Virtual lobby for a live stream

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatuses disclosed herein can stream a live session in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet. The live session can include live streaming content, such as audio content, video content, live closed captioning, ticker tape, data and graphical overlays, and / or real-time text, among others, that is being presented by alive host. These systems, methods, and apparatuses can invite one or more persons to participate in the live streaming content, also referred to as live participants, to enter a virtual lobby that is associated with the live session to participate in the live streaming content with the live host. The virtual lobby represents a designated virtual staging area, for example, a virtual space, that provides a controlled and organized environment to enable the one or more live participants to gather and to prepare for the live session.

Description

VIRTUAL LOBBY FOR A LIVE STREAMBACKGROUND

[0001] Live stream shopping, also referred to as livestream electronic commerce, live commerce, live sales, is a growing trend in the world of online retail. It combines the elements of live video streaming and electronic commerce to create an interactive and engaging shopping experience between buyers and sellers of products. In live stream shopping, sellers showcase the products in real-time through a live video stream. The live video stream can be used to demonstrate the products to the buyers, answer questions from the buyers about the products, and provide insights or reviews of the products. The live video stream also allows the buyers to interact with the sellers, for example, ask questions about the products, and to directly purchase the products. Live stream shopping enables the buyers to better understand the products before purchasing and to foster a more personal connection with the sellers, or even the products themselves. Live stream shopping platforms have been adopted by various electronic commerce and social media platforms to enable the sellers to reach a wide audience and to boost sales. The integration of social elements, for example, live chat, further enhances the shopping experience, making it a compelling alternative to traditional online shopping.

[0002] Live stream shopping is one example of a live video presentation using streaming technologies. Presentations are often collaborative and have more than one presenter, such as a host and one or more people who are knowledgeable about the subject matter. In the live stream shopping context, the host may be the owner of a clothing boutique who may invite one or more influencers or celebrities to participate and co-present during the live sale. A common way, using conventional video presentation technologies and platforms, to accommodate multiple presenters is for the co-presenters to be physically located at from the same geographic location, such as at the clothing boutique, and participating in the same video feed. This significantly limits the ability of the host to allow additional presenters from other geographic locations to participate and be included in the video / audio stream during the live sale. Additionally, when multiple presenters are located at the same physical location and using the same video feed, they can come into and out of the video at will, without disrupting the live stream. For example, a celebrity could leave the area capturedin the video feed in order to put on an article of clothing and return to the area being captured in the video feed to model the clothing. Conventional video presentation technologies do not allow for such seamless transitions of participants and presenters into and out of a live streaming session in virtual manner, such as when the presenters are located in different geographic locations and / or are not participating in the same video feed.

[0003] Conventional video conferencing platforms have technical limitations and drawbacks that do not allow for such seamless transitions. For example, conventional video conferencing platforms require users to perform initialization, authorization, and / or authentication procedures to participate in the video conference every time they connect. If a user leaves the video conference, such as by disconnecting from the platform, the user must perform the initialization, authorization, and / or authentication procedures again in order to return to the video conference. Also, conventional platforms typically present all of the participants video feeds in a tiled presentation format. If a user turns off their video feed but remains connected to the video conference, conventional platforms often continue to present a blank (e.g., black or grayed out) tile where the user’s video feed would be displayed, occupying valuable screen real estate.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004] The present disclosure is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements. Additionally, the left most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the drawing in which the reference number first appears. In the accompanying drawings:

[0005] FIG. 1A through FIG. IE graphically illustrate a first exemplary live streaming platform according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0006] FIG. 2A through FIG. 2C further illustrate the first exemplary live streaming platform according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0007] FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary operation of the first exemplary live streaming platform according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0008] FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of a first exemplary live server that can be implemented within the first exemplary live streaming platform according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0009] FIG. 5 graphically illustrates a second exemplary live streaming platform according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0010] FIG. 6 further illustrates the second exemplary live streaming platform according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0011] FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of a second exemplary live server that can be implemented within the second exemplary live streaming platform according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0012] FIG. 8 graphically illustrates a simplified block diagram of a computer system that can be implemented within the exemplary service provider network according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0013] The present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] The following disclosure provides many different embodiments, or examples, for implementing different features of the provided subject matter. Specific examples of components and arrangements are described below to simplify the present disclosure. These are, of course, merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. Aspects of the present disclosure are best understood from the following detailed description when read with the accompanying figures. The present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and / or letters in the various examples. This repetition does not in itself dictate a relationship between the various embodiments and / or configurations discussed. It is noted that, in accordance with the standard practice in the industry, features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of the features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity of discussion.

[0015] EXEMPLARY LIVE STREAMING

[0016] Before describing various exemplary live streaming platforms, live streaming is to be generally described. Live streaming is a revolutionary technology that has transformed the consumption and interaction with content. Generally, live streaming refers to the realtime, or near real-time, delivery of live streaming content, such as audio content, video content, live closed captioning, ticker tape, data and graphical overlays, and / or real-timetext, among others, in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet. Live streaming allows viewers to watch the live streaming content, which can relate to various topics, such as events, concerts, webinars, social media, video games, professional sports, news, lifecasting, and / or electronic commerce, among others to provide some examples, in realtime, or near real-time, over the Internet as it occurs without substantial delay. Live streaming has gained immense popularity in various domains, such as gaming, entertainment, education, social media, and / or electronic commerce, among others. The process of live streaming begins with a live host using a recording device with, for example, a camera and / or a microphone, a connection to the Internet, and a live streaming platform, such as those to be described in further detail below. The live streaming platform can send the live streaming content as a continuous, live stream to viewers over the Internet in realtime, or near real-time allowing the viewers to watch the live streaming content as it occurs without substantial delay. The viewers can beneficially interact with the live streaming content as it is being live streamed. For example, the viewers can comment, ask questions, and / or participate in discussions during the live streaming making the live streaming content a more interactive and immersive experience compared to pre-recorded content. In some embodiments, the live host and participants that are invited to participate in the live streaming content, from celebrities to consumers, may provide additional incentive for the viewers to watch the live streaming content. The live streaming content may also be stored and even divided into multiple segments, each to be viewed at a later date.

[0017] OVERVIEW

[0018] Systems, methods, and apparatuses disclosed herein can stream a live session in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet. The live session can include live streaming content, such as audio content, video content, live closed captioning, ticker tape, data and graphical overlays, and / or real-time text, among others, that is being presented by a live host. These systems, methods, and apparatuses can invite one or more persons to participate in the live streaming content, also referred to as live participants, to enter a virtual lobby that is associated with the live session to participate in the live streaming content with the live host. The virtual lobby represents a designated virtual staging area, for example, a virtual space, that provides a controlled and organized environment to enable the one or more live participants to gather and to prepare for the live session. These systems, methods, and apparatuses can virtually move the live host and / or the one or more live participantsbetween the live session and the virtual lobby. For example, these systems, methods, and apparatuses can virtually move the one or more live participants from the live session to the virtual lobby to leave the live session and no longer participate in the live streaming content. In this example, these systems, methods, and apparatuses can virtually move the one or more live participants to the live session from the virtual lobby to join the live session once again to participate in the live streaming content.

[0019] FIRST EXEMPLARY LIVE STREAMING PLATFORM

[0020] FIG. 1A through FIG. IE graphically illustrate a first exemplary live streaming platform according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. In the exemplary embodiments illustrated in FIG. 1A through IE, a live streaming platform 100 can stream a live session in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet. Generally, the terms “stream,” “streaming,” or the like refers to a method for delivering the live streaming content, such as audio content, video content, live closed captioning, ticker tape, data and graphical overlays, and / or real-time text, among others, in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet. The terms “live session,” “live stream,” “live broadcast,” and / or the like refer to real-time, or near real-time, content that is being streamed in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet.

[0021] In the exemplary embodiments illustrated in FIG. 1 A through IE, the live streaming platform 100 can invite one or more live participants to join the live session. As to be described in further detail below, the live streaming platform 100 can invite one or more live participants to enter a virtual lobby that is associated with the live session. The virtual lobby can allow a live director, a live host, and / or one or more live participants to interact with each other and, in some situations, to join the live session. The virtual lobby may also allow the live director, the live host, and / or the one or more live participants to participate in the live session, such as commenting via text or audio, while in the virtual lobby. As to be described in further detail below, the live streaming platform 100 can virtually move the live director, the live host, and / or the one or more live participants between the live session and the virtual lobby to join and / or to leave the live session. In some embodiments, the live streaming platform 100 can invite the live director, the live host, and / or the one or more live participants to join the live session. In these embodiments, electrical, mechanical, and / or electro-mechanical devices of the live director, the live host, and / or the one or more live participants are initialized, authenticated, and / or authorized in response accepting theinvitation. In these embodiments, the live director, the live host, and / or the one or more live participants can freely move between the live session and the virtual lobby without once again re-initializing, re-authenticating, and / or re-authorizing these electrical, mechanical, and / or electro-mechanical devices. Conventional video conferencing platforms would require electrical, mechanical, and / or electro-mechanical devices of the live director, the live host, and / or the one or more live participants to be initialized, authenticated, and / or authorized each time the live director, the live host, and / or the one or more live participants join in a conventional live session. Often times, when the live director, the live host, and / or the one or more live participants leave the conventional live session, for example, become disconnected from the Internet, these electrical, mechanical, and / or electro-mechanical devices are required to once again re-initialize, re-authenticate, and / or re-authorize with these conventional video conferencing platforms before the live director, the live host, and / or the one or more live participants once again join the conventional live session. For example, the re-initialization, the re-authentication, and / or the re-authorization can require the electrical, mechanical, and / or electro-mechanical devices of the live director, the live host, and / or the one or more live participants to obtain new streaming credentials to re-join in the conventional live session. And, often times, when the live director, the live host, and / or the one or more live participants become disconnected, the conventional video conferencing platforms associated with the conventional live session continue to dedicate resources to the disconnected participants, for example, displaying a disconnected participant as a gray screen or box, occupying the real estate in the conventional live session. In contrast, the live streaming platform 100 can simply move the live director, the live host, and / or the one or more live participants from the live session to the virtual lobby when the live director, the live host, and / or the one or more live participants becomes disconnected saving resources, such as time and processing resources. And the live streaming platform 100 can simply move the live director, the live host, and / or the one or more live participants to the live session from the virtual lobby when the live director, the live host, and / or the one or more live participants connects once again without initializing, authenticating, and / or authorizing saving even more resources.

