Invented by Su; Jun, LIANG; YANG, Liu; Su, Yan; Shunguo

Imagine if every video you watched could play at just the right speed for you—slowing down when things get tricky and speeding up when it’s easy. That’s exactly what a new patent application is all about. Let’s break down what this invention means for online video, why it matters, and how it stands out from what’s already out there.

Background and Market Context

Watching videos online has become a big part of how we learn, work, and have fun. From school lessons to job training, videos are everywhere. But not everyone learns the same way. Some people pick things up fast, while others need more time. Most video players give you simple controls to change speed—maybe you can pick between normal, 1.5x, or 2x speed. But these choices are basic. They don’t really look at what you understand or what you’re struggling with.

This is a big problem, especially in online schools and training programs. Many learners get bored and drop out because the videos move too slow or too fast. If a lesson is too hard, students might get stuck. If it’s too easy, they get bored and stop paying attention. The result is lots of unfinished courses and less learning.

Companies and schools want to fix this. They know that if they can keep people interested, more people will finish courses and remember what they learned. Lots of online platforms have tried to solve this with quizzes or letting users pick their own speed. But these solutions don’t really adapt to each person in real-time. The video can’t tell if you’re confused or bored just by your clicks.

Now, think about all the little signals we send while watching a video—like nodding, rewinding, or even pausing to take notes. What if the video player could actually notice these things? What if it could slow down when you look puzzled, or speed up when you’re clearly following along? This is where the new invention comes in. It uses smart technology to watch how you respond and changes the video speed for you, making learning or watching easier and more personal.

Scientific Rationale and Prior Art

The idea behind this invention is simple but powerful. People learn best when information comes at the right pace for them. If material is too easy, you can go fast. If it’s hard, you need more time. This is called personalized learning, and it’s proven to help people remember more.

Before this patent, video players only let users change speed by hand. You might click a menu to make a video faster or slower, but this takes you out of the flow. Some smart video players let you set a speed for the whole video, but they don’t watch how well you’re understanding each part. A few platforms have tried to use quizzes or check-ins to guess if you’re following along, but these are usually separate from the video itself.

Some research has looked at using machine learning to suggest content or quiz questions based on your past answers or clicks. There are even some tools that try to measure engagement by tracking things like how long you watch or how often you pause. But none of these systems really change the speed of the video based on a deep, real-time look at how you’re reacting—like facial expressions, where you’re looking, or if you seem confused.

What’s different here is that the patent brings together lots of signals—like your background knowledge, how complex each part of the video is, and how you behave while watching. It uses machine learning to put all these signals together and predict the best speed for each part of the video. It doesn’t just guess once; it keeps watching and adjusting as you watch, so the speed always fits you.

This is a big jump from earlier tools. It’s like having a teacher who not only explains things at your pace but also watches your face, listens to your voice, and pays attention to which parts you find easy or hard—all in real-time.

Invention Description and Key Innovations

At its heart, this patent describes a smart video player that can change how fast a video plays based on how you understand it. It does this by using several parts working together:

First, the system looks at the video and breaks it into small chunks, called segments. Each segment might cover a different topic or be harder or easier to understand. The system uses a special analyzer to score how complex each part is.

Next, the system checks your own background knowledge in the topic. For example, if you’re watching a science lesson and you’ve studied science before, the system knows you might understand some parts faster than a beginner.

When you start a video, the system uses a machine learning model—a type of artificial intelligence that learns from lots of data—to guess the best speed for each segment. At first, it uses what it knows about the video and about you. But the real magic happens once you start watching.

As you watch, the system keeps an eye on how you act. It can look at things like:

– Your facial expressions (do you look confused or interested?)

– Where your eyes are looking (are you paying attention?)
– If you nod, shake your head, or move in ways that show understanding or confusion
– How you interact with the video (do you pause, rewind, or skip?)
– Your voice (if you say something or ask a question)
– Your engagement (do you keep watching or get distracted?)
– Biometric signals (like heart rate, if you have a smartwatch or other device)

All these signals are scored and weighted. The system uses them to calculate a comprehension score in real-time. If the score is high, the system might speed up the video. If it’s low, the system slows down. Every time the score changes, the system can adjust the speed, making the experience smooth and personal.

The system also learns as it goes. Every time it makes a change, it keeps track of what happened—did the new speed help, or did you get more confused? Over time, the machine learning model gets better at guessing what speed works best for you, based on your own responses and history.

This invention is designed to work on many types of devices—computers, phones, tablets, even smart glasses or VR headsets. It can run from a server or locally on your own device, depending on what’s needed. The system is careful with privacy, too. You have to agree before it collects your data, and you can opt out at any time.

The key innovations in this patent are:

– Breaking videos into smart segments based on topic and difficulty
– Using both your background and real-time behavior to pick the best speed
– Watching lots of signals at once (not just clicks)
– Adjusting the speed in real-time, not just once at the start
– Learning from each session to get better over time

The system uses advanced AI models, like neural networks, to figure out which signals matter most for understanding. If your facial expression is a strong sign of confusion, it gives that more weight. It can even use different types of AI, like decision trees or other learning methods, to make sure it picks the right speed for you.

In the end, this invention turns a basic video player into a smart helper that pays attention to you and changes to fit your needs. It can help people of all backgrounds—beginners or experts, young or old—learn more and stay interested.

Conclusion

This patent describes a powerful new way to watch and learn from videos. By looking at both what’s in the video and how you react, it changes the speed to match your needs. This makes learning more personal, keeps you engaged, and helps you remember more. It’s a big step forward from old-style video players. As more people learn online, tools like this will play a big role in making digital education better for everyone.

Click here https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/ and search 20250220269.