SHARING ON-LINE MEDIA EXPERIENCES

• US 20130080921A1
• Filed: 09/15/2012
• Published: 03/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Heikes, Brian, Frischling, William, Love, John Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 10,374,992 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15

Abstract

A lead user may share an on-line media content experience with one or more followers by identifying content of interest being experienced on the lead user system, identifying one or more followers with whom to share the content of interest, inviting the followers to experience the content of interest, and enabling the followers to access the content of interest.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for sharing content, the method comprising:

identifying online media content experienced by a first user;

determining an attribute associated with the online media content experienced by the first user;

accessing, from electronic storage, information related to other users associated with the first user;

based on the information related to the other users associated with the first user, accessing, from electronic storage, information related to attributes of online media content of interest to the other users associated with the first user;

comparing the attribute associated with the online media content experienced by the first user with the information related to attributes of online media content of interest to the other users associated with the first user; and

based on comparison results;

automatically notifying one or more of the other users associated with the first user of the online media content experienced by the first user; and

enabling the one or more notified users to experience the online media content experienced by the first user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically notifying one or more of the other users associated with the first user of the online media content experienced by the first user comprises notifying one or more of the other users associated with the first user of the online media content experienced by the first user without human intervention.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein enabling the one or more notified users to experience the online media content experienced by the first user comprises enabling the one or more notified users to experience the online media content experienced by the first user automatically based upon a machine-to-machine communication without intervention by the one or more notified users.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

determining the attribute associated with the online media content experienced by the first user comprises determining a category of the online media content experienced by the first user;

accessing, from electronic storage, information related to attributes of online media content of interest to the other users associated with the first user comprises accessing, from electronic storage, information related to categories of online media content of interest to the other users associated with the first user;

comparing the attribute associated with the online media content experienced by the first user with the information related to attributes of online media content of interest to the other users associated with the first user comprises comparing the category of the online media content experienced by the first user with the categories of online media content of interest to the other users associated with the first user; and

based on comparison results, automatically notifying one or more of the other users associated with the first user of the online media content experienced by the first user comprises automatically notifying the other users for which the comparison reveals that the category of the online media content experienced by the first user is category of online media content of interest.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing, from electronic storage, information related to other users associated with the first user comprises accessing, from electronic storage, a list of other users associated with the first user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein accessing, from electronic storage, a list of other users associated with the first user comprises accessing a list of other users associated with the first user for which current online presence has been detected.

7. A computer-implemented method for sharing content, the method comprising:

identifying content experienced by a first user;

accessing, from electronic storage, information related to other users associated with the first user;

receiving a selection, from among the other users associated with the first user, of multiple users to invite to experience the content experienced by the first user, the multiple users including a second user that is different than the first user and a third user that is different than the first user and the second user;

sending, to the multiple users, invitations to experience the content experienced by the first user;

determining whether the invited users have accepted the invitations to experience the content experienced by the first user; and

based on determination results, providing, to the first user, an indication of whether the invited users have accepted the invitations to experience the content experienced by the first user, the indication indicating that the second user has accepted the invitation to experience the content experienced by the first user and the third user has not accepted the invitation to experience the content experienced by the first user.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein accessing, from electronic storage, information related to other users associated with the first user comprises accessing, from electronic storage, a list of other users associated with the first user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein accessing, from electronic storage, a list of other users associated with the first user comprises accessing a list of other users associated with the first user for which current online presence has been detected.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein providing, to the first user, the indication of whether the invited users have accepted the invitations to experience the content experienced by the first user comprises providing the first user with a user interface that includes:

a first graphical icon associated with a first identifier for the second user, the first graphical icon indicating that the second user has accepted the invitation to experience the content experienced by the first user, and

a second graphical icon associated with a second identifier for the third user, the second graphical icon indicating that the third user has not accepted the invitation to experience the content experienced by the first user.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein providing, to the first user, the indication of whether the invited users have accepted the invitations to experience the content experienced by the first user comprises providing the first user with a user interface that includes a list of identifiers of users following a content experience of the first user, the list of identifiers including an identifier for the second user and not including an identifier for the third user.

12. A computer-implemented method for sharing content, the method comprising:

identifying first online media content experienced by a first user;

detecting a change in online media content experienced by the first user from the first online media content to second online media content; and

in response to detecting the change in online media content experienced by the first user;

accessing, from electronic storage, information related to other users associated with the first user;

based on the information related to the other users associated with the first user and the second online media content, identifying one or more of the other users associated with the first user to notify of the change in online media content experienced by the first user from the first online media content to the second online media content; and

alerting the one or more identified users of the change in online media content experienced by the first user from the first online media content to the second online media content.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein accessing, from electronic storage, information related to other users associated with the first user comprises accessing, from electronic storage, a list of other users associated with the first user.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein accessing, from electronic storage, a list of other users associated with the first user comprises accessing a list of other users associated with the first user for which current online presence has been detected.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein detecting the change in online media content experienced by the first user from the first online media content to second online media content comprises automatically detecting the change in online media content experienced by the first user at a computer system used by the first user.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein detecting the change in online media content experienced by the first user from the first online media content to second online media content comprises automatically detecting the change in online media content experienced by the first user at a host system.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein:

accessing, from electronic storage, information related to other users associated with the first user comprises accessing a list of users that are currently following a content experience of the first user; and

identifying one or more of the other users associated with the first user to notify of the change in online media content experienced by the first user from the first online media content to the second online media content comprises identifying the users that are currently following the content experience of the first user.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein alerting the one or more identified users of the change in online media content experienced by the first user from the first online media content to the second online media content comprises automatically changing content experienced by the one or more identified users to the second online media content.

19. The method of claim 12 wherein:

identifying one or more of the other users associated with the first user to notify of the change in online media content experienced by the first user from the first online media content to the second online media content comprises;

determining an attribute associated with the second online media content experienced by the first user;

based on the information related to the other users associated with the first user, accessing, from electronic storage, information related to attributes of online media content of interest to the other users associated with the first user;

comparing the attribute associated with the second online media content experienced by the first user with the information related to attributes of online media content of interest to the other users associated with the first user; and

identifying one or more of the other users associated with the first user to notify of the change in online media content experienced by the first user from the first online media content to the second online media content based on comparison results.

20. The method of claim 19 alerting the one or more identified users of the change in online media content experienced by the first user from the first online media content to the second online media content comprises notifying the one or more identified users of the second online media content experienced by the first user.