Determining An Invitational Content Item Type Based On Predicted User Attention

• US 20160335671A1
• Filed: 07/26/2016
• Published: 11/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Pitschel, Donald W., Chaudhri, Imran A., Newman, Lucas
• Granted Patent: US 10,769,669 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1089 by adding media; by removing media
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed

Abstract

A media channel can include a mix of media items and invitational content items. At some point during the playback of the media channel an invitational content item can be presented. In some cases, the invitational content items eligible for presentation can be of differing types, such as video and audio. In can be advantageous to restrict presentation of video invitational content items to times when a user is likely to view the screen of the client device during playback of the invitational content item. To accomplish this one or more heuristics or rules can be applied to client device data to predict a user attention level. The user attention level can then be correlated to an invitational content item type, which can then be used to select an invitational content item for playback.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A computer-implemented method comprising:

transmitting a media stream to a client device for playback via a media player on the client device;

determining a connectivity status of the client device, the connectivity status indicating whether the client device is connected with other devices;

obtaining device state data for the client device, the device state data indicating a state or status of the client device;

based on the connectivity status and the device state data, determining a format of media content for insertion into the media stream for playback at the media player on the client device to yield a selected format, the selected format comprising one of video format or audio format;

after determining the format, selecting, from a plurality of media content items having the selected format, a media content item for insertion into the media stream, the media content item having the selected format; and

inserting the media content item having the selected format into the media stream transmitted to the client device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the connectivity status indicates that the client device is connected to at least one of a peripheral device, a video display, or a dock.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the selected format is video format when the connectivity status indicates that the client device is connected to at least one of the peripheral device, the video display, or the dock.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the device state data indicates at least one of a screen lock status, a battery status, or an ambient light status.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the selected format is audio format when the screen lock status indicates that a screen associated with the client device is locked.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the selected format is audio format when the ambient light status indicates that an ambient light level is below a threshold ambient light level or the battery status indicates that a battery level is below a threshold battery level.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the device state data comprises media player usage information indicating a playback status of the media stream at the client device.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the selected format is video format when the device state data indicates a user interaction with the client device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the user interaction comprises at least one of pausing the playback of the media stream via the media player, resuming the playback of the media stream via the media player, stopping the playback of the media stream via the media player, or requesting playback content via the media player.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the device state data comprises media player usage information indicating that the media player is either not running or running in a foreground.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the selected format is video format when the device media player usage information indicates that the media player is running in a foreground.

13. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

obtaining device state data for a client device receiving a media stream for playback via a media player on the client device, the device state data indicating a state or status of the client device;

determining a connectivity status of the client device, the connectivity status indicating whether the client device is connected with other devices;

based on the connectivity status and the media player usage information, determining a format of media content for insertion into the media stream for playback at the media player on the client device to yield a selected format, the selected format comprising one of video format or audio format;

after determining the format, selecting, from a plurality of media content items having the selected format, a media content item for insertion into the media stream, the media content item having the selected format; and

inserting the media content item having the selected format into the media stream transmitted to the client device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the connectivity status indicates that the client device is connected to at least one of a peripheral device, a video display, or a dock.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the selected format is video format when the connectivity status indicates that the client device is connected to at least one of the peripheral device, the video display, or the dock.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the device state data indicates at least one of a screen lock status, a battery status, or an ambient light status.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the selected format is audio format when the screen lock status indicates that a screen associated with the client device is locked.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the selected format is audio format when the ambient light status indicates that an ambient light level is below a threshold ambient light level or the battery status indicates that a battery level is below a threshold battery level.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the selected format is video format when the device state data indicates a user interaction with the client device, wherein the user interaction comprises at least one of pausing the playback of the media stream via the media player, resuming the playback of the media stream via the media player, stopping the playback of the media stream via the media player, or requesting playback content via the media player.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the device state data comprises media player usage information indicating that the media player is either not running or running in a foreground, and wherein the selected format is video format when the device media player usage information indicates that the media player is running in a foreground.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

transmitting a media stream to a client device for playback via a media player on the client device;

determining a connectivity status of the client device, the connectivity status indicating whether the client device is connected with other devices;

obtaining device state data for the client device, the device state data indicating a state or status of the client device;

based on the connectivity status and the media player usage information, determining a format of media content for insertion into the media stream for playback at the media player on the client device to yield a selected format, the selected format comprising one of video format or audio format;

after determining the format, selecting, from a plurality of media content items having the selected format, a media content item for insertion into the media stream, the media content item having the selected format; and

inserting the media content item having the selected format into the media stream transmitted to the client device.