Patents Assigned to Hulu LLC
  • Publication number: 20220279251
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a method receives a context for a user account and selects a plurality of collections for an interface. A collection includes one or more instances of content. The method analyzes a context for a user account to select a theme from a plurality of themes for a collection in the plurality of collections. The themes in the plurality of themes apply different display formats to the collection. The method sends an identifier for the theme and information for the collection to a client device being used by the user account to indicate to the interface the theme to use to display the collection with the plurality of collections.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2022
    Publication date: September 1, 2022
    Applicant: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Trevor CALLOW, Mike AVITABILE, Erika PALMER, Matthew CHUN, Lena BAREKET, Linda SUM, Darshana UMAKANTH, Dominic HOPTON, Jason WONG, Yu ZHAO, Heather CHO, Zachary HINTON, Josh MALDONADO
  • Publication number: 20220264177
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a method receives a request from a client device. The request includes location information for an update to a media presentation description for a media presentation. The method uses the location information to determine that the client device has not received a first segment based on the location information. The media presentation description is currently sending updates for a second segment. The location information is used to identify that the update to the media presentation description should include the first segment and the second segment. The method sends an instance of the media presentation description that includes update information for the first segment and the second segment to update a stored version of the media presentation description for the client device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2022
    Publication date: August 18, 2022
    Applicant: HULU, LLC
    Inventor: Zachary CAVA
  • Patent number: 11416546
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method receives a set of frames from a video at a first classifier. The first classifier classifies the set of frames with classification scores that indicate a confidence that a frame contains end credit content using the first classifier using a first model that classifies content from the set of frames. A second classifier then refines the classification scores from neighboring frames in the set of frames using a second classifier using a second model that classifies classification scores from the first classifier. A boundary point is selected between a frame in the set of frames considered not including end credit content and a frame in the set of frames including end credit content based on the refined classification scores.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Yunsheng Jiang, Xiaohui Xie, Liangliang Li
  • Patent number: 11392643
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a method receives a file describing characteristics for delivery of a creative on a video delivery system. The file is queried to identify elements in the string that define metadata. The string is written in a structural language and defines characteristics for the delivery of the creative. The method retrieves tag metadata for tags that define structural elements and validates the tag metadata based on a first specification. Media file metadata is obtained for a media file based on a link to the media file and the media file metadata is validated based on a second specification. The method outputs a result based on the validations. The creative is eligible for insertion during a break of streaming a main video on the video delivery system when the tag metadata and the media file metadata are validated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Rigoberto Guillen, Prashant Mahesh Patel, Shih-Kai Lin, Demian L'Ecuyer
  • Patent number: 11379111
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a method receives an input for an application in which content is displayed in a user interface and receives an input classification that classifies the input in one of a plurality of input classifications. A user interface format is selected from a plurality of user interface formats based on the input classification and content is selected for the user interface format. The method causes output of the content in the user interface format on the user interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventor: William Caviness
  • Patent number: 11356740
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a method selects a context for a user account and selects a plurality of collections for an interface. A collection includes a set of videos. The method selects a theme from a plurality of themes for a collection in the plurality of collections based on the context. The plurality of themes apply different display formats to the collection. The method sends an identifier for the theme and information for the collection to a client device being used by the user account to indicate to the interface the theme to use to display the collection with the plurality of collections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Trevor Callow, Mike Avitabile, Erika Palmer, Matthew Chun, Lena Bareket, Linda Sum, Darshana Umakanth, Dominic Hopton, Jason Wong, Yu Zhao, Heather Cho, Zachary Hinton, Josh Maldonado
  • Patent number: 11343566
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a method sends a first instance of a media presentation description including first status information to a client. The first status information identifies a break from a stream of a media presentation for insertion of supplemental content. The method receives a request for a second instance of the media presentation description. The request includes information from the first status information that reverted the client back to the stream of the media presentation after insertion of the supplemental content. Then, the method sends the second instance of the media presentation description based on receiving the request from the client including the information from the first status information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Zachary Cava, Shaunak Shah, Yeon Joon Jin, Alexander Herbert, Allison Deal, Joe Lin
  • Patent number: 11310516
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a method receives a probability distribution of a likelihood that a user might view one or more tiles in one or more segments of a video. The video is encoded in different profiles that are associated with different bitrates. An available bandwidth is determined. Then, the method selects a profile for each tile in a segment of the video based on the available bandwidth and the probability distribution for the tiles and sends a request for a respective profile for each tile for playback of the segment of the video.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Lan Xie, Shenglan Huang, Wenhao Zhang
  • Patent number: 11303968
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a method receives a list of ranked entities for video playback for a first interface in a first layout. The list of ranked entities being ranked based on personalized information for a user account. The list of ranked entities is used to determine an ordering of entities in slots of an electronic programming guide. The slots of the electronic programming guide display the entities in a second layout based on a time dimension. The method outputs information to display at least a portion of the entities in the electronic programming guide based on the ordering of entities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Joshua Cook, Christopher Russell Kehler, Lacey Anne Donohue, Charles Francis Moran
  • Patent number: 11284139
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a method receives a request for a segment of video from a client. The request is associated with an identity. The method maps the segment to a variant value in a representation for the identity and selects a variant for the segment from a plurality of variants based on the variant value in the representation. A first segment of a first variant of the plurality of variants includes a first marker and a second segment of a second variant of the plurality of variants includes a second marker. The variant of the segment is then delivered to the client.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventor: Zachary McKeel Cava
  • Patent number: 11277620
