INTERACTIVE GROUP CONTENT SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20090119590A1
• Filed: 11/05/2007
• Published: 05/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Data Services Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Stallings, Health, Relyea, Don, Roberts, Brian, Kondziela, James Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,645,842 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

In an exemplary system, a content hub subsystem is selectively and communicatively coupled to a plurality of access devices. At least a subset of the access devices is associated with a predefined group of users. The content hub subsystem is configured to receive data representative of content from at least one of the access devices associated with the predefined group of users, map the content to the predefined group of users, and provide data representative of the content to the access devices associated with the predefined group of users. Each of the access devices associated with the predefined group of users is configured to generate at least one interactive graphical object representative of the content, and generate and present a graphical user interface including the interactive graphical object.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of interactive content facilities, each of said plurality of interactive content facilities within a respective one of a plurality of access devices; and

a content hub subsystem selectively and communicatively coupled to said plurality of access devices, at least a subset of said plurality of access devices being associated with a predefined group of users, said content hub subsystem being configured to

receive data representative of content from at least one of said access devices associated with said predefined group of users,

map said content to said predefined group of users, and

provide data representative of said content to said access devices associated with said predefined group of users;

wherein each of said access devices associated with said predefined group of users is configured to

generate at least one interactive graphical object representative of said content, and

generate and present a graphical user interface including said at least one interactive graphical object.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said content includes a plurality of content instances provided by different ones of said users in said predefined group, said at least one interactive graphical object including a plurality of interactive graphical objects representative of said plurality of content instances, each of said access devices associated with said predefined group of users being configured to present a mosaic of said interactive graphical objects in said graphical user interface.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said content hub subsystem is configured to use a plurality of diverse platforms to communicate with said plurality of access devices.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said content hub subsystem is configured to decode said content from and encode said content to a plurality of formats compatible with said plurality of diverse platforms.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein said plurality of diverse platforms includes at least two of a voice communication platform, a subscriber television platform, and an Internet platform.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one interactive graphical object includes a graphic representative of said content, each of said access devices associated with said predefined group of users being configured to generate said graphic based on a type of said content.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said type of content includes at least one of audio content, video content, image content, textual content, and multimedia content.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said content hub subsystem is configured to archive said content, said archived content being organized by said predefined group.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one interactive graphical object includes a geo-tag indicative of a geographic location associated with said content.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein each of said access devices associated with said predefined group of users is configured to provide at least one tool in said graphical user interface, said at least one tool being configured to enable a user in said predefined group to interact with said at least one interactive graphical object.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said at least one tool is configured to enable the user in said predefined group to edit said content corresponding with said at least one interactive graphical object.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein each of said access devices associated with said predefined group of users is configured to provide data representative of an edit of said content to said content hub subsystem, said content hub subsystem being configured to provide data representative of said updated content to said access devices associated with said predefined group of users.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein each of said access devices associated with said predefined group of users is configured to update said graphical user interface and said interactive graphical object to reflect said updated content.

14. A method comprising:

providing a content hub subsystem;

receiving with said content hub subsystem data representative of group content from at least one user in a predefined group of users;

distributing data representative of said group content with said content hub subsystem to at least one access device associated with at least one user in said predefined group of users;

generating at least one interactive graphical object representative of said group content; and

presenting a graphical user interface including said at least one interactive graphical object.

15. The method of claim 14, said generating said interactive graphical object including:

generating or selecting a graphic based on at least one of said group content and a type of said group content; and

displaying said graphic in said interactive graphical object in said graphical user interface.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

detecting a user selection of said interactive graphical object in said graphical user interface; and

presenting an expanded view of said interactive graphical object in said graphical user interface, said expanded view including at least one tool enabling a user to interact with said group content corresponding with said interactive graphical object.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising selecting said at least one tool for inclusion in said expanded view based on a type of said group content.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising providing at least one tool in said graphical user interface, said at least one tool being configured to enable editing of said group content corresponding with said interactive graphical object.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

detecting an edit of said group content;

providing data representative of said edit to said content hub subsystem;

receiving data representative of updated group content reflective of said edit from said content hub subsystem; and

updating said interactive graphical object and said graphical user interface to reflect said edit.

20. The method of claim 14, tangibly embodied as computer-executable instructions on a computer-readable medium.

21. An apparatus, comprising:

a communication interface configured to communicate with a content hub subsystem over a network, including receiving group content associated with a predefined group of users from said content hub subsystem;

a processor communicatively connected to said communication interface;

a memory unit communicatively connected to said communication interface and said processor; and

an interactive content facility tangibly embodied in said memory unit, said interactive content facility being configured to direct said processor to

generate or select at least one graphic based on at least one of said group content and a type of said group content,

generate at least one interactive graphical object including said at least one graphic, and

generate and provide a graphical user interface including said at least one interactive graphical object.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said group content includes a plurality of content instances, said at least one interactive graphical object includes a plurality of interactive graphical objects representative of said plurality of content instances, and wherein said interactive content facility is configured to direct said processor to direct the apparatus to display a mosaic of said interactive graphical objects in said graphical user interface.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said interactive content facility is configured to direct said processor to

detect a user selection of said interactive graphical object in said graphical user interface, and

present an expanded view of said interactive graphical object in said graphical user interface, said expanded view including at least one tool enabling a user to interact with said group content corresponding with said interactive graphical object.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said at least one tool is configured to enable a user of the apparatus to edit said group content corresponding with said interactive graphical object.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein said interactive content facility is configured to direct said processor to:

detect a user edit of said group content;

provide data representative of said user edit to said content hub subsystem;

receive data representative of updated group content from said content hub subsystem, said updated group content including said user edit; and

update said interactive graphical object and said graphical user interface to reflect said user edit.