System and method for tagging digital media

• US 20080091723A1
• Filed: 10/11/2006
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sittig, Aaron, Zuckerberg, Mark, Marlette, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 7,945,653 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5866 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, manually generated location and time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A method for tagging digital media is described. The method includes selecting a digital media and selecting region within the digital media. The method may further include associating a person or entity with the selected region and sending a notification of the association the person or entity or a different person or entity. The method may further include sending advertising with the notification.

Claims

1. A method for tagging digital media, the method comprising:

selecting the digital media;

selecting a region within the digital media;

associating a person or entity with the selected region within the digital media; and

sending a notification of the association to the person or entity.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising locating contact information for the person or entity and wherein the step of sending the notification further comprises using the contact information to send the notification.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein associating the person or entity with the selected region further comprises entering a name of the person or entity and locating contact information further comprises:

determining if the name is on a preexisting list of names; and

retrieving the associated contact information when the name is on the list.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the association comprises a tag.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital media comprises one or more digital images.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital media comprises digital video, digital audio, digital audiovisual material, or digital text.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the digital media further comprises uploading a file including the digital media from a user of a social network environment.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein selecting the digital media further comprises sending advertising to the user while the uploading of the file is in progress.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if the person or entity is a member of the social network environment; and

sending to the person or entity an invitation to join the social network environment when the person or entity is not a member of the social network environment.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a request to the person or entity for confirmation of the association; and

receiving confirmation of the association from the person or entity.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a request to the person or entity for confirmation of the association; and

removing the association when a disaffirmation of the association is received from the person or entity.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending advertising with the notification to the person or entity.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting a region within the digital media further comprises:

pointing to a selected region with a cursor control device; and

receiving a click from the cursor control device.

14. A method for tagging digital media, the method comprising:

receiving a selection of the digital media from a user of a social network environment;

receiving a selection of a region within the digital media from the user;

receiving contact information for a person or entity;

associating the contact information with the selected region; and

sending a notification of the association to the person or entity, using the contact information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the association comprises a tag.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising associating text with the region.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining if the contact information belongs to a non-member of the social network environment; and

sending an invitation to join the social network environment when the contact information belongs to a non-member of the social network environment, to the non-member using the contact information.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

sending a link to the digital media to the non-member using the contact information;

sending a request for confirmation of the association to the non-member using the contact information; and

receiving from the non-member a reply regarding the association.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

sending a link to the digital media to the non-member using the contact information;

sending a request for confirmation of the association to the non-member using the contact information;

receiving a request to become a member of the social network environment from the non-member; and

receiving from the non-member a reply regarding the association only after the non-member joins the social network environment.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising sending advertising with the notification to the person or entity.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving a selection of the digital media further comprises receiving a file upload including the digital media from the user of the social network environment.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising sending advertising to the user while the file upload is in progress.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving contact information further comprises:

receiving a text character from the user;

displaying to the user a list of email addresses associated with the text character; and

receiving a selection from the user of an email address included in the list.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein the contact information comprises an email address.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein the contact information comprises a name.

26. The method of claim 14, wherein the contact information comprises identification of a user in a social network environment.

27. The method of claim 14, wherein sending the notification further comprises sending an email to the person or entity.

28. The method of claim 14, wherein the contact information comprises a phone number.

29. The method of claim 14, wherein the contact information comprises a street or post office box address.

30. The method of claim 14, wherein the contact information comprises an instant messenger address.

31. The method of claim 14, wherein the contact information comprises identification of an internet service provider user account.

32. The method of claim 14, wherein the contact information comprises a text message address number.

33. The method of claim 14, wherein the contact information comprises a pager number.

34. The method of claim 14, wherein the contact information comprises a social network environment user identification.

35. The method of claim 14, wherein the digital media is accessible in a social network environment.

36. A system for tagging digital media comprising:

a module configured to receive a selection of the digital media from a user of a social network environment;

a module configured to receive a selection of a region within the digital media from the user;

a module configured to receive contact information for a person or entity from the user;

a module configured to associate the contact information with the selected region; and

a module configured to send a notification of the association to the person or entity using the contact information.

37. The system of claim 36, further comprising:

a module configured to determine if the contact information belongs to a non-member of the social network environment; and

a module configured to send to the person or entity an invitation to join the social network environment when the contact information belongs to a non-member of the social network environment.

38. The system of claim 37, further comprising:

a module configured to send a link to the digital media to the person or entity, using the contact information;

a module configured to send a request for confirmation of the association to the person or entity; and

a module configured to receive from the person or entity a reply regarding the association.

39. The system of claim 37, further comprising:

a module configured to send a link to the digital media to the person or entity using the contact information;

a module configured to send a request for confirmation of the association to the person or entity using the contact information;

a module configured to receive a request to join the social network environment from the non-member; and

a module configured to receive from the person or entity a reply regarding the association only after the non-member joins the social network environment.

40. The system of claim 36, further comprising a module configured to send advertising with the notification to the person or entity.

41. The system of claim 36, wherein the association comprises a tag.

42. A method for tagging digital media, the method comprising:

selecting the digital media;

selecting a region within the digital media;

associating a person or entity with the selected region within the digital media; and

sending a notification of the association to a different person or entity.

43. A computer readable medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a computing device for performing a method for tagging digital media, the method comprising:

receiving a selection of the digital media from a user of a social network environment;

receiving a selection of a region within the digital media from the user;

receiving contact information for a person or entity from the user;

associating the contact information with the selected region within the digital media; and

sending a notification of the association to the person or entity, using the contact information.

44. The computer readable medium of claim 43, further comprising:

determining if the contact information belongs to a non-member of the social network environment; and

sending to the person or entity an invitation to join the social network environment when the contact information belongs to a non-member of the social network environment.

45. The computer readable medium of claim 44, further comprising:

sending a link to the digital media to the person or entity;

sending a request for confirmation of the association to the person or entity; and

receiving from the person or entity a reply regarding the association.

46. The computer readable medium of claim 44, further comprising:

sending a link to the digital media to the person or entity;

sending a request for confirmation of the association to the person or entity;

receiving a request to join the social network environment from the person or entity; and

receiving from the person or entity a reply regarding the association only after the person or entity becomes a member of the social network environment.

47. The computer readable medium of claim 43, further comprising sending advertising with the notification.

48. The computer readable medium of claim 43, wherein the association comprises a tag.