Adaptively serving companion shared content

• US 10,171,538 B1
• Filed: 04/03/2017
• Issued: 01/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Kerns, Jamieson Robert, Jaini, Shiva Rama Krishna, Crane, Nicola Ann
• Primary Examiner(s): Katsikis, Kostas J
• Application Number:
  US15/477,878
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/00 Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring error detection, correction or monitoring in information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B20/18; monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing G11B27/36; in static stores G11C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3438 monitoring of user actions tracking the activity of the user H04L67/535
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/81 Threshold
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2743 Video hosting of uploaded data from client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44226 on social networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859

Abstract

A system including a monitoring unit to monitor in-stream shared content and content served via the online service to a user; an in-stream shared content receiving unit to receive information about the in-stream shared content served with the content; a companion shared content selection unit to select the companion shared content based on the monitored in-stream shared content and content, and the received information; and a transmitting unit to transmit the selected companion shared content to the online service.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a memory;

a processor, coupled to the memory, to;

provide, via an online service, media content for consumption by a user of a user device, wherein the media content is provided for playback within a media player of the user device;

provide in-stream content to the user device for automatic playback within the media player of the user device without the playback of the media content;

receive an indication of user interaction with the in-stream content that is automatically played back within the media player of the user device without the playback of the media content; and

select companion content to send to the user device based on the indication of user interaction, wherein the companion content is unrelated to the in-stream content and is selected responsive to the indication of user interaction suggesting that the user is uninterested in the in-stream content.

2. The system of claim 1, the processor further to:

cause the selected companion content to be transmitted to the user device for display.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the in-stream content is to display within the media player prior to a display of the media content.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein to select the companion content that is unrelated to the in-stream content, the processor further to:

select the companion content based on at least one of prior user activity, user preferences, or user history.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein to select companion content to send to the user device based on the indication of user interaction, the processor further to:

responsive to the indication of user interaction representing that the user is interested in the in-stream content, select the companion content that is related to the in-stream content.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein to select the companion content to send to the user device based on the indication of user interaction, the processor further to:

responsive to the indication of the user interaction with the in-stream content representing that the user has consumed the in-stream content for a time period longer than a threshold amount, select the companion content that is related to the in-stream content.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein to select the companion content to send to the user device based on the indication of user interaction, the processor further to:

responsive to the indication of the user interaction representing that the user has consumed the in-stream content for a time period less than a threshold amount, select the companion content that is unrelated to the in-stream content.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the companion content is to display outside the media player of the user device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein to select the companion content to send to the user device based on the indication of user interaction, the processor further to:

select the companion content that is related to the in-stream content responsive to the indication of the user interaction with the in-stream content representing that the user has consumed the in-stream content for a time period equal to a threshold amount.

10. The system of claim 1, the processor further to:

monitor the user interaction associated with the in-stream content.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instruction that, responsive to execution by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

providing, via an online service, media content for consumption by a user of a user device, wherein the media content is provided for playback within a media player of the user device;

providing in-stream content to the user device for automatic playback within the media player of the user device without the playback of the media content;

receiving an indication of user interaction with the in-stream content that is automatically played back within the media player of the user device; and

selecting, by the processor, companion content to send to the user device based on the indication of user interaction, wherein the companion content that is unrelated to the in-stream content is selected responsive to the indication of user interaction suggesting that the user is in the in-stream shared content.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein selecting the companion content to send to the user device based on the indication of user interaction further comprises:

responsive to the indication of user interaction representing that the user is interested in the in-stream content, selecting the companion content that is related to the in-stream content.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein selecting the companion content to send to the user device based on the indication of user interaction further comprises:

responsive to the indication of the user interaction with the in-stream content representing that the user has consumed the in-stream content for a time period longer than a threshold amount, selecting the companion content that is related to the in-stream content; and

responsive to the indication of the user interaction representing that the user has consumed the in-stream content for a time period less than the threshold amount, selecting the companion content that is unrelated to the in-stream content.

14. A method, comprising:

providing, via an online service, media content for consumption by a user of a user device, wherein the media content is provided for playback within a media player of the user device;

providing in-stream content to the user device for automatic playback within the media player of the user device without the playback of the media content;

receiving an indication of user interaction with the in-stream content that is automatically played back within the media player of the user device without the playback of the media content; and

selecting, by a processor, companion content to send to the user device based on the indication of user interaction, wherein the companion content that is unrelated to the in-stream content is selected responsive to the indication of user interaction suggesting that the user is uninterested in the in-stream content.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein selecting the companion content to send to the user device based on the indication of user interaction comprises:

responsive to the indication of user interaction representing that the user is interested in the in-stream content, selecting the companion content that is related to the in-stream content.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein selecting the companion content to send to the user device based on the indication of user interaction comprises:

responsive to the indication of the user interaction with the in-stream content representing that the user has consumed the in-stream content for a time period longer than a threshold amount, selecting the companion content that is related to the in-stream content; and

responsive to the indication of the user interaction representing that the user has consumed the in-stream content for a time period less than the threshold amount, selecting the companion content that is unrelated to the in-stream content.