[0022] However, as to be described in further detail below, the live streaming platform 100 can virtually and freely move the live director, the live host, and / or the one or more live participants between the live session and the virtual lobby to join and / or to leave the livesession. This movement between the live session and the virtual lobby does not require reinitialization each time that the live director, the live host, and / or the one or more live participants join in the live session. In the exemplary embodiments illustrated in FIG. 1A through FIG. IE, the live streaming platform 100 can represent one or more software routines, programs, tools, applications, and / or the like to stream the live session in realtime, or near real-time, over the Internet as described herein. These software routines, programs, tools, applications, and / or the like, which are to be described in further detail below, represent one or more software routines, programs, tools, applications, and / or the like, that when executed by one or more computing devices, processors, controllers, or other electrical, mechanical, and / or electro-mechanical devices that will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s), can stream the live session in real-time, or near realtime, over the Internet as described herein. Further, those skilled in the relevant art(s) will recognize that the one or more software routines, programs, tools, applications, and / or the like may be described herein as performing certain actions, routines, procedures, operations, flows, and / or the like without departing from the present disclosure. However, it should be appreciated that such descriptions are merely for convenience and that such actions in fact result from one or more computing devices, processors, controllers, or other electrical, mechanical, and / or electro-mechanical devices that will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s) executing the one or more software routines, programs, tools, applications, and / or the like.

[0023] In the exemplary embodiments illustrated in FIG. 1 A through IE, the live streaming platform 100 can include a live session 102 that is associated with a virtual lobby 104. In some embodiments, the virtual lobby 104 represents a designated virtual staging area, for example, a virtual space within the live streaming platform 100, which provides a controlled and organized environment to enable a live director 106, a live host 108, and / or live participants 110.1 through 1 10. / / to gather and to prepare for the live session 102. As illustrated in FIG. 1A, the live session 102 can be streamed in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet. In some embodiments, the live session 102 can relate to various topics, such as events, concerts, webinars, social media, video games, professional sports, news, lifecasting, and / or electronic commerce, among others to provide some examples. For example, the live session 102 can promote or sell products and / or services of business owners, entrepreneurs, advertisers, media agencies, broadcasters, and / or the like. Asillustrated in FIG. 1A, the live session 102 can access a live session, a live stream, a live broadcast, and / or the like that is associated with a live host 108, referred to as a live host feed 150 in FIG. 1A. The live host feed 150 can include real-time, or near real-time, live host content, such as audio content, video content, and / or real-time text, among others, that is streamed by the live host 108 to the live streaming platform 100. In some embodiments, the live host feed 150 can relate to various topics, such as events, concerts, webinars, social media, video games, professional sports, news, lifecasting, and / or electronic commerce, among others to provide some examples. In some embodiments, the live host 108 can lead and manage the live session 102, engage with the audience of the live session 102, and guide the live session 102 throughout, among others. And the live session 102 can similarly access live sessions, live streams, live broadcasts, and / or the like that are associated with the live participants 110.1 through HO.w, referred to as live participant feeds 152.1 through 152. n in FIG. 1A. The live participant feeds 152.1 through 152.W can include real-time, or near real-time, live participant content, such as audio content, video content, and / or realtime text, among others, that is streamed by the live participants 110.1 through 1 lO.w to the live streaming platform 100. In some embodiments, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152. n can relate to various topics, such as events, concerts, webinars, social media, video games, professional sports, news, lifecasting, and / or electronic commerce, among others to provide some examples. The live participants 110.1 through HO.w can include business owners, entrepreneurs, advertisers, media agencies, broadcasters, influencers, politicians, economists, journalists, subject matter experts, academics, commentators, analysts, celebrities, entertainers, lawyers, government officials, activists, advocates, and / or business leaders, among others to provide some examples, that have been invited to join the live session 102. And the live session 102 can further access a live session, a live stream, a live broadcast, and / or the like that is associated with the live director 106, referred to as a live director feed 154 in FIG. 1A. The live host feed 154 can include real-time, or near realtime, live host content, such as audio content, video content, and / or real-time text, among others, that is streamed by the live director 106 to the live streaming platform 100.

[0024] In some embodiments, the live streaming platform 100 can invite the live participants 110.1 through 110. w to enter the virtual lobby 104. For example, the live director 106 and / or the live host 108 can invite the live participants 110.1 through 1 lO.w to enter the virtual lobby 104 to join the live session 102. In some embodiments, the livedirector 106 can manage the live session 102, for example, invite the live host 108 and / or the live participants 110.1 through 1 lO.w to join the live session 102, accept requests from the live host 108 and / or the live participants 110.1 through 1 10. / z to join the live session 102, remove the live host 108 and / or the live participants 110.1 through 1 10. / / from the live session 102, and / or mute the live host 108 and / or the live participants 110.1 through 1 10. / / , among others. Although the discussion herein can describe the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 1 10. / / as performing certain actions, it should be appreciated that such descriptions are merely for convenience and that such actions in fact result from operation of one or more computing devices, processors, controllers, or other electrical, mechanical, and / or electro-mechanical devices that will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s) without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0025] As illustrated in FIG. IB, the live streaming platform 100 commences streaming the live session 102. As part of this streaming, the live streaming platform 100 can assign the live host feed 150 to the live session 102 to include the live host 108 within the live session 102. As to be described in further detail below, the live streaming platform 100 can combine, for example, multiplex, the live host feed 150 and / or the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152. / / that are assigned to the live session 102 to generate the live session 102. In some embodiments, the live streaming platform 100 can incorporate additional features, such as scene management, adding overlays, and / or integrating interactive elements, such as chat or comments to provide some examples, among others into the live session 102. As described above, the live host feed 150 and / or the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152. / / can include the live host content and the participant content, respectively. In some embodiments, the live streaming platform 100 can combine, for example, multiplex, one or more of the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152.7?, and / or the live director feed 154 to generate the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104. For example, the live streaming platform 100 can combine the video content and the audio content of the live host feed 150, the video content and the audio content of the live participant feed 152.1, and the audio of the live participant feed 152.77 to generate the live session 102. In this example, the live participant feed 152.77 can include comments of live participant 110.77 made during the live session 102, but the video content of the live participant 110.77 may not be included in the live session 102.

[0026] The live streaming platform 100 can invite the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through HO.w to enter the virtual lobby 104 to join the live session. In some embodiments, the live streaming platform 100 can initialize, authenticate, and / or authorize electrical, mechanical, and / or electro-mechanical devices of the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 1 10. / / in response accepting the invitation. As to be described in further detail below, the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 1 10. / / can freely move between the live session 102 and the virtual lobby 104 without these electrical, mechanical, and / or electro-mechanical devices once again being initialized, authenticated, and / or authorized. In some embodiments, the live streaming platform 100 can assign the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152. / / , and / or the live director feed 154 to the virtual lobby 104 to include the live director 106, the live host 108 and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.7?. In these embodiments, the live streaming platform 100 can combine, for example, multiplex, the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152. / / , and / or the live director feed 154 with each other to generate the virtual lobby 104. In some embodiments, the live streaming platform 100 can integrate additional features, such as scene management, adding overlays, and / or integrating interactive elements, such as chat or comments to provide some examples, among others into the virtual lobby 104. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. IB, the live streaming platform 100 can logically section the virtual lobby 104 into multiple virtual lobby tiles depending on the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 1 10. / / within the virtual lobby 104. In these embodiments, the live streaming platform 100 can assign the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds152.1 through 152. / / , and / or the live director feed 154 to these virtual lobby tiles to present the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152. w, and / or the live director feed 154 to the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.7? within the virtual lobby 104. In some embodiments, these virtual lobby tiles can be implemented as a split screen of the virtual lobby 104 and / or as floating tiles, also referred to as picture-in-picture, that are dynamically adjustable, for example, in size and / or quantity, depending on the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants110.1 through 110.77 within the virtual lobby 104.

[0027] In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. IB, the virtual lobby 104 can utilize the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152. / / , and / or the live director feed 154 to provide a bi-directional communication platform between the live host 108 and / or the live participants 110.1 through 1 10. / / , and, in some situations, the live director 106. In some embodiments, the bi-directional communication platform allows the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 1 10. / / to interact with each other while in the virtual lobby 104. In these embodiments, the bidirectional communication platform can integrate text capabilities, such as chat, comments, and / or social media interactions to provide some examples, among the virtual lobby 104 to allow the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.7? to interact with each other while in the virtual lobby 104. Alternatively, or in addition to, the bi-directional communication platform can integrate audio and / or video communication among the virtual lobby 104 to allow the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.77 to interact with each other while in the virtual lobby 104. In some embodiments, the audio and / or video communication can enable the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.77 to see and / or hear each other in the virtual lobby 104 resembling in-person interactions. In some embodiments, the bi-directional communication platform allows the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.77 within the virtual lobby 104 to interact with the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.77 within the live session 102. In these embodiments, the bidirectional communication platform can integrate text capabilities, such as chat, comments, and / or social media interactions to provide some examples, between the live session 102 and the virtual lobby 104 to allow the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.77 within the virtual lobby 104 to interact with the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.77 within the live session 102. In these embodiments, the bi-directional communication platform can integrate audio and / or video communication between the live session 102 and the virtual lobby 104 to allow the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110. / 7 to interact with the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.77 within the live session 102. In some embodiments, the bidirectional communication platform can enable or disable the text capabilities, the audioand / or video communication among the virtual lobby 104 and / or between the live session 102 and the virtual lobby 104. For example, the bi-directional communication platform can disable the video communication between the live session 102 and the virtual lobby 104 while the audio communication between the live session 102 and the virtual lobby 104 remains. In this example, the audio communication can enable the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 1 lO.w within the virtual lobby 104 to audibly communicate with the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110. w within in the live session 102. In some embodiments, bidirectional communication platform can disable the video communication between the live session 102 and the virtual lobby 104 in response to the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 1 lO.w being virtually moved from the live session 102 to the virtual lobby 104 as described above. In some embodiments, the bi-directional communication platform can disable, for example, mute, and / or enable, for example, unmute, the audio communication among the virtual lobby 104 and / or between the live session 102 and the virtual lobby 104 of one or more of the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.77. For example, if one of the live participants 110.1 through 110.77 in the virtual lobby 104 is making unwanted remarks or has unwanted background noise during live session 102, the live director 106 or the live host 108 can mute (or disconnect) the live participant who is in the virtual lobby 104.

[0028] As illustrated in FIG. 1C and FIG. ID, the live streaming platform 100, for example, the live director 106 and / or the live host 108, can virtually move the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 1 lO.w between the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104. In some embodiments, the live director 106 can virtually move the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110. w between the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104. In some embodiments, the live host 108 can virtually move the live host 108 and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.7? between the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104. In some embodiments, the live streaming platform 100 can freely move the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.7? between the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104 without once again initializing, authenticating, and / or authorizing electrical, mechanical, and / or electro-mechanical devices of the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.77. In the exemplary embodiment illustratedin FIG. 1C and FIG. ID, the live streaming platform 100 can logically section the live session 102 into multiple virtual session tiles depending on the number of the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110. w that have virtually moved between the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104. In these embodiments, the live streaming platform 100 can assign the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152. / / , and / or the live director feed 154 of those live participants 110.1 through 1 10. / z that have virtually moved between the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104 to these virtual session tiles to include the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152. / / , and / or the live director feed 154 into the live session 102. In some embodiments, these virtual session tiles can be implemented as a split screen of the live session 102 and / or as floating tiles, also referred to as picture-in-picture, that are dynamically adjustable, for example, in size and / or quantity, depending on the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through HO. / z within the live session 102. In these embodiments, the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 1 10. / / can preview, and, in some situations, adjust these virtual session tiles after assigning the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152.7?, and / or the live director feed 154 of those live participants 110.1 through 11 O.n assign the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152. n, and / or the live director feed 154 of those live participants 110.1 through 11 O.n.

