for displaying visual images. In some
embodiments, the interface 410 may be HDTV-capable. In some embodiments, the
display 412 may be a 3D display. The speaker (or speakers) 414 may be provided
as
integrated with other elements of user equipment device 400 or may be a stand-
alone unit.
[0030] The user equipment device 400 of FIG. 4 can be implemented in system
300 of
FIG. 3 as user equipment device 302, but any other type of user equipment
suitable for
delaying of pause may be used. For example, user equipment devices such as
television
equipment, computer equipment, wireless user communication devices, or similar
such
devices may be used. User equipment devices may be part of a network of
devices.
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Various network configurations of devices may be implemented and are discussed
in more
detail below.
[0031] FIG. 5 is an illustrative flowchart of a process 500 for delaying pause
of play of
a media asset, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure. Process 500,
and any
of the following processes, may be executed by control circuitry 404 on a user
equipment
device 400. In some embodiments, control circuitry 404 may be part of a remote
server
separated from the user equipment device 400 by way of a communications
network or
distributed over a combination of both. In some embodiments, instructions for
executing
process 500 may be encoded onto a non-transitory storage medium (e.g., the
storage 408)
as a set of instructions to be decoded and executed by processing circuitry
(e.g., the
processing circuitry 406). Processing circuitry may, in turn, provide
instructions to other
sub-circuits contained within control circuitry 404, such as the encoding,
decoding,
encrypting, decrypting, scaling, analog/digital conversion circuitry, and the
like. It should
be noted that the process 500, or any step thereof, could be performed on, or
provided by,
any of the devices shown in FIGS. 1A-4. Although the process 500 is
illustrated as
described as a sequence of steps, it is contemplated that various embodiments
of process
500 may be performed in any order or combination and need not include all the
illustrated
steps.
[0032] At 502, the user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404,
receives a
command to pause play of a media asset. In some embodiments, the user
equipment
device 400 receives the command when a user presses pause using a button on a
remote
or on the user equipment device 400. In some embodiments, a user speaks a
command
into the microphone 416 of the user equipment device 400, and the user
equipment device
400 uses natural language processing methods or similar such techniques to
determine a
pause command.
[0033] At 504, the user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404,
detects a
condition corresponding to a segment of the media asset. In some embodiments,
the user
equipment device 400 uses the process 600 for detecting a condition
corresponding to a
segment of a media asset shown in FIG. 6.
[0034] At 506, the user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404, delays
the pause
of play of the media asset based on the detection of a condition in 504. In
some
embodiments, the user equipment device 400 uses the process 700 for delaying
the pause
of play of the media asset based on the detection of a condition shown in FIG.
7.
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[0035] At 508, the user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404, pauses
the play
of the media asset once the segment has ended. In an embodiment, the user
equipment
device 400 executes a pause command in response to detecting that a segment
has ended.
[0036] FIG. 6 is an illustrative flowchart of a process 600 for detecting a
condition
corresponding to a segment of a media asset, in accordance with embodiments of
the
disclosure. At 602, the user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404,
receives a
command to pause play of a media asset using techniques described above.
[0037] At 604, the user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404,
places the
received pause command in a queue. In some embodiments, the queue is located
in any
of the devices described in FIGS. 1A-4. For example, the queue may be located
in storage
408 of the user device.
[0038] At 606, the user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404,
detects if a
segment is playing when the command was received by the user equipment device
400.
In some embodiments, this detection is made by detecting metadata associated
with the
content being displayed on the user equipment device 400. In some embodiments,
the
user equipment device 400 uses pattern recognition techniques to determine if
the content
being displayed is a segment. In some embodiments, the user equipment device
400 uses
a trained machine learning model to determine if the content being displayed
is a segment.
In some embodiments, the content being displayed may be pre-processed and
classified,
e.g., using any appropriate data mining classification algorithm (e.g., Naive
Bayes,
Stochastic Gradient Descent, K-Nearest Neighbors, Decision Tree, Random
Forest,
Neural Networks, Support Vector Machine, etc.). For example, a known data
mining
classification algorithm can be used to classify information relating to the
content being
displayed on the user equipment device 400. After the information is
classified, it may be
stored in, e.g., a classified information database.
