Synchronization of media interactions using context

• US 9,798,457 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2012
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Cupala, Shiraz, Mulcahy, Kathleen Patricia, Nager, Howard B., Zana, Joshua C., Box, Don F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Liangche A
• Assistant Examiner(s): AGUIAR, JOHNNY B
• Application Number:
  US13/724,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20130325954A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,768 Days
• Field of Search: 386201, 386241, 705319, 709203, 709204, 709217, 709219, 709248, 715205, 715230, 715719
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/235 using a wireless connection, e.g. infrared or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/493 Resuming a game, e.g. after pausing, malfunction or power failure
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/50 Controlling the output signals based on the game progress
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/489 using time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• 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: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• 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 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 : Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 : additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 : for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 : Games
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 : involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide secondary content that is synchronized to progress within a primary media content. The secondary content, may be a comment, an emote, a poll, a contextual advertisement, a special feature, or other communication synchronized to a particular point in the media. Examples of media include movies, games, television shows, sporting events, video conferences, online chat sessions, and others. Some events are synchronized using time sequencing to a particular spot within a time-based media content. The events may be published through social media outlets. The progress point associated with the event may be directly accessed by selecting a link within the event.

Claims

1. One or more computer-storage media having one or more computer executable instructions when executed by a computing device perform a method of synchronizing media content with emotes, the method comprising;

outputting for display on a primary device a scene of a first media content to a user for a first time period;

determining a plurality of friends for the user within a social network;

identifying emotes posted by the plurality of friends related to the scene in the first media content by analyzing metadata associated with the emotes, wherein the emotes are stored in computer storage associated with the social network, and wherein the emotes were posted to the social network during a second time period that is before the first time period;

retrieving over a network connection the emotes from the computer storage associated with the social network, the emotes related to the scene of the first media content and synchronized to progress points within the first media content, wherein the emotes comprise individual emotes associated with at least three different emotions;

while the scene is being output for display to the user on the primary device, outputting for display on a companion device a first indication communicating a first total count of emotes from emotes posted by the plurality of friends and related to the scene of the first media content that express a first emotion, a second indication communicating a second total count of emotes from the emotes that express a second emotion, and a third indication communicating a third total count of emotes from the plurality of emotes that express a third emotion, wherein the first emotion, second emotion, and third emotion are different; and

outputting for display on the companion device a feed comprising the emotes, wherein the emotes are output in synchronization with the first media content being output on the primary device.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises automatically displaying an individual emote from the emotes when the first media content reaches a progress point matching a timestamp associated with the individual emote.

3. The media of claim 1, wherein the first emotion comprises disliking the first media content.

4. The media of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises outputting for display a spoiler warning when the user selects an emote for display having a timestamp associated with a progress point in the first media content not yet output for display to the user.

5. The media of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises receiving from the user a selection of the first indication and displaying an emote details interface indicating a friend from the plurality of friends who posted an individual emote expressing the first emotion.

6. The media of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises receiving from the user a selection of the friend in the emote details interface and presenting an updated interface highlighting emotes posted by the friend related to the first media content.

7. A method of synchronizing media content with emotes, the method comprising;

determining that a media content is being output for display through a first display device to a person during a first time period;

determining a plurality of friends within one or more of the person'"'"'s social networks;

identifying emotes posted by the plurality of friends related to the media content by analyzing metadata associated with the emotes, wherein the emotes are stored in computer storage associated with a social network, and wherein the emotes were posted to the social network during a second time period that is before the first time period;

retrieving over a network connection from the computer storage associated with the social network the emotes, which are synchronized to progress points within the media content by the metadata; and

while the media content is being output for display through the first display device, outputting for display on a companion device an indication indicating a first total count of emotes from the emotes that express a first emotion, a second total count of emotes from the emotes that express a second emotion, and a third total count of emotes from the emotes that express a third emotion; and

outputting for display on the companion device a feed comprising the emotes, wherein the emotes are output in synchronization with the media content being output on the first display device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises automatically displaying a social post from a plurality of social posts when the media content reaches a progress point matching a timestamp associated with the social post.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of social posts comprise links identifying the progress points within the media content.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises receiving a selection of the indication and displaying an emote details interface indicating a user associated with each of the plurality of emotes.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the media content is a video game and the progress points are levels within the video game.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the media content is a video game and the progress points are locations within the video game.

13. A computing system comprising:

a processor; and

computer storage memory having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processor, configure the computing system to;

output for display on a primary display device a first media content to a user during a first time period;

determine a plurality of friends for the user from within one or more social networks;

identifying emotes posted by the plurality of friends related to the first media content by analyzing metadata associated with the emotes, wherein the emotes are stored in computer storage associated with a social network, and wherein the emotes were posted to the social network during a second time period that is before the first time period;

retrieve the emotes from the computer storage over a computer network posted by the plurality of friends, the emotes related to a scene in the first media content and synchronized to progress points within the first media content;

while the scene is being output for display on the primary display device, output for display on a companion device an indication communicating a total count of emotes from the emotes posted by the plurality of friends and related to the scene in the first media content that express a first emotion; and

outputting for display on the companion device a feed comprising the emotes, wherein the emotes are output in synchronization with the first media content being output on the primary display device.

14. The computing system of claim 13, further configured to automatically display an emote when the first media content reaches a progress point because the emote is synchronized to the progress point.

15. The computing system of claim 13, further configured to consolidate multiple emotes synchronized to the first media content within a threshold amount of progress from each other into a summary indication.

16. The computing system of claim 13, wherein the emotes comprise five different types of emotes.

17. The computing system of claim 13, further configured to receive from the user a selection of the indication and displaying an emote details interface indicating a friend from the plurality of friends who posted an individual emote expressing the first emotion.

18. The computing system of claim 17, further configured to receive from the user a selection of the friend in the emote details interface and presenting an updated interface highlighting emotes posted by the friend and associated with the first media content.