Providing selectable content items in communications

• US 9,756,091 B1
• Filed: 04/10/2014
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Davies, Benedict John
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong, Hien
• Application Number:
  US14/250,222
• Time in Patent Office: 1,244 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1089 by adding media; by removing media
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15

Abstract

Implementations relate to providing selectable content items in communications. In some implementations, a method includes determining that a user is or will be participating in a communication using a device, the communication including an exchange of information with one or more other users. The method determines a set of one or more content items to be presented on the device for selection by the user, the content items derived from stored content and being related to activity performed by the user using the device or one or more other devices, and where the activity is external to the communication. The method causes a presentation of the set of content items with the device for selection by the user, and causes at least one content item selected by the user to be sent in the communication to at least one of the other users.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a user command to a device to output stored content;

generating a set of one or more content items selectable by the user, wherein the one or more content items in the set are derived from the stored content which the user has commanded to be output by the device, and wherein generating the set of one or more content items includes extracting one or more excerpts of the stored content as the one or more content items, wherein the one or more excerpts are selected from within the stored content based on one or more user inputs received by the device during the output of the stored content by the device, wherein a first portion of the stored content is output prior to a start of a communication between the device and one or more other devices and a second portion of the stored content is output during the communication,

wherein extracting the one or more excerpts includes determining one or more respective ranks for the one or more content items, wherein the one or more respective ranks are determined to be higher for content items that are derived from the second portion of the stored content that is output during the communication than for content items that are derived from the first portion of the stored content being output by the device prior to the start of the communication;

presenting the set of one or more content items with the device for selection, wherein the one or more content items in the set are presented based on the one or more respective ranks;

receiving a selection from the user of at least one content item of the set of one or more content items; and

causing the at least one content item to be transmitted to at least one of the one or more other devices during the communication.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the set of one or more content items includes determining one or more scores for the one or more content items based on determined engagement of the user with the stored content during the output of the stored content, wherein the one or more respective ranks of the one or more content items are based on the one or more scores, wherein the one or more scores are adjusted based on:

user input indicating engagement of the user with the stored content providing a contribution to the one or more scores, wherein the user input indicating engagement includes at least one of;

user input causing one or more replays of the stored content, and user input causing an increase in a volume of audio that is output by the device, the audio derived from the stored content; and

user input indicating disengagement of the user with the stored content providing a different contribution to the one or more scores, wherein the user input indicating disengagement includes at least one of;

user input causing pauses of the output of the stored content by the device, and user input causing a decrease in volume of the audio that is output by the device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the set of one or more content items includes determining one or more scores for the one or more content items based on a determined engagement of the user with the stored content during the output of the stored content, wherein the one or more respective ranks of the one or more content items are based on the one or more scores, wherein the stored content includes a game playable on the device, and wherein the engagement is determined based on whether a particular objective was achieved during play of the game on the device as defined in the game.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the set of one or more content items includes:

determining one or more initial content items for the set and a ranking of the one or more initial content items in response to an initiation of the communication; and

dynamically obtaining at least one content item of the content items in the set during the communication based on the at least one content item being related to information contributed via at least one of the one or more other devices during the communication,

wherein the ranking of the one or more initial content items is adjusted based on the dynamically obtaining the at least one of the content items in the set during the communication.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more content items include a plurality of content items visually depicting one or more scenes at one or more of a plurality of geographic locations at which the device is physically present, wherein the plurality of geographic locations are sensed by the device.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the one or more respective ranks for each content item of the plurality of content items are determined based on a length of time that the device is detected as physically present at a respective geographic location of the plurality of geographic locations.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the communication occurs while the device is detected as being moved from a first physical location to a second physical location by a mode of transport, wherein at least one of the one or more content items is selected based on being associated with the mode of transport.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one excerpt of the one or more excerpts is extracted from one or more particular sections of the of stored content, wherein the one or more particular sections include one or more title sections that each include a title of one or more pieces of content that are included in the stored content.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more content items include:

a first content item that is derived from a first work of the stored content, and

a second content item that is derived from a second work of the stored content, wherein the first work of the stored content is related to and has a content type that is different than a content type of the second work of the stored content, wherein the content types of the first work of the stored content and the second work of the stored content are selected from the group consisting of audio, video, and image.