[0039] At 608, the user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404,
determines
whether a segment is playing when the command was received by the user
equipment
device 400, based on the detection in step 606. If no segment is detected,
then the user
equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404, executes the queued pause
command. In
an embodiment, the user device 400 determines that no segment is detected,
indicating
that the media asset is playing, therefore the pause command can be executed.
If a
segment is detected, then the process 600 continues to 610.
[0040] At 610, the user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404,
determines if
there is a condition corresponding to the segment. If no condition is
detected, then the
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user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404, executes the queued pause
command.
In some embodiments, the user equipment device 400 uses a set of rules located
in storage
408 to determine if the segment detected in step 606 corresponds to a
condition. In some
embodiments, no condition corresponds to the segment. In such an embodiment,
the user
equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404, executes the queued pause
command. In
some embodiments, the user equipment device 400 uses a trained machine
learning model
to determine if there is a condition corresponding to the segment. In some
embodiments,
the user equipment device 400 uses previous data to determine if there is a
condition
associated with the detected segment. If a condition is detected, then the
process 600
continues to 612.
[0041] At 612, the user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404,
outputs a
condition associated with the segment. In some embodiments, there may be more
than
one condition. In an embodiment, a condition may be that the segment is an
advertisement.
[0042] At 614, the user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404,
executes the
queued pause command.
[0043] FIG. 7 is an illustrative flowchart of a process 700 for delaying the
pause of the
play of the media asset, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure.
[0044] At 702, the user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404,
receives a
condition corresponding to a segment of the media asset using techniques
described
above.
[0045] At 704, the user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404,
determines if the
condition prohibits a pause command. In some embodiments, the user equipment
device
400 uses a set of rules located in storage 408 to determine if the condition
received in step
702 corresponds to prohibiting a pause command. In some embodiments, the
condition
does not correspond to prohibiting a pause command. In such an embodiment, the
user
equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404, executes the queued pause
command. In
some embodiments, the user equipment device 400 uses a trained machine
learning model
to determine if the condition prohibits a pause command. In some embodiments,
the user
equipment device 400 uses previous data to determine if the condition
prohibits a pause
command. For example, if a user equipment device 400 has data indicating that
previous
segments, which are similar to the current segment, resulted in prohibiting a
pause
command, the user equipment device 400 can determine that the current segment
has a
condition that will also prohibit the pause command. If a user equipment
device 400
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determines that a condition prohibits a pause command, then the process 700
continues to
706.
[0046] At 706, the user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404,
detects if the
segment has ended. In some embodiments, this detection is made by detecting
metadata
associated with the content being displayed on the user equipment device 400.
In some
embodiments, the user equipment device 400 uses pattern recognition techniques
to
determine if the segment has ended. In some embodiments, the user equipment
device
400 uses a trained machine learning model to determine if the segment has
completed.
[0047] At 708, the user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404,
determines
whether a segment has completed, based on the detection in step 706. If the
user
equipment device 400 detects that the segment has ended, then the user
equipment device
400, by control circuitry 404, executes the queued pause command at 710. In an
embodiment, if the user device 400 determines that the segment has not
completed, based
on the detection in step 706, then the process 700 continues to step 706 to
detect if the
segment has completed. The steps of 706 and 708 continue until the user
equipment
device 400 determines that the segment has completed. In some embodiments, at
708,
after the user equipment device 400 determines that the segment is not
completed, the user
equipment device 400 delays the process 700 from going to step 706 until after
a time
period. In some embodiments, the time period is determined by the user
equipment device
400 based on the segment. In some embodiments, the time period is a
predetermined time
period not based on the segment.
[0048] At 710, the user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404,
executes the
queued pause command. In some embodiments, once the pause command is executed,
the user equipment device pauses the play of the media device. In some
embodiments,
710 is an output to be sent to one of the devices shown in FIGS 1A-4.
