ASYNCHRONOUS ONLINE VIEWING PARTY

• US 20090249223A1
• Filed: 03/31/2008
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Grant, Jason Richard, Watson, David John, Tran, Khai Tuan, Ehlers, David Christian, Wilson, Nicklas Lee, Barsook, Jonathan David
• Granted Patent: US 10,091,460 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

Various embodiments of systems, methods, computer devices, and computer software for providing an asynchronous online viewing party are provided. One embodiment comprises a system for providing an online viewing party. One such system comprises: a server operatively coupled to a database for supporting the online viewing party, the database comprising: content to be asynchronously provided to participants of the online viewing party; and time-based events provided by one or more of the participants, the time-based events associated with the content and linked to corresponding locations in the content; and a user interface configured to interface with the server, the user interface comprising logic configured to display the content and the time-based events.

Claims

1. A method for providing an online viewing party, the method comprising:

defining content to be asynchronously displayed to a plurality of participants in the online viewing party via a user interface;

receiving a member-generated event via the user interface from a first participant, the member-generated event corresponding to the content displayed via the user interface;

linking the member-generated event to a location in the content; and

displaying the content and the member-generated event to a second participant via the user interface, the member-generated event being displayed at the corresponding location in the content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the linking the member-generated event to a location in the content comprising temporally linking the member-generated event to the location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the member-generated event is temporally linked to the content based on a timecode.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying the content and the member-generated event comprises:

displaying a timeline associated with the content; and

identifying the member-generated event on the timeline.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the timeline comprises a y-axis for displaying the frequency of the member-generated events at a location on the timeline.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an additional member-generated event from the second participant;

linking the additional member-generated event to the content.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

displaying the content, the member-generated event, and the additional member-generated event to a third participant via the user interface.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the member-generated event comprises one or more of a text-based comment, a video comment, an audio comment, and an icon comment.

9. A system for providing an online viewing party, the system comprising:

a server operatively coupled to a database for supporting the online viewing party, the database comprising;

content to be asynchronously provided to participants of the online viewing party; and

time-based events provided by one or more of the participants, the time-based events associated with the content and linked to corresponding locations in the content; and

a user interface configured to interface with the server, the user interface comprising logic configured to display the content and the time-based events.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the user interface further comprises logic configured to capture the time-based events from the participants.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the logic configured to display the content and the time-based events comprises:

logic configured display a timeline associated with the content; and

logic configured to identify the time-based events on the timeline.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the time-based events are displayed as the content is presented.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the user interface further comprises logic configured to capture additional time-based events from one of the participants while the content is provided via the user interface.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the user interface is configured to provide the additional time-based events to the server.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the time-based events comprise one or more of a text-based comment, a video comment, an audio comment, and an icon comment.

16. A computer program embodied in a computer-readable medium for providing an online viewing party, the computer program comprising:

logic configured to define an online viewing party having content to be asynchronously displayed to a plurality of participants via a user interface;

logic configured to receive a member-generated event via the user interface from a first participant, the member-generated event corresponding to the content displayed via the user interface;

logic configured to link the member-generated event to a location in the content; and

logic configured to display the content and the member-generated event to a second participant via the user interface, the member-generated event being displayed at the corresponding location in the content.

17. The computer program of claim 16, wherein the logic configured to link the member-generated event to a location in the content comprises temporally linking the member-generated event to the content based one at least one timecode.

18. The computer program of claim 16, wherein the logic configured to display the content and the member-generated event comprises:

logic configured to display a timeline associated with the content; and

logic configured to identify the member-generated event on the timeline.

19. The computer program of claim 16, further comprising:

logic configured to receive an additional member-generated event from the second participant;

logic configured to link the additional member-generated event to the content.

20. The computer program of claim 19, further comprising:

logic configured to display the content, the member-generated event, and the additional member-generated event to a third participant via the user interface.

21. The computer program of claim 16, wherein the member-generated event comprise one or more of a text-based comment, a video comment, an audio comment, and an icon comment.

22. The computer program of claim 16, wherein the logic configured to display the content and the member-generated event is implemented via a browser.

23. The computer program of claim 16, wherein the user interface comprises a browser.

24. The computer program of claim 16, wherein the logic configured to display the content and the member-generated event is implemented via a browser plug-in.

25. The computer program of claim 16, wherein the member-generated event is displayed in a dialogue box.

26. The computer program of claim 25, wherein the size of the dialogue box decreases over time as the content is displayed.