Systems and methods for recording and broadcasting audio messages between users

• US 10,263,928 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2018
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EzTalk, LLC
• Original Assignee: EzTalk, LLC
• Inventors: Morgan, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Titcomb, William D
• Application Number:
  US15/882,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20180241706A1
• Time in Patent Office: 442 Days
• Field of Search: 715727
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10546 specifically adapted for audio data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

A computer system for recording and broadcasting audio messages between users configured to (a) store a plurality of channel data for a plurality of channels; (b) receive, from a channel owner computer device associated with a channel owner, a first audio message; (c) store, in the database, the first audio message in a first channel associated with the channel owner; (d) transmit a first notification to one or more subscriber computer devices of the first channel, where the first notification includes the first location of the first audio message; (e) receive, from a subscriber computer device associated with a subscriber of the first channel, a second audio message in response to the first audio message; and (f) transmit a second notification to the channel owner computer device wherein the second notification includes a second location of the second audio message.

Claims

1. A computer system for recording and broadcasting audio messages between users, the computer system including at least one processor in communication with at least one memory device including a database, the at least one processor is programmed to:

store, in the database, a plurality of channel data for a plurality of channels, wherein each channel is associated with a channel owner and one or more subscribers, and wherein the plurality of channel data includes data about a channel owner computer device associated with the channel owner and one or more subscriber computer devices associated with the one or more subscribers;

receive, from the channel owner computer device, a first audio message;

convert the first audio message for storage;

store, in the database, the first audio message in a first channel of the plurality of channels in a first location, wherein the first channel is associated with the channel owner;

generate a first notification about the first audio message including the first location of the first audio message

transmit the first notification to the one or more subscriber computer devices of the first channel;

receive, from a subscriber computer device associated with a subscriber of the first channel, a second audio message in response to the first audio message; and

transmit a second notification to the channel owner computer device wherein the second notification includes a second location of the second audio message.

2. A computer system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the second audio message is a public message, and wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to transmit the second notification to the one or more subscriber computer devices of the first channel and the channel owner computer device, wherein the second notification includes the second location of the second audio message.

3. A computer system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to:

receive the first audio message in a first audio format;

convert the first audio message into a second audio format; and

store the first audio message in the second audio format.

4. A computer system in accordance with claim 3, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to compress the first audio message prior to storing.

5. A computer system in accordance with claim 3, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to optimize the first audio message for audio quality prior to storing.

6. A computer system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to:

receive a third audio message in response to the second audio message from one of the channel owner computer device and one or more the subscriber computer devices; and

transmit a third notification to at least one of the one or more subscriber computer devices of the first channel and the channel owner computer device, wherein the third notification includes a third location of the third audio message.

7. A computer system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first audio message includes metadata, and wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to:

generate a first token for the first audio message based on the first location and the metadata associated with the first audio message; and

generate an individual notification for each subscriber of the one or more subscribers of the first channel including a unique version of the first token based on a subscriber computer device associated with the corresponding subscriber, wherein the unique version of the first token allows the corresponding subscriber to access the first audio message.

8. A computer system in accordance with claim 7, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to transmit the unique version of the first token in the first notification.

9. A computer system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first audio message includes metadata, and wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to:

store a plurality of sub-channels associated with the first channel; and

store the first audio message in one of the plurality of sub-channels based on at least one of the metadata and a user selection.

10. A computer system in accordance with claim 1, wherein each of the subscriber computer devices are configured to:

display the first notification to the associated subscriber;

receive, from the associated subscriber, a selection of the first audio message;

retrieve the first audio message from the database; and

play, via an audio device associated with the corresponding subscriber computer device, the first audio message.

11. A computer-implemented method for recording and broadcasting audio messages between users, the method implemented on a computer system including at least one processor in communication with at least one memory device including a database, the method comprising:

storing, in the database, a plurality of channel data for a plurality of channels, wherein each channel is associated with a channel owner and one or more subscribers, and wherein the plurality of channel data includes data about a channel owner computer device associated with the channel owner and one or more subscriber computer devices associated with the one or more subscribers;

receiving, from the channel owner computer device, a first audio message;

converting the first audio message for storage;

storing, in the database, the first audio message in a first channel of the plurality of channels in a first location, wherein the first channel is associated with the channel owner;

generating a first notification about the first audio message including the first location of the first audio message;

transmitting the first notification to the one or more subscriber computer devices of the first channel;

receiving, from a subscriber computer device associated with a subscriber of the first channel, a second audio message in response to the first audio message; and

transmitting a second notification to the channel owner computer device wherein the second notification includes a second location of the second audio message.

12. A method in accordance with claim 11, wherein the second audio message is a public message, and wherein the method further comprises transmitting the second notification to the one or more subscriber computer devices of the first channel and the channel owner computer device, wherein the second notification includes the second location of the second audio message.

13. A method in accordance with claim 11, wherein converting the first audio message for storage further comprises:

receiving the first audio message in a first audio format;

converting the first audio message into a second audio format; and

storing the first audio message in the second audio format.

14. A method in accordance with claim 11 further comprising:

receiving a third audio message in response to the second audio message from one of the channel owner computer device and one or more the subscriber computer devices; and

transmitting a third notification to at least one of the one or more subscriber computer devices of the first channel and the channel owner computer device, wherein the third notification includes a third location of the third audio message.

15. A method in accordance with claim 11, wherein the first audio message includes metadata, and wherein the method further comprises:

generating a first token for the first audio message based on the first location and the metadata associated with the first audio message;

generating an individual notification for each subscriber of the one or more subscribers of the first channel including a unique version of the first token based on a subscriber computer device associated with the corresponding subscriber, wherein the unique version of the first token allows the corresponding subscriber to access the first audio message; and

transmitting the unique version of the first token in the first notification.

16. At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon, wherein when executed by at least one processor in communication with at least one memory device include a database, the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to:

store, in the database, a plurality of channel data for a plurality of channels, wherein each channel is associated with a channel owner and one or more subscribers, and wherein the plurality of channel data includes data about a channel owner computer device associated with the channel owner and one or more subscriber computer devices associated with the one or more subscribers;

receive, from the channel owner computer device, a first audio message;

converting the first audio message for storage;

store, in the database, the first audio message in a first channel of the plurality of channels in a first location, wherein the first channel is associated with the channel owner;

generate a first notification about the first audio message including the first location of the first audio message;

transmit the first notification to the one or more subscriber computer devices of the first channel;

receive, from a subscriber computer device associated with a subscriber of the first channel, a second audio message in response to the first audio message; and

transmit a second notification to the channel owner computer device wherein the second notification includes a second location of the second audio message.

17. The computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the second audio message is a public message, and wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to transmit the second notification to the one or more subscriber computer devices of the first channel and the channel owner computer device, wherein the second notification includes the second location of the second audio message.

18. The computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to:

receive the first audio message in a first audio format;

convert the first audio message into a second audio format; and

store the first audio message in the second audio format.

19. The computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to:

receive a third audio message in response to the second audio message from one of the channel owner computer device and one or more the subscriber computer devices; and

transmit a third notification to at least one of the one or more subscriber computer devices of the first channel and the channel owner computer device, wherein the third notification includes a third location of the third audio message.

20. The computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the first audio message includes metadata, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to:

generate a first token for the first audio message based on the first location and the metadata associated with the first audio message; and

generate an individual notification for each subscriber of the one or more subscribers of the first channel including a unique version of the first token based on a subscriber computer device associated with the corresponding subscriber, wherein the unique version of the first token allows the corresponding subscriber to access the first audio message; and

transmit the unique version of the first token in the first notification.