[0049] FIG. 8 is an illustrative flowchart of a process 800 for delaying pause
of play of
a media asset, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure.
[0050] At 802, the user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404,
receives a
command to pause play of a media asset. In some embodiments, the user
equipment
device 400 receives the command when a user presses pause using a button on a
remote
or on the user equipment device 400. In some embodiments, a user speaks a
command
into the microphone 416 of the user equipment device 400, and the user
equipment device
400 uses natural language processing methods or similar such techniques to
determine a
pause command.
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[0051] At 804, the user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404,
determines
whether the command was received during a sequence within the media asset,
wherein
the sequence comprises a sequence of action or a sequence of dialog. In some
embodiments, the user equipment device 400 uses the process 900 for
determining
whether the command was received during a sequence of a media asset as shown
in FIG.
9.
[0052] At 806, the user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404, delays
the pause
of play of the media asset based on the determination in 804. In some
embodiments, the
user equipment device 400 delays the pause of play based on a condition
outputted in 804.
In some embodiments, the user equipment device 400 uses a set of rules located
in storage
408 to determine if the condition received corresponds to prohibiting a pause
command.
In some embodiments, the condition does not correspond to prohibiting a pause
command.
In such an embodiment, the user equipment device 400, by control circuitry
404, executes
the queued pause command. In some embodiments, the user equipment device 400
uses
a trained machine learning model to determine if the condition prohibits a
pause
command. In some embodiments, the user equipment device 400 uses previous data
to
determine if the condition prohibits a pause command. In some embodiments, if
a user
equipment device 400 determines that a condition prohibits a pause command,
then the
user equipment device 400 outputs a command to delay pausing of play until the
sequence
has ended.
[0053] At 808, the user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404, pauses
the play
of the media asset once the sequence has ended, responsive to the command from
806. In
some embodiments, the user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404,
detects if the
sequence has ended. In some embodiments, this detection is made by detecting
metadata
associated with the media asset being displayed on the user equipment device
400. In
some embodiments, the user equipment device 400 uses pattern recognition
techniques to
determine if the sequence has ended. In some embodiments, the user equipment
device
400 uses a trained machine learning model to determine if the sequence has
ended. If the
user equipment device 400 detects that the sequence has ended, then the user
equipment
device 400, by control circuitry 404, pauses play of the media asset. In an
embodiment,
if the user device 400 determines that the sequence has not completed, then
the user
equipment device 400 rechecks, using the techniques described, to determine if
the
sequence has completed. In some embodiments, the user equipment device 400
continues
to recheck until the user equipment device 400 determines that the sequence
has
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completed. In some embodiments, once the user equipment device 400 determines
that
the sequence is not complete, the user equipment device 400 delays rechecking
until after
a time period. In some embodiments, the time period is determined by the user
equipment
device 400 based on the sequence. In some embodiments, the time period is a
predetermined time period not based on the sequence.
[0054] FIG. 9 is an illustrative flowchart of a process 900 for determining
whether a
command is received during a sequence within the media asset, in accordance
with
embodiments of the disclosure.
[0055] At 902 the user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404,
receives a
command to pause play of a media asset using techniques described above.
[0056] At 904, the user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404,
places the
received pause command in a queue. In some embodiments, the queue is located
in any
of the devices described in FIGS. 1A-4. For example, the queue may be located
in storage
408 of the user device.
[0057] At 906, the user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404,
detects if a
sequence is playing when the command was received by the user equipment device
400.
In some embodiments, this detection is made by using any of the methods
described
above, for example, detection of metadata, use of pattern recognition
techniques, use of a
trained machine learning model, similar such methods, or any combination
thereof.
[0058] At 908, the user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404,
determines
whether a sequence is playing when the command was received by the user
equipment
device 400, based on the detection in step 906. If no sequence is detected,
then the user
equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404, executes the queued pause
command at
914. If a sequence is detected, then the process 900 continues to 910.
[0059] At 910, the user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404,
determines if
there is a condition corresponding to the sequence. If no condition is
detected, then the
user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404, executes the queued pause
command
at 914. In some embodiments, the user equipment device 400 uses a set of rules
located
in storage 408 to determine if the sequence detected in step 906 corresponds
to a condition.
