Interactive Media Display Across Devices

• US 20110214148A1
• Filed: 05/12/2011
• Published: 09/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Seth, Rohan, Baluja, Shumeet, Gossweiler, Richard C. III
• Granted Patent: US 9,473,825 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• 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 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• 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 21/44226 on social networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4621 Controlling the complexity of the content stream or additional data, e.g. lowering the resolution or bit-rate of the video stream for a mobile client with a small screen arrangements for using the results of monitoring on user's side in broadcast systems H04H60/65; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8173 End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8193 dedicated tools, e.g. video decoder software or IPMP tool
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8549 Creating video summaries, e.g. movie trailer retrieval in video databases by using presentations in form of a video summary G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 : by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02

Abstract

A computer-implemented method includes identifying a computer-based portable program module, automatically altering code in the portable program module to permit display of the module on a television-based display so that the displayed module has a substantially similar appearance on the television-based display as on a computer display, and providing the altered code for execution on a processor connected to a television-based display.

Claims

1-21. -21. (canceled)

22. A computer-implemented method of obtaining media content, comprising:

receiving, by a computing system, a command for display of recommended media content;

identifying, by the computing system, one or more friends associated with a user of the computing system;

causing, by the computing system, representations of media content recommended by the one or more friends to be displayed on a television; and

causing, by the computing system, media content recommended by the one or more friends to be displayed on the television, wherein causing the media content to be displayed includes causing bumper content that comprises previews of following media files to be displayed between adjacent pieces of the media content; and

receiving, by the computing system, a skip input from the user while bumper content is being displayed, and in response, causing the following media file associated with the bumper content to be skipped.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

causing, by the computing system, indicators for a plurality of friends associated with the user to be displayed and receiving a selection of the one or more friends from the plurality of friends, and

causing display of representations of content recommended only by the selected friends.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the representations of content recommended by the one or more friends are displayed in one or more shelves.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the representations of content recommended by the one or more friends are displayed in a single shelf, and other recommendations are displayed in one or more other shelves.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the bumper content further comprises advertisements in addition to the previews of following media files.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein causing media content to be displayed comprises accessing streaming media over the internet and providing the streaming media for display on the television.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein the bumper content is played for a predetermined period of time between the adjacent pieces of media content, the adjacent pieces of media content being played automatically in a series.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the bumper content is automatically generated upon receiving the media content recommended by the one or more friends, wherein the media content recommended by the one or more friends identifies the adjacent pieces of media content.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein causing the representations of media content to be displayed includes causing a concurrent display of the representations of media content.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the bumper content is represented by blanks between the displayed representations of media content.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein causing the media content recommended by the one or more friends to be displayed on the television is performed in response to a request by the user to view a piece of media content that is associated with a representation of the piece of media content.

33. A computer-implemented method of sharing network-accessible media content, comprising:

displaying, by a computing system and in a media sharing application, one or more objects illustrating (i) acquaintances of a first user or (ii) groups associated with the first user;

receiving, by the computing system and from the first user, a selection placing a media program from a display of multiple media programs on one of the objects that is associated with a second user or group of users; and

providing, by the computing system, information about the media program to a central media repository for indicating a recommendation of the media program by the first user to the second user or group of users.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising displaying, by the computing system and in response to a selection by the first user of the object that is associated with the second user or group of users, a list of media programs recommended by the first user to the second user or group of users, or to the first user by the second user or group of users.

35. The method of claim 33, further comprising automatically uploading the media program to the central media repository if the media programmed is determined not to be available to the second user or group of users.

38. A computer-implemented media recommendation system, comprising:

a computing device-related client operating a media sharing application that displays a list of devices, and permits media program indicators to be dropped on the devices to recommend media programs that correspond to the dropped media program indicators for display by the respective devices;

a media programming repository storing information from the media sharing application that indicates media programs that have been recommended for display by the respective devices; and

a television-related client device programmed to receive from the media programming repository media programs or pointers to media programs that have been recommended for display by the television-related client device, the television-related client device being one of the devices.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the television-related client device and the media programming repository cooperate to automatically download media programs recommended to the television-related client device corresponding to the computing device-related client.

40. The system of claim 38, wherein:

the media sharing application also displays indicators of acquaintances of a user and permits media program indicators to be dropped on the indicators of the acquaintances of the user to recommend media programs that correspond to the dropped media program indicators for display by systems associated with the respective acquaintances, and

the devices are associated with a user account of the user; and

further comprising a computerized server system that;

determines whether a dropped media indicator is associated with an acquaintance of the user or a device associated with the user account of the user;

in response to determining that a dropped media indicator is associated with an acquaintance of the user, initially providing to the system associated with the acquaintance only a link to the media program that corresponds to the dropped media indicator; and

in response to determining that a dropped media indicator is associated with a particular device associated with the user account of the user, initially causing the particular device to receive actual media content of the media program that corresponds to the dropped media indicator.