System and method for sharing content with a remote device

• US 20070180382A1
• Filed: 02/02/2006
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cansler, James, Sullivan, Marc, Williams, Alyssa, Kortum, Philip
• Granted Patent: US 9,495,072 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A system and method for sharing content is provided. A system incorporating teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a housing and a wide area network (WAN) connector extending from the housing. The system may also include a graphical user interface (GUI) engine located within the housing. In practice, the GUI engine may be operable to initiate an outputting of a first list navigable with a remote control and a second list navigable with the remote control. The remote control may be a Set Top Box (STB) remote control and the first list may be configured to facilitate remote control-based navigation. The first list may contain an identifier for at least one piece of selectable content, which may be, for example, photographs, videos, songs, etc. The second list may include an alias for at least one available share partner. In practice, a user of the system may want to give a share partner revocable access to some portion of selectable content.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating a sharing of content, the system comprising:

a housing;

a wide area network (WAN) connector extending from the housing;

a graphical user interface (GUI) engine located within the housing, the GUI engine operable to initiate an outputting of a first list navigable with a remote control and a second list navigable with the remote control, wherein the first list comprises an identifier for at least one piece of selectable content and the second list comprises an alias for at least one available share partner; and

a sharing engine operable to output a signal via the WAN connector, the signal indicating a request to initiate a revocable sharing of a piece of selectable content with an available share partner.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a Set Top Box that comprises the housing, the WAN connector, the GUI engine, and the sharing engine.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a television communicatively coupled to the Set Top Box and operable to display the first list and the second list.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the sharing engine is configured to output the signal to a network-based service provider maintaining the piece of selectable content.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the sharing engine is further operable to output a revocation signal via the WAN connector, the revocation signal indicating a desire to disable the revocable sharing of the piece of selectable content with the available share partner.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the piece of selectable content is stored remote from the GUI engine.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the GUI engine is further operable to present an update screen to allow a user to add an additional share partner and an associated alias for the additional share partner.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising an upload engine operable to allow a user to add an additional piece of selectable content.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the piece of selectable content has a content type selected from a group consisting of a video content type, an audio content type, a photographic content type, and an informational content type.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the available share partner comprises a remote Set Top Box.

11. A system for content sharing, the system comprising:

an interface communicatively coupled to a wide area network;

a repository maintaining a collection of available content for a plurality of users, each of the plurality of users having a respective electronic device operable to communicate a share signal to the interface via the wide area network; and

a sharing platform operable to allow the respective electronic device of a first user to access the available content of a second user in response to receiving a second user share signal indicating a desire to share the available content of a second user with the first user.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the sharing platform is further operable to stop allowing the respective electronic device of the first user to access the available content of the second user in response to receiving a share revocation signal.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the second user share signal is not received via an electronic mail message.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising a mapping engine that links a network address of the respective electronic device of the first user to an alias assigned to the first user by the second user.

15. A content sharing method comprising:

presenting a representation of at least a portion of selectable content;

receiving a selection of content;

presenting a listing of at least one available share partner;

receiving a selection of a share partner;

outputting a share signal indicating a willingness to share the selection of content with the share partner;

receiving a remove share request indicating a desire to stop a sharing of the selection of content with the share partner; and

outputting a share revocation signal indicating the desire to stop the sharing.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising presenting the listing of at least one available share partner within a GUI configured to accept a user interaction made via a Set Top Box remote control.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving an acceptance signal indicating that the share partner has access to the selection of content after outputting the share signal and receiving a revoked signal indicating that the share partner no longer has access to the selection of content after outputting the share revocation signal.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising accepting an inputting of additional potential share partner information and presenting a new listing comprising an alias for an additional potential share partner.

19. A content sharing method, comprising:

maintaining a collection of available content for a plurality of users;

receiving a share signal indicating that a first user desires to share a portion of first user available content with a second user;

making the portion of first user available content accessible to the second user;

receiving a share revocation signal indicating that the first user desires to revoke sharing privileges from the second user; and

making the portion of first user available content inaccessible to the second user.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

outputting a communication to the second user indicating the first user desire to share the first user available content; and

determining that the second user desires access to the first user available content.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the collection of available content comprises content having a content type selected from a group consisting of a video content type, an audio content type, a photographic content type, and an informational content type.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising making the portion of first user available content accessible to a Set Top Box associated with the second user.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising receiving the share signal from a Set Top Box associated with the first user.