[0029] As illustrated in FIG. 1C, the live streaming platform 100 can virtually move the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.77 from the virtual lobby 104 to the live session 102. In some embodiments, the live streaming platform 100 can switch the assignments of the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152.77, and / or the live director feed 154 of the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.77 that have virtually moved from the virtual lobby 104 to the live session 102 to include those feeds within the live session 102. In some embodiments, the live streaming platform 100 can dynamically adjust the multiple virtual lobby tiles and / or the multiple virtual session tiles to accommodate virtually moving the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.77 from the virtual lobby 104 to the live session 102. For example, the live streaming platform 100 can dynamically increase the size and / or decrease the quantity of the multiple virtual session tiles in response to the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the liveparticipants 110.1 through 1 10. / / being virtually moved from the virtual lobby 104 to the live session 102.

[0030] Similarly, as illustrated in FIG. ID, the live streaming platform 100 can virtually move the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.7? from the live session 102 to the virtual lobby 104. In some embodiments, the live streaming platform 100 can switch the assignments of the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152. / / , and / or the live director feed 154 of the live director 106, the live host 108 and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.77 that have virtually moved from the live session 102 to the virtual lobby 104 to include those feeds within the virtual lobby 104. In some embodiments, the live streaming platform 100 can dynamically adjust the multiple virtual lobby tiles and / or the multiple virtual session tiles to accommodate virtually moving the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.77 from the live session 102 to the virtual lobby 104. For example, the live streaming platform 100 can dynamically increase the size and / or decrease the quantity of the multiple virtual session tiles in response to the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.7? being virtually moved from the live session 102 to the virtual lobby 104. In some embodiments, the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.7? that have been virtually moved from the live session 102 to the virtual lobby 104 are still capable of interacting the with the live session 102. In these embodiments, the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.77 that have been virtually moved from the live session 102 to the virtual lobby 104 can audibly communicate with the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.77 remaining within in the live session 102.

[0031] As illustrated in FIG. IE, the live streaming platform 100 completes streaming of the live streaming content over the live session 102. As part of this completion, the live streaming platform 100 can virtually move the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.77 from the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104. In some embodiments, the live streaming platform 100 can reassign the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152.77, and / or the live director feed 154 from the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104.

[0032] FIG. 2A through FIG. 2C further illustrate the first exemplary live streaming platform according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. The discussion of FIG. 2A through FIG. 2C to follow is to describe hardware, firmware, and / or software applications within a live streaming platform 200 that can be utilized to implement the live streaming platform 100 as described above. Those skilled in the relevant art(s) will recognize the hardware, the firmware, and / or the software applications as illustrated in FIG. 2A through FIG. 2C are for exemplary purposes only and not limiting. Rather, those skilled in the relevant art(s) will recognize that other hardware, other firmware, and / or other software applications can be used to implement the live streaming platform 100 without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0033] In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2A, the live streaming platform 200 can invite the live director 106, the live host, 108 and / or the live participants 110.1 through 1 10. / / to join a live session, such as the live session 102 to provide an example. As illustrated in FIG. 2A, the live streaming platform 200 can include a live streaming provider 202, having a live server 214 and a live workstation 216, to invite the live host 108 and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110. / / to join the live session 102. Although the discussion to follow is to the live server 214 and the live workstation 216, those skilled in the relevant art(s) will recognize that the live server 214 and the live workstation 216 can include multiple servers and workstations, respectively, without departing from the spirit and the scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the live workstation 216 can execute a Graphical User Interface (GUI), a software development kit (SDK), and / or an Application Program Interface (API) to allow the live director 106 to invite the live host 108 and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110. / / to join the live session 102. In some embodiments, the live server 214 and / or the live workstation 216 can issue a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that uniquely identifies the live session 102 to the live host 108 and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110. / / to allow the live host 108 and / or the live participants 110.1 through 11 Q.n to join the live session 102. In these embodiments, the live participants 110.1 through 11 Q.n can activate, for example, click on, the URL to enter the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104 in a substantially similar manner as described above. Alternatively, or in addition to, the live server 214 and / or the live workstation 216 can issue a live stream token that uniquely identifies the live session 102 to the live host 108 and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110. / / to allow the live host 108 and / or thelive participants 110.1 through 1 10. / / to join the live session 102. In some embodiments, the live stream token can be generated in accordance with a cryptographic hash function (CHF) having operates on identifier that uniquely identifies the live session 102. In these embodiments, the live host 108 and / or the live participants 110.1 through 1 10. / / can redeem the live stream token to enter the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104 in a substantially similar manner as described above. In some embodiments, the live host 108 and / or the live participants 110.1 through 1 10. / / can enter the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104 by clicking the URL and / or redeeming the live stream token without being required to provide other credentials, for example, usernames and / or passwords.

[0034] After inviting the live director 106, the live host 108 and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.7? to join the live session 102, the live streaming platform 200 can access the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152. w, and / or the live director feed 154. In some embodiments, the live streaming platform 200 can receive the live host feed 150 and / or the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152. / / over a communication network 208. In these embodiments, the live streaming provider 202 can receive the live host feed 150 and / or the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152.77 in real-time, or near real-time, over the communication network 208. As illustrated in FIG. 2 A, the live streaming provider 202 can be communicatively coupled to a host recording device 210 and / or participant recording devices 212.1 through 212. n. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2A, the host recording device 210 can capture and / or record the live host feed 150 that is associated with the live host 108. As illustrated in illustrated in FIG. 2A, the host recording device 210 can capture the live host content, such as the audio content, the video content, and / or the real-time text, among others, in real-time, or near real-time, that is being presented by the live host 108. In some embodiments, the host recording device 210 can encode the captured live host content in accordance with one or more network protocols to provide the live host feed 150 for delivery to the live streaming provider 202 over the communication network 208. In these embodiments, the one or more network protocols can include Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) Live Streaming (HLS), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH), WebRTC, Secure Reliable Transport (SRT), Real Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-time Transport. Protocol (RTP), Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), and / or any other suitableprotocols that are capable of streaming in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet that will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s) without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 A, the participant recording devices 212.1 through 212. / / can similarly capture and / or record the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152. / / that are associated with the live participants 110.1 through 1 IO. / ?. As illustrated in illustrated in FIG. 2A, the participant recording devices 212.1 through 212. / / can capture the live participant content, such as the audio content, the video content, and / or the real-time text, among others, in real-time, or near real-time, that is being presented by the live participants 110.1 through 110.77. In some embodiments, the participant recording devices 212.1 through 212. / / can encode the captured live participant content in accordance with the one or more network protocols, examples of which have been described above, to provide the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152.77 for delivery to the live streaming provider 202 over the communication network 208. In some embodiments, the host recording device 210 and / or the participant recording devices 212.1 through 212. / / can include a camera and / or a microphone. In these embodiments, the camera and / or microphone can be implemented as discrete, or host, devices and / or can be incorporated within other host devices such as such as mobile phones, mobile computing devices, mobile internet devices, tablet computers laptop computers, video game consoles, portable media players, peripheral devices, internet capable appliances, and / or smart televisions, among others.

[0035] As illustrated in FIG. 2B, the live streaming platform 200 can generate the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104 from the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152.77, and / or the live director feed 154 in a substantially similar manner as described above. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2B, the live server 214, or the live server 214 in combination with the live workstation 216, represents a real-time, or near real-time, streaming platform that provides Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs), software development kits (SDKs), and / or Application Program Interfaces (APIs) for streaming of the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152.77, and / or the live director feed 154 in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet via the communication network 208. The live server 214, or the live server 214 in combination with the live workstation 216, can integrate additional features, such as scene management, adding overlays, and / or integrating interactive elements, such as chat or comments toprovide some examples, among others into the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104.

[0036] In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2B, the live server 214 can assign the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152. / / , and / or the live director feed 154 to the live session 102 to include the live director, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 1 10. / / within the live session 102 and / or the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152 / z, and / or the live director feed 154 to the virtual lobby 104 to include the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 1 10 / z within the virtual lobby 104 in a substantially similar manner as described above. As illustrated in FIG. 2B, the live streaming platform 100 can access the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152. n, and / or the live director feed 154. In some embodiments, the live server 214 can decode the live host feed 150 and / or the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152. n to recover the live host content that is being presented by the live host 108 and / or the live participant content that is being presented by the live participants 110.1 through 1 10. / / . Alternatively, or in addition to, the live server 214 can be configured to operate in a pass-through mode of operation, namely, as a pass-through server that passes through the live host feed 150 and / or the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152. / / without further processing, for example, decoding, of the live host feed 150 and / or the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152. / / . It can be beneficial to have the live host content that is streamed by the live host 108 and / or the live participant content that is streamed by the live participants 110.1 through 110. / / be synchronous, in time, with the live session 102 being played back, for example, by live viewers of the live session 102 as to be described in further detail below. However, in some situations, the live host content and / or the live participant content can be time shifted from the live session 102 being played back by the live viewers. In these situations, this can cause asynchronicity between the live host content and / or the live participant content and the live session 102 being streamed to the live viewers. For example, incorporating the additional features, such as scene management, adding overlays, and / or integrating interactive elements, such as chat or comments to provide some examples, into the live session 102 can cause the live host content and / or the live participant content to be asynchronous from the live session 102 being streamed to the live viewers. Although some asynchronicity is not very noticeable, if at all, a significant asynchronicity between the live host content and / or the live participantand the live session 102 being streamed to the live viewers can degrade the interactive and immersive experience of the live viewers in using the live streaming platform 100. In some embodiments, a first server of the live server 214 can access the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152.W, and / or the live director feed 154. In some embodiments, a second server of the live server 214 can access, for example, subscribe, to those feeds from among the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152. / z, and / or the live director feed 154 that are needed to generate the live session 102. In these embodiments, the second server of the live server 214 can combine these feeds to generate the live session 102 as to be described in further detail below. In these embodiments, the second server of the live server 214 can incorporate the additional features, such as scene management, adding overlays, and / or integrating interactive elements, such as chat or comments to provide some examples, among others into the live session 102. In some situations, the first server and the second server can cause the asynchronicity between the live host content and / or the live participant content and the live session 102 being played back by the live viewers. In some situations, the asynchronicity between the live host content and / or the live participant content and the live session 102 being streamed to the live viewers can degrade the interactive and immersive experience of the live viewers in using the live streaming platform 100. In these situations, the first server and / or the second server can operate in the pass-through mode to curtail the asynchronicity between the live host content and / or the live participant content. In some embodiments, the live server 214 can pass-through, without further processing, those feeds from among the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152 / z, and / or the live director feed 154 that are needed to generate the live session 102 to the host viewing device 218, the participant viewing devices 220.1 through 220. n and / or the live viewer devices 222.1 through 222. r as to be described in further detail below. For example, the first server and / or the second server can pass-through, without further processing, those feeds from among the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152. / z, and / or the live director feed 154 that are needed to generate the live session 102 to the host viewing device 218, the participant viewing devices 220.1 through 220. / / and / or the live viewer devices 222.1 through 222. r as to be described in further detail below. In this manner, the pass-through mode of operation effectively reduces the workload needed of the live server 214, the first server, and / or the second server to simply pass-through thosefeeds from among the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152. / / , and / or the live director feed 154 without further processing, for example, decoding. This reduction of the workload can, in some embodiments, reduce the asynchronicity between the live host content and / or the live participant content and the live session 102 being played back by the live viewers.

