Topic Centric Media Sharing

• US 20080040387A1
• Filed: 08/11/2006
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kasperkiewicz, Tomasz S.M., Parlin, David R., Schwartz, Jordan L.K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,375,039 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/104.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

Topic-centric-media sharing allows a user to search for and share media objects related to a topic. The user can select media objects stored on a client computing device to share with other users. The client computing device contains software that, in operation, searches for a set of media objects related to the same topic as the selected media objects. If such a set is located, the software on the client computing device can associate the selected media objects with the set. If no such set is located, the user can create a new set to share with other users.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

presenting one or more media objects related to a topic to a user for selection;

receiving a user selection of at least one of the one or more media objects;

searching for a set of one or more media objects related to the topic; and

associating the at least one selected media object with the set.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a request from the user to associate the selected media object with the set.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising prompting the user to create a new set of one or more media objects related to the topic.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more media objects include one or more audio files, images, or videos.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein searching for a set of one or more media objects related to a topic further is constrained by a group or relationship constraint of the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the selected media object with the set further comprises tagging the selected media object.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the selected media object with the set further comprises uploading the selected media object to a remote computing device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein searching for a set of one or more media objects related to the topic further comprises:

receiving an identifier media object identifying the topic; and

using the identifier media object to search for a set of one or more media objects related to the topic.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising distributing the selected media object to a second user designated to receive media objects added to the set.

10. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 1.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein searching for a set of one or more media objects further comprises determining whether the at least one selected media object relates to the topic of the one or more media objects within the set based on:

a first time indication and a first location indication associated with the at least one selected media object, and

a second time indication and a second location indication associated with the one or more media objects within the set.

12. A user interface embodied on at least one computer-readable medium, the user interface for associating one or more media objects related to a topic with a set of one or more media objects related to the topic, the user interface comprising:

a first display area which displays the one or more media objects for user selection; and

a second display area which displays an option for associating one or more selected media objects with the set of one or more selected media objects.

13. The user interface of claim 12, wherein the second display area further displays an option to locate one or more additional sets to associate with the selected media objects.

14. The user interface of claim 12, wherein the second display area further displays an option to create a new set of one or more media objects related to the topic.

15. A computing device having of one or more selected media objects stored thereon, wherein the one or more selected media objects are related to a topic, comprising:

an application configured to search for a set of one or more media objects related to the topic; and

an association module configured to associate the selected media objects with the set of one or more media objects.

16. The computing device of claim 15 further comprising a transmission module to transmit the one or more media objects stored on the computing device to a remote storage module, wherein the remote storage module stores the one or more objects within the set.

17. The computing device of claim 15 wherein the application is configured to compare at least one parameter of the one or more selected media objects with at least one parameter of the set of one or more media objects.

18. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the one or more media objects stored on the computing device include one or more audio files, images, or video files.

19. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the application constrains searching for media objects by a group or relationship constraint of the user.

20. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the application is configured to create a new set of media objects.