Dynamic instream autoplay based on presence of watch while mini player

• US 9,733,809 B1
• Filed: 06/09/2014
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Greene, Kevin, Lewis, Justin
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Ruay
• Application Number:
  US14/300,144
• Time in Patent Office: 1,163 Days
• Field of Search: 715716, 719313, 725 32, 725 36, 725 75, 725219, 1 1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72

Abstract

Dynamic media players are disclosed. A method for providing the dynamic media players includes presenting, by a processor of an electronic device, a user interface (UI) including a media player portion and a scrollable portion, providing a first playback of a first media item in a first media player in the first media player portion, and scrolling to an area in the scrollable portion that includes a second media player while continuing the first playback of the first media item by the first media player that remains visible in the UI. The method also includes determining that the second media player is configured to start a second playback of a second media item upon scrolling to the area in the scrollable portion and preventing the second media player from providing the second playback of the second media item during the first playback of the first media item.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

presenting, by a processor of an electronic device, a first media player and a plurality of elements in a user interface (UI);

providing a first playback of a first media item in the first media player in the UI;

in response to receiving user input, scrolling the plurality of elements to remove from view, from the UI, one or more of the plurality of elements that were visible in the UI prior to the user input, and to display, in the UI, a second media player that was not visible in the UI prior to the user input;

continuing, during the scrolling of the plurality of elements, the first playback of the first media item by the first media player that remains visible in the UI during the scrolling of the plurality of elements;

determining that the second media player is configured to start a second playback of a second media item without a user playback request, in response to the second media player becoming visible in the UI; and

preventing the second media player from starting the second playback of the second media item during the first playback of the first media item by the first media player that is visible in the UI.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second media item comprises an audio component and a video component, wherein the preventing of the second media player from starting the second playback of the second media item during the first playback of the first media item by the first media player that is visible in the UI comprises preventing audio playback of the audio component of the second media item while permitting video playback of the video component of the second media item.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second media item comprises an audio component and a video component, wherein the preventing of the second media player from starting the second playback of the second media item during the first playback of the first media item by the first media player that is visible in the UI comprises preventing video playback of the video component of the second media player while permitting audio playback of the audio component of the second media item.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving input, via the UI, to provide the second playback of the second media item;

in response to the receiving of the input to provide the second playback, stopping the first playback of the first media item that is being presented in the first media player; and

providing the second playback of the second media item in the second media player.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, via the plurality of elements of the UI, a user request to perform an activity that is independent of viewing of the first media item; and

presenting content associated with the requested activity while continuing to provide the first playback of the first media item in the first media player.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising docking the first media player in the UI, wherein the plurality of elements of the UI comprises a list of a plurality of media items.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of elements of the UI comprises a feed that is an aggregation of feed items from sources to which the user is subscribed.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the preventing of the second media player from starting the second playback of the second media item during the first playback of the first media item by the first media player that is visible in the UI comprises adding the second media item to a playlist.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein media items in the playlist are to be played back in the first media player.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing the second playback of the second media item in the second media player when the first playback of the first media item is complete.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first media player is no longer visible in the UI when the first playback of the first media item is complete.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a display device;

a memory communicably coupled to the display device; and

a processing device communicable coupled to the memory, the processing device to execute instructions to;

present a first media player and a plurality of elements in a user interface (UI);

provide a first playback of a first media item in the first media player in the UI;

in response to receiving user input, scroll the plurality of elements to remove from view, from the UI, one or more of the plurality of elements that were visible in the UI prior to the user input, and to display, in the UI, a second media player that was not visible in the UI prior to the user input;

continuing, during scrolling of the plurality of elements, the first playback of the first media item by the first media player that remains visible in the UI during the scrolling of the plurality of elements;

determine that the second media player is configured to start a second playback of a second media item without a user playback request, in response to the second media player becoming visible in the UI; and

prevent the second media player from starting the second playback of the second media item during the first playback of the first media item by the first media player that is visible in the UI.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the second media item comprises an audio component and a video component, wherein when preventing the second media player from starting the second playback of the second media item during the first playback of the first media item by the first media player that is visible in the UI, the processing device is to prevent audio playback of the audio component of the second media item while permitting video playback of the video component of the second media item.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the plurality of elements of the UI comprises a feed that is an aggregation of feed items from sources to which the user is subscribed.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processing device is further to:

receive, via plurality of elements of the UI, a user request to perform an activity that is independent of viewing of the first media item; and

present content associated with the requested activity while continuing to provide the first playback of the first media item in the first media player.

16. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed, cause a processing device to perform operations comprising:

presenting, by an electronic device, a first media player and a plurality of elements in a user interface (UI);

providing a first playback of a first media item in the first media player in the UI;

in response to receiving user input, scrolling the plurality of elements to remove from view, from the UI, one or more of the plurality of elements that were visible in the UI prior to the user input, and to display, in the UI, a second media player that was not visible in the UI prior to the user input;

continuing, during the scrolling of the plurality of elements, the first playback of the first media item by the first media player that remains visible in the UI during the scrolling of the plurality of elements;

determining that the second media player is configured to start a second playback of a second media item without a user playback request, in response to the second media player becoming visible in the UI; and

preventing the second media player from starting the second playback of the second media item during the first playback of the first media item by the first media player that is visible in the UI.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, the operations further comprising:

receiving, via the plurality of elements of the UI, a user request to perform an activity that is independent of viewing of the first media item; and

presenting content associated with the requested activity while continuing to provide the first playback of the first media item in the first media player.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, the operations further comprising:

receiving input, via the UI, to provide the second playback of the second media item;

in response to the receiving of the input to provide the second playback, stopping the first playback of the first media item that is being presented in the first media player; and

providing the second playback of the second media item in the second media player.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the preventing of the second media player from starting the second playback of the second media item during the first playback of the first media item by the first media player that is visible in the UI comprises adding the second media item to a playlist.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein media items in the playlist are to be played back in the first media player.