[0037] After accessing the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152.7?, and / or the live director feed 154, the live streaming platform 100 can combine, for example, multiplex, the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152. / / , and / or the live director feed 154 to generate the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104 in a substantially similar manner as described above. For example, the live streaming platform 100 can receive the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152.77, and / or the live director feed 154, combine two or more of these feeds (or components, such as video and audio, of these feeds) into a single feed, and transmit the single, combined feed to a plurality of end users. In some embodiments, the live streaming platform 100 can format the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152.77, and / or the live director feed 154 for display within the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104. This formatting can be related to resolutions, frame rates, codecs and / or bit rates of the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152.77, and / or the live director feed 154 to ensure smooth presentation of the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152.77, and / or the live director feed 154 within the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104. In some embodiments, the live server 214 can incorporate additional features, such as scene management, adding overlays, and / or integrating interactive elements, such as chat or comments to provide some examples, among others into the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104.

[0038] The live workstation 216 can be characterized as providing an interface between the live director 106 and the live server 214 to allow the live director 106 to manage the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104. In some embodiments, this managing can include, for example, inviting the live host 108 and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.77 to join the live session 102, configuring and arranging the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.77 within the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104, virtually moving the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.77 between the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby104 in a substantially similar manner as described above, and / or starting and / or stopping streaming of the live session 102, the virtual lobby 104, the live host feed 150 and / or the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152 / z, among others. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2B, the live workstation 216 can access the Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs), the software development kits (SDKs), and / or the Application Program Interfaces (APIs) for streaming of the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152. / / , and / or the live director feed 154 within the streaming platform 200. In some embodiments, the live director 106 can interface with these GUIs, SDKs, and / or the APIs to manage the live session 102 and / or the live host 108.

[0039] As illustrated in FIG. 2C, the live server 214 can stream the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104 in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet via the communication network 208. In some embodiments, the live server 214 can stream the live session 102 in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet via the communication network 208 to a host viewing device 218 that is associated with the live host 108, participant viewing devices 220.1 through 220. / / that are associated with the live participants 110.1 through 110. / / , and / or live viewer devices 222.1 through 222.r that are associated with live viewers of the live session 102. Alternatively, or in addition to, the live server 214 can stream the virtual lobby 104 in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet via the communication network 208 to the host viewing device 218, the participant viewing devices 220.1 through 220. / / and / or the live viewer devices 222.1 through 222.r. In some embodiments, the live server 214 can stream the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104 as a continuous stream of data packets, or small data packets, in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet to the host viewing device 218, the participant viewing devices 220.1 through 220. / / and / or the live viewer devices 222.1 through 222.r. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2C, the live server 214 can access the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby. In some embodiments, the live server 214 can encode the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104 in accordance with one or more network protocols for delivery to the host viewing device 218, the participant viewing devices 220.1 through 220. / / and / or the live viewer devices 222.1 through 222. r as described above in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet via the communication network 208. In these embodiments, the one or more network protocols can include Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) Live Streaming (HLS), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH), WebRTC, Secure ReliableTransport (SRT), Real Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP), Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), and / or any other suitable protocols that are capable of streaming in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet that will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s) without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0040] In some embodiments, the communication network 208 can be implemented as part of, or can include, a content delivery network (CDN) that includes various content servers in various geographic locations to distribute the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104 among the host viewing device 218, the participant viewing devices 220.1 through 220. n and / or the live viewer devices 222.1 through 222. r as described above. In these embodiments, these content servers can transcode the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104 into various bitrates and / or resolutions to accommodate the host viewing device 218, the participant viewing devices 220.1 through 22O.w and / or the live viewer devices222.1 through 222. r.

[0041] In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2C, the host viewing device 218, the participant viewing devices 220.1 through 220.W and / or the live viewer devices 222.1 through 222. r can access the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104 that is being streamed in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet via the communication network 208. As illustrated in FIG. 2C, the host viewing device 218, the participant viewing devices220.1 through 220. n and / or the live viewer devices 222.1 through 222.r can playback the live session 102 to playback the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152.7?, and / or the live director feed 154. In some embodiments, the CDN can deliver the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104 to the host viewing device 218, the participant viewing devices 220.1 through 220. n and / or the live viewer devices 222.1 through 222. r as described above. In these embodiments, the host viewing device 218, the participant viewing devices 220.1 through 220. / / , and / or the live viewer devices 222.1 through 222. r can playback the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104 that is being streamed in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet via the communication network 208. In these embodiments, the host viewing device 218, the participant viewing devices 220.1 through 220. / / , and / or the live viewer devices 222.1 through 222. r can decode the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104 in accordance with the one or more network protocols toplayback the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104. Thereafter, the host viewing device 218, the participant viewing devices 220.1 through 220. / / , and / or the live viewer devices 222.1 through 222. r can playback the live host feed 150, the live participant feeds152.1 through 152 / z, and / or the live director feed 154. As illustrated in FIG. 2C, the host viewing device 218, the participant viewing devices 220.1 through 220.W, and / or the live viewer devices 222.1 through 222. r can include Internet capable electrical, mechanical, and / or electro-mechanical devices, such as mobile phones, mobile computing devices, mobile internet devices, tablet computers laptop computers, video game consoles, portable media players, peripheral devices, internet capable appliances, and / or smart televisions, among others.

[0042] In the exemplary embodiments illustrated in FIG. 2A through FIG. 2C, the communication network 208 communicatively couples the host viewing device 218, the participant viewing devices 220.1 through 220.W and / or the live viewer devices 222.1 through 222.r. The communication network 208 can be implemented as a wireless communication network, a wireline communication network, and / or any combination thereof that will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s) without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the communication network 208 can include one or more guided transmission mediums, such as one or more twisted pair cables, one or more Ethernet cables, one or more coaxial cables, and / or one or more optical fiber cables to provide some examples, to communicatively couple the live streaming provider 202, the host recording device 210, the participant recording devices212.1 through 212. / / , the host viewing device 218, the participant viewing devices 220.1 through 220. n and / or the live viewer devices 222.1 through 222. r. In these embodiments, the communication network 208 can include a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) network that combines the one or more optical fiber cables and the one or more coaxial cables to communicatively couple the live streaming provider 202, the host recording device 210, the participant recording devices 212.1 through 212. / / , the host viewing device 218, the participant viewing devices 220.1 through 220.W and / or the live viewer devices 222.1 through 222. r. In these embodiments, the communication network 208 can include a fiber to the home (FTTH) network that utilizes the one or more optical fiber cables for at least a portion of the communication network 208 to communicatively couple the live streaming provider 202, the host recording device 210, the participant recording devices 212.1through 212. / / , the host viewing device 218, the participant viewing devices 220.1 through 220. / / and / or the live viewer devices 222.1 through 222. r. In some embodiments, the communication network 208 can include one or more unguided transmission mediums, such as one or more radio links, one or more microwave links, one or more satellite links, one or more Bluetooth links, one or more Wi-Fi links to provide some examples, to communicatively couple the live streaming provider 202, the host recording device 210, the participant recording devices 212.1 through 212. / / , the host viewing device 218, the participant viewing devices 220.1 through 220. / / and / or the live viewer devices 222.1 through 222. r.

[0043] EXEMPLARY OPERATION OF THE FIRST EXEMPLARY LIVE STREAMING PLATFORM

[0044] FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary operation of the first exemplary live streaming platform according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. The disclosure is not limited to this operational description. Rather, it will be apparent to ordinary persons skilled in the relevant art(s) that other operational control flows are within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. The following discussion describes an exemplary operational control flow 300 for streaming a live session, such the live session 102 to provide an example, in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet. As to be described in further detail, the exemplary operational control flow 300 can invite a live director, a live host, and / or one or more live participants to enter a virtual lobby, such as the virtual lobby 104, that is associated with the live session. The virtual lobby allows the live director, the live host, and / or the one or more live participants to interact with each other and, in some situations, to join the live session. In some embodiments, the exemplary operational control flow 300 can move the live director, the live host, and / or the one or more live participants between the live session and the virtual lobby to join and / or to leave the live session. The operational control flow 300 can be executed by one or more computer systems, such as the live streaming platform 100 and / or the live streaming platform 200, for example, the live server 214, as described above.

[0045] At operation 302, the operational control flow 300 invites the live director, the live host, and / or the one or more live participants to join the live session. In some embodiments, the operational control flow 300 can initialize, authenticate, and / or authorize electrical, mechanical, and / or electro-mechanical devices of the live director, the live host, and / or theone or more live participants in response to accepting the invitation. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the live host can generate a live host feed, such as the live host feed 150, that includes real-time, or near real-time, content, such as the audio content, the video content, and / or the real-time text, among others, that can be streamed by the operational control flow 300. In some embodiments, the live host feed can represent a live session, a live stream, a live broadcast, and / or the like that is associated with the live host. In these embodiments, the live host feed can relate to various topics, such as events, concerts, webinars, social media, video games, professional sports, news, lifecasting, and / or electronic commerce, among others to provide some examples. The one or more live participants can include business owners, entrepreneurs, advertisers, media agencies, broadcasters, influencers, politicians, economists, journalists, subject matter experts, academics, commentators, analysts, celebrities, entertainers, lawyers, government officials, activists, advocates, and / or business leaders, among others to provide some examples, that have been invited to join the live session. Alternatively, or in addition to, the one or more live participants can generate one or more live participant feeds, such as one or more of the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152.W, that includes real-time, or near real-time, content, such as the audio content, the video content, and / or the real-time text, among others, that are to be streamed by the operational control flow 300. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the live director can generate a live director feed, such as the live director feed 154, that includes real-time, or near real-time, content, such as the audio content, the video content, and / or the real-time text, among others, that can be streamed by the operational control flow 300.

[0046] At operation 304, the operational control flow 300 assigns the live host feed from operation 302 to the live session and the one or more live participant feeds from operation 302 to the virtual lobby. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the operational control flow 300 can assign the live host feed from operation 302 to the live session to include the live host within the live session and the one or more live participant feeds from operation 302 to the virtual lobby to include the one or more live participants within the virtual lobby. In some embodiments, the operational control flow 300 can route the live host feed from operation 302 to the live session to assign the live host feed from operation 302 to the live session and the one or more live participant feeds from operation 302 to the virtual lobby to assign the one or more live participant feeds from operation 302 to thevirtual lobby. In some embodiments, the operational control flow 300 can access the live host feed from operation 302 and the one or more live participant feeds from operation 302. In these embodiments, the operational control flow 300 can receive the live host feed from operation 302 and the one or more live participant feeds from operation 302 in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet.

