Methods, systems, and media for providing media guidance with contextual controls

• US 9,830,061 B1
• Filed: 04/09/2014
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Wheeler, Aaron Joseph, Halloran, David Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Chow, Doon
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nicholas, Wendy
• Application Number:
  US14/248,559
• Time in Patent Office: 1,329 Days
• Field of Search: 715716, 715838, 715709, 715710, 715711, 715712, 715713, 715719, 715720, 715764, 715781, 715823, 725 37, 725102, 725 38, 725 56, 725 88, 348 E5104, 348 E5105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials

Abstract

Methods, systems, and media for providing media guidance with contextual controls are provided. In some embodiments, the method comprises: causing a user interface to be presented that includes media interface elements, wherein each of the media interface elements is a selectable object that represents at least one media content item; determining that a media interface element from the media interface elements has been selected; in response to determining that the media interface element has been selected, causing the at least one media content item corresponding to the selected media interface element to be presented in a portion of the user interface; and concurrently with causing the at least one media content item to be presented, causing a control interface to be presented that is associated with the selected media interface element.

Claims

1. A method for media guidance, the method comprising:

causing a user interface to be presented that includes a plurality of media interface elements, wherein each of the plurality of media interface elements is a selectable object that represents at least one media content item, and wherein at least one of the plurality of media interface elements represents a plurality of videos;

determining, using a hardware processor, that the media interface element that represents the plurality of videos has been selected;

in response to determining that the media interface element that represents the plurality of videos has been selected, augmenting the selected media interface element with a first control interface that is associated with the selected media interface element, wherein the first control interface includes a first plurality of controls, and wherein selection of one of the controls in the first plurality of controls causes a second selectable object that represents a corresponding video in the plurality of videos to replace the selectable object associated with the media interface element that represents the plurality of videos;

determining that a video from the plurality of videos has been selected using the first control interface;

in response to determining that the video from the plurality of videos has been selected, causing the video to be played back in a first portion of the user interface;

augmenting the selected media interface element with a second control interface that includes a second plurality of controls that control playback of the video being played back in the first portion of the user interface;

concurrently with causing the video to be played back in the first portion of the user interface, causing the augmented selected media interface element to be presented in a second portion of the user interface; and

inhibiting presentation of the non-selected media interface elements.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of media interface elements are arranged along a direction from a position of the user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of controls are inhibited from being presented in response to activating the second plurality of controls.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing the first plurality of controls to be removed from the user interface and causing the second plurality of controls to be presented in the user interface, wherein the second plurality of controls is aligned with the selected media interface element.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of controls for navigating through the plurality of media content items further comprises:

a first indicator that indicates a first navigation position from a plurality of navigation positions, wherein each of the plurality of navigation positions corresponds to a video from the plurality of videos and wherein the first navigation position corresponds to the video that is being played back; and

a second indicator that indicates a second navigation position from the plurality of navigation positions, wherein the second navigation position corresponds to one of the plurality of videos that has been navigated to.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the selected media interface element is associated with a single media content item or a plurality of media content items; and

selecting the control interface that appears from the selected media interface element based on the determination.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an input from a user input device;

determining a first direction associated with the received input; and

causing one of the plurality of controls in the control interface to be highlighted or causing one of the plurality of media interface elements to be highlighted based on the determined direction.

8. A system for media guidance, the system comprising:

a hardware processor that is configured to;

cause a user interface to be presented that includes a plurality of media interface elements, wherein each of the plurality of media interface elements is a selectable object that represents at least one media content item, and wherein at least one of the plurality of media interface elements represents a plurality of videos;

determine that the media interface element that represents the plurality of videos has been selected;

in response to determining that the media interface element that represents the plurality of videos has been selected, augment the selected media interface element with a first control interface that is associated with the selected media interface element, wherein the first control interface includes a first plurality of controls, and wherein selection of one of the controls in the first plurality of controls causes a second selectable object that represents a corresponding video in the plurality of videos to replace the selectable object associated with the media interface element that represents the plurality of videos;

