Buddy Share

• US 20080027909A1
• Filed: 11/18/2003
• Published: 01/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Oath Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Hall, Janet, Love, John Thomas, Heikes, Brian D., Gang, David
• Granted Patent: US 9,940,401 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

Sharing content includes classifying content perceived by a sharing user, determining a set of recipient candidates likely to be interested in the content based upon the classification of the content and prior sharing activity of the recipients with respect to content of the same or similar classification, and presenting to the sharing user one or more members of the set of recipient candidates for sharing the content being perceived by the sharing user.

Claims

1. A method of sharing content comprising:

classifying content perceived by a sharing user;

determining a set of recipient candidates likely to be interested in the content based upon the classification of the content and prior sharing activity of the recipients with respect to content of the same or similar classification; and

presenting to the sharing user one or more members of the set of recipient candidates for sharing the content being perceived by the sharing user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the content comprises online content.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the content comprises Internet content.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein classifying content further comprises determining a level of classification granularity.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the set of recipient candidates comprises doing so based upon information made available by a potential recipient candidate.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the set of recipient candidates comprises doing so based upon active manipulation by the sharing user.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the set of recipient candidates comprises doing so based upon information supplied by a third party.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the set of recipient candidates comprises doing so based upon passive personalization.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein classifying the content comprises automatically classifying the content at a sharing user system.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the set of recipient candidates comprises doing so dynamically.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein determining a set of recipient candidates comprises selecting the one or more recipient candidates based on a matching between the content and an interest of the recipient.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein determining a set of recipient candidates comprises selecting the one or more recipient candidates by a sharing user system.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein determining a set of recipient candidates comprises selecting the one or more recipient candidates by a host system.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising sharing the content using at least one of an instant message, a chat room, and an e-mail message.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving an online presence status for one or more members of the set of recipient candidates; and

presenting to the sharing user one or more communications options for sharing the content with a recipient candidate based upon the online presence status of the recipient candidate.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein presenting one or more communications options comprises configuring one or more communications channels.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the communications channels comprise one or more of an instant messaging communications channel, a chat communications channel, and an e-mail communications channel.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein:

classifying the content comprises identifying a change in the content; and

determining a set of recipient candidates comprises determining a set of recipient candidates based upon the changed content.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising encountering content by the sharing user.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising determining whether the content is sharable, and if so, rendering an indication to the sharing user that the content is sharable.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the indication comprises a visual indication.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the indication comprises an audible indication.

23. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing the set of recipient candidates as a sharing list.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising retrieving the sharing list.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising updating the sharing list based upon the determined set of recipient candidates.

26. A computer program, stored on a computer readable medium, the computer program comprising instructions for:

classifying content perceived by a sharing user;

determining a set of recipient candidates likely to be interested in the content based upon the classification of the content and prior sharing activity of the recipients with respect to content of the same or similar classification; and

presenting to the sharing user one or more members of the set of recipient candidates for sharing the content being perceived by the sharing user.

27. The computer program of claim 26 wherein instructions for classifying content further comprises instructions for determining a level of classification granularity.

28. The computer program of claim 26 wherein instructions for determining the set of recipient candidates comprises instructions for doing so based upon information made available by a potential recipient candidate.

29. The computer program of claim 26 wherein instructions for determining the set of recipient candidates comprises instructions for doing so based upon active manipulation by-the sharing user.

30. The computer program of claim 26 wherein instructions for determining the set of recipient candidates comprises instructions for doing so based upon information supplied by a third party.

31. The computer program of claim 26 wherein instructions for determining the set of recipient candidates comprises instructions for doing so based upon passive personalization.

32. The computer program of claim 26 wherein instructions for determining the set of recipient candidates comprises instructions for doing so dynamically.

33. The computer program of claim 26 wherein instructions for determining a set of recipient candidates comprises instructions for selecting the one or more recipient candidates based on a matching between the content and an interest of the recipient.

34. The computer program of claim 26 further comprising instructions for:

receiving an online presence status for one or more members of the set of recipient candidates; and

presenting to the sharing user one or more communications options for sharing the content with a recipient candidate based upon the online presence status of the recipient candidate.

35. The computer program of claim 34, wherein instructions for presenting one or more communications options comprises instructions for configuring one or more communications channels.

36. The computer program of claim 35 wherein the communications channels comprise one or more of an instant messaging communications channel, a chat communications channel, and an e-mail communications channel.

37. The computer program of claim 26 wherein:

instructions for classifying the content comprises instructions for identifying a change in the content; and

instructions for determining a set of recipient candidates comprises instructions for determining a set of recipient candidates based upon the changed content.

38. The computer program of claim 26 further comprising instructions for storing the set of recipient candidates as a sharing list.

39. The computer program of claim 38 further comprising instructions for retrieving the sharing list.

40. The computer program of claim 39 further comprising instructions for updating the sharing list based upon the determined set of recipient candidates.

41. A user interface that enables sharing of content, the user interface comprising:

an application user interface that enables perception of content by a sharing user;

a mechanism that received a set of recipient candidates determined likely to be interested in the content based upon the classification of the content and prior sharing activity of the recipients with respect to content of the same or similar classification; and

a mechanism that presents to the sharing user one or more members of the set of recipient candidates for sharing the content being perceived by the sharing user.

42. The user interface of claim 41 further comprising:

a mechanism that receives an online presence status for one or more members of the set of recipient candidates; and

a mechanism that presents to the sharing user one or more communications options for sharing the content with a recipient candidate based upon the online presence status of the recipient candidate.

43. The user interface of claim 41 further comprising:

a mechanism that enables one or more menu options for a recipient candidate based upon the online presence status of the recipient candidate, with menu options enabled for a first online presence state differing from menu options enabled for a second online presence state; and

a mechanism that presents the enabled menu options to the sharing user.

44. The user interface of claim 42, wherein the mechanism that presents one or more communications options comprises a mechanism that configures one or more communications channels.

45. The user interface of claim 44 wherein the communications channels comprise one or more of an instant messaging communications channel, a chat communications channel, and an e-mail communications channel.

46. The user interface of claim 41 further comprising a mechanism that determines whether the content is sharable, and if so, a mechanism that renders an indication to the sharing user that the content is sharable.

47. The user interface of claim 46 wherein the indication comprises a visual indication.

48. The user interface of claim 46 wherein the indication comprises an audible indication.