For example, a rule may be that if a sequence including a pivotal plot element
is playing,
then pause commands are prohibited until after the detected sequence. In some
embodiments, no condition corresponds to the sequence. In such an embodiment,
the user
equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404, executes the queued pause
command at
914. In some embodiments, the user equipment device 400 uses a trained machine
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learning model to determine if there is a condition corresponding to the
sequence. In some
embodiments, the user equipment device 400 uses previous data to determine if
there is a
condition associated with the detected sequence. If a condition is detected,
then the
process 900 continues to 912.
[0060] At 912, the user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404,
outputs a
condition associated with the sequence. In some embodiments, there may be more
than
one condition. In an embodiment, a condition may be to seek revalidation of a
pause
command before executing pause.
[0061] At 914, the user equipment device 400, by control circuitry 404,
executes the
queued pause command. In some embodiments, once the pause command is executed,
the
user equipment device pauses the play of the media device. In some embodiments
914 is
an output to be sent to one of the devices shown in FIGS 1A-4.
[0062] It is contemplated that some suitable steps or suitable descriptions of
FIGS. 5-9
may be used with other suitable embodiments of this disclosure. In addition,
some suitable
steps and descriptions described in relation to FIGS. 5-9 may be implemented
in
alternative orders or in parallel to further the purposes of this disclosure.
For example,
some suitable steps may be performed in any order or in parallel or
substantially
simultaneously to reduce lag or increase the speed of the system or method.
Some suitable
steps may also be skipped or omitted from the process. Furthermore, it should
be noted
that some suitable devices or equipment discussed in relation to FIGS. 1A-4
could be used
to perform one or more of the steps in FIGS. 5-9.
This specification discloses embodiments which include, but are not limited
to, the
following two sets of items:
Set one
1. A
computer-implemented method for delaying pause, the method comprising
using processing circuitry for:
receiving a command from a user to pause play of a media asset;
in response to detecting a condition corresponding to a segment of the
media asset, delaying the pause of the play of the media asset until after
play of the
segment is completed; and
pausing the play of the media asset once play of the segment has completed.
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2. The method of item 1, wherein the condition is that the segment of the
media asset
is an advertisement.
3. The method of item 1, further comprising generating for output a message
to the
user indicating that the media asset will pause once the segment has
completed.
4. The method of item 1, further comprising providing the user with an
option to
override the condition causing the media asset to pause the play of the media
asset without
a delay.
5. The method of item 1, further comprising providing the user with an
option to
further delay the pause of the play of the media asset according to a time
period selected
by the user.
6. The method of item 1, wherein detecting a condition corresponding to a
segment
of the media asset comprises detecting if the segment is playing.
7. The method of item 1, wherein delaying the pause of the play of the
media asset
until after play of the segment is completed comprises detecting if the
segment has ended.
8. An apparatus comprising:
control circuitry; and
at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs,
the at
least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the control
circuitry,
cause the apparatus to perform at least the following:
receive a command from a user to pause play of a media asset;
in response to detecting a condition corresponding to a segment of the media
asset, delay
the pause of the play of the media asset until after play of the segment is
completed; and
pause the play of the media asset once play of the segment has completed.
9. The apparatus of item 8, wherein the condition is that the segment of
the media
asset is an advertisement.
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10. The apparatus of item 9, wherein the apparatus is further caused to
generate for
output a message to the user indicating that the media asset will pause once
the segment
has completed.
11. The apparatus of item 8, wherein the apparatus is further caused to
provide the
user with an option to override the condition causing the media asset to pause
the play of
the media asset without a delay.
12. The apparatus of item 8, wherein the apparatus is further caused to
provide the
user with an option to further delay the pause of the play of the media asset
according to
a time period selected by the user.
13. The apparatus of item 8, wherein the apparatus is further caused, when
detecting
a condition corresponding to a segment of the media asset, to detect if the
segment is
playing.
