Portable Media Device Captures Graphical Artifacts for Supplemental Data

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Solution Overview

Problem

There is a need to allow users to access information related to a presented media content event without disrupting the presentation to other viewers, especially in scenarios where the user is interested in supplemental information like titles, actor names, or closed captions.

Innovation Solution

A portable media device equipped with an image capture device captures images or video clips of graphical artifacts displayed on a screen during a media content event, identifies the machine-readable data within these artifacts, and performs operations based on that data, such as retrieving supplemental information from a remote system.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If a user accesses supplemental information about a media content event by pausing or stopping the presentation, then the user can obtain information like titles, actor names, or closed captions, but the presentation of the media content event to other viewers is disrupted

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesupplemental information accessVSAvoidpresentation continuity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

A portable media device serves as an intermediary between the primary display system and the user. It captures images of the display, identifies graphical artifacts containing machine-readable data, and presents supplemental information on its own display, allowing users to access information without interrupting the main presentation for other viewers

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The solution transitions from a two-dimensional interaction with the primary display to a three-dimensional approach by using the portable device's camera to capture spatial information from the display and presenting it on a separate portable interface, enabling simultaneous main presentation and supplemental information access

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Loss of information

If graphical artifacts with machine-readable data are displayed concurrently with media content, then users can access supplemental information without disturbing others, but the device complexity increases due to image capture and processing requirements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesupplemental information accessVSAvoidimage capture and processing capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The portable media device leverages its existing multi-functional capabilities (camera, display, processor) originally designed for other purposes, applying them to the new function of capturing and decoding graphical artifacts. This avoids adding dedicated specialized hardware while achieving the supplemental information access goal

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS12238373B2Apparatus, systems and methods for accessing information based on an image presented on a display

Publication Date: 2025.02.25 DISH TECHNOLOGIES LLC

AI summary

Systems and methods are operable to control operation of a portable media device based on machine readable information of a graphical artifact shown on a display concurrently with presentation of a video portion of a media content event. A portable media device, using a portable media device provisioned with an image capture device, captures at least one image that includes the display that is presenting the graphical artifact and the video portion of the media content event, identifies the graphical artifact in the captured at least one image, determines the machine readable data based on the identified graphical artifact, and operates the portable media device to perform at least one operation based on the determined machine readable data.