Sharing on-line media experiences

• US 8,464,163 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2008
• Issued: 06/11/2013
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US12/044,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20080154967A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,922 Days
• Field of Search: 715719-726, 715/727, 715/738, 715748-749, 715/753, 715/811, 715/745, 715/805, 715/758, 715/752, 715/755, 715/756, 707/769, 707/705, 705/13, 705/40
• US Class Current: 715/752
• 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 comprising:

identifying online multimedia content presently being experienced by a lead user linked to a plurality of followers within a social network;

determining an attribute associated with the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user;

accessing, from electronic storage, attributes of other online multimedia content in which the plurality of followers have expressed interest;

comparing the attribute associated with the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user with the attributes of the other online multimedia content in which the plurality of followers have expressed interest;

identifying, based on comparison results, a subset of followers, from the plurality of followers, that are likely to be interested in the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user;

determining whether to share the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user with the subset of followers; and

in response to a determination to share the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user with the subset of followers;

notifying the subset of followers of the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user; and

enabling the subset of followers to experience the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein notifying the subset of followers of the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user comprises notifying the subset of followers of the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user without human intervention.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the subset of followers to experience the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user comprises enabling the subset of followers to experience the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user automatically based upon a machine-to-machine communication without intervention by the subset of followers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

determining the attribute associated with the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user comprises determining a category of the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user;

accessing, from electronic storage, attributes of the other online multimedia content in which the plurality of followers have expressed interest comprises accessing, from electronic storage, information related to categories of the other online multimedia content;

comparing the attribute associated with the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user with the attributes of the other online multimedia content in which the plurality of followers have expressed interest comprises comparing the category of the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user with the categories of the other online multimedia content; and

notifying the subset of followers of the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user comprises notifying the subset of followers for which the comparison reveals that the category of the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user is a category of online multimedia content of interest to the subset of followers.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing, from electronic storage, information related to the plurality of followers.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein accessing, from electronic storage, information related to the plurality of followers comprises accessing information of followers for which current online presence has been detected.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of followers are selected by the lead user and are added to a list of followers associated with the lead user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the subset of followers to experience the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user comprises providing the subset of followers with a uniform resource locator associated with the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying the subset of followers of online multimedia content previously experienced by the lead user.

10. A system comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory device coupled to the at least one processor, the memory device storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the processor to;

identify online multimedia content presently being experienced by a lead user linked to a plurality of followers within a social network;

determine an attribute associated with the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user;

access attributes of other online multimedia content in which the plurality of followers have expressed interest;

compare the attribute associated with the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user with the attributes of the other online multimedia content in which the plurality of followers have expressed interest;

identify, based on comparison results, a subset of followers, from the plurality of followers, that are likely to be interested in the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user;

determine whether to share the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user with the subset of followers; and

in response to a determination to share the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user with the subset of followers;

notify the subset of followers of the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user; and

enable the subset of followers to experience the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

notify the subset of followers of the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user without human intervention.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

enable the subset of followers to experience the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user automatically based upon a machine-to-machine communication without intervention by the subset of followers.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

determine a category of the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user;

access information related to categories of the other online multimedia content in which the plurality of followers have expressed interest;

compare the category of the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user with the categories of the other online multimedia content in which the plurality of followers have expressed interest; and

notify the subset of followers for which the comparison reveals that the category of the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user is category of online multimedia content of interest to the subset of followers.

14. The system of claim 10, further comprising instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

access a list of followers linked to the lead user.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

access a list of followers linked to the lead user for which current online presence has been detected.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of followers are selected by the lead user and are added to a list of followers associated with the lead user.

17. The system of claim 10, further comprising instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

provide the subset of followers with a uniform resource locator associated with the online multimedia content presently being experienced by the lead user.

18. The system of claim 10, further comprising instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

notify one or more of the plurality of followers of online multimedia content previously experienced by the lead user.