SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR A VIDEO EMAILING SERVICE

• US 20110264751A1
• Filed: 04/21/2011
• Published: 10/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Vidbiscuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Vidbiscuit, Inc.
• Inventors: Jans, Lucas A.
• Application Number:
  US13/091,321
• Publication Number:
  US 20110264751A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Systems and methods for creating, transmitting and receiving a video email. A user records a video for incorporation into a video email. The user logs into a video server and uses a video creation interface to record a video and define an email message in which to embed the video. The video may be stored on the video server and the message contents are passed to a messaging server. The messaging server downloads one or more frames of the recorded video and creates a still image using the one or more frames. The messaging server embeds the image into an email and includes the message contents to create a video email. The messaging server sends the video email to a recipient. The recipient receives the email and clicks on the one or more images. The recipient'"'"'s computer launches a web browser that automatically plays the video from the video server.

Claims

1. A system for providing a video emailing service, the system comprising:

a video server operative to receive and store a video from a video creation interface associated with a sender computer; and

a messaging server communicatively coupled to the video server and operative to receive message contents from a message creation interface associated with the sender computer, the messaging server being further operative to create a video email that comprises the message contents and a video image file having a link associated therewith that is operative to pass information to the video server, the messaging server being further operative to send the video email to a recipient computer.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a web server communicatively coupled to the video server and the messaging server, the web server being operative to generate a video presentation webpage that allows the video to be displayed on the recipient computer.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the video presentation webpage comprises a message theme selected from a plurality of message themes by a user of the sender computer.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the messaging server is further operative to download a frame of the video from the video server, and wherein the video image file comprises a video template image overlaid onto the frame of the video.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the video server is operative to pass a unique token corresponding to a video email to the video creation interface, and wherein the video creation interface is operative to pass the unique token to the messaging server so that a particular video is associated with a particular video email.

6. A method for creating a video email, comprising:

receiving message content from a sender computer;

receiving a unique identifier from the sender computer, the unique identifier being associated with a video created by a user of the sender computer;

receiving a frame of the video;

creating a video image file using the frame of the video;

embedding the video image file and the message content into a message body; and

creating a link associated with the video image file that, when activated by a recipient of the video email, is operative to initiate playback of the video on a computer of the recipient.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

sending the video email to the recipient specified by the user of the sender computer.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein creating the video image file comprises overlaying a video template image onto the frame of the video.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the link comprises a hyperlink that provides a unique address identifier that can pass information to a video server storing the video when the hyperlink is clicked on by the recipient.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising receiving a selection of a message theme from a plurality of selectable message themes that include preassembled sets of message attributes.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising downloading the frame of the video from a video server storing the video.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the unique identifier is received from a video creation interface of the sender computer and the message content is received from a message creation interface of the sender computer.

13. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving information from the link in response to the recipient activating the link once the recipient has received the video email on a recipient computer;

generating a video presentation webpage associated with the video email;

embedding the video into the video presentation page; and

automatically initiating playback of the embedded video on a display of the recipient computer.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising causing a web browser of the recipient computer to be launched.

15. The method of claim 6, further comprising transmitting a notification to the sender computer providing an indication that the video has been played.

16. The method of claim 6, wherein the video image file comprises a video template image having a semi-transparent image that includes a play button to provide an indication to the recipient to click the video image file to initiate playback of the video.

17. A method for creating a video email:

creating a video using a video creation interface;

creating message content associated with the video using a message creation interface;

inputting a recipient to whom the video email is to be sent; and

providing a request to a video emailing service to create the video email and send the video email to the recipient.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the request to send the video email causes the video emailing service to:

create a video image file using a frame of the created video;

embed the video image file and the created email message into a message body to create the video email;

create a link associated with the video image file that is operative to pass information to a video server when activated by the recipient; and

send the video email to the recipient.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising selecting a message theme from a plurality of selectable message themes.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving a notification from the video emailing service indicating that the video email has been played.