Increases in network speeds combined with the benefits associated with viewing content from one's own home have resulted in the growing popularity of watching content over a network. For example, a user may watch a movie at home, without having to drive to a video rental store. In addition, the user may avoid being inconvenienced by having to watch the movie at a pre-scheduled time (e.g., during a live television broadcast or according to play times at a movie theater). The ability to watch content over a network at a desired time provides flexibility to the user's schedule. Furthermore, the user may select from a wide variety of content based on individual preference and/or mood. For example, the user may be in the mood to watch a horror movie, and therefore may select from a list of horror movies without having to watch an already scheduled program. The user may also view the latest episode of a favorite television series. In addition, the ability to watch content on a wide variety of devices (e.g., desktop computers, laptop computers, televisions, cell phones, gaming systems, tablet computers) may provide the additional convenience of watching the content in a variety of places (e.g., a coffee place, bookstore, or mall).
In addition to having access to a variety of content, watching content over a network may allow the user to take a break from watching the content, but then return back to the content at a later time. For example, a user may desire to take a break from a movie in order to grab a snack from the kitchen or perform a quick errand. In general, watching content over a network may allow the user to pause the content, and then resume watching the content at a later time. As a different example, the user may stop the movie, switch to a different movie, and then return back to the previous movie at a previous location. In addition, the user may desire to skip certain parts of a program (e.g., a boring scene) and jump to subsequent sections of the movie.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds