Intermediate Media Delivery During Streaming Requests

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users experience a delay when requesting streaming media, as it takes several seconds for the media service to process, retrieve, and prepare the media for presentation, leading to an unengaged waiting period.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a system that presents intermediate media, such as topically related images, to users while their media requests are being processed, selected based on the content of the media request and delivered before the main media is served.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the media service processes and delivers the requested media, then the user receives the desired content, but the user experiences a delay and unengaged waiting period

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemedia delivery reliabilityVSAvoiduser waiting time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by identifying and delivering intermediate media (such as still images, posters, or trailers) before the main media content is fully processed and delivered. This preliminary delivery of related content keeps the user engaged during the waiting period while the actual media request is being fulfilled in the background.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary solution by providing intermediate media that serves as a placeholder or teaser content. This intermediate media acts as a mediator between the user's request and the actual media delivery, maintaining user engagement without interfering with the primary media delivery process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If the system delivers intermediate media during the waiting period, then user engagement is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser engagementVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The media service system is enhanced to perform multiple functions: it not only processes and delivers the requested media content but also simultaneously identifies, selects, and delivers intermediate media content. This multi-functionality allows the system to maintain user engagement without requiring a completely separate system architecture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system automatically identifies attributes of the media request and selects appropriate intermediate media without requiring additional user input or manual configuration. The process is self-service in nature, where the system autonomously manages the delivery of both intermediate and main media content based on the original request attributes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS20250119604A1Delivery of Intermediate Media During Retrieval of Requested Media

Publication Date: 2025.04.10 GOOGLE LLC

AI summary

This document describes systems and techniques for presenting intermediate media to a user that has presented a media request. In aspects, a media request for requested media is received from an input device. The media request is provided to a media service to serve the requested media to a requested device. The media request is processed to identify attributes of the media request indicative of a subject matter of the requested media. Based on the identified attributes of the media request, intermediate media is accessed including one or more images related to the identified attributes. The intermediate media is delivered to the requested device. Accordingly, the intermediate media provides content to engage the user while the user waits for the requested media to be delivered.