Smart snap to interesting points in media content

• US 9,699,488 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2014
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Kser, Mikkel Crone
• Primary Examiner(s): WALSH, DANIEL I
• Application Number:
  US14/293,565
• Publication Number:
  US 20150350735A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,128 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2353 specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2743 Video hosting of uploaded data from client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream

Abstract

Systems and techniques are provided for smart snap to interesting points in media content. A position control input may be received from a user to a control interface for a content player being used with a content item. A smart snap point and an associated smart snap area t may be determined for the content item based on the received position control input. The smart snap point and the associated smart snap area may be stored. A second position control input to the control interface for the content player being used with the content item may be received. The position control input may be determined to move a position indicator into the associated smart snap area for the smart snap point. Use of the content item may be resumed with the content player from the smart snap point.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method performed by a data processing apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving, at a control input analyzer of a computing device, a first position control input, wherein the first position control input is a first input from a user to a control interface of a content player being used with a content item on the computing device;

using the content item with the content player from a first position indicated by the first position control input;

receiving, at the control input analyzer, a second position control input, wherein the second position control input is a second input from the user to the control interface of the content player being used with the content item;

using the content item with the content player from a second positon indicated by the second position control input, wherein the first position is different from the second position;

determining, by the control input analyzer, a smart snap point for the content item based on analyzing at least on the received first position control input and the received second position control input, wherein the smart snap point comprises an indication of location in the content item;

determining an associated smart snap area for the smart snap point based at least on both the received first position control input and the received second position control input, wherein the associated smart snap area is smaller than the length of the content item and includes an area before and after the smart snap point that the position indicator of the content player is movable to;

storing the smart snap point and the associated smart snap area;

receiving, at the control input analyzer, a third position control input to the control interface from a user of the content player being used with the content item;

determining, by the control input analyzer, that the third position control input moves a position indicator into the associated smart snap area for the smart snap point;

automatically moving the position indicator to the smart snap point; and

using the content item with the content player from the smart snap point, wherein the content item is one of a video, audio track, web page, or an e-book.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first position control input is received from a remote computing device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first position control input comprises movement of a position indicator on a scrub bar.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first position control input comprises scrolling of a display of the content item.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the smart snap point comprises creating a new smart snap point for the content item or modifying an existing smart snap point for the content item.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein storing the smart snap point and associated smart snap area comprises storing the smart snap point and associated smart snap area with the content item or storing the smart snap point and associated smart snap area separately from the content item and linked to the content item.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising displaying at least one of the smart snap point and the associated smart snap area visually using the content player.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the content item comprises a video, an audio track, a web page, or an e-book.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the smart snap point comprises a time mark in the content item.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein determining the at least one smart snap point and associated smart snap area comprises analyzing the plurality of position control inputs using at least one of a machine learning system and statistical analysis.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising selecting which of the at least one smart snap points and associated smart areas to send to the computing device based on at least one characteristic of the computing device.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein sending the content to the computing device comprises streaming the content item to a content player of the computing device.

10. A computer-implemented method performed by a data processing apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving, at a control input analyzer of one or more servers, a plurality of position control inputs received from at least one user for a content item from a plurality of computing devices, each of the plurality of computing devices comprising a content player using the content item, each of the position control inputs being a control input to a user interface of the content player using the content item on each of the plurality computing devices, the control input indicating a position in the content item at which the content player uses the content item on a one of plurality of computing devices from which the position control input was received in response to receiving the position control input;

determining, by the control input analyzer, a smart snap point and an associated smart snap area for the content item based on the received plurality of position control inputs for the content item, wherein the determining of the smart snap point is based on at least two of the received plurality of position control inputs, and wherein two of the at least two of the received plurality of position control inputs indicated different positions in the content item, wherein the smart snap point comprises an indication of location in the content item and the associated smart snap area is smaller than the length of the content item and includes an area before and after the smart snap point that the position indicator of the content player is movable to;

storing, on the one or more servers, the at least one smart snap point and the associated smart snap area;

sending, from the one or more servers, the content item to a computing device, wherein the computing device is one of the plurality of computing devices or is an additional computing device, wherein the content item is one of a video, audio track, web page, or an e-book;

sending, from the one or more servers, the smart snap point and associated smart snap area to the computing device concurrently with the sending of the content item, wherein a position indicator is automatically moved to the smart snap point when the position indicator is moved into the associated smart snap area for the smart snap point by a user on a control interface of a content player on the computing device, and wherein the content item is used from the smart snap point by the content player.

