System and methods for providing user generated video reviews

• US 9,965,780 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2017
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scorpcast LLC (d/b/a HaulStars)
• Original Assignee: Scorpcast LLC (d/b/a HaulStars)
• Inventors: Avedissian, Narbeh, Sreenath, Nikhil
• Primary Examiner(s): Jasmin, Lynda C
• Assistant Examiner(s): PRATT, EHRIN LARMONT
• Application Number:
  US15/688,566
• Publication Number:
  US 20170358016A1
• Time in Patent Office: 253 Days
• Field of Search: 725 52, 725 60
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0278 Product appraisal
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0282 Rating or review of business operators or products
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/442 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/29; arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information H04H60/35; monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; monitoring in wireless networks H04W24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4784 receiving rewards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

Methods and systems for content aggregation and distribution are described. Video content may be received from a plurality of sources. The video content may be associated with metadata identifying items included within the video content. A video player may be provided which enables video content to be displayed on a user terminal, and a control may be provided enabling the user to quickly navigate to specific portions of the video content. A viewer of the video content may, in turn, author and provide additional video content. The video player may be embeddable.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing executable instructions that when executed by a system including at least one computing device cause the system to perform operations comprising:

receiving, using a network interface, a video file or a link to the video file from a terminal of a first user, wherein said video file from the first user terminal comprises two or more segments, including;

a first segment, including audio and video data, and

a second segment, including audio and video data;

providing a user interface, including a control, to the first user terminal via which the first user can associate a first photographic image with a start time of the first segment of the video file and via which the first user can associate a second photographic image with a start time of the second segment of the video file;

receiving from the first user terminal an association of the first photographic image with the start time of the first segment of the video file, wherein the first photographic image is from a source other than the video file;

storing the first photographic image, the association of the first photographic image with the start time of the first segment of the video file, and a link to a first destination;

receiving from the first user terminal an association of the second photographic with the start time of the second segment of the video file, wherein the second photographic image is from a source other than the video file;

storing the second photographic image, the association of the second photographic image with the start time of the second segment of the video file, and a link to a second destination;

compressing the video file from the first user using at least a first format;

storing multiple copies of the video file from the first user in a backup-enabled video file data store;

providing, using the network interface, a video player to a terminal of a second user to be displayed by the terminal of the second user, the video player configured to enable navigation via photographic images displayed at the same time;

providing, using the network interface, the video file for display via the video player presented on the terminal of a second user;

enabling the video player to play back the video file,

wherein the video player is configured to;

play the video file;

display at least the first photographic image at a first location while the video file is played, and at the same time, display the second photographic image at a second location while the video file is played, wherein the first photographic image is from a source other than the video file and the second photographic image is from a source other than the video file;

detect a selection by the second user of the first photographic image at the first location or the second photographic image at the second location, and

in response to a detection of a selection by the second user of the first photographic image or the second photographic image cause navigation to the corresponding destination.

2. The non-transitory memory as defined in claim 1, the operations further comprising:

receiving an indication that a third user is at a first physical location based at least in part on location information provided by a mobile device of the third user, wherein the location information comprises GPS-based, WiFi-based, and/or cell tower-based location information;

identifying, using the location information comprising the GPS-based, WiFi-based, and/or cell tower-based location information, one or more merchants in a vicinity of the third user'"'"'s first physical location;

identifying one or more items offered by the identified one or more merchants in the vicinity of the third user'"'"'s first physical location;

providing the third user, via an application installed on the mobile device of the third user, with access to respective feedback from other users and to respective images for at least a first of the one or more items offered by the identified one or more merchants in the vicinity of the third user'"'"'s first physical location;

selecting a first video file related to at least one item offered by at least one of the identified one or more merchants in the vicinity of the third user'"'"'s first physical location;

streaming the first video file to the mobile device of the third user.

3. The non-transitory memory as defined in claim 1, the operations further comprising:

receiving an indication that a third user is at a first physical location based at least in part on location information provided by a mobile device of the third user, wherein the location information comprises GPS-based, WiFi-based, and/or cell tower-based location information;

identifying, using the location information comprising the GPS-based, WiFi-based, and/or cell tower-based location information, one or more merchants in a vicinity of the third user'"'"'s first physical location;

identifying one or more items offered by the identified one or more merchants in the vicinity of the third user'"'"'s first physical location;

providing the third user, via an application installed on the mobile device of the third user, with access to respective feedback from other users and to respective images for at least a first of the one or more items offered by the identified one or more merchants in the vicinity of the third user'"'"'s first physical location;

transmitting addresses of one or more of the identified merchants to the mobile device of the third user;

detecting that third user has entered a first of the identified one or more merchants in the vicinity of the third user'"'"'s first physical location;

causing the third user to be prompted to take a first action in response to detecting that third user has entered the first of the identified one or more merchants in the vicinity of the third user'"'"'s first physical location.

