Patent Application
20220021943
The increase in the use of and reliance on multimedia platforms has led to an increased focus on utilising these platforms to advertise and sell products and services to the end user. Conventionally, the user would identify a product or service of interest within the player window and would then be required to locate the product or service via separate searches using a browser or through the use of embedded hyperlinks which redirect the user to the appropriate page of a website where the user can then complete to the required transaction. In both cases, the user is necessarily directed away from the media player window and the associated content displayed there.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for playback of media files on a media player, comprising the steps of: retrieving a media file from a file location; initiating playback of the media file and displaying content on a media player display; detecting a first encoded cue at a location in the media file; displaying an interaction overlay element associated with the encoded cue on the media player display while the media file is playing; detecting a user input associated with the interaction overlay element; and, initiating the display of a transaction overlay element for detecting further user inputs within the media player display.
The method can further detect a second encoded cue at a subsequent location in the media file and remove the interaction overlay element from the media player display in response to detecting the second encoded cue.
In one or more embodiments, the playback of the media file is paused when a user input associated with the interaction overlay element is detected.
In one or more embodiments, the playback of the media file is resumed upon completion or termination of a transaction within the media player display.
In one or more embodiments, the interaction overlay element is associated with the displayed content of the media file.
In one or more embodiments, the transaction overlay element is an e-commerce transaction interface.
In one or more embodiments, the transaction overlay element relates to a transaction consisting of one or more of: a data submission form, purchasing an item, making a booking, making a donation, and registering for a service.
In one or more embodiments, the media file is one of a music video, a film, an advertisement, and a video clip.
In one or more embodiments the media file is a rich media file.
In one or more embodiments, the first encoded cue includes one or more of an interaction overlay element title, a transaction type, a product/service identifier, a start time for displaying interaction overlay, and an end time to stop displaying the interaction overlay element.
In one or more embodiments, the first encoded cue includes metadata tags which identify one or more of an external integration module, a commerce API, a content API, a payment provider, and a content delivery network.
In one or more embodiments the metadata is encoded using FFmpeg software together with a JSON string encoding scheme.
In one or more embodiments the media player is configured to communicate with one or more external transaction services. Preferably, the one or more external transaction services includes a payment provider.
In one or more embodiments the one or more external transaction services includes an order fulfilment service provider.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a computer program product comprising instructions for performing the method of the first aspect of the invention.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system configured for playback of media files, the system comprising: a media file editor module for encoding cues at one or more locations within a media file, the encoded cues being configured to couple to one or more service modules for causing an interaction overlay element to be displayed within a media player during playback of the media file to facilitate transactions within the media player; and, a media player comprising computer executable instructions for performing the method of the first aspect of the present invention.
In one or more embodiments the system further comprises one or more service integration modules selected from a commerce API, a content API, a payment provider, and a content delivery network.
In one or more embodiments of the system the interaction overlay element is associated with the displayed content of the media file.
In one or more embodiments the interaction overlay element is configured to communicate with one or more external transaction services in response to user input to display a transaction overlay element within the media player.
In one or more embodiments of the system the transaction overlay element is an e-commerce transaction interface.
In one or more embodiments of the system the transaction overlay element relates to a transaction consisting of one or more of: a data submission form, purchasing an item, making a booking, making a donation, and registering for a service.
In one or more embodiments of the system the encoded cue includes one or more of an interaction overlay element title, a transaction type, a product/service identifier, a start time for displaying interaction overlay, and an end time to stop displaying the interaction overlay element.
In one or more embodiments of the system the encoded cue includes metadata tags which identify one or more of a commerce API, a content API, a payment provider, and a content delivery network.
In one or more embodiments the media file editor module is adapted to encode the cue in the media file using FFmpeg software together with a JSON string encoding scheme
In one or more embodiments of the system the media player is configured to communicate with one or more external transaction services.
In one or more embodiments of the system the media file is a rich media file.
An example of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The present invention provides a media player configurable to provide the user with a seamless way of conducting transactions from within a window of the media player itself. All intermediate steps relating to the required transaction are carried out by calling up relevant modules/applications from within the application libraries from within an e-commerce platform.
In preferred embodiments, the media player is configured to retrieve an encoded media file from a server or other content delivery network (CDN). The media player is further configured to display predefined overlays to the user during playback of the media file in response to identifying cues encoded into the media file by the content owner. The content owner can upload the media files to a server or other CDN via a dashboard/user interface. The cues can be encoded with a plurality of fields to enable the desired functionality to be achieved.
