Real-time video commenting

• US 8,819,719 B1
• Filed: 12/06/2007
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Chen, Steven, Powers, Michael, Qu, Hong, Pan, Yu
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Brian T
• Assistant Examiner(s): LUONG, ALAN H
• Application Number:
  US11/952,125
• Time in Patent Office: 2,455 Days
• Field of Search: 725/24, 725/32, 725/109, 725/110, 725131-139, 725/151, 709/703, 709/719, 715/721
• US Class Current: 725/24
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 31/006 with video camera or receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• 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 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera

Abstract

The present invention enables real-time video commenting by viewers of media content on a web site. The media content may be video, audio, text, still images or other types of media content. When a content viewer indicates a desire to provide a real-time video comment, a content server causes a video input device at the content viewer'"'"'s location to be activated. The content viewer'"'"'s video comment is captured by the video input device and transmitted to the content server, where it is stored and associated with the video being commented upon. When the original video is subsequently presented to content viewers, indicia of the video comment such as a thumbnail or description of the comment is also presented, thus inviting content viewers to view the video comment in addition to the original video.

Claims

1. A method of associating video responses with video content, the method comprising;

displaying a web page including first video content to a content viewer device over a network, the first video content provided by a content provider;

responsive to a preference setting associated with the first video content indicating that video responses may be added, displaying on the web page a link for providing video responses;

receiving via activation of the link a request from the viewer to provide a video response to the displayed first video content;

activating a video input device associated with the content viewer device;

receiving the video response from the viewer via the video input device;

associating the received video response with the displayed first video content, wherein the video response is searchable separately from the first video content commented by the video response, and display of the first video content is updated to include an indicia of the received video response and one or more textual comments on the first video content provided by a plurality of other viewers; and

responsive to receiving from the content provider approval of the received video response, displaying the indicia of the received video response on the web page.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the video content is stored on a video hosting site accessible via the Internet.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the video content comprises audio content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the video response comprises at least one of a title and a thumbnail image of the video response.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the video response is searchable based, at least in part, on the title and the thumbnail image of the video response.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicia of the received video response includes a thumbnail image from the received video response.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the indicia includes a user ID of the viewer.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the web page includes a link for providing additional video feedback.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying indicia of additional received video feedback received from a plurality of viewers.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying textual comments received from a plurality of viewers.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving from the content provider approval to add the received video response.

4. A system for associating video responses with video content, the system comprising;

a media content server adapted to;

display a webpage including first video content to a content viewer device over a network, the first video content provided by a content provider;

responsive to a preference setting associated with the first video content indicating that video responses may be added, display on the web page a link for providing video responses;

a comment engine, coupled to the media content server, adapted to;

receive via activation of the link a request from the content viewer to provide a real-time video response to the displayed first video content;

the media content server, coupled to the comment engine, further adapted to;

activate a video input device associated with the content viewer device;

associate the received video response with the displayed first video content, wherein the video response is searchable separately from the first video content commented by the video response, and display of the first video content is updated to include an indicia of the received video response and one or more textual comments on the first video content provided by a plurality of other viewers; and

responsive to receiving from the content provider approval of the received video response, displaying the indicia of the received video response on the web page.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the media content server is further adapted to display indicia of the real-time video response in conjunction with providing the video content to the content viewer.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer executable code for associating video responses with video content, the code adapted to perform steps comprising:

displaying a web page including first video content to a content viewer device over a network, the first video content provided by a content provider;

responsive to a preference setting associated with the first video content indicating that video responses may be added, displaying on the web page a link for providing video responses;

receiving via activation of the link a request from the viewer to provide a video response to the displayed first video content;

activating a video input device associated with the content viewer device;

receiving the video response from the viewer via the video input device;

associating the received video response with the displayed first video content,

wherein the video response is searchable separately from the first video content commented by the video response, and display of the first video content is updated to include an indicia of the received video response and one or more textual comments on the first video content provided by a plurality of other viewers; and

responsive to receiving from the content provider approval of the received video response, displaying the indicia of the received video response on the web page.