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a method generates a representation for a video that represents a relationship of a bitrate to a quality measurement for the video and selects candidate transcoding points on the representation. A plurality of candidate profile ladders are generated based on the candidate transcoding points. Each of the plurality of candidate profile ladders includes a different combination of profiles and a profile is associated with at least one of a bitrate and a quality measurement. The method selects a profile ladder from the plurality of candidate profile ladders based on analyzing the bitrate or the quality of the profile ladder and uses the profile ladder for the video.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Chen Liu, Wenhao Zhang, Xuchang Huangfu, Xiaobo Liu, Deliang Fu, Lan Xie, Rui Zhang, Shuai Lou, Chao Zhang
  • Patent number: 11218663
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a method determines a combination of sub-bitstream chunks from a plurality of sub-bitstreams for a video. The combination of sub-bitstream chunks includes a quality measurement. The method exchanges a sub-bitstream chunk in the combination of sub-bitstream chunks with another sub-bitstream chunk from another sub-bitstream in the plurality of sub-bitstreams based on a relationship of a change in bitrate to a change in quality due to the exchanging. The method continues to exchange a sub-bitstream chunk in the combination of sub-bitstream chunks with another sub-bitstream chunk until the quality measurement of the combination of sub-bitstream chunks meets a target quality and outputs the combination of sub-bitstream chunks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Chen Liu, Wenhao Zhang, Xiaobo Liu, Deliang Fu
  • Patent number: 11218772
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method receives a request from a user for one or more extensions to a first program. The first program is associated with a first bundle that indicates the first program starts at a first time and ends at a second time. A second program that starts before the first time or starts after the second time is selected. The second program is associated with a second bundle that indicates the second program ends at the first time or starts at the second time. The method generates an extension bundle that includes information for the one or more extensions and uses the extension bundle to record an extended program for the user that includes the first program and at least a portion of the one or more extensions from the second program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Joshua Cook, Ale Capistrano, Yingan Wang
  • Patent number: 11202070
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a method determines a first set of reference pixels for a current block to be coded. The current block is split into a plurality of sub-partitions. The method processes a first sub-partition in the plurality of sub-partitions using the first set of reference pixels and a second sub-partition in the plurality of sub-partitions using the first set of reference pixels in parallel. Then the method processes a third sub-partition in the plurality of sub-partitions based on a second set of reference pixels determined from the processing of the first sub-partition and processing a fourth sub-partition in the plurality of sub-partitions based on a third set of reference pixels determined from the processing of the second sub-partition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Wenhao Zhang, Jing Cui
  • Patent number: 11197009
    Abstract: A method includes receiving a current block to be coded and splitting the current block into a plurality of sub-partitions. A first set of reference pixels is determined. The method processes a first sub-partition in the plurality of sub-partitions using the first set of reference pixels and a second sub-partition in the plurality of sub-partitions using the first set of reference pixels in parallel. Then, the method processes a third sub-partition in the plurality of sub-partitions based on a second set of reference pixels determined from the processing of the first sub-partition and processing a fourth sub-partition in the plurality of sub-partitions based on a third set of reference pixels determined from the processing of the second sub-partition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Wenhao Zhang, Jing Cui
  • Patent number: 11182943
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a method receives a plurality of swatch configurations that each define combinations for lightness values, saturation values, and hue values and receives information associated with a characteristic of an image. A swatch configuration is selected based on the information where the swatch configuration defines a plurality of combinations for lightness values, saturation values, and hue values. The method generates a plurality of colors using the plurality of combinations for lightness values, saturation values, and hue values by varying at least one of the saturation value, the lightness value, and the hue value for the plurality of colors. The plurality of colors are applied to an interface that is displaying the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Zachary Cava, Hansen Smith
  • Publication number: 20210337256
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a method receives a message that identifies an asset being viewed on a video service at a timestamp. The message is associated with a profile identifier and a plurality of messages are received for the profile identifier while using the video service. The method determines a channel identifier for a channel in which the asset is offered during the timestamp and determines whether a channel change occurred based on the channel identifier and a prior channel identifier determined from a prior message in the plurality of messages. When the channel change has occurred, the method stores the channel identifier and timestamp for the profile identifier in a data structure, wherein a list of channels is generated by querying the data structure to determine a set of channel identifiers and timestamps for the profile identifier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2020
    Publication date: October 28, 2021
    Applicant: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: McKay Salisbury, Peter Moore, Karthik Prasanna, Xiaoming Sun, Tong Yang, Srivardhan Jalan, Arkin Yetis
  • Patent number: 11159635
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a method sends a first frame that establishes a first state to push information to a client in a stream based on a first set of characteristics. The method transitions from the first state to a second state that allows pushing of content to the client. Content is pushed for a first time window to the client based on the first set of characteristics without receiving a request for the content in the first time window. The method receives a request to change the first set of characteristics to a second set of characteristics. The request includes information requesting a switch from the second state to the first state. In response to receiving the change, the method sends a second frame to continue pushing content to the client in the stream based on the second set of characteristics and transitions from the second state to the first state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Shenglan Huang, Lan Xie, Wenhao Zhang
  • Patent number: 11146837
    Abstract: Viewing policies are received for a media program being offered via linear programming. The viewing policies are transformed to a linear prioritized list of audiences and respective actions to perform on a per user basis for presentation via the live linear programming. The actions analyzed to determine a base action associated with sending a base content stream for the media program. An audience associated with the base content stream and previous audiences associated with previous actions that have a higher priority in the linear prioritized list than the content stream audience are selected. An audience definition for the media program is generated defining restrictions based on the base audience and the previous audiences. The audience definition is used to determine whether users may view the media program based on characteristics of the users before the media program is available via the live linear programming.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventor: Mckay Salisbury
  • Patent number: D936668
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Hansen Smith, John Couch, Josh Nelson, Linda Sum