[0047] At operation 306, the operational control flow 300 combines the live director feed from operation 302, the live host feed from operation 302 and / or the one or more live participant feeds from operation 302 that have been assigned to the live session to generate the live session. In some embodiments, the operational control flow 300 can combine, for example, multiplex, the live director feed from operation 302, the live host feed from operation 302 and / or the one or more live participant feeds from operation 302 that are assigned to the live session to generate the live session. In some embodiments, the operational control flow 300 can format the live director feed from operation 302, the live host feed from operation 302 and / or the one or more live participant feeds from operation 302. This formatting can be related to resolutions, frame rates, codecs and / or bit rates of the live director feed from operation 302, the live host feed from operation 302 and / or the one or more live participant feeds from operation 302 to ensure smooth presentation of the live director feed from operation 302, the live host feed from operation 302 and / or the one or more live participant feeds from operation 302 that have been assigned to the live session. In some embodiments, the operational control flow 300 can incorporate additional features, such as scene management, adding overlays, and / or integrating interactive elements, such as chat or comments to provide some examples, among others into the live session.

[0048] At operation 308, the operational control flow 300 combines the live director feed from operation 302, the live host feed from operation 302 and / or the one or more live participant feeds from operation 302 that have been assigned to the virtual lobby to generate the virtual lobby. In some embodiments, the operational control flow 300 can combine, for example, multiplex, the live director feed from operation 302, the live host feed from operation 302 and / or the one or more live participant feeds from operation 302 from operation 302 that are assigned to the virtual lobby to generate the virtual lobby. In some embodiments, the operational control flow 300 can format the live director feed from operation 302, the live host feed from operation 302 and / or the one or more live participantfeeds from operation 302. This formatting can be related to resolutions, frame rates, codecs and / or bit rates of the live director feed from operation 302, the live host feed from operation 302 and / or the one or more live participant feeds from operation 302 to ensure smooth presentation of the live director feed from operation 302, the live host feed from operation 302 and / or the one or more live participant feeds from operation 302 that have been assigned to the live session. In some embodiments, the operational control flow 300 can incorporate additional features, such as scene management, adding overlays, and / or integrating interactive elements, such as chat or comments to provide some examples, among others into the virtual lobby.

[0049] At operation 310, the operational control flow 300 moves the live director, the live host, and / or the one or more live participants between the live session and the virtual lobby. In some embodiments, the operational control flow 300 can virtually move the live director, the live host, and / or the one or more live participants between the live session and the virtual lobby before, during, and / or after the live session. In these embodiments, the live streaming platform 100 can freely move the live director, the live host, and / or the one or more live participants between the live session and the virtual lobby without once again initializing, authenticating, and / or authorizing electrical, mechanical, and / or electromechanical devices of the live director, the live host, and / or the one or more live participants. In these embodiments, the operational control flow 300 can assign the live director feed from operation 302, the live host feed from operation 302 and / or the one or more live participant feeds from operation 302 that have been virtually moved between the live session and / or the virtual lobby. For example, the operational control flow 300 can switch the assignment of the live director feed from operation 302, the live host feed from operation 302 and / or the one or more live participant feeds from operation 302 from the virtual lobby to the live session to virtually move the live director, the live host, and / or the one or more live participant feeds from the virtual lobby to the live session. As another example, the operational control flow 300 can switch the assignment of the live director feed from operation 302, the live host feed from operation 302 and / or the one or more live participant feeds from operation 302 from the live session to the virtual lobby to virtually move the live director, the live host, and / or the one or more live participant feeds from the live session to the virtual lobby. After moving the live director, the live host, and / or the oneor more live participants in operation 310, the operational control flow 300 can revert to operation 306 to generate the live session and operation 308 to generate the virtual lobby.

[0050] At operation 312, the operational control flow 300 streams the live session generated from operation 306 and the virtual lobby generated from operation 308. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the operational control flow 300 can stream the live session generated from operation 306 and the virtual lobby generated from operation 308 in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet in a substantially similar manner as described above.

[0051] FIRST EXEMPLARY LIVE SERVER THAT CAN BE IMPLEMENTED WITHIN THE FIRST EXEMPLARY LIVE STREAMING PLATFORM

[0052] FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of a first exemplary live server that can be implemented within the first exemplary live streaming platform according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, a live server 400 can stream the live session 102 to provide an example, in realtime, or near real-time, over the Internet. As to be described in further detail, the live server 400 can invite the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.7? to enter the virtual lobby 104 that is associated with the live session 102. The virtual lobby 104 provides a controlled and organized environment to enable the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.?? to gather and to prepare for the live session 102. In some embodiments, the virtual lobby 104 allows the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.77 to interact with each other and, in some situations, to join the live session 102 in a substantially similar manner as described above. In some embodiments, the live server 400 can move the live director 106, the live host 108, and / or the live participants 110.1 through 110.77 between the live session 102 and the virtual lobby 104 to join and / or to leave the live session 102. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the live server 400 can include a feed switch 402, a live streaming platform 404, and a lobby streaming platform 406. Although the live server 400 is illustrated in FIG. 4 as including the feed switch 402, the live streaming platform 404, and the lobby streaming platform 406, those skilled in the relevant art(s) will recognize that one or more of these can be combined together to form other electrical, mechanical, and / or electro-mechanical devices as will be recognized by those skilled in the relevant art(s) without departing from the present disclosure. For example, the feed switch 402, the livestreaming platform 404, and the lobby streaming platform 406 can be combined to form another live server that is capable of performing the features of the feed switch 402, the live streaming platform 404, and the lobby streaming platform 406 as to be described in further detail below. In some embodiments, the feed switch 402, the live streaming platform 404, and the lobby streaming platform 406 can be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. In these embodiments, the feed switch 402, the live streaming platform 404, and the lobby streaming platform 406 can also be implemented as instructions stored on a machine-readable medium, which can be read and executed by one or more processors. A machine-readable medium can include any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computing circuitry). For example, a machine-readable medium can include non-transitory machine-readable mediums such as read only memory (ROM); random access memory (RAM); magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media; flash memory devices; and others. As another example, the machine-readable medium can include transitory machine-readable medium such as electrical, optical, acoustical, or other forms of propagated signals (e.g., carrier waves, infrared signals, digital signals, etc.). The live server 400 can represent an exemplary embodiment of the live server 214 as described above.

[0053] The feed switch 402 can assign the live host feed 150 and / or the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152.7? to the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, the feed switch 402 can assign the live host feed 150 to the live session 102 to include the live host 108 within the live session 102 and the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152.7? to the virtual lobby 104 to include the live participants 110.1 through 110. w within the virtual lobby 104. In some embodiments, the feed switch 402 can access the live host feed 150 and the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152.7?. In these embodiments, the feed switch 402 can receive the live host feed 150 and the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152.7? in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet. In these embodiments, the feed switch 402 can dynamically select one or more of the live host feed 150 and / or the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152.?? to provide live session feeds 450.1 through 450. a in a substantially similar manner as described above. Thereafter, the feed switch 402 can, in some embodiments, dynamically route the live session feeds 450.1 through 450. a to the live streaming platform 404 to assign the live session feeds 450.1 through 450. a to the live session 102. Alternatively, or in addition to,the feed switch 402 can dynamically select one or more of the live host feed 150 and / or the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152. / / to provide virtual lobby feeds 452.1 through 452. b. Thereafter, the feed switch 402 can, in some embodiments, dynamically route the virtual lobby feeds 452.1 through 452. b to the lobby streaming platform 406 to assign the virtual lobby feeds 452.1 through 452. b to the virtual lobby. In some embodiments, the feed switch 402 can move the live host feed 150 and / or the live participant feeds 152.1 through 152. / / between the live session feeds 450.1 through 450. a and the virtual lobby feeds 452.1 through 452. b to virtually move the live host 108 and / or the live participants 110.1 through HO.n between the live session 102 and / or the virtual lobby 104 in a substantially similar manner as described above.

[0054] The live streaming platform 404 can combine the live session feeds 450.1 through 450. a to generate the live session 102. In some embodiments, the live streaming platform 404 can combine, for example, multiplex, the live session feeds 450.1 through 450. a that are assigned to the live session 102 to generate the live session 102 in a substantially similar manner as described above. Thereafter, the live streaming platform 404 can stream the live session 102 as a live session stream 454 in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet in a substantially similar manner as described above. It can be beneficial to have the live host content that is streamed by the live host 108 and / or the live participant content that is streamed by the live participants 110.1 through 11 Q.n be synchronous, in time, with the live session 102 being played back, for example, by live viewers of the live session 102 as to be described in further detail below. However, in some situations, the live host content and / or the live participant content can be time shifted from the live session 102 being played back by the live viewers. In these situations, this can cause asynchronicity between the live host content and / or the live participant content and the live session 102 being played back by the live viewers. For example, incorporating the additional features, such as scene management, adding overlays, and / or integrating interactive elements, such as chat or comments to provide some examples, into the live session 102 can cause the live host content and / or the live participant content to be asynchronous from the live session 102 being streamed to the live viewers. Although some asynchronicity is not very noticeable, if at all, a significant asynchronicity between the live host content and / or the live participant and the live session 102 being streamed to the live viewers can degrade the interactive and immersive experience of the live viewers in using the live streaming platform 100. In somesituations, the asynchronicity between the live host content and / or the live participant content and the live session 102 being played back by the live viewers can degrade the interactive and immersive experience of the live viewers in using the live streaming platform 100. In these situations, the live streaming platform 404 can operate in the pass- through mode to curtail the asynchronicity between the live host content and / or the live participant content. In some embodiments, the live streaming platform 404 can pass- through, without further processing, the live session feeds 450.1 through 450. a as the live session stream 454. In this manner, the pass-through mode of operation effectively reduces the workload needed of the live streaming platform 404 to simply pass-through the live session feeds 450.1 through 450. a without further processing, for example, decoding. This reduction of the workload can, in some embodiments, reduce the asynchronicity between the live host content and / or the live participant content and the live session 102 being played back by the live viewers. In some embodiments, the live streaming platform 404 can time shift the live session stream 454 by a pre-determined amount to compensate for latency between the live session feeds from among the live session feeds 450.1 through 450. a and / or to compensate for combining the live session feeds, for example, the processing time required to combine, from among the live session feeds 450.1 through 450. a as described above.

[0055] The lobby streaming platform 406 can combine the virtual lobby feeds 452.1 through 452. b to generate the virtual lobby 104. In some embodiments, the lobby streaming platform 406 can combine, for example, multiplex, the virtual lobby feeds 452.1 through 452. b that are assigned to the virtual lobby 104 to generate the virtual lobby 104 in a substantially similar manner as described above. Thereafter, the lobby streaming platform 406 can stream the virtual lobby 104 as a virtual lobby stream 456 in real-time, or near realtime, over the Internet. In some embodiments, the lobby streaming platform 406 can format the virtual lobby stream 456 in a substantially similar manner as described above. In some embodiments, the lobby streaming platform 406 can time shift the virtual lobby stream 456 by a pre-determined amount to compensate for latency between the virtual lobby feeds from among the virtual lobby feeds 452.1 through 452. b and / or to compensate for combining the virtual lobby feeds from among the virtual lobby feeds 452.1 through 452. b as described above.

