Method and system for sharing video over a network

• US 20050246752A1
• Filed: 04/01/2005
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gad Liwerant
• Original Assignee: Gad Liwerant
• Inventors: Liwerant, Gad, Dodge, Christopher, Boissiere, Guillaume
• Application Number:
  US11/097,441
• Publication Number:
  US 20050246752A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/109
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2743 Video hosting of uploaded data from client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440218 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 conversion of standards in analogue television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/816 involving special video data, e.g 3D video
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A user can create a video segment or employ an existing video segment, and then share it over a computer network. The user provides an indication that one or more particular video segments are to be shared over the network. The video segment(s) is/are then automatically assessed and determined to be compatible with streaming video, or not. If the video segment(s) is/are not compatible with streaming video, it/they are converted to a compatible format automatically. An identifier for the video segment is automatically created and the segment and the identifier are automatically uploaded to a host computer over the network such as the Internet. The video segment and the identifier (optionally with other identifying material such as an identity of the sender, an access authorization for the video, a number of accesses permitted, and a duration for the availability of the video) can be stored at the direction of the host computer. A viewer can be sent an identifier of the video, and can request that the video be served as a streaming video to the viewer'"'"'s computer. Alternatively, the viewer can be sent a location of the video such as a URL, can be served the video as an embedded portion of a Web page, or can be served the video as a consequence of being sent a link in an e-mail or as an e-mail greeting card.

Claims

1-30. -30. (canceled)

31. A method, comprising:

uploading a file containing a plurality of images to a server location;

sending a message containing a link to the server location; and

upon a client computing facility activating the link, causing an image from the plurality of images to be communicated to the client computing facility.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the message is an email message.

33. The method of claim 31 wherein the file comprises a video file.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the step of causing the plurality of images to be communicated comprises streaming the images.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein the images are viewed automatically.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein the link comprises an image representative of the images in the file.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the image further comprises a duplication of at least one of the images stored in the file.

38. The method of claim 31 wherein the link comprises an image representative of the images in the file.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein the image further comprises a duplication of at least one of the images stored in the file.

40. The method of claim 31 further comprising the step of converting the file format into a streaming file format.

47. A system, comprising:

a server facility adapted to receive file transfer containing a plurality of images to a server location; and

a messaging facility adapted to send an message containing a link to the server location;

wherein an image from the plurality of images will be communicated to a client computing facility upon the client computing facility activating the link.

48. The system of claim 47 wherein the message is an email message.

49. The system of claim 47 wherein the file comprises a video file.

50. The system of claim 49 wherein the step of causing the plurality of images to be communicated comprises streaming the images.

51. The system of claim 50 wherein the images are viewed automatically.

52. The system of claim 51 wherein the link comprises an image representative of the images in the file.

53. The system of claim 52 wherein the image further comprises a duplication of at least one of the images stored in the file.

54. The system of claim 47 wherein the link comprises an image representative of the images in the file.

55. The system of claim 54 wherein the image further comprises a duplication of at least one of the images stored in the file.

56. The system of claim 47 further comprising the step of converting the file format into a streaming file format.

57. The system of claim 56 wherein the step of converting the file format into a streaming file format occurs following the step of uploading the file.

58. The system of claim 47 wherein the step of communicating an image from the plurality of images further comprises presenting the image automatically on a display associated with the client computing facility.

59. The system of claim 58 wherein the step of presenting the image comprises presenting a plurality of images in succession.

60. The system of claim 59 wherein the images form a moving picture show.

61. The system of claim 60 wherein the moving picture show is presented as a video.

62. The system of claim 61 wherein the video presentation substantially represents the video in the file.