Media sharing

• US 7,996,566 B1
• Filed: 12/23/2008
• Issued: 08/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Genband US LLC (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Genband US LLC (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lingman, Danny, Sylvain, Dany
• Primary Examiner(s): Won; Michael
• Application Number:
  US12/343,328
• Time in Patent Office: 959 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/203, 709/213, 709/217, 709/229, 709/248, 715/201, 715/205, 715/206, 715/207, 715/208
• US Class Current: 709/248
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

The present invention allows multiple participants to share streaming media in an efficient and effective manner, where with select embodiments, playback and playback control of the streaming media may be synchronized among the participants.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating media sharing comprising:

generating a uniform resource locator (URL) for a media sharing session in which selected media is to be shared by a plurality of participants;

providing the URL to the plurality of participants;

for each of the plurality of media participants;

determining that the URL was selected by one of the plurality of participants; and

after determining that the URL was selected, effecting delivery of the selected media to a corresponding media terminal, wherein the selected media is delivered to media terminals of the plurality of participants to provide the media sharing session;

interacting with the media terminals for initiating playback control and presentation of the selected media by the media terminals to the plurality of participants during the media sharing session;

systematically calculating and comparing a current frame of the selected media displayed at each of the media terminals to determine a leading playback position of a leading media terminal, the current frame at least partially determined by a round trip delay associated with sending a message to each of the media terminals; and

incrementally offsetting a playback position of at least one media terminal to substantially synchronize presentation of the selected media with the leading playback position.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving invite information that identifies the selected media and is indicative of the plurality of participants for the media sharing session; and

generating an electronic invite for the media sharing session comprising the URL and information bearing on the media sharing session,

wherein providing the URL to the plurality of participants comprises sending the electronic invite to the plurality of participants.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein a portion of the invite information that is indicative of the plurality of participants comprises communication addresses associated with the plurality of participants, and the electronic invite is sent to the plurality of participants using the communication addresses.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the invite information is received from one of the plurality of participants.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the information bearing on the media sharing session identifies the selected media and the plurality of participants for the media sharing session.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the invite information further comprises a time or date for the media sharing session and the information bearing on the media sharing session identifies the time or date associated with the media sharing session.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein the invite information further comprises comments provided by an organizer of the media sharing session and the information bearing on the media sharing session comprises the comments.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the selected media is streamed to the media terminals.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein advertising content is selected and streamed with the selected media to the media terminals.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein at least a portion of the advertising content is selected based on the at least one of the plurality of participants.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein at least a portion of the advertising content is selected based on the at least one of the selected media.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the selected media comprises program content for a plurality of programs.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the selected media comprises one of audio and video content.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising in association with the media sharing session, effecting establishment of a communication session sufficient to allow the plurality of participants to communicate with one another in real time while the media sharing session is in progress.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the communication session is a messaging session that allows the plurality of participants to exchange messages in real time during the media sharing session.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising retrieving a communication address from at least one of the plurality of participants and using the communication address to effect establishment of at least a portion of the communication session.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the communication session is a voice session.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the communication session is conference session, which is supported by a conference bridge that effectively conferences individual voice sessions with the plurality of participants.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the select media is delivered to media player functions of the media terminals such that each media player function presents the selected media to a corresponding one of the plurality of participants, and interacting with the media terminals for initiation playback control and presentation of the selected media comprises:

receiving a first message indicative of a first participant of the plurality of participants selecting a playback control instruction intended to affect playback of the selected media at the media player function of the first participant in a first manner; and

providing a second message to the media player function of any other participant of the plurality of participants, the second message comprising an instruction to implement the playback control instruction such that playback of the selected media at the media player function of the any other participant is affected in the first manner.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising providing the second message to the media player function of the first participant, wherein the media player function of the first participant is responsive to the playback control instruction.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the first message further comprises playback position information indicative of the playback position in the selected media at which the playback control instruction was selected, the second message comprises position information relating to the playback position, and the media player function of the any other participant will implement the playback control instruction in light of the position information to substantially synchronize playback of the selected media to the plurality of participants.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein the select media is delivered to media player functions of the media terminals such that each media player function presents the selected media to a corresponding one of the plurality of participants, and wherein systematically calculating and comparing the current frame of the selected media displayed at each of the media terminals comprises:

receiving playback position information bearing on the playback position in the selected media from each of the plurality of media player functions;

