Recursive subscriptions to content feeds

• US 8,694,607 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2007
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Darnell, Benjamin G., Gonsalves, Carl Laurence, Haugh, Justin Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Anwari, Maceeh
• Application Number:
  US11/869,503
• Publication Number:
  US 20080086755A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,373 Days
• Field of Search: 709/218
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

At a client device, a user subscribes to a specified stream, where the specified stream includes one or more other streams. A respective stream of the one or more other streams includes two or more content feeds, and each content feed includes a set of content items published by a respective publication source. The client devices presents to the user (e.g., on a display of the client device) content items associated with the specified stream. In some embodiments, streams can be recursively defined to include combinations of other streams, and users who subscribe to a recursively defined stream receive content items from the content feeds associated with that stream.

Claims

1. A method of providing content, comprising:

at a first client device, in response to instructions from a first user, applying a first label to a first stream of content feeds, the first stream comprising a second stream of content feeds and a third stream of content feeds, the second stream of content feeds comprising one or more content feeds to which a second client device in response to instructions from a second user applied a second label, the third stream of content feeds comprising one or more content feeds to which a third client device in response to instructions from a third user applied a third label, wherein the first, second and third labels are distinct from each other, and the first, second and third users are distinct from each other; and

at the first client device, presenting to the first user a sequence of content items for the first stream of content feeds, the sequence comprising content items from the second stream of content feeds and the third stream of content feeds.

2. The method of claim 1, further including, at the first client device, presenting to the first user a stream identifier for the second stream and a stream identifier for the third stream, the stream identifier for the second stream including a name of a second user and the second label, the stream identifier for the third stream including a name of a third user and the third label.

3. The method of claim 1, further including, at a fourth client device, subscribing to the first stream in response to instructions from a fourth user, and presenting to the fourth user content items for the first stream.

4. The method of claim 1, further including, at the first client device, in response to instructions from the first user, performing an action to make the first stream available for subscription by other users.

5. A method of serving content items from content feeds to a plurality of users, comprising:

at a server system;

for each respective stream of content feeds of a plurality of streams of content feeds, storing subscription data indicating users of the plurality of users who have subscribed to the respective stream of content feeds, and storing user label data indicating labels, if any, that respective users have applied to the respective stream of content feeds, wherein a first stream of content feeds of the plurality of streams of content feeds, subscribed to by a first user, has a first label applied in response to instructions from the first user and comprises a second stream of content feeds having a second label applied in response to instructions from a second user and a third stream of content feeds having a third label applied in response to instructions from a third user, wherein the second stream of content feeds and the third stream of content feeds each comprise one or more content feeds, and wherein each content feed comprises a set of content items published by a respective publication source, wherein the first, second and third labels are distinct from each other, and the first, second and third users are distinct from each other; and

transmitting to a client device of the first user a list of content items of the first stream of content feeds.

6. The method of claim 5, including storing for the first stream a stream name that includes a name of the first user and the label applied by the first user.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the second stream and the third stream each comprise two or more content feeds, wherein each content feed comprises a set of content items published by a respective publication source.

8. The method of claim 5, further including, at the server system, in response to instructions from the first user, performing an action to make the first stream available for subscription by other users.

9. A system for serving content, located remotely from a client device, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing one or more programs configured for execution by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including;

instructions to store, for each respective stream of content feeds of a plurality of streams of content feeds, subscription data indicating users of a plurality of users who have subscribed to the respective stream of content feeds, and to store user label data indicating labels, if any, that respective users have applied to the respective stream of content feeds, wherein a first stream of content feeds of the plurality of streams of content feeds, subscribed to by a first user, has a first label applied in response to instructions from the first user and comprises a second stream of content feeds having a second label applied in response to instructions from a second user and a third stream of content feeds having a third label applied in response to instructions from a third user, wherein the second stream of content feeds and the third stream of content feeds each comprise one or more content feeds, wherein each content feed comprises a set of content items published by a respective publication source, and wherein the first, second and third labels are distinct from each other, and the first, second and third users are distinct from each other; and

instructions to transmit to a client device of the first user a list of content items of the first stream of content feeds.

