Prioritization in a continuous video playback experience

• US 9,712,586 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2014
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Knapp Investment Company Limited
• Original Assignee: ALC Holdings, Inc.
• Inventors: Pennello, Chris, CRANE, Max, McIntosh, David
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, DUYEN MY
• Application Number:
  US14/460,257
• Publication Number:
  US 20140359446A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,069 Days
• Field of Search: 709203, 709206, 709231
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• 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 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus can provide ordered (e.g. ranked) lists of content items as a suggested list of items to watch. The ordered list can be based on feedback from other users. The content items can also be presented (e.g. in a continuous playback mode) to a passive user so that the user does not have to actively select a next item to watch. This passive mode can select a next item (e.g. from a list that is updated based on recent user feedback), and the item can be queued on a client device for playing to a user. Content items can also be provided from different independent servers.

Claims

1. A method of providing content to a user, the method comprising:

receiving, by a client device, a plurality of content items from one or more servers;

receiving one or more content files associated with a first set of the content items, the first set being at a top of an ordered list of the plurality of content items;

creating a queue of the received content files;

playing, by the client device to a user, the one or more received content files as a stream of content, such that a number of the received content files in the queue is reduced when the one or more received content files is played;

determining, by the client device, whether the number of the received content files in the queue is smaller than a threshold; and

when the number of the received content files in the queue is smaller than the threshold, requesting content files associated with a second set of one or more content items, wherein the second set of content items are to be played following the first set of the content items.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the content items include links associated with content files, and wherein receiving content files is in response to the client device requesting content files at locations referenced by the links.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of content items are received in the ordered list or received with data specifying the ordered list.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

ordering the plurality of content items; and

identifying the second set of one or more content items to be played following the first set of the content items.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second set of content items is taken from a second ordering of the received plurality of content items.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more servers includes a first server, the method further comprising:

requesting a channel of content items from the first server, wherein the request is conveyed to a second server by the first server; and

receiving, from the second server, code for determining whether the queue is low.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

receiving, from the second server, code for determining an ordering of the ordered list of the plurality of content items.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the content items include links associated with content files, the method further comprising:

displaying first the content referenced by links for the requested channel that were received from the first server;

determining whether remaining links for the requested channel are smaller than a second threshold;

when the remaining links are smaller than the second threshold, automatically retrieving links at least from the second server; and

displaying second content files referenced by the links from the second server in the stream of content.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the second content files referenced by the links from the second server are displayed interspersed with third content files referenced by links from the first server, the third content files not being from the requested channel.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the interspersing is performed such that a specified percentage of the second content files or the third content files are displayed in the stream of content.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a plurality of instructions for controlling a processor to perform an operation for providing content to a user, the instructions comprising the method of claim 1.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a rating threshold; and

adjusting the ordered list based on part on the rating threshold.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a date associated with the one or more content files; and

adjusting the ordered list based on part on the date associated with the one or more content files.

11. A method of providing content to a user, the method comprising:

receiving, by a client device, a list of links from one or more servers, links of the list of links associated with a plurality of image content files;

receiving one or more content files associated with a first set of the links, the first set of the links being at a top of an order of the list of links;

creating a queue of the received first set of the links;

playing, by the client device to a user, the one or more received content files as a stream of content, such that a number of the one or more received content files in the queue is reduced when the one or more received content files is played;

determining, by the client device, whether the number of the received first set of the links in the queue is smaller than a threshold; and

when the number of the received first set of the links in the queue is smaller than the threshold, requesting by the client device and from at least one of the servers, a second set of the links, wherein second content associated with the second set of the links are to be played following the received first set of the links.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the list of links are associated with one or more received content files, and wherein receiving list of links is in response to the client device requesting the list of links at locations referenced by the received first set of the links.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

ordering the one or more received content files; and

identifying the second content to be played following the one or more received content files associated with a first set of the links.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more servers includes a first server, the method further comprising:

requesting a channel of content files from the first server, wherein the request is conveyed to a second server by the first server; and

receiving, from the second server, code for determining whether the queue is low.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

displaying first a portion of content files for the requested channel that were received from the first server;

determining whether remaining links for the requested channel are smaller than a second threshold;

when the remaining links are smaller than the second threshold, automatically retrieving links at least from the second server; and

displaying second content files referenced by the links from the second server in the stream of content.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a plurality of instructions for controlling a processor to perform an operation for providing content to a user, the instructions comprising the method of claim 11.

20. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

determining a rating threshold; and

adjusting the order of the list based on part on the rating threshold.

21. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

determining a date associated with each of the plurality of image content files; and

adjusting the order of the list based on part on the date.