System and method for streaming videos inline with an e-mail

• US 7,917,591 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2007
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yahoo Assets LLC
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vakkalanka, Surya
• Primary Examiner(s): Joo; Joshua
• Application Number:
  US11/828,218
• Publication Number:
  US 20090030991A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,343 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-206, 709/207, 709230-231, 725/87, 725112-113, 725/135, 725/51, 725/61, 715/700, 715/719, 715/738, 715/744, 715/748, 715/752, 715/838
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes

Abstract

A method of facilitating the organization and presentation of video e-mails containing embedded video provides a repository for distinguishing video e-mails from regular e-mails, displays the contents of the repository (e.g., as a list of thumbnails, etc.), and, in response to their selection, streams embedded videos from within the e-mail client where the body of an e-mail is usually displayed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of emails for a particular user of an email client;

determining, by a webmail provider, that the plurality of emails includes a set of video emails, each video email of the set referencing a video from within a body of the video email without containing a video attachment;

receiving a first user-interaction from the particular user to login to an email account of the particular user;

in response to the first user-interaction to login to the email account of the particular user, causing the email client to display at least two folders;

wherein a first folder of the at least two folders is an inbox that includes one or more of the plurality of emails for the particular user;

wherein a second folder of the at least two folders is a video folder that includes the set of video emails;

wherein each video email of the set is placed by the webmail provider in the video folder;

receiving a second user-interaction selecting the video folder displayed by the email client;

in response to a second user-interaction selecting the video folder, causing the email client to display a list of thumbnail images, each thumbnail image of the list corresponding to a video referenced by a different video email in the set of video emails;

receiving a third user-interaction, from the particular user of the email client, selecting a particular thumbnail image from the list of thumbnail images;

in response to the third user-interaction, initiating playback, of a particular video referenced by a particular video email of the set that corresponds to the particular thumbnail image, to the user;

wherein the third user-interaction causes the particular video to be displayed within the email client without launching an application separate from the email client;

wherein the third user-interaction causes the particular video to be displayed by streaming the particular video for playback within an area of the email client where a body of an email is usually displayed;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a fourth user-interaction hovering over the particular thumbnail image;

in response to the fourth user-interaction, causing display of statistics about the particular video without initiating playback of the particular video;

wherein the statistics about the particular video include information about a size of the particular video.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a fourth user-interaction that embeds a video in a to-be-sent email, wherein a thumbnail image of the video is generated automatically in response to the third user-interaction before the to-be-sent email is sent.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a body of the particular video email references the particular video through one or more HyperText Markup Language (HTML) tags that allow the particular video to be played by the email client without the email client, or a webmail server hosting the particular email, having to store a video file.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more HTML tags are one of an “

embed”

HTML tag or an “

object”

HTML tag.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a particular video email that references the particular video is received at a webmail server, and the particular video is hosted externally from said webmail server.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 1.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 2.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 3.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 4.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 5.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 6.