- Number
- 20220109905
- Published
- 2022-04-07
- Filed
- 2020-10-06
- Assignee
- DISNEY ENTERPRISES INC.
- Inventors
- Comito; Keith, Van Dall; Dirk, Bowers; James, Waters; Anthony, Engel; Thomas
- CPC
- H04N21/8547; H04N21/8545; H04N21/44218; G11B27/10; H04N21/4302; H04N21/4104; H04N21/43637
- 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
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.
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 an interaction between a companion module and a user, the method comprising: identifying, by one of the companion module or a media player device, a media content for playout by the media player device; transmitting, to a remote server by the one of the companion module or the media player device, 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 device, in response to transmitting the interaction schema request to the remote server, a behavioral manifest data including an interaction schema instruction for guiding the interaction between the companion module and the user; obtaining, by the one of the companion module or the media player device, a play head state of the media player device and a playout timecode state of the media content; and identifying, by the one of the companion module or the media player device, 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. || 11: A system for guiding an interaction between a companion module and a user, the system comprising: a computing platform of one of the companion module or a media player device, the computing platform including a hardware processor and a memory; a software code stored in the memory; the hardware processor configured to execute the software code to: identify a media content for playout by the media player device; 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 including an interaction schema instruction for guiding the interaction between the companion module and the user; obtaining a play head state of the media player device and a playout timecode state of the media content; and identify 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.