# US 10,873,770 B2 · Live data broadcast method and apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,873,770 B2 - Document ID: US10873770B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/559,464 - Filed: 2019-09-03 - Published: 2019-12-26 - Granted: 2020-12-22 - Earliest claimed: 2015-08-05 - Assignees: Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) Company Limited - Applicants: Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) Company Limited - Inventors: Yanchun He; Zhidong Zhang; Jing Lai - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10873770B2 ## CPC - H04N 21/2187: Live feed - H04N 21/24: Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. monitoring of server load, available bandwidth, upstream requests {(monitoring of server performance or load G06F11/34; arrangements for observation, testing or troubleshooting for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/12)} - H04N 21/4126: {The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones} - H04N 21/44016: {involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip} - H04N 21/442: Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk {(arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/29; arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information H04H60/35; monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; monitoring in wireless networks H04W24/00)} - H04N 21/472: End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content {(end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612)} - H04N 21/47217: {for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks (specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312)} - H04N 21/4788: communicating with other users, e.g. chatting {(arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104)} - H04N 21/632: {using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices (broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104)} - H04N 21/8173: {End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract A live data broadcast method is performed at a computer server that is communicatively coupled to a first terminal and a second terminal. The method includes: detecting, during live broadcast of content of a first application running in a foreground of the first terminal to the second terminal, that the first terminal switches the first application to run in a background of the second terminal; obtaining predetermined multimedia content associated with the live broadcast; sending instructions to the second terminal to play the predetermined multimedia content on the second terminal, the predetermined multimedia content being different from content of a second application running in the foreground; and communicating status updates related to the live broadcast with the first terminal and the second terminal, respectively. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A live data broadcast method performed at a computer server having one or more processors and memory storing a plurality of programs to be executed by the processors, wherein the computer server is communicatively coupled to a first terminal associated with a first user account of a social networking application and a second terminal associated with a second user account of the social networking application, wherein the social networking application is an online gaming platform, the method comprising: receiving, from the second user account at the second terminal, a first user request for live broadcasting content from the social networking application running on the first terminal to the second user account on the second terminal; receiving, from the first terminal, live broadcast of the content from the social networking application running in the foreground; and transmitting the content received from the first terminal to the second terminal for displaying on the second terminal; detecting, during the live broadcast of content of the social networking application running in the foreground of the first terminal to the second terminal, that the first terminal switches the social networking application to run in a background of the second terminal; obtaining predetermined multimedia content associated with the live broadcast; sending the predetermined multimedia content and associated control instructions to the second terminal to play the predetermined multimedia content on the second terminal, the predetermined multimedia content being different from the content from the social networking application running in the foreground; and communicating status updates related to the live broadcast with the first terminal and the second terminal, respectively. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the operation of communicating status updates related to the live broadcast with the first terminal and the second terminal, respectively, comprises: sending, to the first terminal, a status query for an estimated remaining duration of the social networking application; receiving, from the first terminal, a response to the status query; and sending, to the second terminal, a status update according to the response, the status update indicating when the live broadcast is expected to be resumed. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein the response to the status query is derived from, at least, past user activities associated with the social networking application running in the foreground of the first terminal. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein, after the operation of sending instructions to the second terminal to play the predetermined multimedia content on the second terminal, the method further comprises: detecting whether the first terminal switches the social networking application to run in the foreground; and performing live broadcast of current content of the social networking application running in the foreground to the second terminal if it is detected that the first terminal switches the social networking application to run in the foreground. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the operation of detecting that the first terminal switches the social networking application to run in the background comprises: detecting instruction information sent by the first terminal instructing the first terminal to switch the social networking application to run in the background; or detecting that content that is sent by an application currently running in the foreground is not different from the content of the social networking application. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined multimedia content comprises at least one of the followings: a predetermined image, a predetermined video, and predetermined audio. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the status updates related to the live broadcast are exchanged repeatedly between the first terminal and the second terminal until the live broadcast is resumed or the live broadcast is terminated by one of the first terminal and the second terminal. ### Claim 8 A computer server for performing live data broadcast between a first terminal associated with a first user account of a social networking application and a second terminal associated with a second user account of the social networking application that are communicatively coupled to the server, wherein the social networking application is an online gaming platform, the server comprising: one or more processors; memory; and a plurality of programs stored in the memory that, when executed by the processors, cause the computer server to perform a plurality of operations including: receiving, from the second user account at the second terminal, a first user request for live broadcasting content from the social networking application running on the first terminal to the second user account on the second terminal; receiving, from the first terminal, live broadcast of the content from the social networking application running in the foreground; and transmitting the content received from the first terminal to the second terminal for displaying on the second terminal; detecting, during the live broadcast of content of the social networking application running in the foreground of the first terminal to the second terminal, that the first terminal switches the social networking application to run in a background of the second terminal; obtaining predetermined multimedia content associated with the live broadcast; sending the predetermined multimedia content and associated control instructions to the second terminal to play the predetermined multimedia content on the second terminal, the predetermined multimedia content being different from the content from the social networking application running in the foreground; and communicating status updates related to the live broadcast with the first terminal and the second terminal, respectively. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The computer server according to claim 8, wherein the operation of communicating status updates related to the live broadcast with the first terminal and the second terminal, respectively, comprises: sending, to the first terminal, a status query for an estimated remaining duration of the social networking application; receiving, from the first terminal, a response to the status query; and sending, to the second terminal, a status update according to the response, the status update indicating when the live broadcast is expected to be resumed. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The computer server according to claim 9, wherein the response to the status query is derived from, at least, past user activities associated with the social networking application running in the foreground of the first terminal. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The computer server according to claim 8, wherein, after the operation of sending instructions to the second terminal to play the predetermined multimedia content on the second terminal, the plurality of operations further comprise: detecting whether the first terminal switches the social networking application to run in the foreground; and performing live broadcast of current content of the social networking application running in the foreground to the second terminal if it is detected that the first terminal switches the social networking application to run in the foreground. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The computer server according to claim 8, wherein the operation of detecting that the first terminal switches the social networking application to run in the background comprises: detecting instruction information sent by the first terminal instructing the first terminal to switch the social networking application to run in the background; or detecting that content that is sent by an application currently running in the foreground is not different from the content of the social networking application. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The computer server according to claim 8, wherein the predetermined multimedia content comprises at least one of the followings: a predetermined image, a predetermined video, and predetermined audio. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The computer server according to claim 8, wherein the status updates related to the live broadcast are exchanged repeatedly between the first terminal and the second terminal until the live broadcast is resumed or the live broadcast is terminated by one of the first terminal and the second terminal. ### Claim 15 A non-transitory computer readable storage medium in connection with a computer server having one or more processors for performing a live data broadcast between a first terminal associated with a first user account of a social networking application and a second terminal associated with a second user account of the social networking application that are communicatively coupled to the server, wherein the social networking application is an online gaming platform, the storage medium being set to store a plurality of programs to perform the following operations: receiving, from the second user account at the second terminal, a first user request for live broadcasting content from the social networking application running on the first terminal to the second user account on the second terminal; receiving, from the first terminal, live broadcast of the content from the social networking application running in the foreground; and transmitting the content received from the first terminal to the second terminal for displaying on the second terminal; detecting, during the live broadcast of content of the social networking application running in the foreground of the first terminal to the second terminal, that the first terminal switches the social networking application to run in a background of the second terminal; obtaining predetermined multimedia content associated with the live broadcast; sending the predetermined multimedia content and associated control instructions to the second terminal to play the predetermined multimedia content on the second terminal, the predetermined multimedia content being different from the content from the social networking application running in the foreground; and communicating status updates related to the live broadcast with the first terminal and the second terminal, respectively. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the operation of communicating status updates related to the live broadcast with the first terminal and the second terminal, respectively, comprises: sending, to the first terminal, a status query for an estimated remaining duration of the social networking application; receiving, from the first terminal, a response to the status query; and sending, to the second terminal, a status update according to the response, the status update indicating when the live broadcast is expected to be resumed. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 15, wherein, after the operation of sending instructions to the second terminal to play the predetermined multimedia content on the second terminal, the plurality of operations further comprise: detecting whether the first terminal switches the social networking application to run in the foreground; and performing live broadcast of current content of the social networking application running in the foreground to the second terminal if it is detected that the first terminal switches the social networking application to run in the foreground. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the operation of detecting that the first terminal switches the social networking application to run in the background comprises: detecting instruction information sent by the first terminal instructing the first terminal to switch the social networking application to run in the background; or detecting that content that is sent by an application currently running in the foreground is not different from the content of the social networking application. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the predetermined multimedia content comprises at least one of the followings: a predetermined image, a predetermined video, and predetermined audio. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the status updates related to the live broadcast are exchanged repeatedly between the first terminal and the second terminal until the live broadcast is resumed or the live broadcast is terminated by one of the first terminal and the second terminal.