14. The apparatus of item 8, wherein the apparatus is further caused, when
delaying
the pause of the play of the media asset until after play of the segment is
completed, to
detect if the segment has ended.
15. A system for delaying pause, the system comprising:
means for receiving a command from a user to pause play of a media asset;
in response to detecting a condition corresponding to a segment of the media
asset, means
for delaying the pause of the play of the media asset until after play of the
segment is
completed; and
means for pausing the play of the media asset once play of the segment has
completed.
16. The system of item 15, wherein the condition is that the segment of the
media asset
is an advertisement.
17. The system of item 16, further comprising means for generating for
output a
message to the user indicating that the media asset will pause once the
segment has
completed.
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18. The system of item 15, further comprising means for providing the user
with an
option to override the condition causing the media asset to pause the play of
the media
asset without a delay.
19. The system of item 15, further comprising means for providing the user
with an
option to further delay the pausing of the play of the media asset according
to a time period
selected by the user.
20. The system of item 15, wherein the means for detecting a condition
corresponding
to a segment of the media asset comprises means for detecting if the segment
is playing.
21. The system of item 15, wherein the means for delaying the pause of the
play of the
media asset until after play of the segment is completed comprises means for
detecting if
the segment has ended.
22. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions encoded
thereon
that when executed by control circuitry causes the control circuitry to:
receive a command from a user to pause play of a media asset;
in response to detecting a condition corresponding to a segment of the media
asset, delay
the pause of the play of the media asset until after play of the segment is
completed; and
pause the play of the media asset once play of the segment has completed.
23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 22, wherein the
condition
is that the segment of the media asset is an advertisement.
24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 23, wherein the
control
circuitry is further configured to generate for output a message to the user
indicating that
the media asset will pause once the segment has completed.
25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 22, wherein the
control
circuitry is further configured to provide the user with an option to override
the condition
causing the media asset to pause the play of the media asset without a delay.
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26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 22, wherein the
control
circuity is further configured to provide the user with an option to further
delay the pausing
of the play of the media asset according to a time period selected by the
user.
27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 22, wherein the
control
circuity is further configured, when detecting a condition corresponding to a
segment of
the media asset, to detect if the segment is playing.
28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 22, wherein the
control
circuity is further configured, when delaying the pause of the play of the
media asset until
after play of the segment is completed, to detect if the segment has ended.
Set two
1. A computer-implemented method for delaying pause, the method
comprising
using processing circuitry for:
receiving a command from a user to pause play of a media asset;
determining whether the command was received during a sequence within the
media asset, wherein the sequence comprises a sequence of action or a sequence
of dialog;
responsive to determining the command was received during the sequence,
.. delaying the pause of the play of the media asset until after play of the
sequence is
completed; and
pausing the play of the media asset once play of the sequence has
completed.
2. The method of item 1, further comprising generating for output a message
to the
user indicating that the media asset will pause once the sequence has
completed.
3. The method of item 2, wherein the output message displays the amount of
time
until the play of the media asset will be paused.
4. The method of item 1, further comprising providing the user with an
option to
override delaying the pause of play.
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5. The method of item 1 further comprising, providing the user with an
option to
further delay the pausing of the play of the media asset according to a time
period selected
by the user.
6. The method of item 1, wherein determining whether the command was
received
during a sequence within the media asset comprises detecting if the sequence
is playing.
7. The method of item 1, wherein delaying the pause of the play of the
media asset
until after play of the sequence is completed comprises detecting if the
sequence has
ended.
8. An apparatus comprising:
control circuitry; and
at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs,
the at
least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the control
circuitry,
cause the apparatus to perform at least the following:
receive a command from a user to pause play of a media asset;
determine whether the command was received during a sequence within
the media asset, wherein the sequence comprises a sequence of action or a
sequence of
dialog;
responsive to determining the command was received during the
sequence, delay the pause of the play of the media asset until after play of
the sequence is
completed; and
pause the play of the media asset once play of the sequence has completed.
