System and method for switching between media streams while providing a seamless user experience

• US 9,661,379 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2015
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Spotify AB (Spotify Technology SA)
• Original Assignee: Spotify AB (Spotify Technology SA)
• Inventors: Hoffert, Eric, Berkley, Mike, Faaborg, Kevin, Soderstrom, Gustav
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Rong
• Application Number:
  US14/720,525
• Publication Number:
  US 20150334455A1
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43079 of additional data with content streams on multiple devices
• 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 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/437 Interfacing the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. for transmitting client requests to a VOD server flow control in data networks H04L47/10; streaming protocols, e.g. RTP or RTCP, H04L65/65; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests in data packet switching networks H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4384 involving operations to reduce the access time, e.g. fast-tuning for reducing channel switching latency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4392 involving audio buffer management
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 : for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 : for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 : End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

An electronic device with one or more processors, memory, and a display displays a first video stream on the display. The electronic device downloads and stores a portion of a second video stream and, once the portion of the second video stream has been downloaded, ceases to download the second video stream. The electronic device receives a request to display the second video stream on the display and, in response, determines whether the stored portion of the second video stream satisfies recency criteria with respect to a current stream time of the second video stream. In accordance with a determination that the stored portion of the second video stream satisfies the recency criteria, the electronic device displays at least a portion of the first video stream on the display concurrently with at least the stored portion of the second video stream.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

at an electronic device with one or more processors, memory, and a display;

displaying a first video stream on the display;

downloading and storing a portion of a second video stream and, once the portion of the second video stream has been downloaded, ceasing to download the second video stream;

receiving a request to display the second video stream on the display; and

in response to the request;

determining whether the stored portion of the second video stream satisfies recency criteria with respect to a current stream time of the second video stream; and

in accordance with a determination that the stored portion of the second video stream satisfies the recency criteria, displaying at least a portion of the first video stream on the display concurrently with at least the stored portion of the second video stream.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is a second request, the method further comprising:

prior to displaying the first video stream on the display, receiving a first request to display the first video stream on the display;

wherein the first video stream is displayed in response to receiving the first request.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the portion of the second video stream is of a predetermined amount.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the stored portion of the second video stream satisfies the recency criteria comprises determining whether a range of timestamps associated with the stored portion of the second video stream is within a predefined time threshold of a current stream time of the second video stream.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored portion of the second video stream was received, at least in part, from a content source for the second video stream.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the request includes detecting a gesture; and

the stored portion of the second video stream is displayed in response to detecting an end of the gesture.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the request includes detecting a gesture; and

the stored portion of the second video stream is displayed in response to detecting a beginning of the gesture.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the gesture moves in a respective direction;

and

the method includes, in response to detecting the gesture;

sliding a first video tile that includes content from the first video stream toward a first edge of the display in a direction corresponding to the respective direction; and

sliding a second video tile that includes content from the second video stream onto the display from a second edge of the display that is opposite to the first edge of the display.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, during the gesture:

the first video tile displays video content from the first video stream; and

the second video tile displays video content from the second video stream.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

downloading and storing the portion of the second video stream comprises;

establishing a connection for receiving video data in the second video stream from a content source for the second video stream, and

receiving the portion of the second video stream from the content source for the second video stream using the connection; and

ceasing to download the second video stream comprises;

while maintaining the connection, stopping delivery of the second video stream to the electronic device from the content source for the second video stream.

11. A computer system, comprising:

a display;

one or more processors; and

memory storing one or more programs configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for;

displaying a first video stream on the display;

downloading and storing a portion of a second video stream and, once the portion of the second video stream has been downloaded, ceasing to download the second video stream; and

in response to a request to display the second video stream on the display;

determining whether the stored portion of the second video stream satisfies recency criteria with respect to a current stream time of the second video stream; and

in accordance with a determination that the stored portion of the second video stream satisfies the recency criteria, displaying at least a portion of the first video stream on the display concurrently with at least the stored portion of the second video stream.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein:

the request is a second request; and

the one or more programs further include instructions for displaying the first video stream in response to a first request received before the second request.

13. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the portion of the second video stream is of a predetermined amount.

14. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the instructions for determining whether the stored portion of the second video stream satisfies the recency criteria comprise instructions for determining whether a range of timestamps associated with the stored portion of the second video stream is within a predefined time threshold of a current stream time of the second video stream.

15. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the request is a gesture that moves in a respective direction, the one or more programs further comprising instructions for:

sliding a first video tile that includes content from the first video stream toward a first edge of the display in a direction corresponding to the respective direction; and

sliding a second video tile that includes content from the second video stream onto the display from a second edge of the display that is opposite to the first edge of the display.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by a computer system with one or more processors and a display, cause the computer system to:

display a first video stream on the display;

download and store a portion of a second video stream and, once the portion of the second video stream has been downloaded, cease to download the second video stream; and

in response to a request to display the second video stream on the display;

determine whether the stored portion of the second video stream satisfies recency criteria with respect to a current stream time of the second video stream; and

in accordance with a determination that the stored portion of the second video stream satisfies the recency criteria, display at least a portion of the first video stream on the display concurrently with at least the stored portion of the second video stream.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein:

the request is a second request; and

the one or more programs further include instructions, which when executed by the computer system, cause the computer system to display the first video stream in response to a first request received before the second request.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the portion of the second video stream is of a predetermined amount.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions to determine whether the stored portion of the second video stream satisfies the recency criteria comprise instructions to determine whether a range of timestamps associated with the stored portion of the second video stream is within a predefined time threshold of a current stream time of the second video stream.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the request is a gesture that moves in a respective direction, the one or more programs further comprising instructions, which when executed by the computer system, cause the computer system to:

slide a first video tile that includes content from the first video stream toward a first edge of the display in a direction corresponding to the respective direction; and

slide a second video tile that includes content from the second video stream onto the display from a second edge of the display that is opposite to the first edge of the display.