[0056] SECOND EXEMPLARY LIVE STREAMING PLATFORM

[0057] The discussion to follow is to describe a second exemplary live streaming platform that can stream a live session in a substantially similar manner as the first exemplary live streaming platform as describe above. In the discussion to follow, the live session streamed by the second exemplary live streaming platform can include real-time, or near real-time, streaming content, such as the live host feed 150, the one or more live participant feeds 152.1 through 152. / / , and / or the live director feed 154 as described above, and / or non-real- time, for example, pre-recorded, streaming content. The non-real-time streaming content can include such as audio content, image content, video content, closed captioning, ticker tape, data and graphical overlays, and / or text, among others. In some embodiments, the non-real-time streaming content can be related to the real-time streaming content, such as a pre-recorded video that is related to a product and / or a service of a business owner, an entrepreneur, an advertiser, a media agency, a broadcaster, and / or the like that is being presented in the real-time streaming content. Alternatively, or in addition to, the non-real- time streaming content can be unrelated to the real-time streaming content, such as a prerecorded advertisement, such as a social media advertisement, a paid search advertisement, a broadcast advertisement, an out-of-home advertisement, and / or a mobile advertisement, among others that is unrelated to the product and / or the service that is being presented in the real-time streaming content.

[0058] FIG. 5 graphically illustrates a second exemplary live streaming platform according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 5, a live streaming platform 500 streams a live session 502 in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, the live streaming platform 500 can include one or more software routines, programs, tools, applications, and / or the like to stream the live session 502 in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet. These software routines, programs, tools, applications, and / or the like, which are to be described in further detail below, can include one or more software routines, programs, tools, applications, and / or the like, that when executed by one or more computing devices, processors, controllers, or other electrical, mechanical, and / or electro-mechanical devices that will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s), stream the live session 502 in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet. Further, those skilled in the relevant art(s) will recognize that these one or more software routines, programs, tools, applications,and / or the like may be described herein as performing certain actions, routines, procedures, operations, flows, and / or the like without departing from the present disclosure. However, it should be appreciated that such descriptions are merely for convenience and that such actions may result from one or more computing devices, processors, controllers, or other electrical, mechanical, and / or electro-mechanical devices that will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s) executing the one or more software routines, programs, tools, applications, and / or the like.

[0059] In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, the live session 502 can include one or more session streaming content 504.1 through session streaming content 504. r, such as audio content, image content, video content, live closed captioning, ticker tape, data and graphical overlays, and / or real-time text, among others, that is being presented in real-time, or near real-time. In some embodiments, the one or more session streaming content 504.1 through session streaming content 504. r can relate to various topics, such as events, concerts, webinars, social media, video games, professional sports, news, lifecasting, and / or electronic commerce, among others, to provide some examples. For example, the one or more session streaming content 504.1 through session streaming content 5O4.r can promote or sell products and / or services of business owners, entrepreneurs, advertisers, media agencies, broadcasters, and / or the like. As to be described in further detail below, the live streaming platform 500 can combine, for example, multiplex, the one or more session streaming content 504.1 through the session streaming content 5O4.r to generate the live session 502. In some embodiments, the live streaming platform 500 can incorporate additional features, such as scene management, adding overlays, and / or integrating interactive elements, such as chat or comments to provide some examples, among others, into the live session 502.

[0060] As illustrated in FIG. 5, the session streaming content 504.1 from among the one or more session streaming content 504.1 through session streaming content 5O4.r includes the live host streaming content that is being presented by a live host 108 in real-time, or near real-time as described above. And as illustrated in FIG. 5, one or more session streaming content 504.2 through session streaming content 504. r can be integrated with the session streaming content 504.1. In some embodiments, the one or more session streaming content 504.2 through session streaming content 504. r can be integrated with the session streaming content 504.1 being presented by the live host 108 in real-time, or near real-time. In someembodiments, the session streaming content 504.2 through the session streaming content 504. r can include streaming content, such as audio content, image content, video content, live closed captioning, ticker tape, data and graphical overlays, and / or real-time text, among others. In these embodiments, the session streaming content 504.2 through the session streaming content 504. r can represent real-time, or near real-time, streaming content and / or non-real-time, for example, pre-recorded, streaming content that is related to the session streaming content 504.1. In some embodiments, the real-time, or near realtime, streaming content can include the live host feed, the one or more live participant feeds, and / or the live director feed to provide some examples as described above. For example, the session streaming content 504.2 can be one of the live participant feeds that is associated with a live participant, such as a social-media influencer who may interact with the live host 108 about a product or a service and the session streaming content 504. r can be a pre-recorded video, such as a video of the social-media influencer and / or the product or the service that the live host 108 and the social-media influencer are discussing or selling during a live sale over the live session 502. In some embodiments, the session streaming content 504.2 through the session streaming content 504. r can be characterized as amplifying, or explaining, the session streaming content 504.1. As another example, the non-real-time streaming content can include a pre-recorded video that is related to a product and / or a service of a business owner, an entrepreneur, an advertiser, a media agency, a broadcaster, and / or the like that is being presented in the session streaming content 504.1. Alternatively, or in addition to, the session streaming content 504.2 through the session streaming content 5O4.r can represent real-time, or near real-time, streaming content and / or non-real-time, for example, pre-recorded, streaming content that is related to the session streaming content 504.1. For example, the session streaming content 504.2 through the session streaming content 5O4.r can include a pre-recorded advertisement, such as a social media advertisement, a paid search advertisement, a broadcast advertisement, an out-of- home advertisement, and / or a mobile advertisement, among others that is unrelated to a product and / or a service of a business owner, an entrepreneur, an advertiser, a media agency, a broadcaster, and / or the like that is being presented in the session streaming content 504.1.

[0061] In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, the live streaming platform 500 can include one or more virtual session tiles to present the one or more session streamingcontent 504.1 through the session streaming content 504. r within the live session 502. In some embodiments, the live streaming platform 500 can logically section the live session 502 into the one or more virtual session tiles based on, for example, the one or more session streaming content 504.1 through the session streaming content 5O4.r to be included within the live session 502. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the one or more virtual session tiles can be round, circular, rectangular, square, and / or hexagonal, and / or any other suitable shape that will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s) without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Generally, this other suitable shape can represent any suitable regular geometric shape and / or irregular geometric shape that will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s) without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the live streaming platform 500 can assign the one or more session streaming content 504.1 through the session streaming content 5O4.r to the one or more virtual session tiles to present the one or more session streaming content 504.1 through the session streaming content 504. r within the live session 502. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the live session 502 can include a first, larger virtual session tile and two, smaller virtual session tiles. In this example, the live streaming platform 500 can assign the session streaming content 504.1 to the first, larger virtual session tile and the session streaming content 504.2 and the session streaming content 504. r to the two, smaller virtual session tiles to include the session streaming content 504.1, the session streaming content 504.2, and the session streaming content 5O4.r within the live session 502. As another example, the live streaming platform 500 can assign the session streaming content 504.2 to the first, larger virtual session tile and the session streaming content 504.1 and the session streaming content 504. r to the two, smaller virtual session tiles to include the session streaming content 504.1, the session streaming content 504.2, and the session streaming content 504. r within the live session 502. In some embodiments, the one or more virtual session tiles can be implemented as a split screen of the live session 502 and / or as floating tiles, also referred to as picture-in-picture, that are dynamically adjustable based on, for example, the one or more session streaming content 504.1 through the session streaming content 5O4.r to be included within the live session 502. In these embodiments, the live director 106 and / or the live host 108 can preview, and, in some embodiments, adjust the one or more virtual session tiles to present the one or more session streaming content 504.1 through the session streaming content 504. r within the live session 502.

[0062] FIG. 6 further illustrates the second exemplary live streaming platform according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, a live streaming platform 600 can stream the live session 502 in realtime, or near real-time, over the Internet in a substantially similar manner as described above. In the exemplary embodiments illustrated in FIG. 6, the live streaming platform 600 can represent one or more software routines, programs, tools, applications, and / or the like to stream the live session in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet. These software routines, programs, tools, applications, and / or the like, which are to be described in further detail below, represent one or more software routines, programs, tools, applications, and / or the like, that when executed by one or more computing devices, processors, controllers, or other electrical, mechanical, and / or electro-mechanical devices that will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s), can stream the live session in real-time, or near realtime, over the Internet. Further, those skilled in the relevant art(s) will recognize that the one or more software routines, programs, tools, applications, and / or the like may be described herein as performing certain actions, routines, procedures, operations, flows, and / or the like without departing from the present disclosure. However, it should be appreciated that such descriptions are merely for convenience and that such actions may result from one or more computing devices, processors, controllers, or other electrical, mechanical, and / or electro-mechanical devices that will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s) executing the one or more software routines, programs, tools, applications, and / or the like.

[0063] Although not illustrated on FIG. 6, the live session 502 can include the one or more session streaming content 504.1 through the session streaming content 504. r as described above. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the live streaming platform 600 can include a live streaming provider 602, having a live server 614 and a live workstation 616. In some embodiments, the live server 614 can access the one or more session streaming content 504.1 through the session streaming content 504. r. As described above, the session streaming content 504.1 through the session streaming content 504. r can represent real-time, or near real-time, streaming content and / or non-real-time, for example, pre-recorded, streaming content. For example, the real-time, or near real-time, streaming content can include the live host feed that is associated with the live host 108 as described above. And the live server 614 can the one or more session streaming content 504.1 through the session streaming content 504. rto the live session 502 in a substantially similar manner as described above. For example, the live host 108 and / or the live director 106 can select session streaming content from among the one or more session streaming content 504.1 through the session streaming content 5O4.r to be included in the live session 502. The live host 108 and the live director 106 may be the same person or entities, or different people or entities. In some embodiments, the live server 614 can access the non-real-time streaming content, such as the pre-recorded video and / or the pre-recorded advertisement. In some embodiments the live server 614 can access the one or more non-real-time streaming content in real-time, or near real-time over the Internet via the communication network 308. In these embodiments, the host viewing device 218, the one or more participant viewing devices 220.1 through 320. n. the director viewing device 222, and / or one or more content servers 604.1 through 604. & can store the one or more non-real-time streaming content for access by the live server 614. In some embodiments, the one or more content servers 604.1 through 604. represent one or more content provider, or media, servers that stores, manages, and / or delivers the one or more non-real-time streaming content to the live server 614 over the communication network 308. In these embodiments, the one or more content servers 604.1 through 604. can perform operations such as storing the one or more non-real-time streaming content, organizing the one or more non-real-time streaming content, controlling access to the one or more non-real-time streaming content, and / or delivering the one or more non-real-time streaming content, among others. In some embodiments, the one or more content servers 604.1 through 604. & can be implemented as part of, or can include, a content delivery network (CDN) to deliver the one or more non-real-time streaming content to the live server 614. After accessing the one or more non-real-time streaming content, the live server 614 can assign the one or more non-real-time streaming content to the one or more session streaming content 504.1 through the session streaming content 5O4.r to include the one or more non-real-time streaming content within the live session 502 in a substantially similar manner as described above. As to be described in further detail below, the live server 614 can combine, for example, multiplex, the one or more session streaming content 504.1 through session streaming content 5O4.r to generate the live session 502. In some embodiments, the live server 614 can incorporate additional features, such as scene management, adding overlays, and / or integrating interactive elements, such as chat or comments to provide some examples, among others, into the live session.

