Managing a sharing of media content among client computers

• US 10,152,467 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2012
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Chan, Kelvin, Ding, Yiyang Joy
• Primary Examiner(s): Rahman, Sm A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pant, Ranjan
• Application Number:
  US13/572,902
• Publication Number:
  US 20140047022A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,311 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission

Abstract

Technology is provided to manage sharing of media content among client computers. In one example, an application server provides at least a portion of the media content to the client computers. The application server receives a requested session event. A session event is an annotation, a comment, or a navigation request. The application server generates a formatted session event by formatting the requested session event at least according at least one option. An option defines how the application server is to modify a session event for display at the client computers. The application server provides the formatted session event to the client computers for display on user interfaces at the client computers. This Abstract is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Claims

1. A method to manage sharing of a video among a plurality of client computers, the method comprising:

initiating, by a processing device of an application server, a collaboration session for presentation of the video, wherein the collaboration session enables real-time collaboration between users of the plurality of client computers;

providing at least a portion of the video from the application server to the plurality of client computers in the collaboration session, wherein the plurality of client computers are coupled for real-time communication in the collaboration session;

receiving, from a first client computer of the plurality of client computers, one or more requested collaboration session events associated with the video in the collaboration session, wherein the one or more collaboration session events comprise an annotation on the video, are initiated by a first user of the users of the plurality of client computers during the collaboration session, and are to be presented to one or more other users of the users of the plurality of client computers;

generating a formatted annotation by formatting the annotation received from the first client computer according to at least one user-defined option, wherein the at least one user-defined option is received at the application server from a second client computer of the plurality of client computers, the at least one user-defined option defines how the annotation is to be formatted for real-time display on the video at the client computers, and an appearance of the formatted annotation is different from the annotation received from the first client computer; and

providing, in real-time, the formatted annotation to the plurality of client computers for display on the video in user interfaces at the plurality of client computers in the collaboration session.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the video comprises a presentation, wherein the presentation includes one or more images for showing and explaining a topic to an audience.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the video includes a sequence of images representing one or more scenes.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more requested collaboration session events further comprises a comment associated with the video, or a navigation request associated with the video, and wherein the annotation is at least one of an annotation drawing, an annotation text, or an annotation bubble.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising providing a comment frame for displaying the comment associated with the video, wherein the comment frame includes a scroll bar that enables the client computers to navigate through comments of the comment frame.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the video comprises a presentation, and wherein the method further comprises providing a scroll bar that enables the client computers to navigate through images of the presentation.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a video controller that enables the client computers to navigate through images of the video.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising providing a sync button that enables a user'"'"'s client computer to synchronize a display of the user'"'"'s client computer'"'"'s with a display of a leader'"'"'s client computer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one option includes a session option from a leader'"'"'s client computer, and wherein the session option enables the leader'"'"'s client computer to control functionality of the collaboration session for the presentation of the video.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a predetermined duration of display is received at the application server from the second client computer of the plurality of client computers.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the application server is pre-configured with at least one default option that is not user defined.

12. A system to manage sharing of a video among a plurality of client computers, the system comprising a processor of an application server that is configured to:

initiate a collaboration session for presentation of the video, wherein the collaboration session enables real-time collaboration between users of the plurality of client computers;

provide at least a portion of the video from the application server to the plurality of client computers, wherein the plurality of client computers are coupled for real-time communication in the collaboration session;

receive, from a first client computer of the plurality of client computers, one or more requested collaboration session events associated with the video in the collaboration session, wherein the one or more collaboration session events comprise an annotation on the video, are initiated by a first user of the users of the plurality of client computers during the collaboration session, and are to be presented to one or more other users of the users of the plurality of client computers;

generate a formatted annotation by formatting the annotation received from the first client computer according to at least one user-defined option, wherein the at least one user-defined option is received from a second client computer of the plurality of client computers, the at least one user-defined option defines how the annotation is to be formatted for real-time display on the video at the client computers, and an appearance of the formatted annotation is different from the annotation received from the first client computer; and

provide, in real-time, the formatted annotation to the plurality of client computers for display on the video in user interfaces at the plurality of client computers in the collaboration session.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the video comprises a presentation, wherein the presentation includes one or more images for showing and explaining a topic to an audience.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the video includes a sequence of images representing one or more scenes.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more requested collaboration session events further comprise a comment associated with the video, or a navigation request associated with the video, and wherein the annotation is at least one of an annotation drawing, an annotation text, or an annotation bubble.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to provide a comment frame for displaying the comment associated with the video, wherein the comment frame includes a scroll bar that enables the client computers to navigate through comments of the comment frame.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the video comprises a presentation, and wherein the processor is further configured to provide a scroll bar that enables the client computers to navigate through images of the presentation.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to provide a video controller that enables the client computers to navigate through images of the video.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to provide a sync button that enables a user'"'"'s client computer to synchronize a display of the user'"'"'s client computer'"'"'s with a display of a leader'"'"'s client computer.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one option includes a session option from a leader'"'"'s client computer, and wherein the session option enables the leader'"'"'s client computer to control functionality of the collaboration session for the presentation of the video.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein the system is further configured to receive a predetermined duration of display from the second client computer of the plurality of client computers.

22. The system of claim 12, wherein the system is pre-configured with at least one default option that is not user defined.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed cause a processor to:

initiate, using an application server, a collaboration session for presentation of a video, wherein the collaboration session enables real-time collaboration between users of a plurality of client computers;

provide at least a portion of the video from the application server to the plurality of client computers in the collaboration session, wherein the plurality of client computers are coupled for real-time communication in the collaboration session;

receive, from a first client computer of the plurality of client computers, one or more requested collaboration session events associated with the video in the collaboration session, wherein the one or more collaboration session events comprise an annotation on the video, are initiated by a first user of the users of the plurality of client computers during the collaboration session, and are to be presented to one or more other users of the users of the plurality of client computers;

generate a formatted annotation by formatting the annotation received from the first client computer according to at least one user-defined option, wherein the at least one user-defined option is received from a second client computer of the plurality of client computers, the at least one user-defined option defines how the annotation is to be formatted for real-time display on the video at the client computers, and an appearance of the formatted annotation is different from the annotation received from the first client computer; and

provide, in real-time, the formatted annotation to the plurality of client computers for display on the video in user interfaces at the plurality of client computers in the collaboration session.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the video comprises a presentation, wherein the presentation includes one or more images for showing and explaining a topic to an audience, and wherein the one or more requested collaboration session events further comprise a comment associated with the presentation, or a navigation request associated with the presentation.