4. The non-transitory memory as defined in claim 1, the operations further comprising:

receiving an indication that a third user is at a first physical location based at least in part on location information provided by a mobile device of the third user, wherein the location information comprises GPS-based, WiFi-based, and/or cell tower-based location information;

identifying, using the location information comprising the GPS-based, WiFi-based, and/or cell tower-based location information, one or more merchants in a vicinity of the third user'"'"'s first physical location;

identifying one or more items offered by the identified one or more merchants in the vicinity of the third user'"'"'s first physical location;

providing the third user, via an application installed on the mobile device of the third user, with access to respective feedback from other users and to respective images for at least a first of the one or more items offered by the identified one or more merchants in the vicinity of the third user'"'"'s first physical location;

transmitting addresses of one or more of the identified merchants to the mobile device of the third user;

detecting that third user has entered a first of the identified one or more merchants in the vicinity of the third user'"'"'s first physical location;

causing the third user to be prompted to take a first action in response to detecting that third user has entered the first of the identified one or more merchants in the vicinity of the third user'"'"'s first physical location;

receiving from the mobile device of the third user information scanned from a first item at the first merchant;

identifying information related to the first item based at least in part on the received scanned information; and

providing to the application installed on the mobile device of the third user the identified information related to the at least one item.

5. The non-transitory memory as defined in claim 1, wherein the video player is configured to display a plurality of images selected by a respective plurality of users, the plurality of images corresponding to respective segments included in a given video file.

6. The non-transitory memory as defined in claim 1, the operations further comprising:

receiving information scanned from an optical code or a radio frequency tag associated with at least one item depicted in a corresponding video file;

populating one or more detail information fields associated with the corresponding video file based at least in part on the received information scanned from the optical code or the radio frequency tag.

7. The non-transitory memory as defined in claim 1, the operations further comprising:

providing for display on a user terminal of a third user a user interface configured to enable the third user to provide a first video file for upload to the system or a link to the first video file;

enabling the third user to specify an image corresponding to the first video file;

enabling the third user to provide a title for the first video file;

enabling the third user to identify frames for a plurality of respective segments included in the first video file;

enabling the third user to provide textual detail information for respective segments in the first video file;

storing;

the first video file;

the specification of the image corresponding to the first video file;

the title for the first video file;

the identification of the respective frames for the respective plurality of segments included in the first video file;

the textual detail information for the respective segments in the first video file; and

enabling the first video file to be viewed via at least one video player, the at least one video player configured to display;

the image corresponding to the first video file;

the title for the first video file;

the respective frames for the respective plurality of segments at the same time; and

the textual detail information for the respective item reviews in the first video file.

8. The non-transitory memory as defined in claim 1, wherein the video player is configured to:

detect when a first video file includes a first plurality of segments;

access comments provided by users with respect to the first plurality of segments included in the first video file;

determine which segment in the first plurality of segments in the first video file is currently being provided for display via the video player;

cause the respective comments, for the segment determined to being currently provided for display via the video player, to be displayed in a comments area, wherein comments for the segments in the first video file not currently provided for display via the video player are not displayed.

9. A system, comprising:

at least one processing device;

a network interface configured to communicate over a network with a video data store;

non-transitory memory storing programmatic code that when executed by the at least one processing device, cause the system to perform operations comprising;

receive, over a network using the network interface, a first video;

store an association of a first image not from the first video and/or a first text with a first start time;

store an association of a second image not from the first video and/or a second text with a second start time;

cause the first image and/or the first text to be presented at the first start time, during playback of the of the first video, in or adjacent to a playback area of a video player via a user device;

cause the second image and/or the second text to be presented in place of the first image and/or the first text at the second start time during a playback of the first video in or adjacent to the playback area of the video player via the user device;

enable a corresponding navigation event to occur at least partly in response to a user selecting;

the first image and/or the first text during a playback of the first video, wherein the first image and/or the first text is presented in or adjacent to the playback area;

or

the second image and/or the second text during a playback of the first video, wherein the second image and/or the second text is presented in or adjacent to the playback area.

10. The system as defined in claim 9, wherein the video player is configured to display a plurality of images selected by a respective plurality of users, the plurality of images corresponding to respective segments included in a given video.