[0064] SECOND EXEMPLARY LIVE SERVER THAT CAN BE IMPLEMENTED WITHIN THE SECOND EXEMPLARY LIVE STREAMING PLATFORM

[0065] FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of a second exemplary live server that can be implemented within the second exemplary live streaming platform according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 7, a live server 700 streams the live session 502 in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet in a substantially similar manner as described above. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7, the live server 700 can include one or more software routines, programs, tools, applications, and / or the like to stream the live session 502 in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet. These software routines, programs, tools, applications, and / or the like, which are to be described in further detail below, can include one or more software routines, programs, tools, applications, and / or the like, that when executed by one or more computing devices, processors, controllers, or other electrical, mechanical, and / or electro-mechanical devices that will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s), stream the live session 502 in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet. Further, those skilled in the relevant art(s) will recognize that these one or more software routines, programs, tools, applications, and / or the like may be described herein as performing certain actions, routines, procedures, operations, flows, and / or the like without departing from the present disclosure. However, it should be appreciated that such descriptions are merely for convenience and that such actions may result from one or more computing devices, processors, controllers, or other electrical, mechanical, and / or electro-mechanical devices that will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s) executing the one or more software routines, programs, tools, applications, and / or the like.

[0066] In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7, the live server 700 can access streaming content 750.1 through 750. / 7i. The streaming content 750.1 through 750. m can include one or more real-time, or near real-time, streaming content, such as the live host feed 150, the one or more live participant feeds 152.1 through 152. / / , and / or the live director feed 154 as described above to provide some examples, and / or one or more non-real-time streaming content, such as the one or more non-real-time streaming content as described above. In some embodiments, the live server 700 can assign one or more first streaming content from among the streaming content 750.1 through 750. m to the live session 502 to include the one or more first streaming content within the live session 502 in a substantiallysimilar manner as described above. In these embodiments, the live server 700 can assign one or more second streaming content from among the streaming content 750.1 through 750. m to the virtual lobby 104 to include the one or more second streaming content within the virtual lobby 104 in a substantially similar manner as described above. As to be described in further detail, the live server 700 can combine, for example, multiplex, the one or more first streaming content that is assigned to the live session 502 to generate the live session 502 and / or the one or more second streaming content that is assigned to the virtual lobby 104 to generate the virtual lobby 104 in a substantially similar manner as described above.

[0067] As illustrated in FIG. 7, the live server 700 can include a feed switch 702, a live streaming platform 704, and a lobby streaming platform 706. Although the live server 700 is illustrated in FIG. 7 as including the feed switch 702, the live streaming platform 704, and the lobby streaming platform 706, those skilled in the relevant art(s) will recognize that one or more of these can be combined together to form other electrical, mechanical, and / or electro-mechanical devices as will be recognized by those skilled in the relevant art(s) without departing from the present disclosure. For example, the feed switch 702, the live streaming platform 704, and the lobby streaming platform 706 can be combined to form another live server that is capable of performing the features of the feed switch 702, the live streaming platform 704, and the lobby streaming platform 706 as to be described in further detail below. In some embodiments, the feed switch 702, the live streaming platform 704, and the lobby streaming platform 706 can be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. In these embodiments, the feed switch 702, the live streaming platform 704, and the lobby streaming platform 706 can also be implemented as instructions stored on a machine-readable medium, which can be read and executed by one or more processors. A machine-readable medium can include any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computing circuitry). For example, a machine-readable medium can include non-transitory machine-readable mediums such as read only memory (ROM); random access memory (RAM); magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media; flash memory devices; and others. As another example, the machine-readable medium can include transitory machine-readable medium such as electrical, optical, acoustical, or other forms of propagated signals (e.g., carrierwaves, infrared signals, digital signals, etc.). The live server 700 can represent an exemplary embodiment of the live server 614 as described above.

[0068] The feed switch 702 can assign the streaming content 750.1 through 750. m to the live session 502 to the live session 502 and / or the virtual lobby 104. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7, the feed switch 702 can assign the one or more first streaming content from among the streaming content 750.1 through 750. m to the live session 502 to include the one or more first streaming content within the live session 502 and / or the one or more second streaming content from among the streaming content 750.1 through 750. m to the virtual lobby 104 to include the one or more second streaming content within the virtual lobby.

[0069] In some embodiments, the feed switch 702 can access the streaming content 750.1 through 750. m. In these embodiments, the feed switch 702 can receive the streaming content 750.1 through 750. m in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet. In these embodiments, the feed switch 702 can dynamically select the one or more first streaming content from among the streaming content 750.1 through 75O.m to provide live session feeds 750.1 through 750. a in a substantially similar manner as described above. Thereafter, the feed switch 702 can, in some embodiments, dynamically route the live session feeds 750.1 through 750. a to the live streaming platform 704 to assign the live session feeds 750.1 through 750. a to the live session 502 in a substantially similar manner as described above. Alternatively, or in addition to, the feed switch 702 can dynamically select the one or more second streaming content from among the streaming content 750.1 through 750. m to provide virtual lobby feeds 752.1 through 752.6. Thereafter, the feed switch 702 can, in some embodiments, dynamically route the virtual lobby feeds 752.1 through 752.b to the lobby streaming platform 706 to assign the virtual lobby feeds 752.1 through 752.b to the virtual lobby in a substantially similar manner as described above. In some embodiments, the feed switch 702 can move the streaming content 750.1 through 750. m between the live session feeds 750.1 through 750. a and the virtual lobby feeds 752.1 through 752. b to virtually move the streaming content 750.1 through 750. m between the live session 502 and / or the virtual lobby 104 in a substantially similar manner as described above.

[0070] The live streaming platform 704 can combine the live session feeds 750.1 through 750. a to generate the live session 502. In some embodiments, the live streaming platform 704 can combine, for example, multiplex, the live session feeds 750.1 through 750. a thatare assigned to the live session 502 to generate the live session 502 in a substantially similar manner as described above. Thereafter, the live streaming platform 704 can stream the live session 502 as a live session stream 757 in real-time, or near real-time, over the Internet in a substantially similar manner as described above. It can be beneficial to have the streaming content 750.1 through 750. / 7? to be synchronous, in time, with the live session 502 being played back, for example, by live viewers of the live session 502 as to be described in further detail below. However, in some embodiments, one or more of the streaming content 750.1 through 750. m can be time shifted from the live session 502 being played back by the live viewers. In these situations, this can cause asynchronicity between the one or more of the streaming content 750.1 through 750. m and the live session 502 being played back by the live viewers. For example, incorporating the additional features, such as scene management, adding overlays, and / or integrating interactive elements, such as chat or comments to provide some examples, into the live session 502 can cause the one or more of the streaming content 750.1 through 75O.m to be asynchronous from the live session 502 being streamed to the live viewers. Although some asynchronicity is not very noticeable, if at all, a significant asynchronicity between the one or more of the streaming content 750.1 through 750. m and the live session 502 being streamed to the live viewers can degrade the interactive and immersive experience of the live viewers in using the live streaming platform 100. In these situations, the live streaming platform 704 can operate in the pass- through mode to curtail the asynchronicity between the one or more of the streaming content 750.1 through 750. m. In some embodiments, the live streaming platform 704 can pass-through, without further processing, the live session feeds 750.1 through 750. a as the live session stream 757. In this manner, the pass-through mode of operation effectively reduces the workload needed of the live streaming platform 704 to simply pass-through the live session feeds 750.1 through 750. a without further processing, for example, decoding. This reduction of the workload can, in some embodiments, reduce the asynchronicity between the one or more of the streaming content 750.1 through 750. m and the live session 502 being played back by the live viewers. In some embodiments, the live streaming platform 704 can time shift the live session stream 757 by a pre-determined amount to compensate for latency between the live session feeds from among the live session feeds 750.1 through 750. a and / or to compensate for combining the live session feeds, forexample, the processing time required to combine, from among the live session feeds 750.1 through 750. a as described above.

[0071] The lobby streaming platform 706 can combine the virtual lobby feeds 752.1 through 752.b to generate the virtual lobby 104. In some embodiments, the lobby streaming platform 706 can combine, for example, multiplex, the virtual lobby feeds 752.1 through 752.b that are assigned to the virtual lobby 104 to generate the virtual lobby 104 in a substantially similar manner as described above. Thereafter, the lobby streaming platform 706 can stream the virtual lobby 104 as a virtual lobby stream 757 in real-time, or near realtime, over the Internet. In some embodiments, the lobby streaming platform 706 can format the virtual lobby stream 757 in a substantially similar manner as described above. In some embodiments, the lobby streaming platform 706 can time shift the virtual lobby stream 757 by a pre-determined amount to compensate for latency between the virtual lobby feeds from among the virtual lobby feeds 752.1 through 752. b and / or to compensate for combining the virtual lobby feeds from among the virtual lobby feeds 752.1 through 752. b as described above.

[0072] COMPUTER SYSTEM THAT CAN BE USED TO IMPLEMENT THE EXEMPLARY LIVE STREAMING PLATFORM

[0073] FIG. 8 graphically illustrates a simplified block diagram of a computer system that can be implemented within the exemplary service provider network according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. The discussion of FIG. 8 to follow is to describe a computer system 800 that can be used to implement one or more of the live streaming platform 100, the live streaming platform 200, the live streaming provider 202, the live server 214, the live workstation 216, the live server 400, the live streaming platform 500, the live streaming platform 600, the live streaming provider 602, the live server 614 the live workstation 616, and / or the live server 700 among others as described above to provide some examples.

