Live group video streaming

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11082467-B1
Application number	US-202017011602-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 3, 2020
Priority date	Sep 3, 2020
Publication date	Aug 3, 2021
Grant date	Aug 3, 2021

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to systems, non-transitory computer-readable media, and methods for accurately, flexibly, and efficiently broadcasting public combined live video streams from multiple participant devices, which change over the course of the live broadcast, as well as generating dynamic user interfaces that streamline adding, removing, and swapping participant devices from the public combined live video stream. In particular, a live video streaming system facilitates compositing live video streams from multiple participant devices into a public combined live video stream within a digital room before broadcasting the public combined live video stream to viewer devices. In addition, the live video stream smoothly and efficiently transitions new participant devices from a digital waiting room to the public combined live video stream as well as switches current participant devices from the public combined live video stream to a digital waiting room, all while maintaining live video stream of the participant devices.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving, at a server device, a plurality of live video streams from a plurality of participant devices;
generating, at the server device, a digital preparation room for display on the plurality of participant devices by:
combining the plurality of live video streams from the plurality of participant devices into a combined live video stream; and
providing the combined live video stream to the plurality of participant devices within a digital preparation room interface;

detecting, from a first participant device of the plurality of participant devices, user interaction comprising a selection of a graphical live broadcast element within the digital preparation room interface displayed on the first participant device; and
based on detecting the selection of the graphical live broadcast element displayed within the digital preparation room interface:
converting the digital preparation room interface provided to the plurality of participant devices into a first public combined live video stream interface comprising the combined live video stream; and
broadcasting a second different public combined live video stream interface comprising the combined live video stream to a plurality of non-participant viewer devices, wherein the plurality of non-participant viewer devices is distinct from the plurality of participant devices.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, at the server device, an additional live video stream from a pending participant device; and
generating, at the server device, a digital waiting room by:
generating a digital waiting room live video stream comprising the additional live video stream from the pending participant device; and
providing, for display at the pending participant device, a digital waiting room interface that comprises the combined live video stream and the digital waiting room live video stream while continuing to provide the first public combined live video stream interface to the plurality of participant devices, wherein the digital waiting room interface is different from the first public combined live video stream interface.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
ending the combined live video stream broadcast to the plurality of non-participant viewer devices; and
generating, at the server device, an after-broadcast room for one or more participant devices of the plurality of participant devices by:
combining one or more of the plurality of live video streams from the one or more participant devices into an after-broadcast room live video stream; and
providing the after-broadcast room live video stream to the one or more participant devices.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , further comprising:
identifying a subset of non-participant viewer devices from the plurality of non-participant viewer devices based on one or more activity metrics associated with the plurality of non-participant viewer devices; and
providing access to the after-broadcast room live video stream to the subset of the viewer devices.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
removing, from the combined live video stream, one or more live video streams of one or more participant devices of the plurality of participant devices during the combined live video stream; and
generating, at the server device, a digital post-participation room for the one or more participant devices removed from the combined live video stream by:
combining the one or more live video streams of the one or more participant devices into a post-participation room live video stream; and
providing, for display at the one or more participant devices, a post-participation room user interface that comprises the combined live video stream and the post-participation room live video stream.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
before broadcasting the combined live video stream to the plurality of non-participant viewer devices, providing, for display at the first participant device, a live broadcast user interface that comprises broadcast participation elements indicating one or more participation triggers for participant devices to participate in the combined live video stream;
based on receiving a selection of a broadcast participation element from the first participant device, identifying a participation trigger; and
broadcasting the combined live video stream to the plurality of non-participant viewer devices in accordance with the participation trigger.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 , wherein the participation trigger comprises at least one of:
a trigger for adding a participant device to the combined live video stream, a trigger for removing a participant device from the combined live video stream, a trigger for transitioning a participant device from a digital preparation room to the combined live video stream, a trigger for transitioning a participant device from a digital waiting room to the combined live video stream, or a trigger for transitioning a participant device from the combined live video stream to a post-participation room.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting, at the server device, that a live video stream from the first participant device is removed from the combined live video stream;
determining that the first participant device is starting a new live video stream within a predetermined amount of time of when the live video stream from the first participant device was removed from the combined live video stream;
based on determining that the first participant device is starting the new live video stream within the predetermined amount of time, providing a resume live video stream option for the first participant device to resume the combined live video stream; and
based on user interaction with the resume live video stream option, resuming the broadcast of the combined live video stream to the plurality of non-participant viewer devices.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
providing a first version of the combined live video stream to the plurality of participant devices; and
broadcasting a second buffered version of the combined live video stream to the plurality of non-participant viewer devices.

10. A system comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:
broadcast, from a server device, a combined live video stream to a plurality of non-participant viewer devices, the combined live video stream comprising a first live video stream from a first participant device and a second live video stream from a second participant device, wherein the plurality of non-participant viewer devices is distinct from the first participant device and the second participant device;
generate, at the server device, a digital waiting room by:
generating a digital waiting room live video stream comprising a third live video stream received from a pending participant device; and
providing, for display at the pending participant device, a digital waiting room interface that comprises the combined live video stream and the digital waiting room live video stream; and

add the third live video stream with the first live video stream and the second live video stream within the combined live video stream being broadcast to the plurality of non-participant viewer devices, wherein the third live video stream is not viewable by the plurality of non-participant viewer devi

Assignees

• Facebook Inc

Inventors

• Hartnett Allison
• George Kristin Lindsey
• Parthasarathy Abhishek
• Khatri Hemal
• Bar Tomer

Classifications

• H04L65/765

  intermediate · CPC title

• H04L65/611 Primary

  for multicast or broadcast (systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06) · CPC title

• H04N21/6405

  Multicasting {(data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18)} · CPC title

• H04N21/44222

  Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programmes or purchase activity (monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33) · CPC title

• H04N21/437

  Interfacing the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. for transmitting client requests to a VOD server {(flow control in data networks H04L47/10; streaming protocols, e.g. RTP or RTCP, H04L65/65; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests in data packet switching networks H04L67/60)} · CPC title