Electronic commerce functionality in video overlays

• US 10,021,458 B1
• Filed: 06/26/2015
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Taylor, Amber Autrey, Kessel, Steven, Mellott, Daniel Thomas, Mills, Brent Robert, Walsh, Liza Marie
• Primary Examiner(s): Rabovianski, Jivka
• Application Number:
  US14/751,823
• Time in Patent Office: 1,110 Days
• Field of Search: 725 32, 725 37, 725 42, 725 60, 725112, 725 40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23418 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2358 for generating different versions, e.g. for different recipient devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2542 for selling goods, e.g. TV shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments for providing interactive electronic commerce functionality via graphical overlays on live streaming video. An indication is received that an item is featured or discussed in a live video stream. The live video stream is sent to a client. Data encoding a selectable graphical overlay is sent to the client in response to the indication. The selectable graphical overlay is configured to be rendered by the client relative to the live video stream. A selection of the selectable graphical overlay is configured to perform an interactive function relative to the item.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having a plurality of computer instructions executable in at least one computing device, wherein, when executed, the plurality of computer instructions cause the at least one computing device to at least:

receive a live video stream in which at least one host discusses at least one product offered for ordering via an electronic commerce system;

while the live video stream is being received, receive an indication from a producer of the live video stream that a product is currently being discussed by the at least one host in the live video stream, the indication being received from the producer via a broadcaster management interface rendered on a first display of a first client associated with the producer;

send the live video stream to a second client, the live video stream being rendered via a second display of the second client;

determine a graphical position in a frame of the live video stream at which an image of the product appears based at least in part upon at least one coordinate supplied by the producer via the broadcaster management interface rendered on the first display of the first client during streaming of the live video stream;

generate data encoding a selectable graphical overlay according to the graphical position in the frame of the live video stream, the selectable graphical overlay comprising a component configured to facilitate selection from a plurality of versions of the product, the product currently being discussed being a particular version of the plurality of versions of the product, and the selectable graphical overlay to be superimposed over the graphical position of the image of the product;

send the data encoding the selectable graphical overlay to the second client, wherein the selectable graphical overlay is configured to be rendered by the second client relative to the live video stream; and

receive a selection of the selectable graphical overlay from the second client, the selection corresponding to a request to perform an interactive function relative to the product, wherein the interactive function is performed concurrently with the live video stream being played, and the interactive function comprises at least one of;

initiating an order of the product via the electronic commerce system or adding the product to a shopping cart via the electronic commerce system.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the indication pertains to a particular version of a plurality of versions of the product, and the selectable graphical overlay includes a component configured to receive a user selection from the plurality of versions.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein a default selection of the component corresponds to the particular version of the product.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein, when executed, the plurality of computer instructions further cause the at least one computing device to at least:

identify another product available for ordering via the electronic commerce system based at least in part on user-submitted data, the other product being relevant to the product currently being discussed; and

generate data encoding another selectable graphical overlay, the other selectable graphical overlay corresponding to the other product, the other selectable graphical overlay being configured to be rendered by the second client relative to the live video stream.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 4, wherein the user-submitted data comprises a hashtag associated with an item description.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein, when executed, the plurality of computer instructions further cause the at least one computing device to at least identify the particular version of the item being currently discussed in the live video stream.

7. A system, comprising:

at least one computing device; and

at least one application executed in the at least one computing device, the at least one application causing the at least one computing device to at least;

receive an indication that an item is featured in a live video stream;

send the live video stream to a client;

determine a graphical position in a frame of the live video stream at which the item appears based at least in part upon at least one coordinate corresponding to the graphical position, the at least one coordinate being received from another client via a broadcaster management interface rendered on a display of the other client, the other client being associated with a producer of the live video stream;

generate data encoding a selectable graphical overlay configured to be rendered relative to the graphical position of the item, the selectable graphical overlay comprising a component to be superimposed over the graphical position of the item of the live video stream, and the component being configured to facilitate selection from a plurality of versions of the item, the item appearing in the frame of the live video stream being a particular version of the plurality of versions of the item;

send the data encoding the selectable graphical overlay to the client, wherein the selectable graphical overlay is configured to be rendered by the client relative to the live video stream being rendered on a display of the client; and

receive a selection of the selectable graphical overlay from the client, the selection of the selectable graphical overlay causing a performance of an interactive function associated with the item, wherein the interactive function is performed concurrently with the live video stream being played.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the interactive function relative to the item comprises at least one of:

initiating an order of the item, adding the item to a shopping cart, casting a vote relative to the item, or accessing an item detail page.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the indication specifies the particular version of the plurality of versions of the item, and a default selection of the component of the selectable graphical overlay pertains to the particular version.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the data encoding the selectable graphical overlay comprises Video Player Ad-Serving Interface Definition (VPAID) data.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the data encoding the selectable graphical overlay includes a rendering time parameter.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein, when executed, the at least one application further causes the at least one computing device to at least dynamically adjust the selectable graphical overlay according to a change in one or more items being featured.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein rendering of the selectable graphical overlay is synchronized with the live video stream according to at least one of a latency delay, a predetermined time within the live video stream, or an expiration time of the item being discussed.

14. A method, comprising:

receiving, by at least one computing device, a live video stream;

receiving, by the at least one computing device, data encoding a selectable graphical overlay that is configured to perform an interactive function associated with an item concurrently with the live video stream being received, the selectable graphical overlay comprising a component configured to facilitate selection from a plurality of versions of the item, wherein a particular version of the plurality of versions of the item is shown in the live video stream;

determining, by the at least one computing device, a first graphical position in a frame of the live video stream at which the item appears based at least in part upon at least one coordinate corresponding to the first graphical position, the selectable graphical overlay to be superimposed over the first graphical position of the item of the live video stream;

rendering, by the at least one computing device, the live video stream upon a display;

rendering, by the at least one computing device, the selectable graphical overlay over a portion of the live video stream upon the display;

receiving, by the at least one computing device, a user selection of the selectable graphical overlay; and

performing, by the at least one computing device, the interactive function associated with the item.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the data encoding the selectable graphical overlay specifies a second graphical position of the frame of the live video stream, and the method further comprises:

determining, by the at least one computing device, the portion of the live video stream based at least in part on the second graphical position.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein a discussion of the item is currently featured in the live video stream when the selectable graphical overlay is rendered.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving, by the at least one computing device, a user selection of another version of the plurality of versions of the item via the selectable graphical overlay; and

performing, by the at least one computing device, the interactive function relative to the other version of the plurality of versions of the item.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the interactive function corresponds to adding the item to a shopping cart or initiating a purchase of the item.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising extracting, by an image recognition system associated with the at least one computing device, the first graphical position of the item.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining a latency delay associated with receiving the live video stream over a network, and wherein the selectable graphical overlay is rendered over a portion of the live video stream upon the display following the latency delay.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising synchronizing a rendering of the selectable graphical overlay with the live video stream based at least in part of at least one of a latency delay, a predetermined time within the live video stream, or an expiration time.