US 11,757,951 B2
System and method for configuring video watch parties with gesture-specific telemojis
William Wang, Irvine, CA (US); and W. Leo Hoarty, Morgan Hill, CA (US)
Assigned to Vizio, Inc., Irvine, CA (US)
Filed by Vizio, Inc., Irvine, CA (US)
Filed on May 31, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/828,673.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/194,607, filed on May 28, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0385701 A1, Dec. 1, 2022
Int. Cl. H04L 65/1093 (2022.01); H04N 21/4788 (2011.01); H04N 21/43 (2011.01); G06F 3/01 (2006.01); H04L 67/104 (2022.01); H04N 21/431 (2011.01)
CPC H04L 65/1093 (2013.01) [G06F 3/017 (2013.01); H04L 67/104 (2013.01); H04N 21/4316 (2013.01); H04N 21/43076 (2020.08); H04N 21/4788 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of operating a video watch party, comprising:
identifying a current program being viewed by at least two members of a viewer's friends list to obtain one or more current programs being viewed by at least two members of the viewer's friends list, wherein the step of identifying a current program being viewed by the at least two members of the viewer's friends list comprises:
receiving video frame data from a respective one of the at least two members of the viewer's friends list, wherein the video frame data is extracted from the current program being viewed by respective one of the at least two members of the viewer's friends list,
comparing the received video frame data to stored video frame data, wherein the stored video frame data is included in video data records that further include a program identifier of a program from which the stored video data was extracted, and
retrieving a program identifier from a video data record having stored video frame data that is a closest match to the received video frame data;
identifying members from among the at least two members of a viewer's friends list who are currently viewing a common program, wherein the common program is from among the one or more current programs;
transmitting an invitation to join a video watch party to respective smart televisions of the at least two members of a viewer's friends list, wherein the step of transmitting an invitation to join a video watch party to respective smart televisions of the at least two members of a viewer's friend's list comprises transmitting the invitation to the respective smart televisions of the members from among the at least two members of the viewer's friends list who are currently viewing the common program;
selecting a set of selected members who accepted the invitation from among the members who are currently viewing the common program; and
transmitting to respective smart televisions of each selected member an instruction to simultaneously display the common program together with a representation of all selected members.