Graphical user interface to facilitate managing media operations

• US 9,021,355 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2011
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HBC Solutions Incorporated (AEG Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Imagine Communications Limited (Gores Broadcast Holdings LLC)
• Inventors: Lotz, Charles Peter, Felvegi, Csaba, Salyards, Michael Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): WENG, PEI YONG
• Application Number:
  US13/228,015
• Publication Number:
  US 20130067328A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,328 Days
• Field of Search: 715/716
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/638 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/74 Browsing; Visualisation therefor end-user interfaces for requesting or interacting with video content, e.g. video on demand interfaces or electronic program guides, H04N21/472
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists

Abstract

A system can comprise a memory for storing machine readable instructions and a processing unit for accessing the memory and executing the machine readable instructions. The machine readable instructions can comprise an automation client to facilitate managing media operations. The automation client can comprise a graphical user interface (GUI) generator to provide a GUI. The GUI can concurrently provide a plurality of modes of operation for a plurality of playlists in a graphical framework.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a memory for storing machine readable instructions, the memory comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium; and

a processing unit for accessing the memory and executing the machine readable instructions, the processing unit comprising a processor core, and the machine readable instructions comprising;

an automation client to facilitate managing media operations, the automation client comprising a graphical user interface (GUI) generator to provide a GUI that includes a plurality of playlists derived from abstracted media data, the plurality of playlists being presented concurrently in a graphical framework within which each of the plurality of playlists is programmed to operate in a selected mode of operation, in response to a user input, wherein at least two of the playlists are executed concurrently to control media events provided via broadcast channels;

wherein the graphical framework depicts the plurality of playlists, wherein the GUI provides (i) a first given playlist of the plurality of playlists in a view mode that provides a list of events for the first playlist in the graphical framework and (ii) a second playlist of the plurality of playlists in an edit mode that facilitates editing of the second playlist in the graphical framework, wherein each playlist includes a plurality of events with each event corresponding to a scheduled broadcast media event to be provided via respective broadcast channels,

wherein the edit mode of the second playlist facilitates modification of the second playlist during execution, and the edit mode facilitates selection of at least one event of the plurality of events in the second playlist,

wherein the second playlist provides a plurality of icons in the graphical framework, wherein each icon of the plurality of icons corresponds to an event in a list of events included in the second playlist, wherein each icon characterizes a status of a corresponding event in the list of events.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the GUI comprises a dashboard depicting the plurality of playlists, wherein the dashboard provides the first and second playlists of the plurality of playlists.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first playlist and the second playlist are provided in spaced apart portions of the graphical framework.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the GUI further provides a time bar GUI element for the first playlist.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the time bar graphically represents a playtime of a primary event and a secondary event associated with the primary event based on abstracted metadata from an automation service.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the first playlist includes a GUI element programmed for switching the first playlist from the view mode to the edit mode in response to a user input while maintaining its size and location in the graphical framework.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the second playlist includes a GUI element for switching the second playlist from the edit mode to the view mode in response to a user input while maintaining its size and location in the graphical framework.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the first playlist provides an error message for an error detected in an event.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein a given event in the first playlist or the second playlist is color coded to represent a feature of the respective playlist according to metadata describing a condition of the given event.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the GUI is further programmed to provide a list view in another graphical framework that represents a playlist for a given media channel.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the GUI is further programmed to provide a timeline view in another graphical framework that represents a plurality of playlists over a time period for a plurality of media channels.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the timeline view provides a primary event timeline and a secondary event timeline, the primary event timeline includes a plurality of primary events and the secondary event timeline includes a secondary event corresponding to an event that is played out concurrently with at least one primary event of the plurality of primary events.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the GUI generator is programmed to instantiate a playlist object based on the abstracted media data received from an automation service to provide each of the plurality of playlists.

20. The system of claim 2, wherein each of the first and second playlists depicted in the dashboard includes a currently playing event, a next event and a next error detected.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the automation client is further to provide an information frame characterizing detailed information of a selected event in response to selection of the selected event.

14. A method comprising:

abstracting, at a computer, media data received from an automation server;

generating, at the computer, a graphical user interface (GUI) based on the abstracted media data;

using, by the computer, the abstracted media data to instantiate a playlist object to concurrently provide a plurality of playlists within a graphical framework of the GUI, wherein each of the plurality of playlists includes a plurality of events with each event corresponding to a scheduled broadcast media event to be provided via respective broadcast channels, wherein a given playlist of the plurality of playlists is programmed to switch, in response to a user input, from a view mode of operation that provides a list of events for the given playlist to an edit mode of operation that facilitates editing of the given playlist in the graphical framework, without obstructing other playlists in the graphical framework, wherein at least two of the plurality of playlists are executed concurrently to control media events provided the respective broadcast channels,

wherein the edit mode of the second playlist facilitates modification of the second playlist during execution, and the edit mode facilitates selection of at least one event of the plurality of events in the second playlist,

wherein the second playlist provides a plurality of icons in the graphical framework, wherein each icon of the plurality of icons corresponds to an event in a list of events included in the second playlist, wherein each icon characterizes a status of a corresponding event in the list of events.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising concurrently presenting, at a display, each of the plurality of playlists on separate non-overlapping portions of the graphical framework without obstructing the other playlists.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the abstracted media data represents scheduled media events for a plurality of different channels, the method further comprising providing a dashboard corresponding to the graphical framework in which the plurality of playlists are presented.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising providing, at a display, a timeline view within the graphical framework of the GUI to depict a plurality of playlists over a period of time for a plurality of media channels.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium having machine readable instructions comprising:

a graphical user interface (GUI) generator to provide a GUI to facilitate managing media events, the GUI generator instantiating a playlist object to provide a playlist for each of a plurality of broadcast media channels based on media data provided by an automation system, wherein each of playlist of each media channel includes a plurality of events with each event corresponding to a scheduled broadcast media event to be provided via the respective broadcast channels, the GUI comprising dashboard, corresponding to a first graphical framework, in which a first plurality of playlists for a plurality of respective media channels of the plurality of media channels are concurrently displayed without obstruction, the GUI also comprising a second graphical framework comprising a timeline view of at least one second playlist for at least one media channel of the plurality of medial channels, wherein at least two of the first plurality of playlists are executed concurrently;

wherein each instance of the first plurality of playlists is programmed to switch from a view mode of operation that provides a list of events in the first graphical framework for a given playlist of the first plurality of playlists to an edit mode of operation that facilitates editing of the given playlist in the first graphical framework, without obstructing other concurrently presented playlists within the graphical framework,

wherein the edit mode of the second playlist facilitates modification of the second playlist during execution, and the edit mode facilitates selection of one or more events of the plurality of events in the second playlist,

wherein the second playlist provides a plurality of icons in the graphical framework, wherein each icon of the plurality of icons corresponds to an event in a list of events included in the second playlist, wherein each icon characterizes a status of a corresponding event in the list of events.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the GUI generator is further programmed to generate at least another GUI element corresponding to tasks other than provided by the playlists, such that, in response to a user input to the another GUI element, the other tasks can be performed while concurrently managing the plurality of playlists.