Dynamic Media Repackaging via Segmented File Queues

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional methods for providing media content with embedded additional content, such as advertisements or songs, face challenges in ensuring accurate playback on third-party devices, particularly in pausing and resuming playback within tens of milliseconds, and managing licensing rights across different jurisdictions.

Innovation Solution

The system repackages primary media content items by creating a queue of separate files that include insertion points for secondary media content items, allowing dynamic selection and insertion of advertisements or songs without pausing the primary content, ensuring seamless playback across devices and respecting licensing rights.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If additional content is baked-in to the primary media content, then the media content provider ensures licensing compliance and content availability, but the media content provider loses flexibility to update or skip advertisements and cannot provide dynamic personalized content

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveflexibility to update or skip advertisementsVSAvoidlicensing compliance and content availability

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the media content delivery into separate components: the primary media content item and the additional content items are delivered as separate files. The media player receives the primary content and additional content separately, then combines them during playback. This segmentation allows the media content provider to update or skip additional content (improving adaptability) while maintaining licensing compliance through controlled delivery (preserving reliability).

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements dynamic content injection where the media player can selectively insert additional content items into the primary media content during playback based on real-time conditions such as user preferences, location, and licensing status. This dynamic approach allows flexibility to update or skip advertisements while maintaining reliability through controlled insertion points that ensure licensing compliance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Adaptability or versatility

If the media providing service pauses playback to insert additional content, then the additional content can be played, but the playback accuracy deteriorates on third-party devices with timing errors of tens of milliseconds

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveability to insert additional contentVSAvoidplayback timing accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-defining insertion points in the primary media content where additional content should be played. The media player receives instructions about these predetermined insertion points along with the primary content. This allows the player to prepare for content insertion in advance, maintaining timing accuracy by knowing exactly when to pause and resume, thereby resolving the timing precision issue on third-party devices.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Ease of operation

If the media content provider wants to provide dynamic personalized advertisements, then user experience improves, but the complexity of managing content delivery and licensing increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser experienceVSAvoidcontent delivery and licensing management

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary system consisting of the media player and a content management server that handles the complexity of dynamic content selection and licensing. The media player acts as an intermediary between the user device and the content source, automatically selecting and inserting appropriate additional content based on user profiles and licensing information. This intermediary approach improves user experience through personalized content while managing complexity centrally on the server side.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS20220417578A1Systems and methods for on-the-fly repackaging

Publication Date: 2022.12.29 SPOTIFY

AI summary

An electronic device associated with a media-providing service receives a first media item and a request, from a second device, for playback of the first media content item. The electronic device determines an insertion time within the first media content item for inserting a second media content item, and generates a queue indicating an order in which a first, second, and third file are to be provided. The first file corresponds to a portion of the first media content item from a start of the first media content item until the insertion time, the second file corresponds to the second media content item, and the third file corresponds to a portion of the first media content item starting at the insertion time. The electronic device generates the files, and queues the second electronic device to play back the first, second, and the third files in accordance with the queue.