Systems and methods for timeshifting messages

• US 8,335,833 B1
• Filed: 10/12/2011
• Issued: 12/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Parkinson, Ian
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong, Oanh
• Application Number:
  US13/271,916
• Time in Patent Office: 433 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/223, 709/232, 709/204, 725/32, 715/203, 715/751, 715/752
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43079 of additional data with content streams on multiple devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media that may be used to present messages posted on messaging networks to a user in a time-shifted manner are provided. One method includes transmitting a request to a server to provide messages posted by users of one or more messaging services. Each of the messages has a timestamp associated therewith that falls within a time range associated with the request. The method further includes receiving the messages from the server and correlating, for each of the messages, the time at which the message was originally posted with a time in the time range associated with the request. The method further includes transmitting, to one or more display devices, display data representing the messages. Display of each of the messages is shifted based on the correlation such that the messages are displayed in substantially the same manner as if the messages had been viewed live.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transmitting a request to a server to provide messages posted by users of one or more messaging services, each of the messages having a timestamp associated therewith that falls within a time range associated with the request, wherein the timestamp of said each of the messages is based on a time at which the message was originally posted, and wherein at least a portion of the time range associated with the request falls in a time period during which a media program was broadcast;

receiving the messages from the server;

correlating, for each of the messages, the time at which the message was originally posted with a time in the time period during which the media program was broadcast, wherein the time is correlated based on the timestamp of the message;

transmitting first data to a first display device causing the first display device to display the media program and transmitting second data to a second display device causing the second display device to display the messages, wherein display of the media program on the first display device and display of the messages on the second display device is shifted by a same amount of time from a broadcast time of the media program and times at which the messages were originally posted, respectively, such that the messages are displayed in the same manner as if the media program and messages had been viewed live when they were broadcast and posted;

receiving a playback command associated with at least one of the first display device or the second display device, wherein the playback command comprises one of a pause command, a rewind command or a fast-forward command; and

changing a display time of both the media program on the first display device and the messages on the second display device based on the received playback command.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request comprises an identification of the media program, and wherein the server is configured to determine the messages based on search parameters specific to the media program.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the time range associated with the request is based on a start time received from a user input device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is based on one or more user-specified parameters.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more user-specified parameters comprise an identification of the one or more messaging services with which the desired messages are associated.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more user-specified parameters further comprise an identification of the users of the one or more messaging services with which the desired messages are associated.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the request comprises one or more user identities, and wherein the server is configured to determine the users of the one or more messaging services with which the desired messages are associated based on the one or more user identities.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more user-specified parameters comprise one or more search terms to be used by the server to determine the messages.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a suppression request to at least one of a messaging service or a client application for the messaging service operating on a user device, wherein the suppression request comprises a request to suppress alerts relating to one or more messages posted on the messaging service.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a computing device operably coupled to a memory and configured to;

transmit a request to a server to provide messages posted by users of one or more messaging services, each of the messages having a timestamp associated therewith that falls within a time range associated with the request, wherein the timestamp of said each of the messages is based on a time at which the message was originally posted, and wherein at least a portion of the time range associated with the request falls in a time period during which a media program was broadcast;

receive the messages and correlation data for each message from the server, wherein the correlation data for each message represents a time relationship, based on the timestamp of the respective message, between the time at which the message was originally posted and a time in the time period during which the media program was broadcast;

generate first display data representing the media program and second display data representing the messages, wherein the first display data and the second display data are based on the correlation data;

transmit the first display data to a first display device and transmit the second display data to a second display device, wherein the first display data is configured to cause the first display device to display the media program and the second display data is configured to cause the second display device to display the messages, wherein display of the media program on the first display device and display of the messages on the second display device is shifted by a same amount of time from a broadcast time of the media program and times at which the messages were originally posted, respectively, such that the messages are displayed in the same manner as if the media program and messages had been viewed live when they were broadcast and posted;

receive a playback command associated with at least one of the first display device or the second display device, wherein the playback command comprises one of a pause command, a rewind command or a fast-forward command; and

change a display time of both the media program on the first display device and the messages on the second display device based on the received playback command.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the request is based on one or more user-specified parameters.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more user-specified parameters comprise an identification of the one or more messaging services with which the desired messages are associated.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the one or more user-specified parameters further comprise an identification of the users of the one or more messaging services with which the desired messages are associated.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the request comprises one or more user identities, and wherein the server is configured to determine the users of the one or more messaging services with which the desired messages are associated based on the one or more user identities.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more user-specified parameters comprise one or more search terms to be used by the server to determine the messages.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the request comprises an identification of the media program, and wherein the server is configured to determine the messages based on search parameters specific to the media program.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

transmitting a request to a server to provide messages posted by users of one or more messaging services, wherein the request comprises a plurality of parameters including at least one of a time range or an identification of a media program associated with the request, and wherein at least a portion of the time range associated with the request falls in a time period during which the media program was broadcast;

receiving the messages from the server, wherein each of the messages has a timestamp associated therewith that falls within the time range associated with the request, and wherein the timestamp of said each of the messages is based on a time at which the message was originally posted;

correlating, for each of the messages, the time at which the message was originally posted with a time in the time period during which the media program was broadcast, wherein the times are correlated based on the timestamp of the respective message; and

transmitting first data to a first display device causing the first display device to display the media program and transmitting second data to a second display device causing the second display device to display the messages, wherein display of the media program on the first display device and display of the messages on the second display device is shifted by a same amount of time from a broadcast time of the media program and times at which the messages were originally posted, respectively, such that the messages are displayed in the same manner as if the media program and messages had been viewed live when they were broadcast and posted;

receiving a playback command associated with at least one of the first display device or the second display device, wherein the playback command comprises one of a pause command, a rewind command or a fast-forward command; and

changing a display time of both the media program on the first display device and the messages on the second display device based on the received playback command.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the parameters comprise an identification of the one or more messaging services with which the desired messages are associated.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the parameters comprise one or more user identities, and wherein the server is configured to determine the users of the one or more messaging services with which the desired messages are associated based on the one or more user identities.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the parameters comprise one or more search terms to be used by the server to determine the messages.