User Interfaces For Web-Based Video Player

• US 20080276269A1
• Filed: 05/02/2008
• Published: 11/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Schrock, Jasson, Rajaraman, Shivakumar, Wang, Virginia, Miller, Christoform
• Granted Patent: US 8,468,562 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2743 Video hosting of uploaded data from client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system, method and various user interfaces enable association of advertising content with requested shared video content for access via a web-based video player. Advertising content is provided selectively in conjunction with playback of video content. Selection of how and where advertising is displayed is based on a flexibly managed balance between providing sufficiently noticeable opportunities to access advertising information and preserving a satisfying viewer experience in watching requested video content.

Claims

1. A method of providing video content, comprising:

superimposing an advertising window on a video playback window;

presenting advertising responsive to a first user interaction; and

presenting the video content responsive to a second user interaction.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user interaction includes user selection of the advertising.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user interaction includes presentation of a user control for skipping the advertising and absence of actuation of the user control.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second user interaction includes user selection to skip the advertising.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second user interaction includes user selection of the video content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second user interaction includes presentation of a user control for selection of the advertising and absence of actuation of the user control.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the superimposing precedes the presenting of the video content.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the superimposing is concurrent with the presenting of the video content.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the superimposing includes moving the advertising window on the video playback window in an animated manner.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertising window is translucent.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertising window has a predetermined level of opacity corresponding to a desired amount of attention for the advertising.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the superimposing includes sliding the advertising window into the video playback window.

13. The method of claim 1, further including displaying an indicator showing temporal placement and duration of the advertising relative to the video content.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein displaying an indicator further includes showing playback and loading progress.

15. The method of claim 1, further including displaying advertising timing information.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the second user interaction includes user selection to cancel the advertising during the presenting of advertising.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the advertising responsive to correspondence with the video content.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user interaction is distinct from the second user interaction so as to allow user discrimination between the advertising and the video content.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the superimposing includes presenting the advertising window in a visually distinct manner from the video playback window.

20. A method of providing video content, comprising:

presenting the video content; and

thereafter, presenting a first user control to initiate a first presentation of advertising and a second user control to initiate a second presentation of the video content.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising selecting the advertising responsive to correspondence with the video content.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein presenting a first user control includes providing user distinction between the advertising and the video content.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising initiating a second presentation of advertising following the second presentation of video content, wherein the second presentation of the advertising includes a same advertisement as the first presentation of advertising.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising initiating a second presentation of advertising following the second presentation of video content, wherein the second presentation of advertising includes a same advertisement as the first presentation of advertising responsive to a user selecting the second user control, and wherein the second presentation of advertising include a different advertisement than the first presentation of advertising responsive to the user selecting the first user control.

25. An advertising management system, comprising:

an advertising database; and

an advertising control subsystem coupled with a video database and the advertising database, the subsystem configured to establish correspondences among select items from the advertising database and select items from the video database for presentation to a user.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the advertising control subsystem is further coupled to a user database and is further configured to establish said correspondences responsive to user information stored in the user database.

27. The system of claim 25, configured to communicate with a video server so as to present a video playback window and an advertising window superimposed on the video playback window.

28. The system of claim 27, further configured to present a navigation control operable to activate one of the video playback window and the advertising window.

29. A computer program product for use in conjunction with a computer system, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium and a computer program mechanism embedded therein, the computer program mechanism comprising:

instructions for presenting a video playback window for display of video content;

instructions for superimposing on the video playback window an advertising window for display of advertising content; and

instructions for selectively controlling the display of the advertising content and the video content.

30. A method performed by a computer system, comprising:

playing a video in a video playback window;

after a predetermined period of time, superimposing a translucent advertising window on the video playback window;

presenting an advertising video responsive to a first user interaction with the translucent advertising window.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the video being played in the video playback window is paused during presentation of the advertising video.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the video being played in the video playback window is grayed out during presentation of the advertising video.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein the translucent advertising window contains animated content.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein the translucent advertising window covers less than half the video playback window.

35. The method of claim 30, wherein the translucent advertising window contains an element that allows a user to hide the translucent advertising window.

36. The method of claim 30, wherein the advertising video is displayed near an element that allows a user to quit the advertising video and return to the video previously playing in the video playback window.