9. The apparatus of item 8, wherein the apparatus is further caused to
generate for
output a message to the user indicating that the media asset will pause once
the segment
has completed.
10. The apparatus of item 9, wherein the output message displays the amount
of time
until the play of the media asset will be paused.
11. The apparatus of item 8, wherein the apparatus is further caused to
provide the
user with an option to override the delaying of the pause of play.
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12. The apparatus of item 8, wherein the apparatus is further caused to
provide the
user with an option to further delay the pausing of the play of the media
asset according
to a time period selected by the user.
13. The apparatus of item 8, wherein the apparatus is further caused, when
determining
whether the command was received during a sequence within the media asset, to
detect if
the sequence is playing.
14. The apparatus of item 8, wherein the apparatus is further caused, when
delaying
the pause of the play of the media asset until after play of the sequence is
completed, to
detect if the sequence has ended.
15. A system for delaying pause, the system comprising:
means for receiving a command from a user to pause play of a media asset;
means for determining whether the command was received during a sequence
within the media asset, wherein the sequence comprises a sequence of action or
a sequence
of dialog;
responsive to determining the command was received during the sequence,
means for delaying the pause of the play of the media asset until after play
of the sequence
is completed; and
means for pausing the play of the media asset once play of the sequence has
completed.
16. The system of item 15, further comprising means for generating for
output a
message to the user indicating that the media asset will pause once the
segment has
completed.
17. The system of item 16, wherein the output message displays the amount
of time
until the play of the media asset will be paused.
18. The system of item 15, wherein the control circuity is further
configured to provide
the user with an option to override delaying the pause of play.
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19. The system of item 15, further comprising means for providing the
user with an
option to further delay the pausing of the play of the media asset according
to a time period
selected by the user.
20. The system of item 15, wherein the means for determining whether the
command
was received during a sequence within the media asset comprises means for
detecting if
the sequence is playing.
21. The system of item 15, wherein the means for delaying the pause of the
play of the
media asset until after play of the sequence is completed comprises means for
detecting if
the sequence has ended.
22. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions encoded
thereon
that when executed by control circuitry causes the control circuitry to:
receive a command from a user to pause play of a media asset;
determine whether the command was received during a sequence within the media
asset, wherein the sequence comprises a sequence of action or a sequence of
dialog;
responsive to determining the command was received during the sequence,
delay the pause of the play of the media asset until after play of the
sequence is completed;
and
pause the play of the media asset once play of the sequence has completed.
23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 22, wherein the
control
circuity is further configured to generate for output a message to the user
indicating that
the media asset will pause once the segment has completed.
24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 23, wherein the
output
message displays the amount of time until the play of the media asset will be
paused.
25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 22, wherein the
control
circuity is further configured to provide the user with an option to override
the delaying
of the pause of play.
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26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 22, wherein the
control
circuity is further configured to provide the user with an option to further
delay the pausing
of the play of the media asset according to a time period selected by the
user.
27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 22, wherein the
control
circuity is further configured, when determining whether the command was
received
during the sequence within the media asset, to detect if a sequence is
playing.
28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 22, wherein the
control
.. circuity is further configured, when delaying the pause of the play of the
media asset until
after play of the sequence is completed, to detect if the sequence has ended.
[0063] The processes discussed above are intended to be illustrative and not
limiting.
For instance, the steps of the processes discussed herein may be omitted,
modified,
combined, and/or rearranged, and any additional steps may be performed without
departing from the scope of the invention. More generally, the above
disclosure is meant
to be exemplary and not limiting. Only the claims that follow are meant to set
bounds as
to what the present invention includes. Furthermore, it should be noted that
the features
and limitations described in any one embodiment may be applied to any other
embodiment
.. herein, and flowcharts or examples relating to one embodiment may be
combined with
any other embodiment in a suitable manner, done in different orders, or done
in parallel.
In addition, the systems and methods described herein may be performed in real
time. It
should also be noted that the systems and/or methods described above may be
applied to,
or used in accordance with, other systems and/or methods.
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