System and method for a personal video inbox channel

• US 8,671,428 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2007
• Issued: 03/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Agricola, Arleen, Wang, Edward, Oviedo, Michelle
• Primary Examiner(s): Ingvoldstad, Bennett
• Application Number:
  US11/936,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20090125951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,315 Days
• Field of Search: 725/48, 725/91
• US Class Current: 725/48
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23109 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. EPG data repository details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video databases G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26291 for providing content or additional data updates, e.g. updating software modules, stored at the client deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17354 in an intermediate station common to a plurality of user terminals

Abstract

A method of aggregating video content receives video content data related to video content, evaluates and aggregates this information, and subsequently forwards the aggregated information to a viewing client where it can be viewed by a user. In one embodiment, the video content data contains a Universal Resource Indicator (URI) that specifies to the viewing client the location of the video content.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining, for each particular user of a plurality of users of a video inbox service that is remote relative to the plurality of users, a video inbox that is hosted by the video inbox service;

wherein the plurality of users includes a particular user for whom the video inbox service maintains a particular video inbox;

wherein the particular video inbox stores a plurality of links for the particular user;

wherein each link, of the plurality of links that are stored in the particular video inbox, points to an individual video content item that has been determined to be of interest to the particular user;

wherein said individual video content items to which the plurality of links point are stored at sources that are remote relative to said video inbox service;

wherein the plurality of links include one or more links from a feed to which the particular user is subscribed, wherein the feed is associated with video content from another user of the plurality of users of the video inbox service;

receiving an update to the feed that specifies one or more new links to one or more new video content items;

in response to receiving the update to the feed, adding, to the plurality of links for the particular user, the one or more new links;

in response to a request from said particular user, performing steps comprising;

(a) reading data, maintained by the video service, that indicates the plurality of links for said particular user, and

(b) displaying, to said particular user, information about said individual video content items pointed to by said plurality of links to allow said particular user to select any of the video content items pointed to by said plurality of links; and

in response to said particular user selecting a particular video content item pointed to by a particular link in said plurality of links, causing the particular video content item to be delivered to a client device of said particular user from one of said sources that are remote relative to said video inbox service;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the particular user, a second request to play video content items from said video inbox as if the video inbox were a channel;

in response to a second request, causing two or more video content items that are pointed to by said plurality of links to be sequentially played on said client device;

wherein causing the two or more video content items to be sequentially played includes, after the client device finishes playing a first video content item of the two or more video content items, causing the client device to start playing a second content item of the two or more video items without additional input from the particular user.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding new links to the particular video inbox in response to one or more video content items that are pointed to by the new links being recommended by a different user in the plurality of users.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication, from said particular user, of one or more video content items pointed to by said particular video inbox;

in response to the indication, performing steps comprising;

determining one or more second users who are friends of said user; and

adding to video inboxes of said one or more second users links to said one or more video content items.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said video inbox includes one or more advertisements generated by said video inbox service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said video inbox is accessible by said user using a webmail application.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said client device is selected from the group consisting of set-top box, digital video recorder, personal digital assistant, and mobile phone.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said information about said plurality of video content items includes at least one of:

title, length, copyright information, author, date, rights management information, and format.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said sources include at least two sources from the group consisting of:

cable television, satellite television, broadcast television, Internet video sites, and digital video recorders.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the feed is a Really Simple Syndication (“

RSS”

) feed.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the feed is an Atom feed.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the other user is a particular content provider.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the other user is a friend of the particular user on the video inbox service.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the other user is a friend of the particular user on the video inbox service.

15. A system comprising one or more computing devices that are configured to perform steps comprising:

maintaining, for each particular user of a plurality of users of a video inbox service that is remote relative to the plurality of users, a video inbox that is hosted by the video inbox service;

wherein the plurality of users includes a particular user for whom the video inbox service maintains a particular video inbox;

wherein the particular video inbox stores a plurality of links for the particular user;

wherein each link, of the plurality of links that are stored in the particular video inbox, points to an individual video content item that has been determined to be of interest to the particular user;

wherein said individual video content items to which the plurality of links point are stored at sources that are remote relative to said video inbox service;

wherein the plurality of links include one or more links from a feed to which the particular user is subscribed, wherein the feed is associated with video content from another user of the plurality of users of the video inbox service;

receiving an update to the feed that specifies one or more new links to one or more new video content items;

in response to receiving the update to the feed, adding, to the plurality of links for the particular user, the one or more new links;

in response to a request from said particular user, performing steps comprising;

(a) reading data, maintained by the video service, that indicates the plurality of links for said particular user, and

(b) displaying, to said particular user, information about said individual video content items pointed to by said plurality of links to allow said particular user to select any of the video content items pointed to by said plurality of links; and

in response to said particular user selecting a particular video content item pointed to by a particular link in said plurality of links, causing the particular video content item to be delivered to a client device of said particular user from one of said sources that are remote relative to said video inbox service.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to perform steps comprising:

receiving, from the particular user, a second request to play video content items from said video inbox as if the video inbox were a channel;

in response to a second request, causing two or more video content items that are pointed to by said plurality of links to be sequentially played on said client device;

wherein causing the two or more video content items to be sequentially played includes, after the client device finishes playing a first video content item of the two or more video content items, causing the client device to start playing a second content item of the two or more video items without additional input from the particular user.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to perform steps comprising adding new links to the particular video inbox in response to one or more video content items that are pointed to by the new links being recommended by a different user in the plurality of users.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to perform:

receiving an indication, from said particular user, of one or more video content items pointed to by said particular video inbox;

in response to the indication, performing steps comprising;

determining one or more second users who are friends of said user; and

adding to video inboxes of said one or more second users links to said one or more video content items.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein said video inbox includes one or more advertisements generated by said video inbox service.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein said video inbox is accessible by said user using a webmail application.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein said client device is selected from the group consisting of set-top box, digital video recorder, personal digital assistant, and mobile phone.

22. The system of claim 15, wherein said information about said plurality of video content items includes at least one of:

title, length, copyright information, author, date, rights management information, and format.

23. The system of claim 15, wherein said sources include at least two sources from the group consisting of:

cable television, satellite television, broadcast television, Internet video sites, and digital video recorders.

24. The system of claim 15, wherein the feed is a Really Simple Syndication (“

RSS”

) feed.

25. The system of claim 15, wherein the feed is an Atom feed.

26. The system of claim 15, wherein the other user is a particular content provider.