System and method for group participation in a digital media presentation

• US 10,015,217 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2016
• Issued: 07/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Varenhorst, Chris, Kluesing, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Shingles, Kristie
• Application Number:
  US15/166,731
• Publication Number:
  US 20160277459A1
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 709204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]

Abstract

System and method for group participation in a digital media presentation are provided that are capable of selecting digital media items for inclusion in the presentation from multiple participant'"'"'s accounts thereby creating a group presentation in which digital media items of each participant are included in the presentation. Selections of digital media items for inclusion in the presentation can be made directly at the direction of the participations or inferentially according to a selection algorithm. Selections can be made during the presentation thereby allowing a participant to join the presentation after it has started and contribute digital media items to the presentation while it is running.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at a media presentation system that includes or is coupled to electronic components for presenting digital media, the media presentation system comprising one or more processors, memory, and one or more programs stored in the memory and executed by the one or more processors to perform the method, performing operations comprising;

establishing a media presentation session with a media presentation server over a network, the media presentation session established for a digital media presentation to be presented at the media presentation system;

receiving, from the media presentation server over a network, one or more first links to one or more first digital media items to be presented in the digital media presentation;

using the one or more first links to download the one or more first digital media items from one or more content item repositories over a network;

presenting the one or more first digital media items as part of the digital media presentation via the electronic components for presenting digital media;

receiving, during the digital media presentation, from the media presentation server over a network, one or more second links to one or more second digital media items to be presented in the digital media presentation;

using the one or more second links to download, during the digital media presentation, the one or more second digital media items from one or more content item repositories over a network;

automatically presenting, during the digital media presentation, the one or more second digital media items as part of the digital media presentation via the electronic components for presenting digital media; and

wherein at least the operations of receiving the one or more first links and receiving the one or more second links are performed while the media presentation session is established and during the digital media presentation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more first digital media items are associated with an account of a first user, and the one or more second digital media items are associated with an account of a second user, different from the first user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more second digital media items is related to at least one of the one or more first digital media items based on one or more access descriptors for the one or more second digital media items and based on one or more access descriptors for the one or more first digital media items.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more second digital media items is related to at least one of the one or more first digital media items based on one or more privacy descriptors for the one or more second digital media items and based on one or more privacy descriptors for the one or more first digital media items.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting an identifier of the media presentation session at the media presentation system;

receiving the identifier of the media presentation session in a request from a personal computing device of a first user to join the media presentation session;

wherein the one or more first digital media items are associated with a user account held by the first user;

receiving the identifier of the media presentation session in a request from a personal computing device of a second user to join the media presentation session; and

wherein the one or more second digital media items are associated with a user account held by the second user.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an identifier of the digital media presentation with the receiving of the one or more first links;

based on the identifier, selecting the digital media presentation to present the one or more first digital media items linked to by the one or more first links;

receiving the identifier of the digital media presentation with the receiving the one or more second links; and

based on the identifier, selecting the digital media presentation to present the one or more second digital media items linked to by the one or more second links.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving presentation control information from the media presentation server;

displaying the digital media presentation according to the presentation control information; and

wherein the presentation control information includes one or more;

digital media item ordering information, digital media item presentation timing information, or transition effects that the presentation media system is to apply and present for aesthetic transitioning between presentation of successive digital media items.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, while the media presentation session is established, sending capabilities and characteristics of the media presentation system to the media presentation server, the capabilities and characteristics indicating one or more of:

screen size of the media presentation system, screen resolution of the media presentation system, or available media decoders of the media presentation system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more first links and each of the one or more second links is a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the media presentation system is a smart television device.

11. A system for group participation in a digital media presentation, the system comprising:

a media presentation system that includes or is coupled to electronic components for presenting digital media, the media presentation system comprising one or more processors, memory, and one or more programs stored in the memory and executed by the one or more processors, the media presentation system configured to;

establishing a media presentation session with a media presentation server over a network, the media presentation session established for a digital media presentation to be presented at the media presentation system;

receiving, from the media presentation server over a network, one or more first links to one or more first digital media items to be presented in the digital media presentation;

using the one or more first links to download the one or more first digital media items from one or more content item repositories over a network;

presenting the one or more first digital media items as part of the digital media presentation via the electronic components for presenting digital media;

receiving, during the digital media presentation, from the media presentation server over a network, one or more second links to one or more second digital media items to be presented in the digital media presentation;

using the one or more second links to download, during the digital media presentation, the one or more second digital media items from one or more content item repositories over a network;

automatically presenting, during the digital media presentation, the one or more second digital media items as part of the digital media presentation via the electronic components for presenting digital media; and

wherein at least the receiving the one or more first links and receiving the one or more second links are configured to be performed while the media presentation session is established and during the digital media presentation.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more first digital media items are associated with an account of a first user, and the one or more second digital media items are associated with an account of a second user, different from the first user.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the one or more second digital media items is related to at least one of the one or more first digital media items based on one or more access descriptors for the one or more second digital media items and based on one or more access descriptors for the one or more first digital media items.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the one or more second digital media items is related to at least one of the one or more first digital media items based on one or more privacy descriptors for the one or more second digital media items and based on one or more privacy descriptors for the one or more first digital media items.

15. The system of claim 11, further configured:

presenting an identifier of the media presentation session at the media presentation system;

receiving the identifier of the media presentation session in a request from a personal computing device of a first user to join the media presentation session;

wherein the one or more first digital media items are associated with a user account held by the first user;

receiving the identifier of the media presentation session in a request from a personal computing device of a second user to join the media presentation session; and

wherein the one or more second digital media items are associated with a user account held by the second user.

16. The system of claim 11, further configured:

receiving an identifier of the digital media presentation with the receiving of the one or more first links;

based on the identifier, selecting the digital media presentation to present the one or more first digital media items linked to by the one or more first links;

receiving the identifier of the digital media presentation with the receiving the one or more second links;

based on the identifier, selecting the digital media presentation to present the one or more second digital media items linked to by the one or more second links.

17. The system of claim 11, further configured:

receiving presentation control information from the media presentation server;

displaying the digital media presentation according to the presentation control information;

wherein the presentation control information includes one or more;

digital media item ordering information, digital media item presentation timing information, or transition effects that the presentation media system is to apply and present for aesthetic transitioning between presentation of successive digital media items.

18. The system of claim 11, further configured, while the media presentation session is established, sending capabilities and characteristics of the media presentation system to the media presentation server, the capabilities and characteristics indicating one or more of:

screen size of the media presentation system, screen resolution of the media presentation system, or available media decoders of the media presentation system.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein each of the one or more first links and each of the one or more second links is a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the media presentation system is a smart television device.