Automatic transition of content based on facial recognition

• US 9,762,959 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2016
• Issued: 09/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Benea, Robert, Cedilnik, Andrej
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUY THANH
• Application Number:
  US15/369,439
• Publication Number:
  US 20170085952A1
• Time in Patent Office: 281 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/168 Feature extraction; Face representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/40 for identifying broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4415 using biometric characteristics of the user, e.g. by voice recognition or fingerprint scanning cryptography using biological data H04L9/3231; authentication in networks using biometric H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; 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 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

Methods and systems for automatically transitioning content based on facial recognition, wherein the method may include receiving a signal from a camera, identifying a face of a viewer within an area, retrieving a user identifier associated with the face of the viewer, selecting a program, and displaying the program.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for transitioning content, the method comprising:

receiving a signal that is associated with an area, wherein the area is associated with a first media device;

detecting, at a first time, that a plurality of viewers are within the area based on the received signal and that a media content item is being presented by the first media device, wherein each of the plurality of viewers is associated with an identifier;

associating a time parameter of the media content item with the identifier corresponding to a viewer of the plurality of viewers in response to detecting, at a second time, that the viewer has transitioned away from the media content item being presented by the first media device; and

causing the media content to be presented on the second media device associated with the viewer based on the associated time parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying each of the plurality of viewers using the first signal based on facial characteristics of each of the plurality of viewer.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing the first media device to power off.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing the media content item to no longer be presented by the first media device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a second signal that is associated with a second area, wherein the second area is associated with the second media device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the media content is presented on the second media device in response to detecting that the viewer is within the second area based on the second signal.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the first signal is received from a first camera device and the second signal is received from a second camera device.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

detecting that the viewer has transitioned away from the media content item being presented by the second media device;

associating a second time parameter of the media content item that corresponds to the detection with the identifier;

in response to the detection, causing the media content item to no longer be presented by the second media device;

detecting that the viewer has resumed interaction with the second media device; and

in response to the detection, causing the media content item to resume being presented by the second media device based on the associated second time parameter.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the media content item is presented by the second media device after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed.

10. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

in response to detecting that the viewer is within the second area, identifying a plurality of media content items that have been partially viewed by the viewer;

causing an interface that presents selectable indications of the plurality of media content items to be presented on the second media device;

receiving a selection of one of the indications of the plurality of media content items; and

causing one of the plurality of media content items that corresponds to the selected indication to be presented by the second media device.

11. A system for transitioning content, the system comprising:

a hardware processor that is configured to;

receive a signal that is associated with an area, wherein the area is associated with a first media device;

detect, at a first time, that a plurality of viewers are within the area based on the received signal and that a media content item is being presented by the first media device, wherein each of the plurality of viewers is associated with an identifier;

associate a time parameter of the media content item with the identifier corresponding to a viewer of the plurality of viewers in response to detecting, at a second time, that the viewer has transitioned away from the media content item being presented by the first media device; and

cause the media content to be presented on the second media device associated with the viewer based on the associated time parameter.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to identify each of the plurality of viewers using the first signal based on facial characteristics of each of the plurality of viewer.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to cause the first media device to power off.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to cause the media content item to no longer be presented by the first media device.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to receive a second signal that is associated with a second area, wherein the second area is associated with the second media device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the media content is presented on the second media device in response to detecting that the viewer is within the second area based on the second signal.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the first signal is received from a first camera device and the second signal is received from a second camera device.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:

detect that the viewer has transitioned away from the media content item being presented by the second media device;

associate a second time parameter of the media content item that corresponds to the detection with the identifier;

in response to the detection, cause the media content item to no longer be presented by the second media device;

detect that the viewer has resumed interaction with the second media device; and

in response to the detection, cause the media content item to resume being presented by the second media device based on the associated second time parameter.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the media content item is presented by the second media device after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:

in response to detecting that the viewer is within the second area, identify a plurality of media content items that have been partially viewed by the viewer;

cause an interface that presents selectable indications of the plurality of media content items to be presented on the second media device;

receive a selection of one of the indications of the plurality of media content items; and

cause one of the plurality of media content items that corresponds to the selected indication to be presented by the second media device.