System and method of presenting media data

• US 9,275,056 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2007
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Amacker, Matthew W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Levy, Amy M
• Application Number:
  US11/957,230
• Publication Number:
  US 20090158147A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,000 Days
• Field of Search: 715/751, 715/700
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/123 Storage facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/146 Coding or compression of tree-structured data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Systems and methods of presenting media data are provided. A particular method includes receiving a first event message associated with the media data from a media engine presenting media data via a graphical user interface (GUI). The method also includes executing an instruction in response to the first event message. The instruction modifies an in-memory representation associated with the GUI in which the media data is being presented.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

causing, by a processor, display of original search results in a graphical user interface (GUI) comprising a web page, the original search results comprising one or more items offered by an online retailer;

receiving, by the processor and from a media source, a data structure that includes media data to be presented within the GUI, the media data having a time index for playback of the media data and content;

playing the media data by a media engine executed by the processor in the GUI;

receiving, by the processor, a first event message from the media engine in response to reaching a first particular time of the time index associated with the playback of the media data, the first event message including a script;

modifying, by a script engine of the processor executing the script, an in-memory representation of the GUI in which the media data is presented by;

temporarily replacing, by the processor, the original search results of the one or more items with new search results of one or more other items associated with the content of the media data at the first particular time and causing display of the new search results; and

after the temporarily replacing and upon the media data reaching a second particular time of the time index during the playback of the media data, removing, by the processor, the new search results from display and causing display of the original search results of the one or more items;

receiving, by the processor, a second event message associated with a user interacting with the displayed web page that results in a change to the in-memory representation of the GUI; and

executing, by the processor, an instruction in response to the second event message, the instruction modifying the playing of the media data by advancing to a third particular time of the time index associated with the playback of the media data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the media data comprises video data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first event message is further adapted to cause the script engine to determine content of the GUI by accessing the in-memory representation of the GUI before the script engine modifies the in-memory representation of the GUI.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first event message is further adapted to cause the script engine to access additional media data based on the content of the GUI.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the first event message is further adapted to cause the media data to be presented in a particular order based on the content of the GUI.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the GUI representing the web page is displayed via a browser application.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the in-memory representation of the GUI comprises a data structure stored in a memory, wherein the data structure includes a plurality of objects used to create the GUI.

8. A method comprising:

causing, by a processor, display of multiple items offered by an online retailer via a graphical user interface (GUI);

causing, by the processor, display of media data having a time index for playback of the media data within a media player that is presented in the GUI separately from the multiple items;

receiving, by the processor and from a media engine controlling the display of the media data in the media player, a first event message associated with the media data, the first event message including a first instruction of a scripting language;

at least partly in response to a script engine executing the first instruction received via the first event message, modifying, by the processor, an in-memory representation of the GUI to select a particular item of the multiple items, as though a user had selected the particular item, and causing a change to the GUI that is displayed to indicate that the particular item was selected;

receiving, by the processor, a second event message related to a change in the in-memory representation of the GUI, the change being associated with a user interacting with another item of the multiple items displayed via the GUI separately from the media player; and

executing, by the script engine, a second instruction of the scripting language in response to the second event message, wherein the second instruction modifies display of the media data by initiating playback of the media data from a point in the time index that is associated with content of the media data relating to the other item.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first event message is associated with a first particular time of the time index associated with the playback of the media data, and the point in the time index that is associated with the content of the media data relating to the other item is a second particular time.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the second instruction changes a location in the GUI at which the media data is presented.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the second instruction loads data related to subject matter of the media data.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the interacting with the other item by the user comprises at least one of the user entering a search term related to the other item in a search query field in the GUI or the user selecting the other item in the GUI.

13. A method comprising:

causing, by a processor, display of a media player and one or more items offered by an online retailer via a graphical user interface (GUI), the one or more items being presented in the GUI separately from the media player;

receiving media data having a time index for playback of the media data from a media source, the media data including user recommendation content associated with the one or more items displayed in the GUI;

presenting the media data in the media player;

receiving, by the processor and from a media engine presenting the media data in the media player within the GUI, a first event message associated with the media data;

executing, by the processor a first instruction in response to the first event message, the first instruction executing a script embedded within the first event message to determine content of an in-memory representation associated with the GUI;

receiving, by the processor and from the media engine, a second event message identifying changes to the in-memory representation associated with the GUI in response to user interaction with a particular item of the one or more items; and

executing, by the processor, a second instruction in response to the user interaction with the particular item, the second instruction causing the media data presented via the media player within the GUI to advance to, and initiate the playback from, a point in the time index that is associated with content of the media data relating to the particular item.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the content of the in-memory representation comprises determining subject matter of one or more display elements displayed via the GUI.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second instruction further modifies display of the media data by accessing additional media data related to the subject matter of the one or more display elements.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the second instruction further modifies display of the media data by changing a location in the GUI at which the media data is presented.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the in-memory representation associated with the GUI comprises a Document Object Model.

