Playback of content using multiple devices

• US 10,194,189 B1
• Filed: 09/23/2013
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Goetz, Jeromey Russell, Blomqvist, Fredrik Magnus, Eshiokwu, Ike, Gray, Adam David, Komarek, William Richard, Millwood, Lorne, Morris, Willie, Nguyen, Dat Tien, Seghers, John Russell, Vance, Michael Steffen
• Primary Examiner(s): Langhnoja, Kunal
• Application Number:
  US14/034,055
• Time in Patent Office: 1,954 Days
• Field of Search: 725 80, 725141, 725153
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43076 of the same content streams on multiple devices, e.g. when family members are watching the same movie on different devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43078 for seamlessly watching content streams when changing device, e.g. when watching the same program sequentially on a TV and then on a tablet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43079 of additional data with content streams on multiple devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8547 involving timestamps for synchronizing content

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments that facilitate playback of content via multiple display devices. Playback may be synchronized among multiple display devices and/or auxiliary content rendered by a companion device may be synchronized to playback of content by a primary device. A server device receives a request from a first client device to commence a playback of a content feature upon an identified second client device. The server device sends an instruction to the second client device to commence the playback of the content feature upon a display of the second client device in response to the request. Status updates regarding the playback may be provided to the first client device by the server device.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying at least one program that, when executed by at least one computing device, causes the at least one computing device to at least:

render, upon a first display, a user interface relating to a video content feature, the user interface including a component facilitating selection of a target client device from a listing of target client devices, wherein the listing of target client devices is restricted to client devices for which the at least one computing device has permission to control playback;

receive a user selection of the target client device via the component;

in response to the user selection of the target client device, send a request to a server device to commence a playback of the video content feature upon a second display of the target client device;

receive periodic status updates from the server device identifying a current status in the playback of the video content feature upon the second display of the target client device, the periodic status updates originating from the target client device;

receive auxiliary content relating to the video content feature from the server device; and

in a synchronization with the playback of the video content feature upon the second display of the target client device, render audio corresponding to the video content feature via an audio device associated with the first display and render the auxiliary content in the user interface on the first display, the synchronization being based at least in part on the periodic status updates.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary content includes at least one of:

biographical information, trivia information, supplemental video content, a quote, soundtrack information, or a description of a product available for ordering.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the program further causes the at least one computing device to share at least a portion of the auxiliary content with a social network in response to a user selection of the at least a portion of the auxiliary content for sharing, wherein the auxiliary content comprises at least one of:

a scene from the video content feature or a quote from the video content feature.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the program further causes the at least one computing device to send a request to the server device to cease playback of the audio corresponding to the video content feature upon a second audio device of the target client device.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the audio corresponding to the video content feature via the audio device associated with the first display is in a different language than a language of the playback of the video content feature on the second display of the target client device.

6. A system, comprising:

a data store; and

at least one computing device in communication with the data store, the at least one computing device being configured to at least;

receive a request from a first client device to commence a first playback of a video component of a content feature, the request identifying a second client device;

determine that the first client device has permission to control playback via the second client device according to at least one content control preference;

determine a current time in a second playback of the content feature via the first client device;

send an instruction to the second client device to commence the first playback of the video component of the content feature at the current time upon a display of the second client device in response to the request;

send an instruction to the first client device to cease playback of the video component of the content feature for the second playback via the first client device;

stream an audio component of the content feature to the first client device in synchronization with the first playback of the video component of the content feature; and

relay periodic status updates from the second client device to the first client device, the periodic status updates regarding the first playback of the content feature by the second client device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to:

receive a playback control command from the first client device; and

send the playback control command to the second client device, the second client device being configured to implement the playback control command relative to the first playback of the video component of the content feature.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to:

receive a further request from the second client device to transfer the first playback of the content feature to a third client device; and

send a further instruction to the third client device to commence a third playback of the content feature upon a display of the third client device in response to the further request, the third playback upon the display of the third client device being commenced at a current time in the first playback upon the display of the second client device.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to:

determine a set of target client devices that are configured to receive playback instructions from the first client device, the set of target client devices including the second client device; and

send a listing of the set of target client devices to the first client device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first client device is configured to render a user interface presenting the listing of the set of target client devices upon a display of the first client device.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the set of target client devices is determined based at least in part on at least one of:

a location of the first client device or a location of a respective target client device in the set of target client devices.

12. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to stream the video component of the content feature to the first client device, wherein the first playback of the video component of the content feature upon the display of the second client device is synchronized to the second playback of the content feature upon the display of the first client device.

13. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to send auxiliary content that is chronologically related to the first playback of the content feature to the first client device.

14. The system of claim 6, wherein the first client device and the second client device are coupled to different network segments, and broadcast network messages are unrouted between the different network segments.