METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR ONLINE VIDEO-BASED PROPERTY COMMERCE

• US 20070294622A1
• Filed: 05/04/2007
• Published: 12/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wellcomemat LLC
• Original Assignee: Wellcomemat LLC
• Inventors: Zainy, Haider, Sterner, Christian, DiGiulio, Philip
• Granted Patent: US 8,307,286 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs

Abstract

Video data may be extremely useful in online property commerce. However, the current methods of handling this video data fail to provide users of the data with effective and convenient ways of conveying and consolidating footage of multiple viewpoints and other property features. Among other things, embodiments of the invention address these failures by providing methods and systems for better handling of video data for property marketing, reporting, and analysis.

Claims

1. A system for handling video cue points, the system comprising:

an application server in operative communication with a network;

a video server in operative communication with the application server and configured to serve a set of video information indexable by a set of video identifiers;

a cue point server in operative communication with at least one of the application server or the video server, and configured to serve a set of cue point information; and

a video environment

configured to be runnable by the application server,

configured to receive data over the network relating to interactions with a client terminal, and

comprising a cue point handler configured to execute at least one of creating, modifying, deleting, or interpreting at least a portion of the set of cue point information.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a data store configured to store at least a portion of the set of video information and at least a portion of the set of cue point information.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a relational database configured to store at least a portion of the set of cue point information in relation to at least a portion of the set of video information.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a relational database configured to store at least a portion of the set of cue point information in relation to at least another portion of the set of cue point information.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the cue point information substantially defines at least one of a metatag, a cue point name, a cue point time position, or a cue point hierarchy.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the video environment comprises at least one of a video player or a video editor.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising an authentication server configured to authenticate clients of the system.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a comment handler configured to perform at least one of receiving, displaying, or associating comment information, wherein the comment information

comprises at least one of textual, audio, or video information, and

relates to at least a portion of at least one of the set of video information, the set of cue point information, or other comment information.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a video authorer configured to communicate with a video creation device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the video server is in operative communication with the application server via the network.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the cue point server is in operative communication with at least one of the application server or the video server via the network.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the network is the Internet.

13. A method for handling video cue points, the method comprising:

providing a computer system

having at least one computer-readable medium comprising a video editing environment, and

in operative communication with a network;

receiving, using the computer system, server video data from a set of stored video data;

transmitting over the network, using the computer system, a set of client video data based at least in part on the set of server video data;

receiving over the network, using the computer system, a set of cue point information; and

updating a set of cue point associations with at least one of the client video data, the server video data, or the stored video data, the set of cue point associations being based at least in part on the set of cue point information.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing a cue point editing mode configured to perform at least one of creating, modifying, deleting, or interpreting at least a portion of the set of cue point information.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising generating, automatically by using the computer system, at least a portion of the set of cue point information.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving an edit mode entry signal over the network representing entry into the cue point edit mode, and

transmitting the cue point editing mode after receiving the edit mode entry signal.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving an edit mode entry signal over the network representing entry into the cue point edit mode,

receiving a time position representing the time position within the client video data at which the edit mode entry signal was received, and

creating a cue point location associated at least in part with the client video data and the time position.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving, over the network, authentication information relating to access authority of a client terminal.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising denying or allowing access to all or part of the video editing environment based at least in part on the access authority of the client terminal.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the video editing environment comprises a server-level video editor.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the client video data is transmitted to a video player configured to display video data on a client terminal.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the client video data is transmitted progressively, allowing the video player to begin displaying transmitted client video data while remaining client video data continues to be transmitted.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein at least a portion of the server video data is received over the network.

24. A method for handling video cue points, the method comprising:

providing a computer system

having at least one computer-readable medium comprising a video playback environment, and

in operative communication with a network;

receiving, using the computer system, server video data from a set of stored video data;

receiving, using the computer system, server cue point information from a set of stored cue point information;

transmitting over the network, using the computer system, a set of client video data, at least part of which being

based on the set of server video data, and

playable on a client terminal;

transmitting over the network, using the computer system, a set of client cue point information, at least part of which being

based on the set of server cue point information,

and selectable by the client terminal;

receiving a selected cue point from the set of client cue point information; and

locating a time position in the client video data based at least in part on the selected cue point.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising receiving, over the network, authentication information relating to access authority of a client terminal.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising denying or allowing access to all or part of the video editing environment based at least in part on the access authority of the client terminal.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the video playback environment comprises a video player configured to display video data on a client terminal.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the client video data is transmitted progressively, allowing the video player to begin displaying transmitted client video data while remaining client video data continues to be transmitted.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the client video data is transmitted progressively beginning from the time position in the client video data based at least in part on the selected cue point, allowing the video player to begin displaying transmitted client video data from the time position while remaining client video data continues to be transmitted.

30. The method of claim 24, further comprising transmitting over the network, using the computer system, a set of comment data, and

wherein the video playback environment comprises a comment handler configured to perform at least one of displaying at least a portion of the set of comment data on a client terminal or receiving at least a portion of the set of comment data over the network.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the set of comment data comprises at least one of textual, audio, or video data at least a portion of which relating to at least one of the client video data, the set of client cue point information, or another portion of the set of comment data.

32. The method of claim 24, wherein at least a portion of the server video data is received over the network.

33. A method for handling video cue points, the method comprising:

accessing, over a network and using a client terminal, a host computer system comprising a video environment, the video environment comprising

a video handler configured to transmit video data over the network, and

a cue point handler configured to transmit cue point information over the network, at least part of the cue point information being related to at least part of the transmitted video data; and

interacting with at least part of the set of cue point information using the client terminal.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising transmitting client authentication information over the network to the host computer system.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the video environment comprises at least one of a video editing environment or a video playback environment.

36. The method of claim 33, further comprising accessing a cue point editing mode configured to perform at least one of creating, modifying, deleting, or interpreting at least a portion of the set of cue point information.

37. The method of claim 33, further comprising accessing a cue point editing mode by pausing playback of the client video data.

38. The method of claim 33, further comprising

accessing a cue point editing mode by pausing playback of the client video data at a time position, and

creating a cue point location associated at least in part with the client video data and the time position.

39. The method of claim 33, wherein the interacting step comprises performing at least one of creating, modifying, deleting, or interpreting a portion of the set of cue point information.

40. The method of claim 33, wherein the video environment comprises a video authoring environment configured to interface with a video creation device, and the method further comprises uploading video data using the video authoring environment.