System and method for enhanced messaging and commerce

• US 20050262186A1
• Filed: 04/26/2004
• Published: 11/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Energetic Power Investment Limited
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Beaupre, Todd, Szeto, Christopher T., Schiro, Pierre, Dhomse, Vinod P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,496,623 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]

Abstract

A system and method for enhancing the experience of a user using a communication program over the Internet or other network. The system and method according to one embodiment utilizes a user'"'"'s status indicator in a communication program to share content such as music or videos among users, and provides access to an electronic commerce application through which content may be obtained. One system and method according to the present invention allows a user to display an indicator and to set an actionable status message which indicates to other users the media content that the first user is experiencing. In another embodiment, a user is given the ability to access content that other users are listening to or viewing at that time. The system and method in an alternate embodiment broadcast metadata about the user'"'"'s content to other users and the other users are able to utilize that metadata to receive and experience the same or similar content that the first user is experiencing. Access to an electronic commerce application through which content may be obtained is also facilitated.

Claims

1. A method of providing an enhanced experience to a communication program user comprising the steps of:

instantiating a status indicator for a first user, said status indicator indicating media content being experienced by said first user;

associating data with the status indicator;

providing a second user access to said status indicator and said associated data, via said communication program, so as to enable said second user to selectively experience the media content experienced by said first user; and

instantiating for either the first user or the second user or both of them a commerce icon via which a commerce program may be accessed through which said media content may be obtained.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the data comprises a song identifier.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the data comprises a user identifier.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the data comprises a universal resource identifier.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the media content comprises audio content.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the media content comprises video content.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the media content comprises a data stream.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the media content comprises media from a playlist.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the media content comprises media from a radio station.

10. The method of claim 11, wherein the radio station operates utilizing an algorithm representative of a radio station user preference.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

determining whether the second user should be given access to the status indicator before providing the second user access to the status indicator.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

determining whether the second user should be given access to the associated data before providing the second user access to the associated data.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

determining whether the second user should be given access to media content before streaming content to the second user.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

determining whether the second user has an accessible media player before enabling the second user to selectively experience the media content.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of passing a portion of said associated data to said commerce application.

16. A system for providing an enhanced experience to a communication program user comprising:

a first user communication program made available by a service provider;

a second user communication program made available by said service provider;

a messaging server in communication with said first and second programs that receives data associated with a status indicator that indicates media content being experienced by a first user, which indicator is made available to said second user;

a media server that communicates with the messaging server and selectively sends media content to a second user based on said data after said second user interacts with said indicator; and

an additional server by way of which either said first user or said second user or both of them may, by interacting with a commerce icon made available by each user'"'"'s respective communication program, gain access to a commerce program through which said media content may be obtained.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the data comprises a song identifier.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the data comprises a user identifier.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein the data comprises a universal resource identifier.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein the media content comprises audio content.

21. The system of claim 16 wherein the media content comprises video content.

22. The system of claim 16 wherein the media content comprises a data stream.

23. The system of claim 16 wherein the media content comprises a playlist.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the media content comprises media from a radio station.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the radio station operates utilizing an algorithm representative of a radio station user preference.

26. A method of broadcasting data associated with media being experienced by a plurality of users of a communication program, the method comprising:

streaming items of digital content to a plurality of users of a communication program, said plurality of users comprising a first user and other users;

receiving data associated with an item of digital content being experienced by said first user;

instantiating a status indicator representative of the data, said indicator being displayed to one or more of said other users of the communication program; and

instantiating an icon through which a commerce application can be accessed, which commerce application utilizes at least a portion of said data to facilitate at least one user of said plurality obtaining said

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising making available at least a portion of the associated data to one or more other users of the communication program.

28. The method of claim 26 further comprising making available at least a portion of the associated data to said commerce program.

29. The method of claim 26 wherein the data comprises a song identifier.

30. The method of claim 26 wherein the data comprises a user identifier.

31. The method of claim 26 wherein the data comprises a universal resource identifier.

32. The method of claim 26 wherein the digital content is audio content.

33. The method of claim 26 wherein the digital content is video content.

34. The method of claim 26 wherein the digital content is a data stream.

35. The method of claim 26 wherein the digital content is a playlist.

36. The method of claim 26, wherein the digital content comprises media from a radio station.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the radio station operates utilizing an algorithm representative of a radio station user preference.

38. The method of claim 26 further comprising the step of:

determining whether the one or more second users should be provided access to the data.

39. An instant messaging user interface comprising:

a list of selected users and a media player wherein the list of selected users further comprises a status indicator for each selected user, which status indicator is representative of media that each selected user is experiencing; and

a commerce icon via which a commerce program may be accessed through which said media may be obtained.

40. A method of providing an enhanced commerce comprising the steps of:

providing access to a downloadable program comprising a user interface that displays a list of other users that a user of said program wishes to be associated with;

instantiating a status indicator for a first user of said program, said status indicator indicating data being experienced by said first user while utilizing said program;

displaying the status indicator to one or more other users associated with said first user;

dynamically changing said displayed status indicator based on a change in data being experienced by the first user; and

instantiating a commerce icon via which a commerce program may be accessed through which said media content may be obtained.

41. The method of claim 40 wherein the data comprises media content.

42. The method of claim 40 wherein the data comprises a data stream.

43. An instant messaging computer program operative on computer hardware capable of running said program, said program, when operated by a user, performing the steps of:

instantiating a user interface comprising a user list portion and a media player portion;

displaying a user identifier in said user list portion identifying a second user of said messaging program using second computer hardware;

displaying a selectable status indicator adjacent to said user identifier, said status indicator being indicative of second user media being experienced by said second user; and

displaying a commerce icon via which a commerce program may be accessed through which said media may be obtained.

44. The program of claim 43, wherein said program performs the further step of receiving media through said media player portion in response to said user selecting said selectable status indicator.

45. The program of claim 43, wherein said program performs the further step of receiving media through said media player portion in response to said user selecting said selectable status indicator, said media being similar media to said media being experienced by said second user.

46. The program of claim 43 wherein the program performs the further step of changing said selectable status indicator to reflect that the second user is experiencing different media.

47. The program of claim 43 wherein the program performs the further step of passing information about said media to said commerce program.

48. An instant messaging computer program operative on computer hardware capable of running said program, said program, when operated by a user, performing the steps of:

instantiating a status indicator for a first user, said status indicator indicating media content being experienced by said first user;

associating data with the status indicator;

providing a second user access to said status indicator and said associated data, via said communication program, so as to enable said second user to selectively experience the media content experienced by said first user;

instantiating for either the first user or the second user or both of them a commerce icon via which a commerce program may be accessed through which said media content may be obtained; and

passing a portion of said associated data to said commerce application.

49. The program of claim 48, wherein a provider of the computer program and a provider of the commerce program are different entities.

50. The program of claim 48, wherein a provider of the computer program and a provider of the commerce program are the same entity.