Method and apparatus for providing supplemental video content for third party websites

• US 8,244,707 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2010
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hulu LLC (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Hulu LLC (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Lin, Andrew Cheng-min, Suter, Bradley J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Radtke, Mark A
• Application Number:
  US12/688,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20110179010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• Field of Search: 707/706
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

A method, apparatus and article of manufacture for providing supplemental video content for third party websites is disclosed. In one embodiment, coded instructions are transmitted from a content enhancement server to a host server, for incorporation into the webpage source code. The host server is controlled by a first entity and the content enhancement server is controlled by a second entity commercially distinct from the first entity. Keywords are generated by execution of the coded instructions in the webpage received in the client computer from the host server, and the keywords are sent to a content enhancement server, which generates supplemental substantive video content information for transmission to the client.

Claims

1. A method for presenting a search utility in an embedded video player application, comprising:

configuring coded instructions for embedding into webpage source code, the coded instructions comprising a link to a media player application on a content enhancement server and executable for identifying keywords based on the webpage source code, wherein the webpage source code further comprises a link to a second webpage;

transmitting the coded instructions from the content enhancement server to a host server;

receiving the coded instructions from the content enhancement server in the host server;

incorporating the coded instructions including the link to the media player application in the webpage stored in the host server;

receiving keywords via a computer network, the keywords generated by execution of the coded instructions in the webpage received by a client computer from the host server;

generating supplemental substantive video content information from the keywords in the content enhancement server, the supplemental substantive video content information identifying video content supplementing the substantive content of the webpage;

transmitting the supplemental substantive video content information from the content enhancement server to the client computer configured for producing video output of the video content by the media player application executing on the client computer;

executing the coded instructions in the client computer to generate keywords describing the substantive content of the webpage by parsing the webpage source code to identify substantive webpage content;

parsing the webpage source code to identify the link to the second webpage;

accessing the second webpage, the second webpage having second webpage substantive webpage content; and

further generating the keywords from the second webpage substantive webpage content.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a first message from the client computer, the message comprising a uniform resource locator (URL) for the webpage; and

transmitting the webpage to the client computer.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising

transmitting the keywords to the content enhancement server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein

generating supplemental substantive video content information from the keywords further comprises:

generating a database query including the keywords;

transmitting the database query to a database associating video content with metadata; and

receiving the supplemental substantive video content information responsive to the database query.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the supplemental substantive video content information comprises an address to a supplemental video.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

presenting the webpage comprising a link to the address of the supplemental video on a display communicatively coupled to the client computer;

accepting a selection of the link in the client computer; and

presenting the supplemental video to the user on a display communicatively coupled to the client computer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the coded instructions are selected from the group comprising:

a servlet;

a snippet; and

an applet.

8. A system for presenting a search utility in an embedded video player application, comprising:

a content enhancement server, having a content enhancement processor and a content enhancement server memory storing content enhancement instructions including instructions for;

configuring coded instructions for embedding into webpage source code, the coded instructions comprising a link to a media player application on a content enhancement server and executable for identifying keywords based on the webpage source code, wherein the webpage source code comprises a link to a second webpage and the coded instructions when executed by the client computer generate keywords describing the substantive content of the webpage by parsing the webpage source code to identify substantive webpage content, parse the webpage source code to identify the link to the second webpage, open the second webpage having second webpage substantive webpage content, and further generate the keywords from the second webpage substantive webpage content;

transmitting the coded instructions from the content enhancement server to a host server;

receiving keywords via a computer network, the keywords generated by execution of the coded instructions in the webpage received by a client computer from the host server;

generating supplemental substantive video content information from the keywords in the content enhancement server, the supplemental substantive video content information identifying video content supplementing the substantive content of the webpage;

transmitting the supplemental substantive video content information from the content enhancement server to the client computer configured for producing video output by the media player application executing on the client computer; and

the host server, comprising a host server memory storing host server instructions including instructions for;

receiving the coded instructions from the content enhancement server in the host server, and incorporating the coded instructions including the link to the media player application in the webpage stored in the host server.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein:

the host server instructions further include instructions for;

receiving a first message from the client computer, the message comprising a uniform resource locator (URL) for the webpage; and

transmitting the webpage to the client computer.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the coded instructions further comprise instructions for transmitting the keywords to the content enhancement server.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the coded instructions include instructions for:

parsing the webpage source code to identify text having substantive webpage content; and

identifying the keywords from the identified text.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the supplemental substantive video content information comprises an address to a supplemental video.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the client computer further comprises a memory storing client computer instructions comprising instructions for:

presenting the webpage comprising a link to the address of the supplemental video on a display communicatively coupled to the client computer;

accepting a selection of the link in the client computer; and

presenting the supplemental video to the user on a display communicatively coupled to the client computer.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the coded instructions are selected from the group comprising:

a servlet;

a snippet; and

an applet.

15. A computer readable storage device, tangibly embodying at least one program of instructions which when accessed by a computer cause the computer to load the program instructions to a memory therein creating a special purpose data structure causing the computer to operate as a specially programmed computer, executing a method for presenting a search utility in an embedded video player application, comprising instructions for:

configuring coded instructions for embedding into webpage source code, the coded instructions comprising a link to a media player application on a content enhancement server and executable for identifying keywords based on the webpage source code, wherein the webpage source code comprises a link to a second webpage and the coded instructions when executed by the client computer generate keywords describing the substantive content of the webpage by parsing the webpage source code to identify substantive webpage content, parse the webpage source code to identify the link to the second webpage, open the second webpage having second webpage substantive webpage content, and further generate the keywords from the second webpage substantive webpage content;

transmitting the coded instructions from the content enhancement server to a host server;

receiving keywords via a computer network, the keywords generated by execution of the coded instructions in the webpage received by a client computer from the host server;

generating supplemental substantive video content information from the keywords in the content enhancement server, the supplemental substantive video content information identifying video content supplementing the substantive content of the webpage; and

transmitting the supplemental substantive video content information from the content enhancement server to the client computer configured for producing video output of the video content by the media player application executing on the client computer.