Providing backstage support for online video communication broadcasts

• US 8,693,648 B1
• Filed: 04/16/2012
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Leske, Matthew John, Drugge, Lennart Mikael, Hllberg, Karl Erik Gustav, Oja, Jens Fredrik
• Primary Examiner(s): Anwah, Olisa
• Application Number:
  US13/448,041
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 379/93.21, 379/158, 379/202.01, 348/14.01, 348/14.08, 348/14.07
• US Class Current: 379/93.21
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

The present disclosure comprises systems and methods for broadcasting video communications including video conferences or hosted programs by providing a capability for easily moving participants in and out of the video communications, as necessary. Video communications may be “aired” or broadcast to viewers. The present systems and methods designate at least two stages in the video communication broadcasts, including a “front” stage and a “back” stage. Users who are immediate (e.g., current) participants in the video communication broadcast are provided access to the “front” stage of the video communication broadcast. Those users who are initially “guests” (e.g., will be, but are not yet, immediate or current participants in the video communication broadcast) are provided access first to a back “stage” of the video communication broadcast. A filter imposes restrictions on the back stage to prevent any broadcast of activities that may occur in the back stage to viewers.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for executing broadcast of video communication among a plurality of user devices, the method comprising:

designating, using one or more computing devices, at least two virtual stages for the broadcast of the video communication, including a virtual front stage and a virtual back stage;

identifying, using the one or more computing devices, user devices from the plurality of user devices for participation in the broadcast of the video communication, including a first subset of user devices to connect to the virtual front stage of the broadcast of the video communication, and a second set of user devices to connect to the virtual back stage of the broadcast of the video communication;

receiving, using the one or more computing devices, an indication to move a particular user device from the second set of user devices to the virtual front stage;

based at least in part on the indication to move the particular user device to the virtual front stage, connecting, using the one or more computing devices, the particular user device to the front stage;

filtering out, using the one or more computing devices, any communications occurring in the back stage from the broadcast of the video communication;

broadcasting in the broadcast of the video communication, using the one or more computing devices, only those communications that occur among the users in the front stage to viewer devices.

2. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein based at least in part on the indication to move the particular user device to the virtual front stage, disconnecting, using the one or more computing devices, the particular user device to the virtual back stage.

3. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the video communication is a video conference, to which multiple user devices call in, wherein the video conference includes an audio input and a video input.

4. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the filtering out comprises executing one or more restrictions on audio and video streams of the communications occurring in the virtual back stage.

5. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the filtering out comprises blocking an audio input stream from the virtual back stage to the virtual front stage.

6. A computer-implemented method according to claim 5, further comprising:

blocking the audio input stream by providing one or more control operations of the following;

a) a control operation for an entity designated to moderate the video communication to block the audio input stream;

b) a control operation to facilitate remote muting of the audio input stream for any one or more of the users in the virtual back stage; and

c) a control operation for one or more of the participants in the virtual front stage to select only the audio input stream that the participants in the virtual front stage desire.

7. A computer-implemented method according to claim 4, wherein filtering out of communications comprises blocking a video input stream from the virtual back stage to the virtual front stage.

8. A computer-implemented method according to claim 7, further comprising:

blocking the video input stream by providing one or more control operations from the following;

a) a control operation for an entity designated to moderate the video communication to block the video input stream;

b) a control operation to facilitate dimming of the video input stream from the back stage;

or

c) a control operation for one or more of the participants in the front stage to select only the video input stream that the participants in the front stage desire;

or

d) a control operation for a host of the video communication to view guests in the back stage.

9. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein filtering out of communications comprises limiting functionality available to the virtual back stage.

10. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1, further comprising:

providing control to an entity for receiving an indication to move a particular user device and moving the particular user device between the virtual back stage and the front stage.

11. A computer-implemented method according to claim 10, further comprising;

transmitting messages between the virtual front and back stage, either to or from the virtual front stage to the back stage, via a control channel.

12. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the user devices in the back stage are flagged as visitors and await in a queue to appear in the front stage in the order in the queue.

13. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1, further comprising:

designating a host or moderator entity for controlling the video communication broadcast;

utilizing the host or moderator entity to move users between the front stage and the back stage, wherein the host or moderator entity indicates movement of users via one or more user interface controls displayed to the users; and

updating user status of whether in the back stage or front stage and apprising users before effecting any change in user status.

14. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein only the users in the front stage, via their user devices, are visible to viewer devices.

15. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1, further comprising:

providing a side channel for transmission of communications between the back stage and the front stage including a group chat mode, wherein communications transmitted via the side channel are screened from the broadcast to the viewers.

16. A system for executing broadcasts of video communication, comprising:

one or more processors comprising;

a video communication manager unit configured to designate at least two stages for the broadcast of the video communication, including a front stage and a back stage;

a stage management module configured to identify user devices for participation in the broadcast of the video communication, including a first subset of user devices to connect to the front stage of the broadcast of the video communication, and a second set of user devices to connect to the back stage of the broadcast of the video communication;

a stage transfer module configured to receive an indication to move a particular user device from the second set of user devices to the virtual front stage of the broadcast of the video communication, connecting, the particular user device to the front stage;

a filter configured to filter out communications occurring in the back stage of the broadcast video communication, wherein the communications have an audio input stream and a video input stream;

a broadcast module permitting broadcast of only those communications that occur among the user devices in the front stage to viewer devices.

17. A system according to claim 16, wherein based at least in part on the indication to move the particular user device to the front stage, disconnecting the particular user device to the virtual back stage, and wherein the video communication comprise an audio input and a video input.

18. A system according to claim 16, wherein the filter further comprises:

one or more controls for blocking at least one of the audio input stream and the video input stream, further comprising at least one of the following;

a) a control for an entity designated to moderate the video communication to block the audio input stream or the video input stream or both;

b) a control to facilitate remote muting of the audio input stream for any one or more of the user devices in the back stage; and

c) a control for one or more of the participants in the front stage to select only the audio input stream or the video input stream that the participants in the front stage desire.

19. A system according to claim 16, further comprising:

a control for an entity responsible for moving one or more users devices between the back stage and the front stage based at least in part on receiving the indication from the stage transfer module.

20. A system according to claim 19, wherein the entity controls transmission of messages between the front and back stage, either to or from the front stage to the back stage, via the entity.

21. A system according to claim 19, wherein the user devices in the back stage are flagged as visitors and await in a queue to appear in the front stage in the order in the queue.

22. A system according to claim 19, further comprising:

a host or moderator entity for controlling the video communication wherein the host or moderator entity has a capability to move user devices between the front stage and the back stage, wherein the host or moderator entity indicates movement of user devices via one or more user interface controls displayed on the user devices and wherein the host or moderator updates user status of whether in the back stage or front stage and informs user device before effecting any change in user device status.

23. A system according to claim 19, wherein the user devices in the back stage are screened from the viewer devices.

24. A system according to claim 19, further comprising:

a side channel for transmission of communications between the back stage and the front stage including a group chat mode, wherein communications via the side channel are not part of the broadcast to the viewer devices.

25. A user interface system for executing broadcasts of video communication among a plurality of user devices, comprising:

a video communication interface configured to designate at least two stages for the broadcasts, including a front stage and a back stage;

a stage management interface configured to identify the plurality of user devices for participation in the broadcasts, including a first subset of user devices to connect to the front stage of the broadcasts, a second set of user devices to connect to the back stage of the broadcasts, and a third subset of viewer devices for viewing the broadcasts;

a stage transfer interface configured to receive an indication to move a particular user device from the second set of user devices to the front stage of the broadcast of the video communication, connecting, the particular user device to the front stage;

a filter configured to filter out communications occurring in the back stage of the broadcast video communication,

a broadcast interface permitting broadcast of only those communications that occur among the user devices in the front stage to the third subset of viewer devices.

26. A user interface system according to claim 25, wherein the video communication has a video input feed and an audio input feed, and the filter is configured to filter out either the video input feed or the audio input feed from the back stage.