Customizing Immersive Media Content with Embedded Discoverable Elements

• US 20180024724A1
• Filed: 11/18/2016
• Published: 01/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zeality, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Zeality, Inc.
• Inventors: Patel, Dipak Mahendra, Ganancial Santos, Arlene Joy, Collins, Scott Riley, Bor, Bryan Daniel, Dubov, Adam Mark, Harrington, II, Timothy George, Sperske, Jason
• Granted Patent: US 10,222,958 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0246 Traffic
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/036 Insert-editing

Abstract

A social media platform for immersive media stores immersive videos (e.g., 360 video) and embedded affordances for the immersive videos. The platform includes a publisher user interface that enables publisher users to upload immersive videos to the database and embed affordances into the immersive videos at locations that are defined both spatially and temporally. Each affordance is discoverable by viewer users, has an interactive user interface, and has one or more corresponding rewards. The platform includes a viewer user interface that enables viewer users to select and play immersive videos and navigate to different portions of a playing immersive video using a visibility window, which displays a respective selected portion of the playing immersive video based on placement of the visibility window. In response to a first user action to activate a first affordance of the playing immersive video, the platform initiates a reward corresponding to the first affordance.

Claims

1. A social media platform for immersive media, implemented on one or more servers, each having one or more processors and memory, wherein the platform comprises:

one or more databases that store immersive videos and embedded affordances for the immersive videos, wherein each immersive video is a 360 video, a virtual reality video, an augmented reality video, or a mixed reality video;

a publisher user interface that enables publisher users to;

upload immersive videos to the one or more databases; and

embed affordances into the immersive videos at locations that are defined both spatially and temporally by a publisher user, wherein each embedded affordance is discoverable by viewer users, has an interactive user interface, and has one or more corresponding rewards;

a viewer user interface that enables viewer users to;

select and play immersive videos; and

navigate to different portions of a playing immersive video using a visibility window, which displays a respective selected portion of the playing immersive video based on placement of the visibility window;

in response to a first user action to activate a first embedded affordance of the playing immersive video, initiating a reward corresponding to the first embedded affordance.

2. The social media platform of claim 1, wherein defining the temporal location of an embedded affordance in an immersive video comprises defining a start time and an end time for the embedded affordance.

3. The social media platform of claim 1, wherein defining the temporal location of an embedded affordance in an immersive video comprises defining a start time and a duration for the embedded affordance.

4. The social media platform of claim 1, wherein initiating a reward corresponding to the first embedded affordance comprises:

selecting one of a plurality of rewards based on retrieved profile information for a current viewer user; and

initiating the selected reward.

5. The social media platform of claim 1, wherein initiating a reward corresponding to the first embedded affordance comprises granting access to a second immersive video that has restricted access, and initiating playing the second immersive video.

6. The social media platform of claim 1, wherein the one or more databases store user accounts that are configured to store reward tokens corresponding to the embedded affordances;

and

initiating a reward corresponding to the first embedded affordance comprises storing a reward token corresponding to the embedded affordance in a user account for a user who activated the first embedded affordance.

7. The social media platform of claim 6, wherein the platform further comprises a redemption user interface that enables viewer users to redeem reward tokens for the corresponding rewards.

8. The social media platform of claim 1, wherein the publisher user interface further enables publisher users to annotate immersive videos, including one or more of:

(a) adding a visual overlay that remains in a fixed position relative to the visibility window, wherein the visual overlay comprises a recorded video of a publisher user;

(b) adding an audio overlay that comprises recorded audio; and

(c) adding a visual annotation comprising text or an image.

9. The social media platform of claim 1, wherein the viewer user interface is configured for navigation by adjusting the visibility window when a viewer user moves a computing device displaying a playing immersive video.

10. The social media platform of claim 1, wherein the viewer user interface is configured for navigation by adjusting the visibility window when a viewer user uses a mouse pointer, a finger gesture, a hand gesture, an arm gesture, or an eye gesture.

11. The social media platform of claim 1, wherein the viewer user interface provides one or more user interface controls for changing magnification of the visibility window.

12. The social media platform of claim 1, wherein the viewer user interface provides one or more user interface controls for moving the visibility window.

13. The social media platform of claim 1, wherein the publisher user interface further enables publisher users to embed affordances into immersive videos for a specified interval of time that is less than the duration of the immersive videos.

14. The social media platform of claim 1, wherein the publisher user interface further enables publisher users to add visual annotations to immersive videos for a specified interval of time that is less than the duration of the immersive videos.

15. The social media platform of claim 1, wherein the publisher user interface further enables publisher users to embed affordances into immersive videos that have specified expiration dates, thereby preventing display of the embedded affordances during playback after the specified expiration date.

16. The social media platform of claim 1, wherein the publisher user interface further enables publisher users to add visual annotations to immersive videos that have specified expiration dates, thereby preventing display of the visual annotations during playback after the specified expiration date.

17. A computer system hosting a social media platform for immersive media, comprising one or more servers, each server having:

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs stored in the memory, configured for execution by the one or more processors, wherein the one or more programs include instructions for;

one or more databases that store immersive videos and embedded affordances for the immersive videos, wherein each immersive video is a 360 video, a virtual reality video, an augmented reality video, or a mixed reality video;

a publisher user interface that enables publisher users to;

upload immersive videos to the one or more databases; and

embed affordances into the immersive videos at locations that are defined both spatially and temporally by a publisher user, wherein each embedded affordance is discoverable by viewer users, has an interactive user interface, and has one or more corresponding rewards;

a viewer user interface that enables viewer users to;

select and play immersive videos; and

navigate to different portions of a playing immersive video using a visibility window, which displays a respective selected portion of the playing immersive video based on placement of the visibility window;

in response to a first user action to activate a first embedded affordance of the playing immersive video, initiating a reward corresponding to the first embedded affordance.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein initiating a reward corresponding to the first embedded affordance comprises:

selecting one of a plurality of rewards based on retrieved profile information for a current viewer user; and

initiating the selected reward.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured for execution by one or more processors of a computer system hosting a social media platform, the one or more programs comprising instructions for:

one or more databases that store immersive videos and embedded affordances for the immersive videos, wherein each immersive video is a 360 video, a virtual reality video, an augmented reality video, or a mixed reality video;

a publisher user interface that enables publisher users to;

upload immersive videos to the one or more databases; and

embed affordances into the immersive videos at locations that are defined both spatially and temporally by a publisher user, wherein each embedded affordance is discoverable by viewer users, has an interactive user interface, and has one or more corresponding rewards;

a viewer user interface that enables viewer users to;

select and play immersive videos; and

navigate to different portions of a playing immersive video using a visibility window, which displays a respective selected portion of the playing immersive video based on placement of the visibility window;

in response to a first user action to activate a first embedded affordance of the playing immersive video, initiating a reward corresponding to the first embedded affordance.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein:

the one or more databases store user accounts that are configured to store reward tokens corresponding to the embedded affordances;

initiating a reward corresponding to the first embedded affordance comprises storing a reward token corresponding to the embedded affordance in a user account for a user who activated the first embedded affordance; and

the one or more programs further comprise instructions for a redemption user interface that enables viewer users to redeem reward tokens for the corresponding rewards.