[0074] In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8, the computer system 800 includes one or more processors 802. In some embodiments, the one or more processors 802 can include, or can be, any of a microprocessor, graphics processing unit, or digital signal processor, and their electronic processing equivalents, such as an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (“ASIC”) or Field Programmable Gate Array (“FPGA”). As used herein, the term “processor” signifies a tangible data and information processingdevice that physically transforms data and information, typically using a sequence transformation (also referred to as “operations”). Data and information can be physically represented by an electrical, magnetic, optical or acoustical signal that is capable of being stored, accessed, transferred, combined, compared, or otherwise manipulated by the processor. The term “processor” can signify a singular processor and multi-core systems or multi-processor arrays, including graphic processing units, digital signal processors, digital processors or combinations of these elements. The processor can be electronic, for example, comprising digital logic circuitry (for example, binary logic), or analog (for example, an operational amplifier). The processor may also operate to support performance of the relevant operations in a “cloud computing” environment or as a “software as a service” (SaaS). For example, at least some of the operations may be performed by a group of processors available at a distributed or remote system, these processors accessible via a communications network (e.g., the Internet) and via one or more software interfaces (e.g., an application program interface (API).) In some embodiments, the computer system 800 can include an operating system, such as Microsoft’s Windows, Sun Microsystems’s Solaris, Apple Computer’s MacOs, Linux or UNIX. In some embodiments, the computer system 800 can also include a Basic Input / Output System (BIOS) and processor firmware. The operating system, BIOS and firmware are used by the one or more processors 802 to control subsystems and interfaces coupled to the one or more processors 802. In some embodiments, the one or more processors 802 can include the Pentium and Itanium from Intel, the Opteron and Athlon from Advanced Micro Devices, and the ARM processor from ARM Holdings.

[0075] As illustrated in FIG. 8, the computer system 800 can include a machine-readable medium 804. In some embodiments, the machine-readable medium 804 can further include a main random-access memory (“RAM”) 806, a read only memory (“ROM”) 808, and / or a file storage subsystem 510. The RAM 806 can store instructions and data during program execution and the ROM 808 can store fixed instructions. The file storage subsystem 510 provides persistent storage for program and data files, and may include a hard disk drive, a floppy disk drive along with associated removable media, a CD-ROM drive, an optical drive, a flash memory, or removable media cartridges.

[0076] The computer system 800 can further include user interface input devices 512 and user interface output devices 514. The user interface input devices 512 can include analphanumeric keyboard, a keypad, pointing devices such as a mouse, trackball, touchpad, stylus, or graphics tablet, a scanner, a touchscreen incorporated into the display, audio input devices such as voice recognition systems or microphones, eye-gaze recognition, brainwave pattern recognition, and other types of input devices to provide some examples. The user interface input devices 512 can be connected by wire or wirelessly to the computer system 800. Generally, the user interface input devices 512 are intended to include all possible types of devices and ways to input information into the computer system 800. The user interface input devices 512 typically allow a user to identify objects, icons, text and the like that appear on some types of user interface output devices, for example, a display subsystem. The user interface output devices 520 may include a display subsystem, a printer, a fax machine, or non-visual displays such as audio output devices. The display subsystem may include a cathode ray tube (CRT), a flat-panel device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a projection device, or some other device for creating a visible image such as a virtual reality system. The display subsystem may also provide non-visual display such as via audio output or tactile output (e.g., vibrations) devices. Generally, the user interface output devices 520 are intended to include all possible types of devices and ways to output information from the computer system 800.

[0077] The computer system 800 can further include a network interface 516 to provide an interface to outside networks, including an interface to a communication network 518, and is coupled via the communication network 518 to corresponding interface devices in other computer systems or machines. The communication network 518 may comprise many interconnected computer systems, machines and communication links. These communication links may be wired links, optical links, wireless links, or any other devices for communication of information. The communication network 518 can be any suitable computer network, for example a wide area network such as the Internet, and / or a local area network such as Ethernet. The communication network 518 can be wired and / or wireless, and the communication network can use encryption and decryption methods, such as is available with a virtual private network. The communication network uses one or more communications interfaces, which can receive data from, and transmit data to, other systems. Embodiments of communications interfaces typically include an Ethernet card, a modem (e.g., telephone, satellite, cable, or ISDN), (asynchronous) digital subscriber line(DSL) unit, Firewire interface, USB interface, and the like. One or more communications protocols can be used, such as HTTP, TCP / IP, RTP / RTSP, IPX and / or UDP.

[0078] As illustrated in FIG. 8, the one or more processors 802, the machine-readable medium 804, the user interface input devices 512, the user interface output devices 514, and / or the network interface 516 can be communicatively coupled to one another using a bus subsystem 520. Although the bus subsystem 520 is shown schematically as a single bus, alternative embodiments of the bus subsystem may use multiple busses. For example, RAM-based main memory can communicate directly with file storage systems using Direct Memory Access (“DMA”) systems.CONCLUSION

[0079] The Detailed Description referred to accompanying figures to illustrate exemplary embodiments consistent with the disclosure. References in the disclosure to “an exemplary embodiment” indicates that the exemplary embodiment described can include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every exemplary embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same exemplary embodiment. Further, any feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an exemplary embodiment can be included, independently or in any combination, with features, structures, or characteristics of other exemplary embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

[0080] The Detailed Description is not meant to limiting. Rather, the scope of the disclosure is defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents. It is to be appreciated that the Detailed Description section, and not the Abstract section, is intended to be used to interpret the claims. The Abstract section can set forth one or more, but not all exemplary embodiments, of the disclosure, and thus, are not intended to limit the disclosure and the following claims and their equivalents in any way.

[0081] The exemplary embodiments described within the disclosure have been provided for illustrative purposes and are not intended to be limiting. Other exemplary embodiments are possible, and modifications can be made to the exemplary embodiments while remaining within the spirit and scope of the disclosure. The disclosure has been described with the aid of functional building blocks illustrating the implementation of specified functions and relationships thereof. The boundaries of these functional building blockshave been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of the description. Alternate boundaries can be defined so long as the specified functions and relationships thereof are appropriately performed.

[0082] Embodiments of the disclosure can be implemented in hardware, firmware, software application, or any combination thereof. Embodiments of the disclosure can also be implemented as instructions stored on a machine-readable medium, which can be read and executed by one or more processors. A machine-readable medium can include any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computing circuitry). For example, a machine-readable medium can include non-transitory machine-readable mediums such as read only memory (ROM); random access memory (RAM); magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media; flash memory devices; and others. As another example, the machine-readable medium can include transitory machine- readable medium such as electrical, optical, acoustical, or other forms of propagated signals (e.g., carrier waves, infrared signals, digital signals, etc.). Further, firmware, software application, routines, instructions can be described herein as performing certain actions. However, it should be appreciated that such descriptions are merely for convenience and that such actions in fact result from computing devices, processors, controllers, or other devices executing the firmware, software application, routines, instructions, etc.

[0083] The Detailed Description of the exemplary embodiments fully revealed the general nature of the disclosure that others can, by applying knowledge of those skilled in relevant art(s), readily modify and / or adapt for various applications such exemplary embodiments, without undue experimentation, without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Therefore, such adaptations and modifications are intended to be within the meaning and plurality of equivalents of the exemplary embodiments based upon the teaching and guidance presented herein. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, such that the terminology or phraseology of the present specification is to be interpreted by those skilled in relevant art(s) in light of the teachings herein.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A method for streaming a live session, the method comprising: accessing, by a live streaming platform, a live host feed that is associated with a live host and a live participant feed that is associated with a live participant; assigning, by the live streaming platform, the live host feed to the live session to include the live host within the live session and the live participant feed to a virtual lobby that is associated with the live session to include the live participant within the virtual lobby; virtually moving the live participant from the virtual lobby to the live session to join in the live session; combining, by the live streaming platform, the live host feed and the live participant feed to generate the live session; and streaming, by the live streaming platform, the generated live session.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising inviting, by the live streaming platform, a live director, the live host, and the live participant to join the live session.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising assigning, by the live streaming platform, the live director feed to the live session to include the live director within the live session.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the inviting comprises initializing, authenticating, or authorizing electrical, mechanical, and / or electro-mechanical devices of the live host and the live participant, and wherein the virtually moving comprises virtually moving the live participant from the virtual lobby to the live session to join in the live session without re-initializing, re- authenticating, and / or re-authorizing the electrical, mechanical, and / or electro-mechanical devices of the live participant.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtually moving comprises virtually moving the live participant or the live host from the live session to the virtual lobby to leave the live session.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising: enabling audio communication between the live participant or the live host within the virtual lobby and the live participant or the live host within the live session; and disabling video communication between the live participant or the live host within the virtual lobby and the live participant or the live host within the live session.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtually moving comprises enabling audio and video communication between the live host and the live participant within the live session.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtually moving comprises switching an assignment of the live participant feed from the virtual lobby to the live session to virtually move the live participant from the virtual lobby to the live session.

9. A live server for streaming a live session, the live server comprising: a memory configured to store a plurality of instructions; and a processor configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory, the instructions, when executed by the processor, configuring the processor to: access a live host feed that is associated with a live host and a live participant feed that is associated with a live participant; assign the live host feed to the live session to include the live host within the live session and the live participant feed to a virtual lobby that is associated with the live session to include the live participant within the virtual lobby; virtually move the live participant from the virtual lobby to the live session to join in the live session; combine the live host feed and the live participant feed to generate the live session; and stream the generated live session.

10. The server of claim 9, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further configure the processor to invite a live director, the live host, and the live participant to join the live session.

11. The server of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further configure the processor to assign the live director feed to the live session to include the live director within the live session.

12. The server of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further configure the processor to: initialize, authenticate, or authorize electrical, mechanical, and / or electromechanical devices of the live host and the live participant; and virtually move the live participant from the virtual lobby to the live session to join in the live session without re-initializing, re-authenticating, and / or re-authorizing the electrical, mechanical, and / or electro-mechanical devices of the live participant.

13. The server of claim 9, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, configure the processor to virtually move the live participant or the live host from the live session to the virtual lobby to leave the live session.

14.

14. The server of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, configure the processor to: enable audio communication between the live participant or the live host within the virtual lobby and the live participant or the live host within the live session; and disable video communication between the live participant or the live host within the virtual lobby and the live participant or the live host within the live session.

15. The server of claim 9, wherein the virtually moving comprises enabling audio and video communication between the live host and the live participant within the live session.

16. The server of claim 9, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, configure the processor to switch an assignment of the live participant feed from the virtual lobby to the live session to virtually move the live participant from the virtual lobby to the live session.

17. A live server for streaming a live session, the live server comprising:a memory configured to store a plurality of instructions; and a processor configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory, the instructions, when executed by the processor, configuring the processor to: assign a live host feed that is associated with a live host and a live participant feed that is associated with a live participant to the live session to include the live host and the live participant within the live session; combine the live host feed and the live participant feed to generate the live session; virtually move the live participant from the live session to a virtual lobby that is associated with the live session to leave the live session; generate the live session from the live host feed; and stream the generated live session.

18. The server of claim 17, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further configure the processor to invite a live director, the live host, and the live participant to join the live session.

19. The server of claim 18, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further configure the processor to: initialize, authenticate, or authorize electrical, mechanical, and / or electromechanical devices of the live host and the live participant; and virtually move the live participant from the live session to the virtual lobby without re-initializing, re-authenticating, and / or re-authorizing the electrical, mechanical, and / or electro-mechanical devices of the live participant.

20. The server of claim 17, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, configure the processor to: enable audio communication between the live participant within the virtual lobby and the live host within the live session; and disable video communication between the live participant within the virtual lobby and the live host within the live session.

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