AUTOMATIC ASSOCIATION OF REFERENCE DATA WITH PRIMARY PROCESS DATA BASED ON TIME AND SHARED IDENTIFIER

• US 20080104649A1
• Filed: 10/31/2006
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Naaman, Mor, Nair, Rahul
• Granted Patent: US 8,171,237 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/116
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2423 Interactive query statement specification based on a database schema
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases

Abstract

A method and system for automatically associating primary process data with reference data. The primary process data may include image, video, audio, text, search data, and the like. The reference data may include location, temperature, pressure, and the like. A primary process data processor device, such as a digital camera, is used to acquire the primary process data with time information, but without any reference data. A reference data collector device, such as a cellular telephone, is used to acquire the reference data with time information. The primary process data and the reference data are uploaded to a server and each are associated with a shared identifier, such as a user ID. Of the content and reference data associated with the shared ID, the server determines which primary process data and reference data were acquired near the same time, and automatically associates the reference data with the primary process data.

Claims

1. A method for associating primary process data with reference data, comprising:

accessing primary process data associated with a first time that comprises a time at which the primary process data was obtained;

accessing reference data that is associated with a second time that comprises a time at which the reference data was obtained and is substantially near the first time;

associating the primary process data with a shared identifier;

associating the reference data with the shared identifier;

automatically associating the primary process data with the reference data based at least in part on the shared identifier, the first time, and the second time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference data represents a location substantially near where the primary process data was obtained.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary process data was obtained with a content acquisition device that is limited by one of the following:

the content acquisition device does not include a reference data collector for determining the reference data; and

the content acquisition device does not perform the operation of associating the primary process data with the reference data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary process data and the reference data were each obtained with separate devices.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary process data comprises at least one of the following:

image data, video data, audio data, text data, physical measurement data, and search data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference data comprises at least one of the following:

global positioning data, latitude data, longitude data, cellular tower reference data, temperature data, altitude data, and physically measured data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the shared identifier comprises one of the following:

a user identifier, a mobile device identifier, a user-specified identifier, and a machine-specified identifier.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the primary process data is automatically associated with the shared identifier when the primary process data is received at a network server; and

the reference data is automatically associated with the shared identifier when the reference data is received at the network server.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the association is done asynchronously.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing an action based at least in part on the association between the primary process data and the reference data.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the action comprises modifying a service associated with the shared identifier, the service being accessible by a device separate from a reference data device.

12. A computer readable medium, comprising executable instructions for performing actions, including the actions of claim 1.

13. A server for associating primary process data with reference data, comprising:

a processor;

a communication interface in communication with

the processor,

a primary process data processor that obtains primary process data, and

a reference data collector that obtains reference data; and

a memory in communication with the processor and storing machine instructions that cause the processor to perform a plurality of operations, including;

accessing the primary process data, which is associated with a first time that comprises a time at which the primary process data was obtained with the primary process data processor;

accessing the reference data, which is associated with a second time that comprises a time at which the reference data was obtained with the reference data collector and is substantially near the first time;

associating the primary process data with a shared identifier;

associating the reference data with the shared identifier; and

automatically associating the primary process data with the reference data based at least in part on the shared identifier, the first time, and the second time.

14. The server of claim 13 wherein the reference data identifies a location substantially near where the primary process data was obtained.

15. The server of claim 13, wherein the communication interface receives the primary process data from a primary process data processor that is limited by one of the following:

the primary process data processor does not include a reference data collector for determining the reference data; and

the primary process data processor does not perform the operation of associating the primary process data with the reference data.

16. The server of claim 13, wherein the primary process data comprises at least one of the following:

image data, video data, audio data, text data, physical measurement data, and search query data.

17. The server of claim 13, wherein the reference data comprises at least one of the following:

global positioning data, latitude data, longitude data, cellular tower reference data, wireless access point reference data, television broadcast reference data, radio broadcast reference data, Bluetooth™

reference data, and manually entered reference data.

18. The server of claim 13, wherein the shared identifier comprises one of the following:

a user identifier, a mobile device identifier, a user-specified identifier, and a machine-specified identifier.

19. The server of claim 13, wherein:

the primary process data is automatically associated with the shared identifier when the primary process data is received at the communication interface; and

the reference data is automatically associated with the shared identifier when the reference data is received at the communication interface.

20. The server of claim 13, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to perform the operation of modifying the primary process data to include at least a portion of the reference data.

21. The server of claim 13, wherein the primary process data and the reference data are received from a mobile device.

22. A system for associating primary process data with reference data, comprising:

a collector that obtains primary process data at a first time;

a reference data collector that obtains reference data at a second time that is substantially near the first time; and

a multi-data associator that;

associates the primary process data with a shared identifier;

associates the reference data with the shared identifier; and

automatically associates the primary process data with the reference data based at least in part on the shared identifier, the first time, and the second time.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the reference data identifies a location substantially near where the primary process data was obtained.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the multi-data associator modifies the primary process data with at least a portion of the reference data.