18. A method comprising:

causing, by a processor, display of first search results of one or more items offered by an online retailer via a graphical user interface (GUI);

playing, by the processor, media data having a time index for playback of the media data via the GUI;

during the playing of the media data;

receiving, by the processor, a first event message associated with a first particular time of the time index associated with the playback of the media data;

executing, by the processor, a first instruction in a script at least partly in response to the first event message;

at least partly in response to executing the first instruction, modifying, by the processor, an in-memory representation associated with the GUI by;

temporarily replacing, by the processor, the first search results of the one or more items with new search results of one or more other items associated with content of the media data at the first particular time in the in-memory representation associated with the GUI;

causing displaying of the new search results; and

after the temporarily replacing and upon the media data reaching a second particular time of the time index during the playback of the media data, removing, by the processor, the new search results from display and causing display of the first search results of the one or more items by reverting the in-memory representation associated with the GUI; and

executing, by the processor, a second instruction in the script, wherein executing the second instruction causes a presentation of the media data to be modified by advancing to a third particular time of the time index associated with the playback of the media data.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the second instruction is associated with a user interaction event message.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the user interaction event message comprises a mouse event message.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the mouse event message indicates a mouseover event.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the user interaction event message comprises a keyboard event message.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the user interaction event message comprises a touch screen event message.

24. The method of claim 18, further comprising executing a third instruction in response to the modification of the presentation of the media data, wherein executing the third instruction causes the in-memory representation associated with the GUI to be modified.

25. A method comprising:

causing display, in a browser application executed by a processor, of a graphical user interface (GUI);

receiving, by the processor and from a first user, via the GUI, a search request for a first item that is available at an online retailer;

at least partly in response to the search request, presenting, by the processor and via the GUI, media data having a time index for playback of the media data within a media player along with search results that are presented separately from the media player, the media data the media data having been uploaded by a second user;

initiating playback of the media data by the media player at a first point in the time index;

while the media data is playing;

at least partly in response to the first user selecting a particular item included in the search results, causing, by the processor, an event message to be generated indicating user interest in the particular item; and

at least partly in response to the event message, sending, by the processor, an instruction to the browser application causing the media data presented via the media player within the GUI to skip to, and initiate the playback from, a second point in the time index that is associated with content of the media data relating to the particular item.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising receiving the media data and an associated event message via a plurality of data packets from a media server.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the media data includes an object with embedded code.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the embedded code is adapted to send event messages to a script engine to cause particular functions to be executed.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the script engine includes an ECMAScript engine.

30. A method performed under control of a processor configured with executable instructions, the method comprising:

causing display of a web page in a web browser, the web page including original search results of one or more items offered by an online retailer and media data having content and a time index for playback of the media data;

at least partly in response to a user interacting with the web page, receiving a user interaction event from the web browser;

at least partly in response to receiving the user interaction event, initiating playback of the media data by a media engine;

while the media data is playing;

at a first particular time of the time index associated with the playback of the media data, sending a first event message by the media engine that is playing back the media data;

at least partly in response to the first event message sent by the media engine, changing the display of the web page by temporarily replacing the original search results of the one or more items with new search results displayed in the webpage, the new search results including one or more other items associated with the content of the media data at the first particular time; and

after the temporarily replacing;

at a second particular time of the time index associated with the playback of the media data, sending a second event message by the media engine that is playing back the media data; and

at least partly in response to the second event message, removing the new search results from display and causing display of the original search results of the one or more items.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the original search results of the one or more items are included in the web page as a result of searching a website of the online retailer using an original search term.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the content of the media data includes advertising content or user recommendation content.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein the user interaction event includes at least one of a mouse event, a touch-screen event, or a keyboard event.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein the first event message comprises sending an instruction to the web browser to automatically enter a suggested search term into a search query field in the web page, the suggested search term being based on the content of the media data at the first particular time.