Method and apparatus for adding and displaying an inline reply within a video message

1. A method of adding an inline reply to a video message, comprising the steps of:

receiving the video message in an electronic communication via a multimedia client device, the electronic communication including with the received video message an associated metadata identifying an original video message and playback points of one or more previously associated inline replies;

generating the inline reply to the received video message and associating the inline reply with a new playback point within the received video message;

generating an updated metadata in a context of the received metadata for identifying a) the new playback point in the received video message for which the generated inline reply is associated and b) a storage location of the generated inline reply,

wherein the updated metadata is generated to chronologically relate the generated inline reply to a playback point of at least one of the original video message or one or more previously associated inline replies; and

transmitting a reply electronic communication including the updated metadata such that, during subsequent playback of the video message, an order of playback between the original video message and one or more inline replies is identifiable via the playback points in the updated metadata, and the storage location of the original video message and the one or more inline replies is identifiable via the updated metadata for switching between based on the order of playback between the original video message and the one or more inline replies.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein information provided by the metadata with respect to a point during the playback of the video message is selected from a group consisting of offset information, time information, video frame information, and marker information.

3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the inline reply is a reply video, and wherein the metadata includes an identification of a composer of the inline reply, a uniform resource locator (URL) of the reply video comprising the inline reply, and a URL of the video message.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:

playing the video message with the multimedia client device; and

pausing playback of the video message at a point when the inline reply is to be displayed;

wherein said step of generating the inline reply and the metadata with the multimedia client device occurs after said pausing step so that information of the point is automatically captured by the multimedia client device and represented in the metadata.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein said step of playing the video message includes displaying a video progress bar providing a timeline representation of where the inline reply is to be played within a duration of the video message.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the inline reply is in a form of a reply video, and wherein said generating step includes recording the reply video.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the video message includes an inline video reply as received as part of a chain of electronic communications, and wherein said step of generating metadata concerning the inline reply is with respect to an additional inline reply to the video message.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein one or more previously associated inline replies in the video message includes an inline video reply as received as part of a chain of electronic communications, and wherein said step of generating updated metadata concerning the inline video reply is with respect to a counter inline reply to the inline video reply as received as part of the chain of electronic communications, and wherein the playback point of the counter inline reply is a point within the inline video reply as received as part of the chain of electronic communications.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said step of generating the inline reply to the video message and associating the inline reply with a point during playback of the video message includes creating a new interstitial video composed of existing video components of the video message and a new video component of the inline reply.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the multimedia client device is selected from a group consisting of a smartphone, tablet, personal computer, lap-top computer, set-top box, and IP-enable device having an associated display screen, camera and microphone.

11. A method of presenting a video message, comprising the steps of:

receiving an electronic communication with a multimedia client device, the electronic communication being in a form of an email chain including an original video message composed by a first participant and one or more reply messages composed by one or more additional participants, the electronic communication including an associated metadata identifying the original video message and playback points of the one or more reply messages;

displaying the original video message and the one or more reply messages in accordance with the metadata such that each reply message is displayed at a point within playback of the original video message after a beginning of the original video message and before an ending of the original video message, and further are displayed in a chronological order with respect to any other reply messages based on the playback points identified in the metadata, such that playing of the original video message is paused while each of the one or more reply messages is displayed.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein, when the reply message is displayed, the original video message ceases from being displayed and only resumes being displayed after completion of the reply message in a manner simulating a live video conference.

13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein, when the reply message is displayed, the original video message is displayed in a paused condition in a part of a display on which the reply message is displayed in a manner simulating a live video conference.

14. The method according to claim 11 , wherein said step of receiving the electronic communication includes receiving metadata providing information with respect to the point at which the reply message should be displayed during playback of the original video message, and wherein the information provided by the metadata with respect to the point during the playback of the original video message is selected from a group consisting of offset information, time information, video frame information, and marker information.

15. A method according to claim 14 , wherein the reply message is a reply video, wherein the metadata includes an identification of a composer of the reply message, a uniform resource locator (URL) of the reply video comprising the reply message, and a URL of the original video message, and wherein the multimedia client device is selected from a group consisting of a smartphone, tablet, personal computer, lap-top computer, set-top box, and IP-enable device having an associated display screen, camera and microphone.

16. The method according to claim 11 , wherein said step of displaying the original video message includes displaying a video progress bar providing a timeline representation of where the reply message is to be played within a duration of the original video message.

17. A multimedia client device, comprising:

at least one electronic processing unit for:

receiving a video message in electronic communications and an associated metadata identifying an original video message and playback points of one or more previously associated inline replies, and

playing and displaying the video message on an associated display screen;

said at least one electronic processing unit being configured to:

generate an inline reply to the received video message,

associate the inline reply with a playback point within the received video message during playback of the video message,

generate an updated metadata in a context of the received metadata for identifying a) the playback point in the received video message for which the generated inline reply is associated and b) a storage location of the generated inline reply,

wherein the updated metadata is generated to chronologically relate the generated inline reply to a playback point of at least one of the original video message or one or more previously associated inline replies; and transmit the inline reply including the updated metadata to recipients via an electronic communication such that, during subsequent playback of the video message, an order of playback between the original video message and one or more inline replies is identifiable via the playback points in the updated metadata, and the storage location of the original video message and the one or more inline replies is identifiable via the updated metadata for switching between based on the order of playback between the original video message and the one or more inline replies.

18. A multimedia client device according to claim 17 wherein said at least one electronic processing unit is configured to receive a chain of electronic communications including the video message and a reply message associated with a point during playback of the video message and to pause playback of the video message at said point during playback, display the reply message, and then resume playback of the video message such that the reply message is displayed inline with the playback of the video message.

19. A multimedia client device according to claim 18 , wherein the reply message is a reply video, and wherein the at least one electronic processing unit uses metadata provided with the chain of electronic communications to identify the point during playback of the video message when the reply message is to be displayed.