10. A system comprising:

a storage device; and

at least one processor accessing the storage device and configured to perform operations comprising;

detecting a user command to a device to output stored content;

generating a set of one or more content items selectable by the user, wherein the one or more content items in the set are derived from the stored content which the user has commanded to be output by the device, and wherein generating the set of one or more content items includes extracting one or more excerpts of the stored content as the one or more content items, wherein the one or more excerpts are selected from within the stored content based on one or more user inputs received by the device during the output of the stored content by the device, wherein a first portion of the stored content is output prior to a start of a communication between the device and one or more other devices and a second portion of the stored content is output during the communication,

wherein extracting the one or more excerpts includes determining one or more respective ranks for the one or more content items, wherein the one or more respective ranks are determined to be higher for content items that are derived from the second portion of the stored content that is output during the communication than for content items that are derived from the first portion of the stored content being output by the device prior to the start of the communication;

presenting the set of one or more content items with the device for selection, wherein the one or more content items in the set are presented based on the one or more respective ranks;

receiving a selection from the user of at least one content item of the set of one or more content items; and

causing the at least one content item to be transmitted to at least one of the one or more other devices during the communication.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the operation of generating the set of one or more content items includes determining one or more scores for the one or more content items based on determined engagement of the user with the stored content during the output of the stored content, wherein the one or more respective ranks of the one or more content items are based on the one or more scores, wherein the one or more scores are adjusted based on:

user input indicating engagement of the user with the stored content providing a contribution to the one or more scores, wherein the user input indicating engagement includes at least one of;

user input causing one or more replays of the stored content, and user input causing an increase in a volume of audio that is output by the device, the audio derived from the stored content; and

user input indicating disengagement of the user with the stored content providing a different contribution to the one or more scores, wherein the user input indicating disengagement includes at least one of;

user input causing pauses of the output of the stored content by the device, and user input causing a decrease in volume of the audio that is output by the device.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein generating the set of one or more content items includes determining one or more scores for the one or more content items based on a determined engagement of the user with the stored content during the output of the stored content, wherein the one or more respective ranks of the one or more content items are based on the one or more scores, wherein the stored content includes a game playable on the device, and wherein the engagement is determined based on whether a particular objective was achieved during play of the game on the device as defined in the game.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the operation of generating the set of one or more content items includes:

determining one or more initial content items for the set and a ranking of the one or more initial content items in response to an initiation of the communication; and

dynamically obtaining at least one content item of the content items in the set during the communication based on the at least one content item being related to information contributed via at least one of the one or more other devices during the communication,

wherein the ranking of the one or more initial content items is adjusted based on the dynamically obtaining the at least one of the content items in the set during the communication.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the one or more content items include a plurality of content items visually depicting one or more scenes at one or more of a plurality of geographic locations at which the device is physically present, wherein the plurality of geographic locations are sensed by the device.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the one or more respective ranks for each content item of the plurality of content items are determined based on a length of time that the device is detected as physically present at a respective geographic location of the plurality of geographic locations.

16. The system of claim 10 wherein the communication occurs while the device is detected as being moved from a first physical location to a second physical location by a mode of transport, wherein at least one of the one or more content items is selected based on being associated with the mode of transport.

17. The system of claim 10 wherein at least one excerpt of the one or more excerpts is extracted from one or more particular sections of the of stored content, wherein the one or more particular sections include one or more title sections that each include a title of one or more pieces of content that are included in the stored content.

18. The system of claim 10 wherein the one or more content items include:

a first content item that is derived from a first work of the stored content, and

a second content item that is derived from a second work of the stored content, wherein the first work of the stored content is related to and has a content type that is different than a content type of the second work of the stored content, wherein the content types of the first work of the stored content and the second work of the stored content are selected from the group consisting of audio, video, and image.