The encoded cues may include metadata tags which define a plurality of parameters for identifying the media file itself for defining playlists and can also define various parameters to define the various actionable icons. The metadata relating to the type of action for each actionable icon also directs the media player to the relevant interaction overlay element to display and towards any necessary application libraries and external applications required to complete the relevant functions. The metadata to for the encoded cues also defines the start times and stop times for displaying the actionable icon as well as details relating to any products/services being offered to the user.
In preferred embodiments, the media player window is configured to display to the user an actionable icon via a predefined overlay rendered over the playback of the video. The media player is further configured to display to the user the progress of the transaction via another predefined overlay which directs the platform to call the relevant modules/applications required to provide the required functionality. Once the transaction has been completed the user is returned to the media file at the point at which the transaction was initiated to provide for a seamless and intuitive experience.
In preferred embodiments, the media player is configured to display an actionable icon within the media player window at predefined times which are defined by the content owner (or their proxy) via a dashboard/portal interface when uploading the media file for storage and subsequent retrieval. The actionable icon is presented by using a predefined interaction overlay element which can display an icon with the required action, for example “Buy”, “Book” or “Donate”. It will be appreciated that the transaction may alternatively include registering for subscription services or filling out questionnaires, entering competitions or any other action which requires further input from the user. The relevant modules/applications required to fulfil those actions are identified when the cues are added to the media file.
The display of the media player is reconfigured upon detection of the encoded cues during playback of the encoded media file. The media player can be any existing media player on any platform with a dedicated plug in, or alternatively can be a standalone player which replaces an existing player on a website. Alternatively, the media player maybe configured to be incorporated into any one of a plurality of content streaming devices such as smart TVs.
Upon playback of an encoded media file, the window displays the selected content as to in window (a). The content can be selected by searching the media library or selecting from a carousel or other selection method that displays the file data. The media file metadata can include the file name and/or a thumbnail of the file to enable displaying the files to the user to aid file selection.
During playback and upon detecting an encoded cue, the media player is configured to display a suitable predefined interaction overlay element (window (b)) presenting to the user an actionable icon 101 such as a “Buy Now” or “Book” or “Donate” button. All parameters relating to the actionable icon are defined by the content owner during the uploading of the media file to the CDN/database.
The interaction overlay element can be configured to cover the entire window or only a part of the window and can be semi-transparent or have sections which are transparent in order to avoid completely obscuring the playback of the media file to allow continued viewing of the media content. Each overlay can be tailored by the content owner or one of a pre-set number of overlays associated with each action can be selected for ease of use. Parameters of the overlay that can be tailored include one or more of the colour schemes, the font, the specific icon parameters as well as incorporating the content owner branding within the overlay if desired.
If no interaction by the user is detected during the defined duration, the media player is configured to remove the interaction overlay element (window (c)) and continue to play the media file until a subsequent cue is detected.
If during the display of the interaction overlay element the user interacts with the actionable icon 101, the media player is configured to replace the interaction overlay element with a subsequent transaction overlay element to allow the user to input details to complete the subsequent action. User interaction includes one clicking, hovering over, or other defined actions (which can be described in the interaction overlay element).
The transaction overlay element in window (d) to (g)
As shown in the figures, the media player presents the transaction overlay element in the same media player window as the media file is displayed, thereby avoiding the need for additional resources such as memory or processing power, as well as providing a much more intuitive experience for the user. The transaction overlay element is configured to enable the user to enter the required data for completing one of a plurality of predefined actions such as for example completing a purchase, making a donation, making a booking, or any other action requiring the completion of a data submission form. The transaction overlay element presented for the alternative actions will be specific to the action selected.
The media player is configured to process the desired transaction using any one of a plurality of existing fulfilment services and to render the progress of the transaction to the user within the transaction overlay element so as to avoid the need to navigate through additional windows which again saves on resources and provides a much more intuitive experience.
Once the desired action is completed, this is communicated to the user via the transaction overlay element and the reconfigurable media player is configured to remove the overlays and resume playback of the media file (window (h)).
Alternatively, if the media file was a dedicated advert the media file may be encoded such that upon completion of the transaction the media player can move onto the next file in a playlist or alternatively present the user with a number of related media files for the user to select from upon returning to the media player window.
