Sharing content among multiple devices

• US 8,392,526 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2012
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Color Labs Inc. (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Mallet, Vincent, Cheng, Jessica, Fiedel, Noah, Gillum, Eric William, Ramanarayanan, Ganesh, Woods, Nicholas James
• Primary Examiner(s): MACILWINEN, JOHN MOORE JAIN
• Application Number:
  US13/404,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20120246266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 375 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/17306 Intercommunication techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/287 Visualization; Browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/69 using geographic information, e.g. room number
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 : specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 : Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 : User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 : Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 : Processing of subscriber group data
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 : Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 : Version management

Abstract

Systems and methods for the distribution of content among user devices of a device group are presented. In one example, logical relationship information describing logical relationships between user devices is accessed. Membership in a device group of a plurality of the user devices is determined based on the logical relationship information. Content from at least one of the user devices of the device group is received over a communication network. The received content is forwarded over the communication network to the other user devices of the device group.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving content from a first user device of the plurality of user devices;

responsive to the receiving, accessing logical relationship information describing logical relationships between a plurality of user devices;

determining, using at least one processor, membership in a device group of a plurality of the user devices based on the logical relationship information, by selecting the device group from a plurality of possible device groups, each of the device groups comprising a plurality of user devices, the selecting being based on scores generated by a candidate scorer module, wherein the scores generated by the candidate scorer module are based on metadata associated with the content, wherein the device group selected is the device group having the highest of the scores of the plurality of possible device groups;

determining whether the selected device group has a score from the candidate scorer module that falls below a preset threshold;

when it is determined that the selected device group has a score from the candidate scorer module that falls below a preset threshold, creating a new device group consisting of client devices that are located proximate to each other; and

forwarding the content received from the first user device to other user devices of either the selected device group or the new device group, based on the threshold determination.

2. The method of claim 1, the determining of the membership in the new device group comprising repeatedly adjusting the membership in the new device group based on the logical relationship information.

3. The method of claim 1, the logical relationships between the user devices comprising interactions between at least two users of the user devices.

4. The method of claim 1, the logical relationships between the user devices comprising communications between at least two of the user devices.

5. The method of claim 1, the logical relationships between the user devices comprising physical proximity of at least two of the user devices.

6. The method of claim 5, the physical proximity of the at least two of the user devices defined by at least one of location data of the at least two of the user devices and environmental data captured by the at least two of the user devices.

7. The method of claim 5, the determining of the membership in the new device group comprising maintaining the membership of at least one of the user devices in the new device group after the physical proximity of the at least one of the user devices with others of the user devices has ended.

8. The method of claim 1, the determining of the membership in the new device group comprising calculating an affinity between at least two of the user devices based on the logical relationship information.

9. The method of claim 8, the calculating of the affinity comprising assigning greater importance to more recent interactions between user devices represented in the logical relationship information over less recent interactions between user devices represented in the logical relationship information.

10. The method of claim 8, the calculating of the affinity comprising assigning greater importance to contributing content to the new device group over not contributing content to the new device group.

11. The method of claim 10, the contributing of content comprising supplying annotations to the content.

12. The method of claim 1, the determining of the membership in the new device group comprising considering user preferences associated with the user devices, the user preferences comprising at least one of joining a device group associated with a first user device and declining to join a device group associated with a second user device.

13. The method of claim 1, the determining of the membership in the new device group comprising joining to the new device group at least one of the user devices not currently a member of the new device group.

14. The method of claim 13, the determining of the membership in the new device group comprising removing from a second device group the at least one of the user devices.

15. The method of claim 13, the determining of the new membership in the device group comprising forming the new device group with the at least one of the user devices as a member of the new device group.

16. The method of claim 1, the determining of the membership in the new device group comprising associating the new device group with a predetermined location.

