Programmable, Interactive Content Viewing on a Mobile Video Application

• US 20120185902A1
• Filed: 01/12/2012
• Published: 07/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: LaRosa, Christopher, Ciurdar, Horia, Doronichev, Andrey
• Granted Patent: US 8,826,342 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

Promotional content provided by content providers is distributed to mobile devices to be displayed with designated videos on mobile devices. The promotional content is received from a content provider, e.g., via an API and associated with a video, group of videos or channel available from a video hosting server. The promotional content meets certain specifications set by the video hosting server. A mobile device requests promotional content for a selected video and the video hosting server provides any available promotional content to the mobile device. The promotional content is displayed with the selected video as designated by the content provider. Activation of the promotional content in some embodiments results in an action being invoked on the mobile device, such as loading of a uniform resource identifier. In some cases, the promotional content is cached by the mobile device for later use.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing promotional content to a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving promotional content from a content provider;

associating the received promotional content with a video stored in a database of a video hosting server, the video claimed by the content provider;

receiving a request for video information associated with the video from a mobile device;

providing the video information to the mobile device; and

providing the promotional content to the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the promotional content to the mobile device further comprises determining that the mobile device is an authorized client.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the received promotional content with the video further comprises receiving the video from the content provider and storing the video in the database of the video hosting server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the received promotional content with the video further comprises receiving the promotional content from the content provider and storing the promotional content in the database of the video hosting server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a request for video information from the mobile device further comprises receiving a request for the promotional content from the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a request for video information from the mobile device further comprises receiving a request for promotional content associated with the video from the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the promotional content includes a mobile device instruction, the mobile device instruction causing the mobile device to execute a command upon selection of the promotional content.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the promotional content is a branded image or video.

9. A computer system for providing promotional content to a mobile device, the system comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions for:

receiving promotional content from a content provider;

associating the received promotional content with a video stored in a database of a video hosting server, the video claimed by the content provider;

receiving a request for video information associated with the video from a mobile device;

providing the video information to the mobile device; and

providing the promotional content to the mobile device.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein providing the promotional content to the mobile device further comprises determining that the mobile device is an authorized client.

11. The computer system of claim 9, wherein associating the received promotional content with the video further comprises receiving the video from the content provider and storing the video in the database of the video hosting server.

12. The computer system of claim 9, wherein associating the received promotional content with the video further comprises receiving the promotional content from the content provider and storing the promotional content in the database of the video hosting server.

13. The computer system of claim 9, wherein receiving a request for video information from the mobile device further comprises receiving a request for the promotional content from the mobile device

14. The computer system of claim 9, wherein receiving a request for video information from the mobile device further comprises receiving a request for promotional content associated with the video from the mobile device.

15. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the promotional content includes a mobile device instruction, the mobile device instruction causing the mobile device to execute a command upon selection of the promotional content.

16. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the promotional content is a branded image or video.

17. A computer-implemented method for receiving promotional content at a mobile device, the method comprising:

authenticating with a video hosting server;

requesting video information from the video hosting server, the video information associated with a video;

determining that the video is associated with a content provider;

requesting promotional content associated with the video and content provider;

displaying promotional content on the mobile device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein authenticating comprises submitting an encrypted key to the video hosting server.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

caching the received promotional content.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining whether the promotional content has been previously cached.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the promotional content includes a mobile device instruction, the mobile device instruction causing the mobile device to execute a command upon selection of the promotional content.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the mobile device instruction comprises a uniform resource locator (URL) to be opened in a web browser on the mobile device.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the promotional content is a branded image or video.