Intelligent augmentation of media content

• US 8,131,767 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2010
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vibrant Media Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Vibrant Media Incorporated
• Inventors: Brindley, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Woo, Isaac M
• Application Number:
  US12/940,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20110055259A1
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 707600-831
• US Class Current: 707/791
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2457 with adaptation to user needs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/117 Tagging; Marking up details of markup languages G06F40/143; Designating a block; Setting of attributes style sheets, e.g. eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformation [XSLT], G06F40/154
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure include methods (and corresponding systems and computer program products) that augment visual elements in documents with rich media content and provide the rich media content based on user interaction with the augmented visual elements in the documents. The disclosed embodiments analyze a document for qualified visual elements. The disclosed embodiments determine keywords associated with the visual element, generate an association of the visual element and the keywords, and embed the association in a corresponding augmented document. When a user reviews the augmented document in a client system and moves a pointer over the augmented visual element, a piece of rich media content related to the keywords are transmitted to the client system to be displayed as an overlay in close proximity to the visual element where the mouse-over occurred.

Claims

1. A method for augmenting web pages with rich media content, the method comprising:

analyzing, by a server, a web page to identify a visual element that is a qualified visual element;

determining, by the server, a keyword associated with the qualified visual element;

generating, by the server, an association of the visual element and the keyword;

embedding, by the code, the association in an augmented web page corresponding to the web page;

receiving, by the server, a request from a client computer corresponding to a pointer being positioned over the visual element in the augmented web page; and

responsive to receiving the request, determining a piece of media content relevant to the visual element by searching for the advertisement using the keyword, and transmitting the piece of rich media content to the client computer for display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual element comprises one of a still image, a video, or a Flash, and the piece of media content comprises an advertisement.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the web page to identify the qualified visual element comprises analyzing the web page for visual elements with a length no less than a minimum length, a height no less than a minimum height.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the keyword associated with the qualified visual element comprises:

identifying context keywords in the web page, and

identifying subject keywords in the web page by analyzing tags associated with the qualified visual element, text nodes near the qualified visual element, and areas of interest in the web page.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein embedding the association in the augmented web page corresponding to the web page comprises embedding computer code in the augmented web page for monitoring user pointer movement on a display of the web page.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the piece of rich media content is displayable as an overlay in an area proximate to the visual element simultaneous to the pointer being positioned over the visual element.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

tracking the request or the piece of rich media content.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium with stored instructions, the instructions when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

analyzing, by a server a web page to identify a visual element that is a qualified visual element;

determining, by the server, a keyword associated with the qualified visual element;

generating, by the server, an association of the visual element and the keyword;

embedding, by the code, the association in an augmented web page corresponding to the web page;

receiving, by the server, a request from a client computer corresponding to a pointer being positioned over the visual element in the augmented web page; and

responsive to receiving the request, determining a piece of media content relevant to the visual element by searching for the advertisement using the keyword, and transmitting the piece of rich media content to the client computer for display.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the visual element comprises one of a still image, a video, or a Flash, and the piece of media content comprises an advertisement.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein analyzing the web page to identify the qualified visual element comprises analyzing the web page for visual elements with a length no less than a minimum length, a height no less than a minimum height.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein determining the keyword associated with the qualified visual element comprises:

identifying context keywords in the web page, and identifying subject keywords in the web page by analyzing tags associated with the qualified visual element, text nodes near the qualified visual element, and areas of interest in the web page.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein embedding the association in the augmented web page corresponding to the web page comprises embedding computer code in the augmented web page for monitoring user pointer movement on a display of the web page.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the piece of rich media content is displayable as an overlay in an area proximate to the visual element simultaneous to the pointer being positioned over the visual element.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

tracking the request or the piece of rich media content.

15. An augmentation system for augmenting web pages with rich media content, the system comprising:

an input/output module for retrieving web pages, receiving requests, and transmitting augmented web pages and rich media content;

an image augmentation module for analyzing a web page to identify a visual element that is a qualified visual element, determining a keyword associated with the qualified visual element, generating an association of the visual element and the keyword, and embedding the association in an augmented web page corresponding to the web page;

an advertisement deliver module for receiving a request from a client computer corresponding to a pointer being positioned over the visual element in the augmented web page, responsive to receiving the signal, determining a piece rich media content relevant to the visual element by searching for the advertisement using the keyword, and transmitting the piece of media content to the client computer for display.

16. The augmentation system of claim 15, wherein the visual element comprises one of a still image, a video, or a Flash, and the piece of media content comprises an advertisement.

17. The augmentation system of claim 15, wherein the image augmentation module is further configured for analyzing the web page for visual elements with a length no less than a minimum length, a height no less than a minimum height.

18. The augmentation system of claim 15, wherein the image augmentation module is further configured for identifying context keywords in the web page, and identifying subject keywords in the web page by analyzing tags associated with the qualified visual element, text nodes near the qualified visual element, and areas of interest in the web page.

19. The augmentation system of claim 15, wherein the image augmentation module is further configured for embedding computer code in the augmented web page for monitoring user pointer movement on a display of the web page.

20. The augmentation system of claim 15, wherein the piece of rich media content is displayable as an overlay in an area proximate to the visual element simultaneous to the pointer being positioned over the visual element.