14. A computer-implemented method performed by a data processing apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving a content item for use with a content player, wherein the content item is one of a video, audio track, web page, or an e-book;

receiving a smart snap point and an associated smart snap area for the content item wherein the smart snap point comprises an indication of location in the content item and the associated smart snap area is smaller than the length of the content item and includes an area before and after the smart snap point that the position indicator of the content player is movable to, wherein the smart snap point and the associated smart snap area are determined from a plurality of previous position control inputs provided by at least one user to one or more control interfaces of one or more content players using the content item, wherein a previous control input indicates a position in the content item at which at least one of the content players uses the content item;

using the content item with the content player;

receiving a position control input from a user to a control interface of the content player;

determining that the position control input moves a position indicator into the associated smart snap area for the content item to the position associated with the probability;

determining a position from which to use the content item based on the probability, wherein the position from which to use the content item is determined to be either the position indicated by the smart snap point or the position associated with the probability;

using the content item at the determined position, and wherein the smart snap area is a heat map including a plurality of probabilities associated with different points within the smart snap area such that the indicator is automatically moved to the smart snap point to use the content item from the smart snap point when the probability indicates such and wherein the content item is instead used from a position indicated by the position control input when the probability indicates such.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein using the content item at the position indicated by the smart snap point comprises resuming playback of the content item at the smart snap point.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein using the content item at the position indicated by the smart snap point comprises displaying content of the content item that is located at the smart snap point.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the position control input comprises movement of a visual element for the position indicator on a position control bar.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the position control input comprises scrolling of a display of the content item and wherein the position indicator does not have a visual element.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, further comprising suggesting an edit point for the content item to a user based on the smart snap point.

20. A computer-implemented system for smart snap comprising:

a storage comprising a content item and a smart snap point and associated smart snap area for the content item, wherein the content item is one of a video, audio track, web page, or an e-book;

a control input analyzer adapted to receive at least two position control inputs from at least one user of a content player using the content item, at least two of the at least two position control inputs indicating different positions the content player uses the content item from;

determine the at least one smart snap point and associated smart snap area for the content item based on at least two of the at least two received position control inputs, and store the smart snap point and associated snap area in the storage with the content item; and

a content player comprising a position control, the content player adapted to use the content item, the position control adapted to receive position control inputs from a user of the content player through a control interface and send the position control inputs to the control input analyzer, use the content item from the positions indicated by the positons control inputs, receive the at least one smart snap point and associated smart snap area, determine that a received position control input from the user moves a position indicator into the smart snap area, and automatically move the position indicator to the smart snap point, and user the content item from the smart snap point wherein the smart snap point comprises an indication of location in the content item and the associated smart snap area is smaller than the length of the content item and includes an area before and after the smart snap point that the position indicator of the content player is movable to.

21. The computer-implemented system of claim 20 wherein the content item and the at least one smart snap point and associated smart snap area are sent to a remote computing device.

22. The computer-implemented system of claim 20, wherein the control input analyzer is further adapted to receive a plurality of position control inputs from a plurality of computing devices with a plurality of content players using the content item.

23. The computer-implemented system of claim 20, wherein the control input analyzer is further adapted to use machine learning systems or statistical analysis to determine the smart snap point and associated smart snap area.

24. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions which are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

receiving, at a control input analyzer of a computing device, a first position control input, wherein the first position control input is a first input from a user to a control interface of a content player being used with a content item on the computing device and wherein a position control input indicates a position from which the content item is used;

using the content item with the content player from a first position indicated by the first position control input;

receiving, at the control input analyzer, a second position control input, wherein the second position control input is a second input from the user to the control interface of the content player being used with the content item;

using the content item with the content player from a second positon indicated by the second position control input, wherein the first position is different from the second position;

determining, by the control input analyzer, a smart snap point for the content item based on analyzing at least on the received first position control input and the received second position control input, wherein the smart snap point comprises an indication of location in the content item;

determining an associated smart snap area for the smart snap point based at least on both the received first position control input and the received second position control input, wherein the associated smart snap area is smaller than the length of the content item and includes an area before and after the smart snap point that the position indicator of the content player is movable to;

storing the smart snap point and the associated smart snap area;

receiving, at the control input analyzer, a third position control input to the control interface from a user of the content player being used with the content item;

determining, by the control input analyzer, that the third position control input moves a position indicator into the associated smart snap area for the smart snap point;

automatically moving the position indicator to the smart snap point; and

using the content item with the content player from the smart snap point, wherein the content item is one of a video, audio track, web page, or an e-book.