Adding content to a media timeline

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10068617-B2
Application number	US-201615040292-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2016
Priority date	Feb 10, 2016
Publication date	Sep 4, 2018
Grant date	Sep 4, 2018

Abstract

Techniques are provided for associating comments with certain positions within a video (or audio) timeline. Multiple users compose comments, such as questions, and cause those comments to be stored in association with the video. Each comment is stored in association with a specific point or section in the video timeline. Later, another user can view the comments and select a particular comment, which causes the video to be played at the position in the timeline associated with the particular comment. Additionally or alternatively, playing a particular portion of a video may cause one or more comments that are associated with the particular portion to be displayed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
storing comment data that indicates a plurality of comments that are associated with a media item;
wherein two comments in the plurality of comments are from different users of a plurality of users;
wherein each comment in the plurality of comments is associated with a time within the media item;
receiving first input that indicates one or more search criteria;
in response to receiving the first input:
performing a search of the plurality of comments based on the one or more search criteria,
wherein performing the search of the plurality of comments comprises limiting the search to comments that are associated with (1) the one or more search criteria and (2) a time that is within a time range that is based on a current playback position of the media item;
identifying, as a result of performing the search, one or more comments of the plurality of comments;

in response to identifying the one or more comments as the result of performing the search, causing, to be displayed on a screen of a computing device, the one or more comments of the plurality of comments;
wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more search criteria comprises one or more words and the search comprises comparing the one or more words to content of each comment of multiple comments.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
while playing the media item:
identifying a current time of a second current playback position of the media item;
comparing the current time to times associated with multiple comments of the plurality of comments;
in response to determining that the current time corresponds to a particular time associated with a particular comment, causing the particular comment to be displayed.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
while playing the media item and while displaying a particular comment of the plurality of comments that are associated with the media item:
identifying a current time of a second current playback position of the media item;
comparing the current time to a particular time associated with the particular comment;
in response to determining that the current time corresponds to the particular time associated with the particular comment, causing the particular comment to be highlighted.

5. The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising:
in response to receiving third input:
creating a particular comment,
determining a certain time that is associated with a second current playback position of the media item,
associating the particular comment with the certain time.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more search criteria indicate a number of sub-comments associated with a comment.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more search criteria indicate an identity or classification of an author of a comment or a sub-comment of the comment.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to identifying the one or more comments as the result of performing the search, causing the current playback position of the media item to move to a position that corresponds to a media time that is associated with one of the one or more comments.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the media item comprises a plurality of segments;
the current playback position of the media item is within a particular segment of the plurality of segments;
the time range corresponds to the particular segment.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving second input that indications user selection of a first comment in the one or more comments;
in response to receiving the second input:
identifying a particular time that is associated with the first comment,
identifying, within the media item, a location that corresponds to the particular time.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising, in response to receiving the second input, causing the media item to play beginning at the location.

12. A method comprising:
storing comment data that indicates a plurality of comments that are associated with a media item;
wherein each comment in the plurality of comments is associated with a time within the media item;
receiving one or more search criteria;
in response to receiving the one or more search criteria:
performing a search of the plurality of comments based on the one or more search criteria,
identifying, as a result of performing the search, one or more comments of the plurality of comments;

in response to identifying the one or more comments as the result of performing the search, causing, to be displayed on a screen of a computing device, the one or more comments of the plurality of comments;
causing to be displayed, on the screen of the computing device, a question that is associated with a first time within a timeline of the media item, wherein the question is a comment of the plurality of comments;
receiving input that indicates an answer to the question;
in response to receiving the input:
associating the answer with a second time, within the timeline, that is different than the first time, and
storing the answer in association with the question;

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

13. A system comprising:
one or more processors;
one or more storage media carrying instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause:
storing comment data that indicates a plurality of comments that are associated with a media item;
wherein two comments in the plurality of comments are from different users of a plurality of users;
wherein each comment in the plurality of comments is associated with a time within the media item;
receiving first input that indicates a particular time;
wherein the particular time is one of:
a selection time indicating when a comment was first or last selected by a user, or
a view time indicating when a comment was first or last viewed by a user

in response to receiving the first input:
performing a search of the plurality of comments based on the particular time,
identifying, as a result of performing the search, one or more comments of the plurality of comments that are associated with the particular time;

in response to identifying the one or more comments as the result of performing the search, causing, to be displayed on a screen of a computing device, the one or more comments of the plurality of comments;
receiving second input that indications user selection of a first comment in the one or more comments;
in response to receiving the second input:
identifying a first time that is associated with the first comment,
identifying, within the media item, a location that corresponds to the first time,
causing a playback position of a media player to move to the location.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause, in response to receiving the second input, causing the media item to play beginning at the location.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause:
while playing the media item:
identifying a current time of a current playback position of the media item;
comparing the current time to times associated with multiple comments of the plurality of comments;
in response to determining that the current time corresponds to a certain time associated with a particular comment, causing the particular comment to be displayed.

16. The system of claim

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Loganathan Sivakumar
• Ponraj Deepak
• Sethi Puneet

Classifications

• H04N21/4722

  for requesting additional data associated with the content · CPC title

• G06F40/169

  Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes · CPC title

• G11B27/323

  Time code signal, e.g. on a cue track as SMPTE- or EBU-time code · CPC title

• H04N21/47217

  for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks (specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312) · CPC title

• H04N21/47202

  for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand · CPC title