Each cue identifies a start time 204, 206 and an end time 205, 207. The multiple cues can also be encoded concurrently and do not need to be spaced apart. The cues can also be encoded at the start or end of the media file and configured to last for any length of time between the start and end of the media file. A cue can also be configured such that the interaction overlay element is displayed for a duration of time that extends beyond the end of the media file.
The embodiment shown in
The database is updated by way of a dashboard/user interface or other user accessible portal. Access to the secure servers allows new content to be uploaded or existing to content to be edited by the content owner alone, different content owners may have access to different databases or secure parts of the same database. The dashboard can also provide the content owner a suite of video editing functions to enable the content owner to modify their media file before uploading. The content owner may also encode the videos offline using suitable encoding and subsequently upload the encoded media files via the dashboard/user interface.
The content owner can use the dashboard to crop, trim, rotate, or otherwise edit the media files and also identify points during the media file at which to encode the cues that allow for user interaction and completion of a range of predefined actions. Once the file has been edited and encoded, the encoded file is saved and stored in the database with a range of associated metadata to identify the file. This metadata can include one or more of: video ID, title, synopsis, date/time, priority (for ordering), booking ID, image (preview), source of video file, start time, and search.
The encoded media file causes the relevant overlay to be presented to the user upon detecting the encoded metadata tags in the encoded media file 605 during playback. The metadata tags also direct the media player to load up the required applications and associated content libraries 606 required to deliver the necessary functionality to the user. In one example, the e-commerce and API client libraries as well as the e-commerce functionality are provided by external third-party providers and are integrated into the commerce platform. The example transactions shown in
1) Making a booking or reservation
2) Purchasing of a product
3) Making a donation
The user can use the dashboard to encode data within specified metadata fields for each media file which enables the media player to present playlists to the user. An example of the coding for providing the user with a list of search results is shown below:
Furthermore, each of the media files also has encoded within it, information to identify the type of products/services on offer and the times at which to offer these as described earlier. One example of how this data is encoded is shown below:
The above shows an example of providing a “Buy Now” function which starts at time=21 and ends at time=31 and then a second cue which starts at time=32 and ends at time=56. In each of these two cases although the function is the same (“Buy Now”), the product is different and can relate to a product that is visible on the screen at the relevant times defined by the content owner.
In the above example the metadata is encoded using FFmpeg software together with a JSON string encoding scheme. However, any suitable coding scheme can be used to encode the required data.
While a media file is being played back, the encoded metadata tags associated with the cues added by the content owner provide the player with instructions as to when the display should be reconfigured in order to display and subsequently remove dedicated actionable icons to enable the user to interact with and initiate a predefined action, where the actions are associated with the media content being presented at that point during playback of the media file.
The transaction overlay element is also configured to render the progress of the subsequent stages of the commerce action including any payment fulfilment requirements, the progress is rendered via the media player window with all data processing being completed in the background via dedicated APIs and communicated via integration modules. The user is only presented with a summary of the progress and can complete the required action before resuming media file playback upon completion of the transaction.
Any order placement and confirmation emails are subsequently communicated to the user via the existing mechanisms in place with the third party applications being used in the background.
In some example embodiments the set of instructions/method steps described above are implemented as functional and software instructions embodied as a set of executable instructions which are effected on a computer or machine which is programmed with and controlled by said executable instructions. Such instructions are loaded for execution on a processor (such as one or more CPUs). The term processor includes microprocessors, microcontrollers, processor modules or subsystems (including one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers), or other control or computing devices. A processor can refer to a single component or to plural components.
In other examples, the set of instructions/methods illustrated herein, and data and instructions associated therewith are stored in respective storage devices, which are implemented as one or more non-transient machine or computer-readable or computer-usable storage media or mediums. Such computer-readable or computer usable storage medium or media is (are) considered to be part of an article (or article of manufacture). An article or article of manufacture can refer to any manufactured single component or multiple components. The non-transient machine or computer usable media or mediums as defined herein excludes signals, but such media or mediums may be capable of receiving and processing information from signals and/or other transient mediums.
Example embodiments of the material discussed in this specification can be implemented in whole or in part through network, computer, or data based devices and/or services. These may include cloud, internet, intranet, mobile, desktop, processor, look-up table, microcontroller, consumer equipment, infrastructure, or other enabling devices and services. As may be used herein and in the claims, the following non-exclusive definitions are provided.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63053061 | Jul 2020 | US |