11. The system as defined in claim 9, the operations further comprising:

provide for display on a user terminal a user interface that enables a given user to upload a given video to the system or provide a link to a given video;

provide an interface that enables the given user to associate respective images and/or text with respective positions of the given video;

provide an interface that enables the given user to provide a title for the given video;

video;

receive user-specified associations of respective images and/or text with respective positions of the given video;

receive a user-specified title for the given video;

cause the given video, the user-specified title, and the respective images and/or text to be viewed via at least one video player, the at least one video player configured to display;

the respective images and/or text at the respective video positions.

12. The system as defined in claim 9, the operations further comprising associating a navigation link to a website with the first image.

13. The system as defined in claim 9, wherein the video player is configured to:

access comments provided by users with respect to respective segments included in the first video;

determine which segment included in the first video is currently being provided for display via the video player;

cause the respective comments, for the segment determined to being currently provided for display via the video player, to be displayed in a comments area, wherein comments for the segments in the first video included in the first video not currently provided for display via the video player are not displayed.

14. The system as defined in claim 9, wherein the video player is configured to:

display the first image and/or the first text, and

the second image and/or the second text,

in the playback area.

15. The system as defined in claim 9, wherein the video player is configured to:

display the first image and/or the first text, and

the second image and/or the second text,

in a scrubber area, the scrubber area comprising a slider tool that enables a user to scrub forwards through the first video by dragging the slider tool.

16. The system as defined in claim 9, wherein the first image and/or the first text, and the second image and/or the second text are displayed at different times by the video player.

17. The system as defined in claim 9, the operations further comprising:

provide for display on the user device a user interface that enables the user to associate tags with a given segment.

18. The system as defined in claim 9, wherein the video player is configured to:

display, in association with the first image, a control that enables a user to obtain an item depicted in the first image.

19. The system as defined in claim 9, the operations further comprising:

receive a product tag for a segment of the first video; and

cause the product tag to be displayed during playback of the first video.

26. The system as defined in claim 9, the operations further comprising:

provide for display on the user device a user interface that enables the user to associate tags with a given video segment.

20. A system, comprising:

at least one processing device;

a network interface configured to communicate over a network with a video data store;

non-transitory memory storing programmatic code that when executed by the at least one processing device, cause the system to perform operations comprising;

provide over a network, using the network interface, to a first user device a user interface that enables a user to associate, with respect to a given video, an image not from the given video and/or text with a user-specified position of the given video;

receive, over the network using the network interface, a first video;

receive, via the user interface that enables a user to associate an image not from the given video and/or text with a user-specified position of the given video, from the first user device an association of a first image and/or a first text with a first start position of the first video;

store the association of the first image and/or a first text with the first start position;

cause the first image and/or the first text to be presented at the first start position, during playback of the of the first video, in or adjacent to a playback area of a video player via a second user device;

enable a corresponding navigation event to occur at least partly in response to a user selecting;

the first image and/or the first text during a playback of the first video, wherein the first image and/or the first text is presented in or adjacent to the playback area.

21. The system as defined in claim 20, wherein the video player is configured to display a plurality of images selected by a respective plurality of users, the plurality of images corresponding to respective segments included in a given video.

22. The system as defined in claim 20, the operations further comprising:

provide for display on a user terminal a user interface that enables a given user to upload a given video to the system or provide a link to a given video;

provide an interface that enables the given user to associate respective images and/or text with respective positions of the given video;

provide an interface that enables the given user to provide a title for the given video;

video;

receive user-specified associations of respective images and/or text with respective positions of the given video;

receive a user-specified title for the given video;

cause the given video, the user-specified title, and the respective images and/or text to be viewed via at least one video player, the at least one video player configured to display;

the respective images and/or text at the respective video positions.

23. The system as defined in claim 20, wherein the video player is configured to:

access comments provided by users with respect to respective segments included in the first video;

determine which segment included in the first video is currently being provided for display via the video player;

cause the respective comments, for the segment determined to being currently provided for display via the video player, to be displayed in a comments area, wherein comments for the segments in the first video included in the first video not currently provided for display via the video player are not displayed.

24. The system as defined in claim 20, wherein the video player is configured to:

display the first image and/or the first text in the playback area.

25. The system as defined in claim 20, wherein the video player is configured to:

display the first image and/or the first text in a scrubber area, the scrubber area comprising a slider tool that enables a user to scrub forwards through the first video by dragging the slider tool.

27. The system as defined in claim 20, wherein the video player is configured to:

display, in association with the first image, a control that enables a user to obtain an item depicted in the first image.

28. The system as defined in claim 20, the operations further comprising:

receive a product tag for a segment of the first video; and

cause the product tag to be displayed during playback of the first video.