PROVIDING LOCAL EXPERT SESSIONS

• US 20140282043A1
• Filed: 12/26/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Manber, Udi
• Granted Patent: US 9,661,282 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for providing local expert sessions. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a request to initiate a local expert session from a user; identifying available local experts in response to the request, wherein a local expert is a user who has registered to offer local expert sessions in a geographic location relevant to the physical location of the user; selecting an available local expert; and initiating a local expert session between the user and the selected local expert, wherein initiating the local expert session comprises providing video captured by a session accessory worn by the user to a user device for presentation to the selected local expert and establishing communication between the user and the selected local expert.

Claims

1. A method performed by one or more computers, the method comprising:

receiving a request to initiate a local expert session from a user;

identifying available local experts in response to the request, wherein a local expert is a user who has registered to offer local expert sessions in a geographic location relevant to the physical location of the user;

selecting an available local expert; and

initiating a local expert session between the user and the selected local expert, wherein initiating the local expert session comprises providing video captured by a session accessory worn by the user to a user device for presentation to the selected local expert and establishing communication between the user and the selected local expert.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the available local expert comprises:

ranking the available local experts;

providing data identifying the available local experts for presentation to the user in accordance with the ranking; and

receiving a user input selecting an available local expert.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the available local experts comprises:

ranking the available local experts; and

selecting a highest-ranked available local expert without further user input.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein ranking the available local experts comprises ranking the available local experts based on whether the available local experts are in a social network of the user.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the physical location of the user from coordinates received from the session accessory worn by the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing communication between the user and the selected local expert comprises establishing audio communication between the user and the selected local expert.

7. A system comprising one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request to initiate a local expert session from a user;

identifying available local experts in response to the request, wherein a local expert is a user who has registered to offer local expert sessions in a geographic location relevant to the physical location of the user;

selecting an available local expert; and

initiating a local expert session between the user and the selected local expert, wherein initiating the local expert session comprises providing video captured by a session accessory worn by the user to a user device for presentation to the selected local expert and establishing communication between the user and the selected local expert.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein selecting the available local expert comprises:

ranking the available local experts;

providing data identifying the available local experts for presentation to the user in accordance with the ranking; and

receiving a user input selecting an available local expert.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein selecting the available local experts comprises:

ranking the available local experts; and

selecting a highest-ranked available local expert without further user input.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein ranking the available local experts comprises ranking the available local experts based on whether the available local experts are in a social network of the user.

11. The system of claim 7, the operations further comprising:

determining the physical location of the user from coordinates received from the session accessory worn by the user.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein establishing communication between the user and the selected local expert comprises establishing audio communication between the user and the selected local expert.

13. A computer storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request to initiate a local expert session from a user;

identifying available local experts in response to the request, wherein a local expert is a user who has registered to offer local expert sessions in a geographic location relevant to the physical location of the user;

selecting an available local expert; and

initiating a local expert session between the user and the selected local expert, wherein initiating the local expert session comprises providing video captured by a session accessory worn by the user to a user device for presentation to the selected local expert and establishing communication between the user and the selected local expert.

14. The computer storage medium of claim 13, wherein selecting the available local expert comprises:

ranking the available local experts;

providing data identifying the available local experts for presentation to the user in accordance with the ranking; and

receiving a user input selecting an available local expert.

15. The computer storage medium of claim 13, wherein selecting the available local experts comprises:

ranking the available local experts; and

selecting a highest-ranked available local expert without further user input.

16. The computer storage medium of claim 15, wherein ranking the available local experts comprises ranking the available local experts based on whether the available local experts are in a social network of the user.

17. The computer storage medium of claim 16, the operations further comprising:

determining the physical location of the user from coordinates received from the session accessory worn by the user.

18. The computer storage medium of claim 13, wherein establishing communication between the user and the selected local expert comprises establishing audio communication between the user and the selected local expert.