Topic centric media sharing

• US 8,375,039 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2006
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Schwartz, Jordan L. K., Parlin, David R., Kasperkiewicz, Tomasz S. M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shmatov, Alexey
• Application Number:
  US11/464,028
• Publication Number:
  US 20080040387A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,377 Days
• Field of Search: 707/4, 707/101, 707/999.004, 707/999.101, 707/758
• US Class Current: 707/758
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

Topic-centric-media sharing allows a user to search for and share media objects related to a topic. The user can select media objects stored on a client computing device to share with other users. The client computing device contains software that, in operation, searches for a set of media objects related to the same topic as the selected media objects. If such a set is located, the software on the client computing device can associate the selected media objects with the set. If no such set is located, the user can create a new set to share with other users.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

presenting at least one media object related to a topic to a user for selection;

receiving a user selection of the at least one media object;

performing a query for sets of media objects related to content of the at least one media object, the query being constrained to media objects that have been;

(1) uploaded by members of a designated group who are selected based on a frequency the user has previously shared media objects with the members of the designated group, and

(2) captured by the members of the designated group during a predetermined proximity in time;

analyzing time stamps tagged to each of a plurality of media objects to determine whether a set of one or more media objects exists that share a common parameter and were captured by one of the members of the designated group are related to the topic;

if the set does not exist, creating a new set based on the topic for the at least one-media object; and

if the set does exist, associating the at least one media object with the set upon confirmation from the user to associate the at least one media object with the set.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a request from the user to associate the at least one media object with the set.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising prompting the user to create a new set of one or more media objects related to the topic.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one media object includes one or more audio files, images, or videos.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein searching for a set of one or more media objects related to a topic further is constrained by a group or relationship constraint of the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the at least one media object with the set further comprises tagging the selected media object.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the at least one media object with the set further comprises transmitting the at least one media object to a remote computing device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein searching for a set of one or more media objects related to the topic further comprises:

receiving an identifier media object identifying the topic; and

using the identifier media object to search for a set of one or more media objects related to the topic.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising distributing the at least one media object to a second user designated to receive media objects added to the set.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein searching for a set of one or more media objects further comprises determining whether the at least one media object relates to the topic of the one or more media objects within the set based on:

a first time indication and a first location indication associated with the at least one selected media object, and

a second time indication and a second location indication associated with the one or more media objects within the set.

11. A user interface embodied on a computer-readable memory device, the user interface for storing one or more media objects related to a topic as part of a set of one or more media objects related to the topic, the user interface comprising:

a first display area that displays, to a user, the one or more media objects and that receives a user selection of a selected media object included in the one or more media objects;

a second display area that displays a first option for associating the selected media object with a topic-related set of one or more media objects from a plurality of other users in a member group who have been selected based on the frequency the user has previously shared media objects with the other users in the member group, wherein the one or more media objects were selected for the topic-related set based on being captured during a predetermined proximity in time and based on sharing a common parameter included in time stamps;

a third display area that displays a second option for inviting another user to associate media objects with the topic-related set; and

a fourth display area that displays a third option for creating a new set of media objects that share a common parameter, wherein the new set includes the one or more selected media objects.

12. The user interface of claim 11, wherein the second display area further displays an option to locate one or more additional sets to associate with the selected media objects.

13. The user interface of claim 11, wherein the second display area further displays an option to create a new set of one or more media objects related to the topic.

14. A computer system comprising a processor coupled to a computer-readable memory device storing a plurality of computer-executable instructions executable by the processor, the computer-executable instructions configured for associating a media object with a set of one or more stored media objects that capture a topic, comprising:

an application, executable by the processor, configured to;

provide to the user the media object related to the topic;

receive a selection of the media object;

search for a set of one or more media objects related to the topic by searching for sets of media objects from a plurality of users who have been selected based on a frequency the user has previously shared media objects with members of the plurality of users, wherein the one or more media objects in the set are captured by the plurality of users during a predetermined proximity in time and share a common parameter, which is included in time stamps of the one or more media objects; and

an association module configured to associate the media object with the set if the set is found by the application, and display an option to create a new set with the media object based on the quantity of time if the set is not found by the application.

15. The computing device of claim 14 further comprising a transmission module to transmit the media object to a remote storage module, wherein the remote storage module stores the one or more objects within the set.

16. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the media object comprises at least one of an audio, video, or image file.

17. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the application constrains searching for media objects that are associated with a group or relationship constraint of the user.