17. The method of claim 1, the determining of the membership in the new device group comprising removing from the new device group one of the user devices.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving a request from another one of the user devices belonging to the new device group to remove the one of the user devices from the new device group, the removing from the new device group of the one of the user devices being based on the request.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising detecting objectionable behavior corresponding to the one of the user devices, the removing from the device group of the one of the user devices being based on the detection of the objectionable behavior.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving content from a first user device of the plurality of user devices;

responsive to the receiving, accessing logical relationship information describing logical relationships between a plurality of user devices;

determining, using at least one processor, membership in a device group of a plurality of the user devices based on the logical relationship information, by selecting the device group from a plurality of possible device groups, each of the device groups comprising a plurality of user devices, the selecting being based on scores generated by a candidate scorer module, wherein the scores generated by the candidate scorer module are at least partially based on metadata associated with the content, wherein the device group selected is the device group having the highest of the scores of the plurality of possible device groups;

determining whether the selected device group has a score from the candidate scorer module that falls below a preset threshold;

when it is determined that the selected device group has a score from the candidate scorer module that falls below a preset threshold, creating a new device group consisting of client devices that are located proximate to each other; and

forwarding the content received from the first user device to other user devices of either the selected device group or the new device group, based on the threshold determination.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, the operations comprising receiving location information from at least one of the user devices, the logical relationship information comprising the location information.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, the operations comprising receiving environment information from at least one of the user devices, the logical relationship information comprising the environment information.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, the operations comprising receiving a portion of the logical relationship information from the at least one of the user devices, the adjusting of the membership in the new device group occurring in response to the portion of the logical relationship information being received from the at least one of the user devices.

24. A server system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory to store a plurality of modules comprising instructions for execution on the at least one processor, the modules comprising;

an interaction recording module to record interactions between a plurality of user devices;

a group ranker module to, responsive to the receiving of content by a transfer module, access logical relationship information describing logical relationships between the plurality of user devices, and to determine membership in a device group of a plurality of the user devices based on the recorded interactions and by the content, by selecting the device group from a plurality of possible device groups based on scores generated by a candidate scorer module, wherein the device group selected is the device group having the highest of the scores of the plurality of possible device groups, determine whether the selected device group has a score from the candidate scorer module that falls below a preset threshold; and

when it is determined that the selected device group has a score from the candidate scorer module that falls below a preset threshold, create a new device group including client devices that are located proximate to each other;

the transfer module to receive the content from the one of the plurality of user devices in the device group, and to forward the received content to other user devices of first user device to other user devices of either the selected device group or the new device group, based on the threshold determination; and

a face detection/recognition module to correlate facial features of a received photograph with names of people, and wherein the group ranker module determines membership in a device group based on the names of people correlated with the photograph.

25. The server system of claim 24, the modules comprising:

an affinity calculator module to calculate affinity scores for the user devices based on the recorded interactions, the group ranker module to determine the membership of the plurality of the user devices in the new device group based on the affinity scores.

26. The server system of claim 24, the modules comprising:

a content queue module to store the received content prior to the transfer module forwarding the received content to the other user devices of the new device group, the content queue module storing the received content based at least in part on a number of the plurality of the user devices in new the device group.

27. The server system of claim 24, the group ranker module comprising:

a candidate indexer module to determine a plurality of possible device groups for one of the user devices; and

a candidate scorer module to generate a group score for each of the plurality of possible device groups;

the group ranker module to select at least one of the plurality of possible device groups for the one of the user devices based on the group scores.

28. A user device comprising:

a processor and a memory, the processor operable to operate the following components;

a location services module configured to determine a location of the user device;

an environmental input device configured to capture content; and

a content transfer module configured to transfer an indication of the location and the captured content over a communication network to a server system, the captured content to be distributed to a plurality of devices of a device group comprising the user device, the device group being determined at least in part by the indication of the location, and by selecting the device group from a plurality of possible device groups based on scores generated by a candidate scorer module, wherein the scores generated by the candidate scorer module are based on metadata associated with the captured content, wherein the device group selected is the device group having the highest of the scores of the plurality of possible device groups, determining whether the selected device group has a score from the candidate scorer module that falls below a preset threshold; and

when it is determined that the selected device group has a score from the candidate scorer module that falls below a preset threshold, creating a new device group including client devices that are located proximate to each other; and

at least in part based upon names of people correlated with the content, and selecting the new device group as the device group to which the content is to be distributed.

29. The user device of claim 28, further comprising:

an environment detection module configured to receive signals from the environmental input device, the signals indicating at least one environmental condition detected at the user device;

the content transfer module configured to transfer information describing the at least one environmental condition over the communication network to the server system, the new device group being determined at least in part by the information describing the at least one environmental condition.

30. The user device of claim 28, further comprising:

a coasting module configured to detect periods of time during which the user device is out of contact with the server system, the coasting module to determine whether the user device remains a member of the device group based on the detected periods of time.