Smart Snap to Interesting Points in Media Content

• US 20150350735A1
• Filed: 06/02/2014
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Kser, Mikkel Crone
• Granted Patent: US 9,699,488 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2353 specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2743 Video hosting of uploaded data from client
• 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 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream

Abstract

Systems and techniques are provided for smart snap to interesting points in media content. A position control input may be received from a user to a control interface for a content player being used with a content item. A smart snap point and an associated smart snap area t may be determined for the content item based on the received position control input. The smart snap point and the associated smart snap area may be stored. A second position control input to the control interface for the content player being used with the content item may be received. The position control input may be determined to move a position indicator into the associated smart snap area for the smart snap point. Use of the content item may be resumed with the content player from the smart snap point.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method performed by a data processing apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving a position control input, wherein the position control input is an input from a user to a control interface for a content player being used with a content item;

determining a smart snap point for the content item based on the received position control input;

determining an associated smart snap area for the smart snap point based on the received position control input; and

storing the smart snap point and the associated smart snap area.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second position control input to the control interface for the content player being used with the content item;

determining that the position control input moves a position indicator into the associated smart snap area for the smart snap point; and

resuming use of the content item with the content player from the smart snap point.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein resuming use of the content item further comprises automatically moving the position indicator to the smart snap point.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the position control input is received from a remote computing device.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the position control input comprises movement of a position indicator on a scrub bar.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the position control input comprises scrolling of a display of the content item.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the smart snap point comprises creating a new smart snap point for the content item or modifying an existing smart snap point for the content item.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein storing the smart snap point and associated smart snap area comprises storing the smart snap point and associated smart snap area with the content item or storing the smart snap point and associated smart snap area separately from the content item and linked to the content item.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 further comprising displaying at least one of the smart snap point and the associated smart snap area visually using the content player.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the content item comprises a video, an audio track, a web page, or an e-book.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the smart snap point comprises a time mark in the content item.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein determining the at least one smart snap point and associated smart snap area comprises analyzing the plurality of position control inputs using at least one of a machine learning system and statistical analysis.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 further comprising:

sending the content item to a computing device, wherein the computing device is one of the plurality of computing devices or is an addition computing device; and

sending at least one of the at least one smart snap points and associated smart snap area to the computing device concurrently with the sending of the content item.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, further comprising selecting which of the at least one smart snap points and associated smart areas to send to the computing device based on at least one characteristic of the computing device.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein sending the content to the computing device comprises streaming the content item to a content player of the computing device.

12. A computer-implemented method performed by a data processing apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of position control inputs from a plurality of computing devices, each computing device comprising a content player using a content item;

determining at least one smart snap point and an associated smart snap area for the content item based on the received plurality of position control inputs; and

storing the at least one smart snap point and the associated smart snap area.

17. A computer-implemented method performed by a data processing apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving a content item for use with a content player;

receiving a smart snap point and an associated smart snap area for the content item;

using the content item with the content player;

receiving a position control input from a user to a control interface of the content player;

determining that the position control input moves a position indicator into the associated smart snap area for the content item; and

using the content item at the position indicated by the smart snap point.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein using the content item at the position indicated by the smart snap point comprises resuming playback of the content item at the smart snap point.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein using the content item at the position indicated by the smart snap point comprises displaying content of the content item that is located at the smart snap point.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the position control input comprises movement of a visual element for the position indicator on a position control bar.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the position control input comprises scrolling of a display of the content item and wherein the position indicator does not have a visual element.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, further comprising suggesting an edit point for the content item to a user based on the smart snap point.

23. A computer-implemented system for smart snap comprising:

a storage comprising a content item and a smart snap point and associated smart snap area for the content item;

a control input analyzer adapted to receive a position control input from a content player, determine the at least one smart snap point and associated smart snap area for the content item based on the received position control input, and store the smart snap point and associated snap area in the storage with the content item.

24. The computer-implemented system of claim 23, further comprising the content player, the content player comprising a position control adapted to receive position control inputs through a control interface and send the position control inputs to the control input analyzer.

25. The computer-implemented system of claim 24, wherein the content player is further adapted to use the content item and the position control further is adapted to receive the at least one smart snap point and associated smart snap area, determine that a received position control input moves a position indicator into the smart snap area, and move the position indicator to the smart snap point.

26. The computer-implemented system of claim 23 wherein the content item and the at least one smart snap point and associated smart snap area are sent to a remote computing device.

27. The computer-implemented system of claim 23, wherein the control input analyzer is further adapted to receive a plurality of position control inputs from a plurality of computing devices with a plurality of content players using the content item.

28. The computer-implemented system of claim 23, wherein the control input analyzer is further adapted to use machine learning systems or statistical analysis to determine the smart snap point and associated smart snap area.

29. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions which are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

receiving a position control input, wherein the position control input is an input from a user to a control interface for a content player being used with a content item;

determining a smart snap point for the content item based on the received position control input;

determining an associated smart snap area for the smart snap point based on the received position control input; and

storing the smart snap point and the associated smart snap area.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more computers to perform operations further comprising:

receiving a second position control input to the control interface for the content player being used with the content item;

determining that the position control input moves a position indicator into the associated smart snap area for the smart snap point; and

resuming use of the content item with the content player from the smart snap point.