determine that a video from the plurality of videos has been selected using the first control interface;

in response to determining that the video from the plurality of videos has been selected, cause the video to be played back in a first portion of the user interface;

augment the selected media interface element with a second control interface that includes a second plurality of controls that control playback of the video being played back in the first portion of the user interface;

concurrently with causing the video to be played back in the first portion of the user interface, cause the augmented selected media interface element to be presented in a second portion of the user interface; and

inhibit presentation of the non-selected media interface elements.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of media interface elements are arranged along a direction from a position of the user interface.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the first plurality of controls are inhibited from being presented in response to activating the second plurality of controls.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to cause the first plurality of controls to be removed from the user interface and cause the second plurality of controls to be presented in the user interface, wherein the second plurality of controls is aligned with the selected media interface element.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the first plurality of controls for navigating through the plurality of media content items further comprises:

a first indicator that indicates a first navigation position from a plurality of navigation positions, wherein each of the plurality of navigation positions corresponds to a video from the plurality of media content items videos and wherein the first navigation position corresponds to the video that is being played back; and

a second indicator that indicates a second navigation position from the plurality of navigation positions, wherein the second navigation position corresponds to one of the plurality of videos that has been navigated to.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:

determine whether the selected media interface element is associated with a single media content item or a plurality of media content items; and

select the control interface that appears from the selected media interface element based on the determination.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:

receive an input from a user input device;

determine a first direction associated with the received input; and

cause one of the plurality of controls in the control interface to be highlighted or causing one of the plurality of media interface elements to be highlighted based on the determined direction.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for media guidance, the method comprising:

causing a user interface to be presented that includes a plurality of media interface elements, wherein each of the plurality of media interface elements is a selectable object that represents at least one media content item, and wherein at least one of the plurality of media interface elements represents a plurality of videos;

determining that the media interface element that represents the plurality of videos has been selected;

in response to determining that the media interface element that represents the plurality of videos has been selected, augmenting the selected media interface element with a first control interface that is associated with the selected media interface element, wherein the first control interface includes a first plurality of controls, and wherein selection of one of the controls in the first plurality of controls causes a second selectable object that represents a corresponding video in the plurality of videos to replace the selectable object associated with the media interface element that represents the plurality of videos;

determining that a video from the plurality of videos has been selected using the first control interface;

in response to determining that the video from the plurality of videos has been selected, causing the video to be played back in a first portion of the user interface;

augmenting the selected media interface element with a second control interface that includes a second plurality of controls that control playback of the video being played back in the first portion of the user interface;

concurrently with causing the video to be played back in the first portion of the user interface, causing the augmented selected media interface element to be presented in a second portion of the user interface; and

inhibiting presentation of the non-selected media interface elements.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the plurality of media interface elements are arranged along a direction from a position of the user interface.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first plurality of controls are inhibited from being presented in response to activating the second plurality of controls.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising causing the first plurality of controls to be removed from the user interface and causing the second plurality of controls to be presented in the user interface, wherein the second plurality of controls is aligned with the selected media interface element.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first plurality of controls for navigating through the plurality of media content items further comprises:

a first indicator that indicates a first navigation position from a plurality of navigation positions, wherein each of the plurality of navigation positions corresponds to a video from the plurality of videos and wherein the first navigation position corresponds to the at least one video that is being played back; and

a second indicator that indicates a second navigation position from the plurality of navigation positions, wherein the second navigation position corresponds to one of the plurality of videos that has been navigated to.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

determining whether the selected media interface element is associated with a single media content item or a plurality of media content items; and

selecting the control interface that appears from the selected media interface element based on the determination.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving an input from a user input device;

determining a first direction associated with the received input; and

causing one of the plurality of controls in the control interface to be highlighted or causing one of the plurality of media interface elements to be highlighted based on the determined direction.