Aggregating video streams from cameras based on social connections in an online system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019132492-A1
Application number	US-201816162069-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 16, 2018
Priority date	Oct 26, 2017
Publication date	May 2, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

An online system maintains connections among users of that system and allows them to share media information with one another. If multiple socially connected users are viewing the same event and are located in the vicinity of one another, a social camera application executing on each client device of the socially connected users allows these users to capture media information of that event, and a higher quality media content of the event can be generated from the multiple captures of the event. For example, a target user begins a social camera experience and invites other socially connected users in the vicinity to join that experience. These users upload their captures of the event to the online system, which are combined to create a social camera media item of the event with better quality than any of the individual captures taken by a user within the group.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving a request for social camera media content of an event from a requesting user of an online system; identifying a plurality of client devices associated with a plurality of other users who are in vicinity of the requesting user and are socially connected to the requesting user within the online system; inviting the identified other users to capture the event concurrently with the requesting user; receiving a plurality of captured media content of the event from the plurality of identified other users and the requesting user, each captured media content of the event representing a single view of the event; synchronizing the captured media content of the event based on at least timing information of the captured media content; combining the synchronized media content of the event to generate a social camera media content item of the event, the social camera media content item of the event representing a comprehensive view of the event; and providing the generated social media content item to the requesting user.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining the identity of the requesting user and the identifies of the plurality of identified other users based on corresponding user profiles of the requesting user and the plurality of identified other users within the online system; and determining whether each of the plurality of identified other users is socially connected with the requesting user based on the determined identities.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein synchronizing the captured media content of the event comprises:
comparing the timing information of each captured media content; and selecting a starting time and ending time for the social camera media content item based on the comparison of the timing information.

4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
identifying one or more capture media content of the event that do not overlap with at least one another capture media content of the event; and removing the identified one or more captured media content of the event from the generation of the social camera media content item of the event.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein combining the synchronized media content of the event comprises:
identifying one or more visual artifact in a video frame of each captured media content of the event; and removing the identified visual artifact in the video frame.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein combining the synchronized media content of the event further comprises:
selecting a captured media content of the event from a capturing as the social camera media content item with a base visual quality; and enhancing the base visual quality of the social camera media content item of the event with a plurality of desirable features from the other captured media content of the event.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of desirable features from the other captured media content of the event comprise at least one of:
a high resolution of the capture media content of the event; a dynamic range of view the capture media content of the event; a sharp focus of the capture media content of the event; a high frame rate of video frames of the captured media content of the event; and a recent capture of the event.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of client devices associated with the plurality of other users has a digital camera for capturing the event; and the digital cameras of the plurality of client devices form a social camera for the requested social camera media content of the event.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of other users within vicinity of each other can be a requesting user for the social camera content of the event.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the generated social camera content item of the event is accessible to the plurality of the other users who has provided a capture of the event.

11 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer program instructions, the computer program instructions when executed by a computer processor causes the processor to perform the steps including:
receiving a request for social camera media content of an event from a requesting user of an online system; identifying a plurality of client devices associated with a plurality of other users who are in vicinity of the requesting user and are socially connected to the requesting user within the online system; inviting the identified other users to capture the event concurrently with the requesting user; receiving a plurality of captured media content of the event from the plurality of identified other users and the requesting user, each captured media content of the event representing a single view of the event; synchronizing the captured media content of the event based on at least timing information of the captured media content; combining the synchronized media content of the event to generate a social camera media content item of the event, the social camera media content item of the event representing a comprehensive view of the event; and providing the generated social media content item to the requesting user.

12 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , further comprising computer program instructions for:
determining the identity of the requesting user and the identifies of the plurality of identified other users based on corresponding user profiles of the requesting user and the plurality of identified other users within the online system; and determining whether each of the plurality of identified other users is socially connected with the requesting user based on the determined identities.

13 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein synchronizing the captured media content of the event comprises:
comparing the timing information of each captured media content; and selecting a starting time and ending time for the social camera media content item based on the comparison of the timing information.

14 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , further comprising computer program instructions for:
identifying one or more capture media content of the event that do not overlap with at least one another capture media content of the event; and removing the identified one or more captured media content of the event from the generation of the social camera media content item of the event.

15 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein combining the synchronized media content of the event comprises:
identifying one or more visual artifact in a video frame of each captured media content of the event; and removing the identified visual artifact in the video frame;

16 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein combining the synchronized media content of the event further comprises:
selecting a captured media content of the event from a capturing as the social camera media content item with a base visual quality; and enhancing the base visual quality of the social camera media content item of the event with a plurality of desirable features from the other captured media content of the event.

17 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of desirable features from the other captured media content of the event comprise at least one of:
a high resolution of the capture media content of the event; a dynamic range of view the

Assignees

• Facebook Inc

Inventors

• Paluri Balmanohar

Classifications

• H04N5/073 Primary

  for mutually locking plural sources of synchronising signals, e.g. studios or relay stations · CPC title

• H04N21/4788

  communicating with other users, e.g. chatting {(arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104)} · CPC title

• G06Q10/40

  Business processes related to social networking or social networking services · CPC title

• H04N25/41

  Extracting pixel data from a plurality of image sensors simultaneously picking up an image, e.g. for increasing the field of view by combining the outputs of a plurality of sensors · CPC title

• G06Q50/01

  Physics · mapped topic