generating adjustment information for at least one of the plurality of media player functions based on the playback position information received from the plurality of media player functions, the adjustment information configured to cause the media player function of the at least one of the plurality of participants to adjust the playback position of the selected media stream in an effort to substantially synchronize playback of the selected media to the plurality of participants; and

providing a first message comprising the adjustment information to the media player function of the at least one of the plurality of participants.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein further comprising:

receiving a second message indicative of a first participant of the plurality of participants selecting a playback control instruction intended to affect playback of the selected media at the media player function of the first participant in a first manner; and

providing a third message to the media player function of any other participant of the plurality of participants, the third message comprising an instruction to implement the playback control instruction such that playback of the selected media at the media player function of the any other participant is affected in the first manner.

24. The method of claim 1 further comprising obtaining media from media sources selected from the group consisting of internet protocol television (IPTV), satellite, broadcast media, and video repository sources.

25. A media sharing system comprising:

At least one communication interface; and

A control system associated with the at least one communication interface and adapted to;

generate a uniform resource locator (URL) for a media sharing session in which selected media is to be shared by a plurality of participants;

provide the URL to the plurality of participants;

for each of the plurality of participants;

determine that the URL was selected by one of the plurality of participants; and

after determining that the URL was selected, effect delivery of the selected media to a corresponding media terminal, wherein the selected media is delivered to media terminals of the plurality of participants to provide the media sharing session;

interact with the media terminals to initiate playback control and presentation of the selected media by the media terminals to the plurality of participants during the media sharing session

systematically calculate and compare a current frame of the selected media displayed at each of the media terminals to determine a leading playback position of a leading media terminal, the current frame at least partially determined by a round trip delay associated with sending a message to at least one of the media terminals; and

incrementally offset a playback position of at least one media terminal to substantially synchronize presentation of the selected media with the leading playback position.

26. The media sharing system of claim 25 wherein the control system is further adapted to:

receive invite information that identifies the selected media and is indicative of the plurality of participants for the media sharing session; and

generate an electronic invite for the media sharing session comprising the URL and information bearing on the media sharing session,

wherein the URL is provided to the plurality of participants in the electronic invite that is delivered to the plurality of participants.

27. The media sharing system of claim 25 wherein the select media is delivered to media player functions of the media terminals such that each media player function presents the selected media to a corresponding one of the plurality of participants, and wherein to interact with the media terminals to initiate playback control and presentation of the selected media, the control system is further adapted to:

receive a first message indicative of a first participant of the plurality of participants selecting a playback control instruction intended to affect playback of the selected media at the media player function of the first participant in a first manner; and

provide a second message to the media player function of any other participant of the plurality of participants, the second message comprising an instruction to implement the playback control instruction such that playback of the selected media at the media player function of the any other participant is affected in the first manner.

28. The media sharing system of claim 27 wherein the control system is further adapted to provide the second message to the media player function of the first participant, wherein the media player function of the first participant is responsive to the playback control instruction.

29. The media sharing system of claim 27 wherein the first message further comprises playback position information indicative of a playback position in the selected media at which the playback control instruction was selected, the second message comprises position information relating to the playback position, and the media player function of the any other participant will implement the playback control instruction in light of the position information to substantially synchronize playback of the selected media to the plurality of participants.

30. The media sharing system of claim 25 wherein the selected media is delivered to media player functions of the media terminals such that each media player function presents the selected media to a corresponding one of the plurality of participants, and wherein to interact with the media terminals to initiate playback control and presentation of the selected media, the control system is further adapted to, on a systematic basis:

receive playback position information bearing on the playback position in the selected media from each of the plurality of media player functions;

generate adjustment information for at least one of the plurality of media player functions based on the playback position information received from the plurality of media player functions, the adjustment information configured to cause the media player function of the at least one of the plurality of participants to adjust the playback position of the selected media stream in an effort to substantially synchronize playback of the selected media to the plurality of participants; and

provide a first message comprising the adjustment information to the media player function of the at least one of the plurality of participants.

31. The media sharing system of claim 25 wherein the control system is further adapted to effect establishment of a communication session sufficient to allow the plurality of participants to communicate with one another in real time while the media sharing session is in progress.

32. The media sharing system of claim 25 wherein the selected media is obtained from media sources selected from the group consisting of internet protocol television (IPTV), satellite, broadcast media and video repository sources.