Generating and updating event-based playback experiences

• US 9,280,545 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2011
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Padmanabhan, Udiyan, Messing, William, Matthews, Joseph H. III, Shetter, Martin, Gershanovich, Tatiana, Ricker, Michael J., Peters, Jannes Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ludwig, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US13/292,998
• Publication Number:
  US 20130117692A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,581 Days
• Field of Search: 715201-203
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/21 Design or setup of recognition systems or techniques; Extraction of features in feature space; Blind source separation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/422 Input-only peripherals , i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS] input devices also receiving signals from specially adapted client devices H04N21/4104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4586 Content update operation triggered locally, e.g. by comparing the version of software modules in a DVB carousel to the version stored locally deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction of the data by redundancy during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• 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 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

Exemplary methods, apparatus, and systems are disclosed for capturing, organizing, sharing, and/or displaying media. For example, using embodiments of the disclosed technology, a unified playback and browsing experience for a collection of media can be created automatically. For instance, heuristics and metadata can be used to assemble and add narratives to the media data. Furthermore, this representation of media can recompose itself dynamically as more media is added to the collection. While a collection may use a single user'"'"'s content, sometimes media that is desirable to include in the collection is captured by friends and/or others at the same event. In certain embodiments, media content related to the event can be automatically collected and shared among selected groups. Further, in some embodiments, new media can be automatically incorporated into a media collection associated with the event, and the playback experience dynamically updated.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving instances of digital media, the instances of digital media comprising one or more of digital image data, digital video data, or digital audio data and further including data indicating a time at which the digital media was captured and data indicating the GPS coordinates of where the digital media was captured;

generating a group of digital media related by time and location from the received instances of digital media, the generating being performed using the data included with the instances of digital media that indicates the time at which the digital media was captured and the GPS coordinates of where the digital media was captured;

automatically generating playback data for presenting the group of digital media by applying one or more heuristics to the group of digital media data, the playback data comprising data for controlling a sequential presentation of the group of digital media, the one or more heuristics resulting in one or more images from the group of digital media having a modified display duration or location in the sequential presentation; and

outputting the group of digital media and the playback data such that one or more recipients are able to view the presentation of the group of digital media as controlled by the playback data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a further instance of digital media from one of the recipients; and

automatically updating the group of digital media and the playback data to incorporate the further instance of digital media.

3. The method of claim 2, outputting data for the further instance such that the one or more recipients are able to view the further instance, the outputting being performed without outputting data for all of the digital media in the group of digital media.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising notifying one or more of the recipients of the updated group of digital media.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the receiving the further instance comprises:

periodically accessing a social network account;

identifying the further instance of digital media from among comments posted at the social network account; and

downloading the further instance of digital media.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the receiving the further instance comprises:

receiving a notification from a social network server that a comment associated with the group of digital media has been posted;

identifying the further instance of digital media from among comments posted at the social network account, the further instance of digital media corresponding to the comment for which the notification was received; and

downloading the further instance of digital media.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the further instance of digital media comprises data indicating a comment to a selected one of the instances of digital media in the group of digital media and wherein the automatically updating comprises automatically updating the playback data so that the comment appears together with the selected one of the instances of digital media.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the further instance of digital media comprises data indicating a comment to a selected one of the instances of digital media in the group of digital media, the selected one of the instances having been generated by a user, and wherein the method further comprises:

notifying the user of the comment; and

allowing the user to determine whether to update the group of digital media and the playback data with the comment.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the playback data comprises data for defining an appearance of the group of digital media when it is viewed by the one or more recipients, the presentation data comprising one or more of background graphics data, font data, or audio data.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the received instances of digital media are received from a plurality of mobile device users, wherein the one or more recipients include the plurality of mobile device users, and wherein the receiving the further instance comprises receiving the further instance from one of the plurality of mobile device users.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the outputting the group of digital media and the playback data comprises transmitting the group of digital media and the playback data to the one or more recipients or transmitting the group of digital media and the playback data to a social network server.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the outputting the group of digital media and the playback data comprises outputting a data object that combines the group of digital media and the playback data.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

allowing a user to select which of the one or more recipients have permission to further contribute to the group of digital media;

receiving selections from the user of which of the one or more recipients have permission to further contribute to the group of digital media; and

outputting data indicating the user'"'"'s selections of which of the one or more recipients have permission to further contribute to the group of digital media together with the group of digital media and the playback data.

14. One or more computer-readable storage device storing computer-executable instructions which when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving instances of digital media;

automatically generating a group of digital media related by time and location from the received instances of digital media;

outputting the group of digital media such that multiple recipients are able to view a presentation of the group of digital media;

receiving a comment from one of the recipients, the comment being responsive to one of the instances of the digital media in the group of digital media and being from a recipient who did not capture the one of the instances;

before updating the group of digital media with the comment from the recipient who did not capture the one of the instances, allowing only a user who captured the one of the instances to view the comment and to indicate whether to update the group of digital media with the comment via a comment approval interface displayed to the user who captured the one of the instances; and

updating the group of digital media to incorporate the comment into the group of digital media if the user who captured the one of the instances indicates to update the group of digital media.

15. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein the receiving comprises:

accessing a social network account; and

retrieving the comment from the social network account.

16. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein the updating comprises generating data for displaying the comment together with the one of the instances of the digital instances to which the comment is responsive.

17. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises outputting an update to the group of digital media, the update comprising data for displaying the comment but not data for all of the digital media in the group of digital media.

18. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises outputting an updated version of the group of digital media, the updated version including the comment.

19. A system, comprising:

a memory or storage device storing a program;

a processing unit operable to execute the program, wherein said execution of the program causes the processing unit to;

receive instances of digital media;

generate a group of multiple instances of digital media related by time and location from the received instances of digital media, the generating comprising determining that the instances of digital media in the group of digital media satisfy a time and location threshold;

generate playback data for controlling a presentation of the group of multiple instances of digital media;

allow a user to view the presentation of the group of multiple instances of digital media before the presentation is available to others;

allow the user to modify the instances of digital media in the group of digital media before the presentation is available to others;

allow the user to select one or more recipients for the modified group of digital media; and

output the modified group of multiple instances of digital media for viewing by the selected one or more recipients.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the playback data comprises one or more of background graphics data, font data, or audio data used in the presentation of the group of digital media;

and wherein said execution of the program causes the processing unit to allow the user to modify the playback data.