CONTENT COLLECTION NAVIGATION AND AUTOFORWARDING

• US 20170289234A1
• Filed: 03/29/2016
• Published: 10/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Inventors: Andreou, Jacob, Hudgin, Darryl, Spiegel, Evan
• Granted Patent: US 10,270,839 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4393 Multimedia presentations, e.g. slide shows, multimedia albums
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/739 in form of a video summary, e.g. the video summary being a video sequence, a composite still image or having synthesized frames
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

Systems and methods for communicating and displaying collections of image and video clip content are described. In one example embodiment, a device receives interface information about a group of content collections from a server computer system. When a user inputs a selection of a first content collection, the device displays images and video clips in a sequence defined by the content collection. Each piece of content (e.g. image or video clip) is displayed for less than a threshold display time. When the device finishes playing the first content collection, the device automatically begins playing a next content collection. Additional content collections generated from content submitted by other client devices can be received from the server computer system, with autoforward play of additional content collections continuing indefinitely. Some embodiments include content collections generated by the server computer system, as well as advertising elements or other system images presented between content collections.

Claims

1. A method for network communication of image based content collections, the method comprising:

storing, at a database of a server computer system, a plurality of content messages from a plurality of client devices, wherein a corresponding piece of content from each content message is associated with a display time less than a threshold display time;

generating, by the server computer system, a first plurality of content collections from the plurality of content messages, each content collection of the first plurality of content collections comprising associated content from one or more content messages of the plurality of content messages;

communicating, from the server computer system to a first mobile device, interface information for each content collection of the first plurality of content collections;

receiving, from the first mobile device, a first story request associated with a first selection, at the first mobile device, of a first content collection of the first plurality of content collections;

receiving, from the first mobile device, an autoforward communication associated with completion of a presentation of the first content collection at the first mobile device; and

automatically communicating a second content collection from the server computer system to the first mobile device for automatic display on the first mobile device in response to receipt of the story request and the autoforward communication, wherein the second content collection is selected automatically by the server computer system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first content collection comprises a first set of content from a first set of content messages of the plurality of content messages, wherein the first set of content messages are received from a second mobile device associated with a second user account of the server computer system;

wherein the first user device is associated with a first user account of the server computer system; and

wherein the first user device and the second user device are associated with the server computer system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first content collection is selected by the server computer system for the first plurality of content collections based on the association between the first user account and the second user account.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first set of content messages comprises all content messages received at the server computer system from the second mobile device within a story threshold time prior to receipt of the first story request at the server computer system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the story threshold time is 24 hours.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of content collections comprises content collections from a plurality of friend accounts associated with the first mobile device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising receiving, from the first mobile device, a live autoforward communication associated with completion of an end presentation of a final first content collection of the plurality of content collections at the first mobile device;

and

automatically communicating a first live content collection from the server computer system to the first mobile device for automatic display on the first mobile device in response to receipt of the live autoforward communication.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising communicating one or more advertising elements for presentation on the first mobile device prior to automatic display of the second content collection.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising communicating one or more advertising elements for presentation on the first mobile device following presentation of a trigger content collection of the first plurality of content collections or the first live content collection, wherein the trigger content collection is selected from content collections of the first plurality of content collections or the first live content collection based on an advertising threshold.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, at the server computer system, a second plurality of content messages;

receiving, at the server computer system via a curation tool, selection of live media content from the second plurality of content messages for the live content collection; and

periodically updating live media content of the live content collection using the curation tool.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the first live content collection is generated automatically by:

receiving, at a server computer system, a content message from a first content source of a plurality of content sources, the content message comprising media content;

analyzing, by the server computer system, the content message to determine one or more quality scores and one or more context values associated with the content message;

storing the content message in a database of the server computer system along with the one or more quality scores and the one or more context values;

analyzing, by the server computer system, the content message with a plurality of content collections of the database to identify a match between at least one of the one or more context values and a topic associated with at least a first content collection of the one or more content collections; and

automatically adding, by the server computer system, the content message to the first live content collection based, at least in part, on the match.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, from the first mobile device, a live autoforward communication associated with completion of a presentation of the first live content collection at the first mobile device;

generating, following receipt of the live autoforward communication, a second live content collection; and

communicating a second live content collection from the server computer system to the first mobile device for automatic display on the first mobile device in response to receipt of the live autoforward communication.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface information comprises at least one frame of image data from each piece of content of each content collection of the first plurality of content collections.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein the first plurality of content collections comprises a third live content collection;

wherein the interface information further comprises one or more frames of image data from each piece of content of the third live content collection, wherein each of the one or more frames of image data from each piece of content of the third live content collection are selected using a curation tool.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold display time comprises a time value less than or equal to ten seconds.

16. A method for communication and presentation of image based content collections at a first mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving, from a server computer system, interface information for a first plurality of content collections, the interface information comprising a plurality of content images associated with each content collection of the first plurality of content collections;

receiving, by the first mobile device, a user input initiating a story request associated with selection of a first content collection of the first plurality of content collections;

receiving, from the server computer system, a first set of ordered pieces of content associated with the first content collection, each piece of content of the set of ordered pieces of content having an associated display time less than a threshold display time;

displaying, by the first mobile device, at least a portion of the first set of ordered pieces of content;

identifying, by the first mobile device, a story end trigger associated with display of a final piece of content of the first set of ordered pieces of content; and

in response to identification of the story end trigger, automatically initiating display of a second set of ordered pieces of content associated with a second content collection of the first plurality of content collections.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

automatically presenting each content collection of the plurality of content collections in a sequential order, wherein the sequential order is based on a time associated with the most recently received content message for each content collection of the plurality of content collections.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving, at the first mobile device, a first tap input to a touchscreen of the first mobile device;

in response to the first tap input, shifting to a previous piece of media content of a currently displayed content collection;

receiving, at the first mobile device, a first swipe input to the touchscreen of the first mobile device; and

in response to the first swipe input, shifting to display of a previous content collection and continuing the sequential display from a beginning of the previous content collection.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

displaying, following an end of each content collection of the plurality of content collections, a standardized media display indicating an end of the content collection before automatically displaying a next content collection in the sequential order; and

displaying, following at least a portion of the plurality of content collections prior to the beginning of the next content collection, one or more advertising elements.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a first mobile device, cause the first mobile device to perform a method for autoforwarding during display of a plurality of content collections on the first mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving, from a server computer system, interface information for a first plurality of content collections, the interface information comprising a plurality of content images associated with each content collection of the first plurality of content collections;

receiving, by the first mobile device, a user input initiating a story request associated with selection of a first content collection of the first plurality of content collections;

receiving, from the server computer system, a first set of ordered pieces of content associated with the first content collection, each piece of content of the set of ordered pieces of content having an associated display time less than a threshold display time;

displaying, by the first mobile device, at least a portion of the first set of ordered pieces of content

identifying, by the first mobile device, a story end trigger associated with display of the first set of ordered pieces of content;

communicating, to the server computer system, an autoforward communication associated with the story end trigger; and

in response to identification of the story end trigger, automatically initiating display of a second set of ordered pieces of content associated with a second content collection of the first plurality of content collections.