MAINTAINING A JOURNAL OF MEDIA ENCOUNTERS

• US 20080065505A1
• Filed: 10/13/2006
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jones, David, Plastina, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 8,290,820 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

Creating a journal of media encounters listing media content that was previously provided to a user. Metadata describing the media encounters is used to create journal entries. The journal is presented to the user for interaction. A purchase opportunity for the media content is provided to the user based on the metadata.

Claims

1. A method for promoting the purchase of media content through documentation of community media encounters, said method comprising:

receiving metadata from a first computing device associated with a user, said metadata describing at least one media encounter experienced by the user, said media encounter comprising a communication between the first computing device and a second computing device during which one or more media content items were provided to the first computing device by the second computing device, said metadata describing the media content items, wherein the first computing device is portable;

creating a plurality of actionable elements for association with each of the media content items provided to the first computing device by the second computing device during the communication, each of the actionable elements providing the user with a purchase opportunity for the associated media content item;

presenting the created, actionable elements to the user;

receiving a selection of one or more of the presented, actionable elements; and

enabling the user to purchase the media content items corresponding to the received selection of actionable elements.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata describes a plurality of media encounters, and further comprising:

receiving a selection of one of the plurality of media encounters;

identifying media content items associated with the received selection of one of the plurality of media encounters; and

providing to the user the identified media content items to enable the user to re-live the selected one of the plurality of media encounters.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the metadata comprises receiving a tag associated with one or more of the media content items, said tag indicating that the associated media content items are of interest to the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the media content items were streamed by the second computing device to the first computing device during the communication.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling the user to search network locations for at least one of the media content items corresponding to the received selection of actionable elements is unavailable.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a tag from the user for association with at least one of the presented, actionable elements.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the media content items were provided to the first computing device by the second computing device upon co-location of the first computing device and the second computing device within a local communication region.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the media content items were provided to the first computing device by the second computing device based on evaluation of digital content distribution criteria associated with one or more of the first computing device and the second computing device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the created plurality of actionable elements corresponds to a journal.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more computer-readable media have computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 1.

11. A method for documenting community media encounters, said method comprising:

receiving metadata from a first computing device associated with a user, said metadata describing at least one media encounter experienced by the user, said media encounter comprising a communication between the first computing device and a second computing device during which one or more media content items were provided to the first computing device by the second computing device, said metadata describing the media content items;

creating records corresponding to the media content items, wherein the records include the received metadata, wherein the created records collectively form a journal of media encounters;

presenting to the user the journal of media encounters; and

interacting with the user via the journal of media encounters to manipulate one or more of the media content items.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a selection of the created records from the user; and

rendering the media content items corresponding to the received selection of created records to the user.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving the metadata comprises receiving a tag associated with one or more of the media content items, and further comprising visually distinguishing the created records corresponding thereto in the presented journal.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein each of the records has one or more actionable elements associated therewith.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein interacting with the user comprises:

receiving a request from the user to sort the created records collectively forming the journal of media encounters;

sorting the created records responsive to the received request; and

presenting to the user the journal of media encounters having the sorted records therein.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein one or more computer-readable media have computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 11.

17. A media purchasing system comprising:

a portable computing device associated with a user;

a journal computing device;

a memory area associated with the journal computing device, said memory area for storing a plurality of records in a journal, each of the plurality of records corresponding to a media content item provided to a user during communication between the portable computing device of the user and a content distribution device, said memory area further storing actionable elements each corresponding to one of the plurality of records, said actionable elements linking each of the records to a media service offering the corresponding media content items for purchase; and

a processor associated with the portable computing device, said processor being configured to execute computer-executable instructions for;

communicating with the content distribution device upon entering a local communication region having the content distribution device therein, wherein the media content items and associated metadata are provided to the portable computing device by the content distribution device during the communication;

connecting to the journal computing device outside of the local communication region;

synchronizing the associated metadata with the connected journal computing device, wherein the connected journal computing device stores the synchronized metadata in the memory area as the plurality of records;

receiving a license to render one or more of the media content items associated with the metadata; and

rendering at least one of the one or more of the media content items to the user.

18. The media purchasing system of claim 17, further comprising means for receiving the media content items and associated metadata from the content distribution device within the local communication region.

19. The media purchasing system of claim 17, further comprising means for creating the journal on the journal computing device.

20. The media purchasing system of claim 17, wherein the content distribution device comprises a computing device that is a peer to the portable computing device.