Amazon Technologies, Inc.

Kintan Dilipkumar Brahmbhatt

Brian M Wilson

Adam Carlson

Douglas M Treder

Brent D Aliverti

Jordan M Timmermann

Kelvin C Young

Brandon Scott Durham

Jim L Dantzler

Rickesh Pal

Michael John Wyman

Daniel Paul Ryan

Toby Ray Latin-Stoermer

Benjamin Lee Shepherd

Kristine Anne Hanson

James Lee Dantzler

Ted William Thetford

Daren Gill

Jason Christopher Hall

Darren Levi Malek

Christopher Woolf Phillips

Jonathan Barnett Feinstein

Matthew Dominick Mahar

Gabriela Ahern

Joshua Fredrick Lutes

Yun Suk Paik

Haowei Lu

Kaan Aykac

Jane Meng

Sarvesh Chandra Regmi

Vladimir Lazebny

William Jarred Leslie

Charles Frederick Lee Thorp

Xinjie Di

Disclosed are various embodiments for presenting a user interface in association with video content features. A video content feature is rendered on at least one display. A current scene in the video content feature is determined. Cast members are determined who have appeared in the current scene from a beginning of the current scene up to a current time in the current scene. A user interface is rendered on at least one display. The user interface includes selectable cast member components that each include an image of a cast member, a name of the cast member, and a name of a respective character performed by the cast member.

User interface for video content

Approaches provide for a voice communications device to control, refine, or otherwise manage the playback of media content in response to instructions, such as spoken instructions. For example, the voice communications device receives input data associated with a command, such as a request to begin media playback. Accounts corresponding to users associated with the command are identified and one or more refinements extracted from the input data are used to filter content, such as from respective content catalogs or via trained models associated with the users. Determined content is generated that includes content from each of the content catalogs or trained models associated with the users. Thereafter, the voice communications device can initiate media playback.

System and method for content playback

Techniques described herein can be used to provide recommendations for multiple users. In particular, one or more users may interact with an interactive device to stream media content or utilize other services provided by a service provider. The users may provide commands to the interactive device to request content from a service provider. Contextual data associated with the request may be used to determine that an audience of the interactive device comprises more than one user. Based on this determination, content recommendations can be provided so that the recommendations are more likely to be suitable for the audience.

Methods and systems for providing multi-user recommendations

Described herein are online services provided to users based on the current context information of the users. In particular, a user may interact with an interactive device to stream media content from a remote service provider. The user may provide commands to the interactive device using a voice command. The interactive device may transmit requests based on such user command. In order for the service providers to provide customized services, the interactive device can be configured to capture additional contextual data indicative of an environment of the user such as ambient sound and provide such contextual data to the service provider. The service provider can utilize such contextual data to generate content recommendations suitable to the current context of the request or command or user.

Methods and systems for providing context-based recommendations

Approaches provide for using a voice communications device to control, refine, or otherwise manage the playback of media content in response to a spoken instruction. For example, the voice communications device can receive a request to refine and/or initiate the playback of media content, such as music, news, audio books, audio broadcasts, and other such content. Audio input data that includes the request can be received by the voice communications device and an application executing on the voice communications device or otherwise in communication with the voice communications device can analyze the audio input data to determine how to carry out the request. The application can determine whether there is an active play queue of media content configured to play using the voice communications device. In the situation where there is no media content being played using the voice communications device, the application can determine media content using information in the request. In the situation where there is an active play queue of media content, the information can be used to refine the play queue. Thereafter, the application can cause the media content associated with the active play queue to play using the voice-enable communications device.

Refining media playback

Audio data is received, for example from a voice communications device, and using commands and contexts in the audio data, playback of a content item such as a song can be accomplished. For example, a user can skip ahead in a song, play a song, find a song, and otherwise perform control functions on a device with no screen that give the user contextual control over the song that is playing or is to be played.

Approaches for voice-activated audio commands

Disclosed are various embodiments for providing extrinsic data relevant to a video content feature. In one embodiment, where a single cast member performs as multiple characters in the video content feature, the extrinsic data may include character images for each character played by the cast member. In another embodiment, where multiple generic images of a cast member are available, a particular generic image is selected to be included in the extrinsic data according to a measure of relevancy of the generic image to the video content feature. In another embodiment, when a generic image of a cast member is unavailable, an image of the cast member in character is included in the extrinsic data.

Providing extrinsic data for video content

Disclosed are various embodiments for presenting a timeline interface in association with video content features. A user interface is rendered on a display, where the user interface includes selectable cast member components and a timeline component. The timeline component corresponds to a video content feature and visually segments it into scenes. A user selection of a particular selectable cast member component is received, and a subset of scenes in which a corresponding cast member performs is determined based at least in part on extrinsic data. The timeline component is updated to visually indicate the subset of scenes.

Timeline interface for video content

Techniques are described for automatically selecting musical content for playback based on an initial 'seed' of music selected by a user in a way that seamlessly extends the user's listening experience. The initially selected seed music might be, for example, an album or a playlist. Music that follows the seed music is algorithmically selected to match the music selected by the user.

Techniques for selecting musical content for playback

Disclosed are various embodiments for presenting a timeline interface in association with video content features. A video content feature may be rendered on a display. A current scene in the video content feature is determined. A user interface is rendered on the display, where the user interface includes a timeline component. The timeline component represents the video content feature and visually segments the video content feature into scenes. The current scene may be visually indicated on the timeline component.

Disclosed are various embodiments for providing extrinsic data relevant to a video content feature. A request for a video content feature is obtained from a client. The video content feature and relevant extrinsic data is sent to the client in response to the request. The extrinsic data indicates cast members who perform in the video content feature, a division of the video content feature into scenes, and a corresponding subset of the cast members who perform in each of the scenes.

Disclosed are various embodiments for enhancing video content with extrinsic data. A video content feature is rendered on a display. A user interface is rendered on top of the video content feature on the display. The user interface presents cast member images, each of which corresponds to a cast member in the video content feature. A selection of a cast member image is obtained through the user interface. The user interface is updated to present additional information regarding the respective cast member corresponding to the selected image.

Growing community of inventors

San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Kintan Dilipkumar Brahmbhatt