Providing local expert sessions

• US 9,661,282 B2
• Filed: 12/26/2013
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Manber, Udi
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Toan
• Application Number:
  US14/141,208
• Publication Number:
  US 20140282043A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,244 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• 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: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for providing local expert sessions. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a request to initiate a local expert session from a user; identifying available local experts in response to the request, wherein a local expert is a user who has registered to offer local expert sessions in a geographic location relevant to the physical location of the user; selecting an available local expert; and initiating a local expert session between the user and the selected local expert, wherein initiating the local expert session comprises providing video captured by a session accessory worn by the user to a user device for presentation to the selected local expert and establishing communication between the user and the selected local expert.

Claims

1. A method performed by one or more computers, the method comprising:

receiving, by a local expert session system, a request to initiate a local expert session from a user of the local expert session system;

determining, by the local expert session system, a physical location in which the user is currently located from coordinates received from a session accessory worn by the user, wherein the session accessory worn by the user of the local expert session system captures video from a point of view of the user;

identifying, by the local expert session system, a plurality of local experts, wherein each local expert is a user of the local expert session system who has been recognized by the local expert session system as an expert on a point of interest that is near to the physical location in which the user is currently located;

identifying, by the local expert session system and from the plurality of local experts, local experts that are available to participate in the local expert session;

selecting an available local expert;

initiating, by the local expert session system, a local expert session between the user and the selected local expert, wherein initiating the local expert session comprises providing video captured by the session accessory worn by the user to a user device for presentation to the selected local expert and establishing communication between the user and the selected local expert; and

during the local expert session, (i) receiving, by the local expert session system and from the user device that presents video captured by the session accessory, a request to adjust a video input device of the session accessory; and

(ii) transmitting, by the local expert session and to the session accessory, instructions that cause the session accessory to adjust the video input device according to the request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the available local expert comprises:

ranking the available local experts;

providing data identifying the available local experts for presentation to the user in accordance with the ranking; and

receiving a user input selecting an available local expert.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the available local experts comprises:

ranking the available local experts; and

selecting a highest-ranked available local expert without further user input.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein ranking the available local experts comprises ranking the available local experts based on whether the available local experts are in a social network of the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing communication between the user and the selected local expert comprises establishing audio communication between the user and the selected local expert.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to adjust the video input device of the session accessory includes a request to adjust the zoom of the video input device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to adjust the video input device of the session accessory includes a request to adjust the position of the video input device.

8. A local expert session system comprising one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by a local expert session system, a request to initiate a local expert session from a user of the local expert session system;

determining, by the local expert session system, a physical location in which the user is currently located from coordinates received from a session accessory worn by the user, wherein the session accessory worn by the user of the local expert session system captures video from a point of view of the user;

identifying, by the local expert session system, a plurality of local experts, wherein each local expert is a user of the local expert session system who has been recognized by the local expert session system as an expert on a point of interest that is near to the physical location in which the user is currently located;

identifying, by the local expert session system and from the plurality of local experts, local experts that are available to participate in the local expert session;

selecting an available local expert;

initiating, by the local expert session system, a local expert session between the user and the selected local expert, wherein initiating the local expert session comprises providing video captured by the session accessory worn by the user to a user device for presentation to the selected local expert and establishing communication between the user and the selected local expert; and

during the local expert session, (i) receiving, by the local expert session system and from the user device that presents video captured by the session accessory, a request to adjust a video input device of the session accessory; and

(ii) transmitting, by the local expert session and to the session accessory, instructions that cause the session accessory to adjust the video input device according to the request.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein selecting the available local expert comprises:

ranking the available local experts;

providing data identifying the available local experts for presentation to the user in accordance with the ranking; and

receiving a user input selecting an available local expert.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein selecting the available local experts comprises:

ranking the available local experts; and

selecting a highest-ranked available local expert without further user input.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein ranking the available local experts comprises ranking the available local experts based on whether the available local experts are in a social network of the user.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein establishing communication between the user and the selected local expert comprises establishing audio communication between the user and the selected local expert.

13. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by a local expert session system, a request to initiate a local expert session from a user of the local expert session system;

determining, by the local expert session system, a physical location in which the user is currently located from coordinates received from a session accessory worn by the user, wherein the session accessory worn by the user of the local expert session system captures video from a point of view of the user;

identifying, by the local expert session system, a plurality of local experts, wherein each local expert is a user of the local expert session system who has been recognized by the local expert session system as an expert on a point of interest that is near to the physical location in which the user is currently located;

identifying, by the local expert session system and from the plurality of local experts, local experts that are available to participate in the local expert session;

selecting an available local expert;

initiating, by the local expert session system, a local expert session between the user and the selected local expert, wherein initiating the local expert session comprises providing video captured by the session accessory worn by the user to a user device for presentation to the selected local expert and establishing communication between the user and the selected local expert; and

during the local expert session, (i) receiving, by the local expert session system and from the user device that presents video captured by the session accessory, a request to adjust a video input device of the session accessory; and

(ii) transmitting, by the local expert session and to the session accessory, instructions that cause the session accessory to adjust the video input device according to the request.

14. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 13, wherein selecting the available local expert comprises:

ranking the available local experts;

providing data identifying the available local experts for presentation to the user in accordance with the ranking; and

receiving a user input selecting an available local expert.

15. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 13, wherein selecting the available local experts comprises:

ranking the available local experts; and

selecting a highest-ranked available local expert without further user input.

16. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 15, wherein ranking the available local experts comprises ranking the available local experts based on whether the available local experts are in a social network of the user.

17. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 13, wherein establishing communication between the user and the selected local expert comprises establishing audio communication between the user and the selected local expert.