Persistent customized social media environment

• US 10,039,988 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2017
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Lobb, Kenneth A., Blinn, Arnold, Kotzenberg, Bernhard, Gillett, Donald M., Elliott, John Darren
• Primary Examiner(s): MADAMBA, GLENFORD J
• Application Number:
  US15/627,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20170361234A1
• Time in Patent Office: 414 Days
• Field of Search: 709204
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/215 comprising means for detecting acoustic signals, e.g. using a microphone
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/843 involving concurrently two or more players on the same game device, e.g. requiring the use of a plurality of controllers or of a specific view of game data for each player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/556 Player lists, e.g. online players, buddy list, black list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8023 the game being played by multiple players at a common site, e.g. in an arena, theatre, shopping mall using a large public display
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8088 involving concurrently several players in a non-networked game, e.g. on the same game console
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

One or more persistent customized social media environments are created allowing users to share content or an activity. The content or activity may comprise a shared media experience or shared participatory experience. Each user accessing the environment utilizes a device alone or in conjunction with other devices to complete a sharing experience. A persistent customized social media environment definition establishes a user environment which provides social networking services as well as content sharing and allows users who are connected to the persistent customized social media environment definition to experience instant messages, while those users who connect to the persistent customized social media environment at a later time will receive messages once they enter the environment.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of sharing a media experience, comprising:

registering with a social content sharing service, the social content sharing service hosting a plurality of customized social media environments;

retrieving a sharing application to a media display device, the sharing application responsive to a common shared content experience and providing a user interface;

accessing a persistent customized social media environment definition via the sharing application, the persistent customized social media environment definition including a definition of other users to be included in a persistent customized social media environment, a shared content experience, and one or more modules provided in the sharing application, ones of said modules being specified by each persistent customized social media environment definition, each definition specifying at least a selector for other persistent social media environments as components of the user interface, each persistent social media environment having a plurality of users and maintained for a duration of the common shared content experience;

engaging a persistent customized social media environment defined by the persistent customized social media environment definition by selecting to participate in the environment;

providing communication data into the persistent social media environment;

suggesting additional users for the persistent customized social media environment definition based on tagging users and indicating the tagged users share a common interest such that a number of users, including the suggested additional users, meets a threshold number of users for participating in the common shared content experience; and

outputting the communication data to one or more other users, including the suggested additional users, participating in the persistent customized social media based on a selection of individual ones of the one or more other users or a group of the other users, wherein

the shared content experience is displayed to users connected to the persistent customized social media environment in a time shifted presentation.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein other users who reviewed and provided time-synced comments are connected to the persistent customized social media environment and outputting a communication includes forwarding user responses to the time-synced comments to an originator of the time-synced comment.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the outputting communications includes:

selecting a recipient to receive a private message;

generating private message content; and

routing the private message content to the recipient.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the participating including viewing audio visual content, playing an on-line game or participating in a real-time chat environment.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further including receiving a new persistent customized social media environment definition via the user interface responsive to a user selection of other user representations in the interface and one or more common interests.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the user interface include animating user avatars based on communication activity received for or expressed by an owner of the avatar.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising automatically tagging shared content to provide suggestions to the users based on current activity in the environment.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the time shifted presentation including content-synced comments from other users who have reviewed the presentation and provided the content-synced comments while viewing the shared content experience prior to display of the time shifted presentation.

9. One or more computer storage media storing computer-useable instructions that, when used by the one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform a method for sharing a media experience, the method comprising:

registering with a social content sharing service, the social content sharing service hosting a plurality of customized social media environments;

retrieving a sharing application to a media display device, the sharing application responsive to a common shared content experience and providing a user interface;

accessing a persistent customized social media environment definition via the sharing application, the persistent customized social media environment definition including a definition of other users to be included in a persistent customized social media environment, a shared content experience, and one or more modules provided in the sharing application, ones of said modules being specified by each persistent customized social media environment definition, each definition specifying at least a selector for other persistent social media environments as components of the user interface, each persistent social media environment having a plurality of users and maintained for a duration of the common shared content experience;

engaging a persistent customized social media environment defined by the persistent customized social media environment definition by selecting to participate in the environment;

providing communication data into the persistent social media environment;

suggesting additional users for the persistent customized social media environment definition based on tagging users and indicating the tagged users share a common interest such that a number of users, including the suggested additional users, meets a threshold number of users for participating in the common shared content experience; and

outputting the communication data to one or more other users, including the suggested additional users, participating in the persistent customized social media based on a selection of individual ones of the one or more other users or a group of the other users, wherein

the shared content experience is displayed to users connected to the persistent customized social media environment in a time shifted presentation.

10. The one or more computer storage media of claim 9 wherein other users who reviewed and provided time-synced comments are connected to the persistent customized social media environment and outputting a communication includes forwarding user responses to the time-synced comments to an originator of the time-synced comment.

11. The one or more computer storage media of claim 9 wherein the outputting communications includes:

selecting a recipient to receive a private message;

generating private message content; and

routing the private message content to the recipient.

12. The one or more computer storage media of claim 9 wherein the participating including viewing audio visual content, playing an on-line game or participating in a real-time chat environment.

13. The one or more computer storage media of claim 9 the method further comprising receiving a new persistent customized social media environment definition via the user interface responsive to a user selection of other user representations in the interface and one or more common interests.

14. The one or more computer storage media of claim 9 wherein the user interface include animating user avatars based on communication activity received for or expressed by an owner of the avatar.

15. The one or more computer storage media of claim 9 the method further comprising automatically tagging shared content to provide suggestions to the users based on current activity in the environment.

16. The one or more computer storage media of claim 9 wherein the time shifted presentation including content-synced comments from other users who have reviewed the presentation and provided the content-synced comments while viewing the shared content experience prior to display of the time shifted presentation.