Providing a program listing

• US 9,973,826 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2016
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Jayaram, Ranjith
• Primary Examiner(s): Saltarelli, Dominic D
• Application Number:
  US15/255,867
• Publication Number:
  US 20160373826A1
• Time in Patent Office: 620 Days
• Field of Search: 725 44, 725 46, 725 47
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2408 Monitoring of the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. client requests monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44226 on social networks
• 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 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing a program listing include storing user profile data and a user identifier for a user; storing an association of the user identifier with user identifiers for each of the plurality of social contacts of the user; receiving program identifier data representing programs currently being viewed by the social contacts; ranking the program identifier data for each of the plurality of social contacts based at least in part on the user profile data; and sending display data representing the program identifier data for display in an order based on the ranking.

Claims

1. A method for providing a multi-pane display of programs being viewed by a plurality of social contacts of a user, comprising:

receiving, at a hardware processor, program identifier data representing programs currently being viewed by the plurality of social contacts of the user or previously viewed by the plurality of social contacts of the user, wherein each of the program identifier data was automatically generated in response to one of the plurality of social contacts of the user viewing one of the programs; and

providing, by the hardware processor, display data in a multi-pane display, wherein, in a first mode, the multi-pane display displays a plurality of video programs which have each been individually selected for sharing by one or more of the plurality of social contacts, wherein each of the plurality of video programs corresponds to at least a portion of the received program identifier data, and wherein each of the plurality of video programs being displayed is displayed in a pane of the multi-pane display.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a user request to select one of the plurality of viewed programs being displayed within the multi-pane display.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining whether the user has access to a program source providing the one of the plurality of video programs.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing display data further comprises providing display data representing a plurality of the program identifier data to the user, wherein the display data is configured to align each of the plurality of program identifier data with an identifier of one of the plurality of social contacts viewing, or who previously viewed, the program associated with the program identifier.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving feedback from one of the plurality of social contacts, wherein the feedback comprises an electronic message relating to a program being viewed by one of the plurality of social contacts.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing display data comprises providing simultaneous video streams of the plurality of video programs.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of video programs which have each been individually selected for sharing by one or more of the plurality of social contacts, have been shared in connection with a user account in response to selection of the user account in a confirmation screen that is presented in response to the selection for sharing.

8. A system for providing a multi-pane display of programs being viewed by a plurality of social contacts of a user, comprising:

a hardware processor configured to;

receive program identifier data representing programs currently being viewed by the plurality of social contacts of the user or previously viewed by the plurality of social contacts of the user, wherein each of the program identifier data was automatically generated in response to one of the plurality of social contacts of the user viewing one of the programs; and

provide display data in a multi-pane display, wherein, in a first mode, the multi-pane display displays a plurality of video programs which have each been individually selected for sharing by one or more of the plurality of social contacts, wherein each of the plurality of video programs corresponds to at least a portion of the received program identifier data, and wherein each of the plurality of video programs being displayed is displayed in a pane of the multi-pane display.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the hardware processor also receives a user request to select one of the plurality of viewed programs being displayed within the multi-pane display.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the hardware processor also determines whether the user has access to a program source providing the one of the plurality of video programs.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein providing display data further comprises providing display data representing a plurality of the program identifier data to the user, wherein the display data is configured to align each of the plurality of program identifier data with an identifier of one of the plurality of social contacts viewing, or who previously viewed, the program associated with the program identifier.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the hardware processor also receives feedback from one of the plurality of social contacts, wherein the feedback comprises an electronic message relating to a program being viewed by one of the plurality of social contacts.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein providing display data comprises providing simultaneous video streams of the plurality of video programs.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of video programs which have each been individually selected for sharing by one or more of the plurality of social contacts, have been shared in connection with a user account in response to selection of the user account in a confirmation screen that is presented in response to the selection for sharing.

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 providing a multi-pane display of programs being viewed by a plurality of social contacts of a user, the method comprising:

receiving program identifier data representing programs currently being viewed by the plurality of social contacts of the user or previously viewed by the plurality of social contacts of the user, wherein each of the program identifier data was automatically generated in response to one of the plurality of social contacts of the user viewing one of the programs; and

providing display data in a multi-pane display, wherein, in a first mode, the multi-pane display displays a plurality of video programs which have each been individually selected for sharing by one or more of the plurality of social contacts, wherein each of the plurality of video programs corresponds to at least a portion of the received program identifier data, and wherein each of the plurality of video programs being displayed is displayed in a pane of the multi-pane display.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises receiving a user request to select one of the plurality of viewed programs being displayed within the multi-pane display.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises determining whether the user has access to a program source providing the one of the plurality of video programs.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein providing display data further comprises providing display data representing a plurality of the program identifier data to the user, wherein the display data is configured to align each of the plurality of program identifier data with an identifier of one of the plurality of social contacts viewing, or who previously viewed, the program associated with the program identifier.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises receiving feedback from one of the plurality of social contacts, wherein the feedback comprises an electronic message relating to a program being viewed by one of the plurality of social contacts.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein providing display data comprises providing simultaneous video streams of the plurality of video programs.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the plurality of video programs which have each been individually selected for sharing by one or more of the plurality of social contacts, have been shared in connection with a user account in response to selection of the user account in a confirmation screen that is presented in response to the selection for sharing.