VIDEO VIEWING AND TAGGING SYSTEM

• US 20120110455A1
• Filed: 03/29/2011
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sharma, Pallaw, Holder, Warwick
• Granted Patent: US 9,251,503 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/719
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/23 for interfacing with the game device, e.g. specific interfaces between game controller and console
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/847 Cooperative playing, e.g. requiring coordinated actions from several players to achieve a common goal
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided to view, manipulate, and share videos within a gaming platform implemented as an advisory services network. Within the context of a serious game designed around a complex business problem of an organization, players can review videos conveying ethnographic information, mark segments of the videos, tag the videos or segments for categorization, create discussions around the videos or segments, add the videos or segments as evidence to a dossier, embed the videos or segments into existing discussions, or the like.

Claims

1. A method facilitated by at least one processor of a computing system, comprising:

receiving, from an interface, time field selection parameters specifying a segment of a video visually presented on the interface;

creating a new discussion thread, via a discussion platform, relating to the segment of the video; and

updating the interface to indicate the creating of the new discussion thread and associating the discussion thread with the segment of the video.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a command from the interface, triggering the creating of the new discussion thread.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating of the new discussion thread further comprises:

generating a data structure that represents the new discussion thread; and

populating the data structure with at least one of a username of an initiator of the new discussion thread, a time and date of the creating, an initial comment text obtained from the interface, a file attachment, or a hyperlink attachment.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying a start time and an end time of the segment of the video based on the time field selection parameters.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

extracting the segment of the video from the video.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising linking the new discussion thread and the segment of the video to indicate that a topic of the new discussion thread relates to the segment of the video.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the linking of the new discussion thread to and the segment of the video further comprises:

generating metadata that associates a first identifier, associated with the new discussion thread, and a second identifier corresponding to the video; and

storing the metadata in a data store.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising appending time field information to the metadata delineating the segment of the video relative to a time line of the video.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the updating of the interface further comprises displaying a tag, linking to the new discussion thread, on a playback timeline of the interface including displaying a visual indication, of the segment of the video specified by the time field selection parameters, along the playback timeline and a visual representation of an initiator of the new discussion thread.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the updating of the interface further comprises:

receiving an identifier of content for display on the interface;

sending a request to a metadata store with the identifier to acquire a set of related content identifiers;

acquiring related content from a plurality of data stores based on the set of related content identifiers; and

generating interface content based on a composite of the related content and the content for display.

11. A computer readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform operations, comprising:

receiving a command relating to a pre-existing discussion thread presented on an interface and time field parameters relating to a disparate media item;

updating a content of the pre-existing discussion thread based on the command and the disparate media item;

associating the pre-existing discussion thread with a segment of the disparate media item extracted according to the time field parameters; and

updating the interface to reflect the content updated and the associating of the pre-existing discussion thread and the segment of the disparate media item.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the associating further comprises:

generating metadata that associates a first identifier, corresponding to the discussion thread, and a second identifier corresponding to the media item; and

storing the metadata generated in a data store.

13. A gaming platform of an advisory services network, comprising:

a game engine associated with an instance of a game and configured to manage execution of the game, wherein a variety of players participate to solve a real-world problem for which a solution is yet to be found based on evidence input to the game;

an interface module configured to maintain display content an interface and to receive player input from the interface; and

a plurality of data storage locations, comprising;

an evidence store configured to retain a collection of data related to a complex problem of a sponsor of the game, wherein the collection of data includes media files conveying ethnographic information received from the sponsor; and

a discussion store configured to store discussion threads,

wherein the game engine further includes;

a video viewing and tagging subsystem configured to retrieve a first media file from the evidence store, tag a portion of the first media file, and create a new discussion thread that pertains to the portion of the first media file tagged.

14. The gaming platform of claim 13, wherein the video viewing and tagging subsystem is further configured to retrieve a second media file from the evidence store, identify a pre-existing discussion thread stored in the discussion store and presented on the interface, and associate the second media file with the pre-existing discussion thread.

15. The gaming platform of claim 13, wherein the video viewing and tagging subsystem comprises a linking module configured to associate the new discussion thread with the portion of the first media file.

16. The gaming platform of claim 15, wherein the linking module is further configured to generate a metadata entry based on a first identifier corresponding to the new discussion thread and a second identifier corresponding to the first media file, wherein the metadata correlates the first identifier and the second identifier.

17. The gaming platform of claim 16, wherein the metadata entry further includes information that specifies the portion of the first media file as a function of an entirety of the first media file.

18. The gaming platform of claim 13, wherein the plurality of data stores further comprises a metadata store configured to store metadata that associates discussion threads stored in the discussion store to media files stored in the evidence store.

19. The gaming platform of claim 18, wherein the game engine further includes a tagging module configured to associate a label with the portion of the first media file.

20. The gaming platform of claim 13, wherein the game engine further includes an interface content module configured to generate interface content, maintained by the interface module, based on media files stored in the evidence store and respective discussion threads respectively associated with the media files.