Commenting correlated to temporal point of video data

• US 9,066,145 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2012
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hulu LLC (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Hulu LLC (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Kilar, Jason A., Chan-Martin, Betina J., Suter, Bradley J., Hewitt, Gavin F., Young, Damon A., Nikkar, Arash, Switalski, Arthur, Tom, Richard W., Wu, Haisheng, Wang, Yingan, Wei, Eugene
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, William
• Application Number:
  US13/431,952
• Publication Number:
  US 20130004138A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,183 Days
• Field of Search: 386/241
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• 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 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream

Abstract

Commenting tied to user-selected times during play of audio/video content is enabled by a computer system. An apparatus detects a time that input of user comment data is received during playback of audio/video content on an electronic display device. The apparatus determines a temporal point relative to the playback of the audio/video content correlated to the user comment data, based on the time. The apparatus transmits the user comment data correlated to identifiers for the audio-video content and the temporal point to a computer server. The server may configure the video data for publishing on a website so that the comment data is displayed for a limited period based on the temporal point. Users may thereby conveniently record audio or textual comments that are output during subsequent play of the audio/video content, for sharing with friends and others.

Claims

1. A method for providing user comment data, by a client device, the method comprising:

detecting an indication that a user is interested in adding the user comment data for audio/video content in a comment window;

outputting a comment placement window pointing to a progress indicator along a progress bar for the audio/video content during playback of audio/video content on an electronic display device of the client device, wherein the comment placement window estimates where the user comment data would be placed, the comment placement window is different from the comment window, the comment placement window previews where the user comment data will be placed, and the comment placement window changes position based on a location of the progress indicator;

receiving the user comment data in the comment window;

detecting a time that input of the user comment data is received during playback of audio/video content on the electronic display device, wherein detecting the time comprises;

detecting a lag time for the user to enter the user comment data; and

determining the time as an adjustment of the location along the progress bar based on the lag time;

determining a temporal point relative to the playback of the audio/video content correlated to the user comment data, based on the time; and

transmitting the user comment data correlated to an identifier for the audio/video content and the temporal point to a computer server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing data for a user interface, including control objects for the playback of the audio/video content and entry of the user comment data, to the electronic display device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the time is based on a time that input of the user comment data is initiated.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the time is based on a time that input of the user comment data is completed.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the user input from a user input device local to the electronic display device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting user input of the user comment data and outputting the comment placement window in response.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying a source identifier for the user comment data, and transmitting the source identifier to the computer server.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a website and destination user account as a prospective publication site of the user comment data, based on further user input; and

transmitting information identifying the prospective publication site of the user comment data to the computer server.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

playing the audio/video content; and

displaying the comment placement window and the comment window concurrently together while playing the audio/video content.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the comment placement window is coupled to the location along the progress bar.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor configured for;

detecting an indication that a user is interested in adding the user comment data for audio/video content in a comment window;

outputting a comment placement window pointing to a progress indicator along a progress bar for the audio/video content during playback of audio/video content on an electronic display device of the client device, wherein the comment placement window estimates where the user comment data would be placed, the comment placement window is different from the comment window, the comment placement window previews where the user comment data will be placed, and the comment placement window changes position based on a location of the progress indicator;

receiving the user comment data in the comment window;

detecting a time that input of the user comment data is received during playback of audio/video content on the electronic display device, wherein detecting the time comprises;

detecting a lag time for the user to enter the user comment data; and

determining the time as an adjustment of the location along the progress bar based on the lag time;

determining a temporal point relative to the playback of the audio/video content correlated to the user comment data, based on the time; and

transmitting the user comment data correlated to an identifier for the audio/video content and the temporal point to a computer server; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor for storing data.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured for providing data for a user interface, including control objects for the playback of the audio/video content and entry of the user comment data, to the electronic display device.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured for identifying a source identifier for the user comment data, and transmitting the source identifier to the computer server.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured for identifying a website and destination user account as a prospective publication site of the user comment data, based on further user input;

and

transmitting information identifying the prospective publication site of the user comment data to the computer server.

15. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising code for causing a computer to;

detect an indication that a user is interested in adding the user comment data for audio/video content in a comment window;

output a comment placement window pointing to a progress indicator along a progress bar for the audio/video content during playback of audio/video content on an electronic display device of the client device, wherein the comment placement window estimates where the user comment data would be placed, the comment placement window is different from the comment window, the comment placement window previews where the user comment data will be placed, and the comment placement window changes position based on a location of the progress indicator;

receive the user comment data in the comment window;

detect a time that input of the user comment data is received during playback of audio/video content on the electronic display device, wherein detect the time comprises;

detect a lag time for the user to enter the user comment data; and

determine the time as an adjustment of the location along the progress bar based on the lag time;

determine a temporal point relative to the playback of the audio/video content correlated to the user comment data, based on the time; and

transmit the user comment data correlated to an identifier for the audio/video content and the temporal point to a computer server.

16. A method for providing a link to digital audio/video content responsive to user comment data, by a computer server, the method comprising:

determining an electronic transmission of user comment data from a source device, the user comment data correlated to identifiers for audio/video content and a post-inception temporal point in the audio/video content that is detected using a comment placement window that previewed where the user comment data would be placed and a lag time for a user to enter the user comment data, and the post-inception temporal point is determined as an adjustment of a location of a progress indicator along a progress bar based on the lag time;

configuring a link to the audio/video content including an indication of the post-inception temporal point; and

providing the user comment data with the link to a website host for publication on a website, wherein the website includes the user comment data in a comment placement window located proximate to a progress bar during playing the audio/video content and pointing to a progress indicator along the progress bar based on the post-inception temporal point in the audio/video content.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising generating a thumbnail image from a video frame indicative of the post-inception temporal point of the audio/video content.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising configuring the link to include the thumbnail image.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving an identifier for the website host as a prospective publication site of the user comment data from the source device.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising receiving an identifier for a destination user account at the website host from the source device, and providing information identifying the destination user account to the website host.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising providing the audio/video content to the website host.

22. The method of claim 16, further comprising truncating the audio/video content based on the post-inception temporal point to provide a truncated audio/video content, and providing the truncated audio/video content to the website host.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein:

when entering of the user comment data was detected, in response to the detecting, the comment placement window was outputted pointing to the location along the progress bar for the audio/video content estimating where the user comment data would be placed.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the user comment data is received in a comment window different from the comment placement window.

25. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor configured for;

determining an electronic transmission of the user comment data from a source device, the user comment data correlated to an identifier for audio/video content and a post-inception temporal point in the audio/video content that is detected using a comment placement window that previewed where the user comment data would be placed and a lag time for a user to enter the user comment data, and the post-inception temporal point is determined as an adjustment of a location of a progress indicator along a progress bar based on the lag time;

configuring a link to the audio/video content including an indication of the post-inception temporal point; and

providing the user comment data with the link to a website host for publication on a website, wherein the website includes the user comment data in a comment placement window located proximate to a progress bar during playing the audio/video content and pointing to a progress indicator along the progress bar based on the post-inception temporal point in the audio/video content; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor for storing data.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the processor is further configured for generating a thumbnail image from a video frame indicative of the post-inception temporal point of the audio/video content.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the processor is further configured for configuring the link to include the thumbnail image.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the processor is further configured for receiving an identifier for the website host as a prospective publication site of the user comment data from the source device.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the processor is further configured for receiving an identifier for a destination user account at the website host from the source device, and providing information identifying the destination user account to the website host.

30. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the processor is further configured for providing the audio/video content to the website host.

31. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the processor is further configured for truncating the audio/video content based on the post-inception temporal point to provide a truncated audio/video content, and providing the truncated audio/video content to the website host.

32. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising code for causing a computer to;

determine an electronic transmission of the user comment data from a source device, the user comment data correlated to an identifier for audio/video content and a post-inception temporal point in the audio/video content that is detected using a comment placement window that previewed where the user comment data would be placed and a lag time for a user to enter the user comment data, and the post-inception temporal point is determined as an adjustment of a location of a progress indicator along a progress bar based on the lag time;

configure a link to the audio/video content including an indication of the post-inception temporal point; and

provide the user comment data with the link to a website host for publication on a website, wherein the website includes the user comment data in a comment placement window located proximate to a progress bar during playing the audio/video content and pointing to a progress indicator along the progress bar based on the post-inception temporal point in the audio/video content.