- Number
- 11622146
- Published
- 2023-04-04
- Filed
- 2020-10-06
- Assignee
- Disney Enterprises, Inc.
- Inventors
- Comito; Keith et al.
- CPC
- H04N21/8547; H04N21/4302; H04N21/43637; H04N21/4104; G11B27/10; H04N21/44218; H04N21/8545
- Verdict
- Set aside companion-device content feature, business
- Source
- Google Patents · FreePatentsOnline
Abstract
According to one implementation, a method of guiding an interaction between a companion module and a user includes identifying a media content for playout by a media player device, transmitting, to a remote server, an interaction schema request identifying the media content and the companion module, and receiving, from the remote server, behavioral manifest data including an instruction for guiding the interaction between the companion module and the user. Such a method also includes obtaining a play head state of the media player device and a playout timecode state of the media content, and identifying a user interaction behavior for the companion module based on the behavioral manifest data, the play head state of the media player device, and the playout timecode state of the media content.
Background
BACKGROUND (1) Animated television (TV) characters like the Blue Falcons's assistant Dynomutt, Rosie the robot from the Jetsons, and Robo-Dog from the series PAW Patrol testify to the enduring human fascination with the concept of mechanical companionship. In addition, the commonplace actions of children at play, such as dancing with a doll while listening to music, or speaking to a toy while watching TV, reveal the basic desire to share meaningful experiences with a toy based not just on the child's own actions, but also in relation to external stimuli. (2) The electronics and toy industries have attempted to respond to the desire for mechanical companionship with a variety of products. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a solution enabling a device or virtual entity to engage in real-time interactions with a user and media content.
Claims
1. A method of guiding interactions with a user, the method comprising: identifying, by one of a media player or a companion module in wireless communication with the media player, a media content for a playout by the media player, the companion module including at least one of a software or hardware component; transmitting, to a remote server by the one of the companion module or the media player, an interaction schema request identifying the media content and the companion module; receiving, from the remote server by the one of the companion module or the media player, in response to transmitting the interaction schema request to the remote server, a behavioral manifest data guiding the interactions between the companion module and the user during the playout of the media content by the media player, the behavioral manifest data including a plurality of alternative interaction schema versions each including a respective script of the interactions between the companion module and the user, the plurality of alternative interaction schema versions being conditioned upon a playout status of the media content; obtaining, by the one of the companion module or the media player, a play head state of the media player and a playout timecode state of the media content; and identifying, by the one of the companion module or the media player, a user interaction behavior for performance by the companion module based on the behavioral manifest data including the plurality of alternative interaction schema versions conditioned upon the playout status of the media content, the play head state of the media player device, and the playout timecode state of the media content. ||
10. A system for guiding interactions with a user, the system comprising: a computing platform of one of a media player or a companion module in wireless communication with the media player, the computing platform including a hardware processor and a memory, the companion module including at least one of a software or hardware component; a software code stored in the memory; the hardware processor configured to execute the software code to: identify a media content for a playout by the media player; transmit, to a remote server, an interaction schema request identifying the media content and the companion module; receive, from the remote server, in response to transmitting the interaction schema request to the remote server, a behavioral manifest data guiding the interactions between the companion module and the user during the playout of the media content by the media player, the behavioral manifest data including a plurality of alternative interaction schema versions each including a respective script of the interactions between the companion module and the user, the plurality of alternative interaction schema versions being conditioned upon a playout status of the media content; obtaining a play head state of the media player and a playout timecode state of the media content; and identify a user interaction behavior for performance by the companion module, based on the behavioral manifest data including the plurality of alternative interaction schema versions conditioned upon the playout status of the media content, the play head state of the media player, and the playout timecode state of the media content.