Systems and methods for presenting social network communications in audible form based on user engagement with a user device

• US 10,706,836 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2018
• Issued: 07/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ROVI Product Corporation (Xperi Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Korbecki, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thuykhanh
• Application Number:
  US15/894,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20180218725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/08 Text analysis or generation of parameters for speech synthesis out of text, e.g. grapheme to phoneme translation, prosody generation or stress or intonation determination

Abstract

Methods and systems are described herein for generating an audible presentation of a communication received from a remote server. A presentation of a media asset on a user equipment device is generated for a first user. A textual-based communication is received, at the user equipment device from the remote server. The textual-based communication is transmitted to the remote server by a second user and the remote server transmits the textual-based communication to the user equipment device responsive to determining that the second user is on a list of users associated with the first user. An engagement level of the first user with the user equipment device is determined. Responsive to determining that the engagement level does not exceed a threshold value, a presentation of the textual-based communication is generated in audible form.

Claims

1. A method for determining whether to transmit a communication to a first user published from a second user based on an engagement level of the first user, the method comprising:

transmitting a request to generate a presentation, for the first user, of a media asset on user equipment of the first user;

determining whether a second user has published a textual-based communication;

identifying a plurality of users, including the first user, that are each associated with the second user, wherein the identifying comprises;

determining a friend group of the second user;

determining that the first user is contained within the friend group; and

based on determining that the first user is contained within the friend group, determining that the textual-based communication is to be transmitted to the first user;

based on determining that the textual-based communication is to be transmitted to the first user, determining the engagement level of the first user with the user equipment;

comparing the engagement level of the first user to a threshold;

based on determining that the engagement level of the first user does not exceed the threshold value, generating an audible communication by converting the textual-based communication into audible form; and

presenting the audible communication that was generated by converting the textual-based communication to the first user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

based on determining that the engagement level of the first user does not exceeds the threshold value, wherein the engagement level of the first user is a first engagement level determined at a first time that does not exceeds the threshold,

determining, at a second time that is a predetermined period of time after the first time, a second engagement level of the first user;

comparing the second engagement level of the first user to a second threshold; and

based on determining that the second engagement level of the first user exceed the second threshold value, transmitting, for display to the user, the textual-based communication.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising processing text from the textual-based communication using a text-to-speech technique to convert the text into the audible form based on a voice of the second user, such that when sounded an audio of the communication is presented in the voice of the second user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a remote server is associated with a social network, wherein the textual-based communication is a communication on the social network, and wherein the friend group includes friends of the second user on the social network.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a priority level associated with the second user; and

in response to determining the priority level exceeds a priority threshold assigned by the first user, transmitting a request to generate an audible signal unique to the second user, the audible signal identifying the second user to the first user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the audible signal is sounded before the textual-based communication is presented in the audible form.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the engagement level of the first user comprises determining whether a gaze of the first user is directed at a display associated with the user equipment device for a threshold period of time.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the engagement level of the first user comprises:

detecting a conversation between the first user and another user;

determining whether the conversation pertains to content of the media asset being presented;

in response to determining the conversation pertains to the content of the media asset being presented, increasing the engagement level; and

in response to determining the conversation does not pertain to the content of the media asset being presented, decreasing the engagement level.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the engagement level of the first user is a first engagement level, and wherein the method further comprises:

identifying a plurality of users including the first user within a range of the user equipment device;

determining an action currently being performed by a third user of the plurality of users;

computing a third engagement level for the third user based on the determined action; and

aggregating the computed first and third engagement, wherein determining that the engagement level of the first user does not exceed a threshold value comprises determining whether the aggregated first and third engagement levels do not exceed the threshold.

10. A system for determining whether to transmit a communication to a first user published from a second user based on an engagement level of the first user, the system comprising:

control circuitry configured to;

transmit a request to generate a presentation, for the first user, of a media asset on user equipment of the first user;

determine whether a second user has published a textual-based communication;

identify a plurality of users, including the first user, that are each associated with the second user, wherein the identifying comprises;

determining a friend group of the second user;

determining that the first user is contained within the friend group; and

based on determining that the first user is contained within the friend group, determining that the textual-based communication is to be transmitted to the first user;

based on determining that the textual-based communication is to be transmitted to the first user, determine an engagement level of the first user with the user equipment;

compare the engagement level of the first user to a threshold;

based on determining that the engagement level of the first user does not exceed the threshold value, generate an audible communication by converting the textual-based communication into audible form; and

present the audible communication that was generated by converting the textual-based communication to the first user.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

based on determining that the engagement level of the first user does not exceeds the threshold value, wherein the engagement level of the first user is a first engagement level determined at a first time that does not exceeds the threshold;

determine, at a second time that is a predetermined period of time after the first time, a second engagement level of the first user;

compare the second engagement level of the first user to a second threshold; and

based on determining that the second engagement level of the first user exceed the second threshold value, transmit, for display to the user, the textual-based communication.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to process text from the textual-based communication using a text-to-speech technique to convert the text into the audible form based on a voice of the second user, such that when sounded an audio of the communication is presented in the voice of the second user.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein a remote server is associated with a social network, wherein the textual-based communication is a communication on the social network, and wherein the friend group includes friends of the second user on the social network.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

determine a priority level associated with the second user; and

in response to determining the priority level exceeds a priority threshold assigned by the first user, transmit a request to generate an audible signal unique to the second user, the audible signal identifying the second user to the first user.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the audible signal is sounded before the textual-based communication is presented in the audible form.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the control circuitry is further configured, when determining the engagement level of the first user, to determining whether a gaze of the first user is directed at a display associated with the user equipment device for a threshold period of time.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the control circuitry is further configured, when determining the engagement level of the first user, to:

detect a conversation between the first user and another user;

determine whether the conversation pertains to content of the media asset being presented;

in response to determining the conversation pertains to the content of the media asset being presented, increase the engagement level; and

in response to determining the conversation does not pertain to the content of the media asset being presented, decrease the engagement level.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the engagement level of the first user is a first engagement level, and wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

identify a plurality of users including the first user within a range of the user equipment device;

determine an action currently being performed by a third user of the plurality of users;

compute a third engagement level for the third user based on the determined action; and

aggregate the computed first and third engagement level, wherein determining that the engagement level of the first user does not exceed a threshold value comprises determining whether the aggregated first and third engagement levels do not exceed the threshold.

19. A method for determining whether to present a communication to a first user based on an engagement level of the first user, the method comprising:

transmitting a request to generate a presentation, for the first user, of a media asset on user equipment of the first user;

receiving a textual-based communication at the user equipment of the first user;

in response to receiving the textual-based communication at the user equipment of the first user, determining the engagement level of the first user with the user equipment;

comparing the engagement level of the first user to a threshold value;

based on determining that the engagement level of the first user does not exceed the threshold value, generating an audible communication by converting the textual-based communication into audible form; and

presenting the audible communication that was generated by converting the textual-based communication to the first user.