10. The system of claim 9, the one or more programs including instructions to store for the first stream a stream name that includes a name of the first user and the label applied by the first user.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the second stream and the third stream each comprise two or more content feeds, wherein each content feed comprises a set of content items published by a respective publication source.

12. The system of claim 9, the one or more programs including further including instructions to perform an action to make the first stream available for subscription by other users, in response to instructions from the first user.

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured to be executed by a server computer system remotely located from a client device, the one or more programs comprising:

instructions to store, for each respective stream of content feeds of a plurality of streams of content feeds, subscription data indicating users of a plurality of users who have subscribed to the respective stream of content feeds, and to store user label data indicating labels, if any, that respective users have applied to the respective stream of content feeds, wherein a first stream of content feeds of the plurality of streams of content feeds, subscribed to by a first user, has a first label applied in response to instructions from the first user and comprises a second stream of content feeds having a second label applied in response to instructions from a second user and a third stream of content feeds having a third label applied in response to instructions from a third user, wherein the second stream of content feeds and the third stream of content feeds each comprise one or more content feeds, wherein each content feed comprises a set of content items published by a respective publication source, and wherein the first, second and third labels are distinct from each other, and the first, second and third users are distinct from each other; and

instructions to transmit to a client device of the first user a list of content items of the first stream of content feeds.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, the one or more programs including instructions to store for the first stream a stream name that includes a name of the first user and the label applied by the first user.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the second stream and the third stream each comprise two or more content feeds, wherein each content feed comprises a set of content items published by a respective publication source.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, the one or more programs further including instructions to perform an action to make the first stream available for subscription by other users, in response to instructions from the first user.

17. A server system for serving content, located remotely from a client device, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors;

means for storing, for each respective stream of content feeds of a plurality of streams of content feeds, subscription data indicating users of a plurality of users who have subscribed to the respective stream of content feeds, and for storing user label data indicating labels, if any, that respective users have applied to the respective stream of content feeds, wherein a first stream of content feeds of the plurality of streams of content feeds, subscribed to by a first user, has a first label applied in response to instructions from the first user and comprises a second stream of content feeds having a second label applied in response to instructions from a second user and a third stream of content feeds having a third label applied in response to instructions from a third user, wherein the second stream of content feeds and the third stream of content feeds each comprise one or more content feeds, wherein each content feed comprises a set of content items published by a respective publication source, and wherein the first, second and third labels are distinct from each other, and the first, second and third users are distinct from each other; and

means for transmitting to a client device of the first user a list of content items of the first stream of content feeds.

18. A client device, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing one or more programs configured for execution by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including;

instructions to apply a first label to a first stream of content feeds, in response to instructions from a first user at the client device, the client device comprising a first client device, the first stream comprising a second stream of content feeds and a third stream of content feeds, the second stream of content feeds comprising one or more content feeds to which a second client device in response to instructions from a second user applied a second label, the third stream of content feeds comprising one or more content feeds to which a third client device in response to instructions from a third user applied a third label, wherein the first, second and third labels are distinct from each other, and the first, second and third users are distinct from each other; and

instructions to present to the first user, at the first client device, a sequence of content items for the first stream of content feeds, the sequence comprising content items from the second stream of content feeds and the third stream of content feeds.

19. The client device of claim 18, the one or more programs further including instructions for presenting to the first user, at the first client device, a stream identifier for the second stream and a stream identifier for the third stream, the stream identifier for the second stream including a name of a second user and the second label, the stream identifier for the third stream including a name of a third user and the third label.

20. The client device of claim 18, the one or more programs further including, instructions for performing an action to make the first stream available for subscription by other users, in response to instructions from the first user at the first client device.

21. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured to be executed at a client device, the one or more programs comprising:

instructions to apply a first label to a first stream of content feeds, in response to instructions from a first user at the client device, the client device comprising a first client device, the first stream comprising a second stream of content feeds and a third stream of content feeds, the second stream of content feeds comprising one or more content feeds to which a second client device in response to instructions from a second user applied a second label, the third stream of content feeds comprising one or more content feeds to which a third client device in response to instructions from a third user applied a third label, wherein the first, second and third labels are distinct from each other, and the first, second and third users are distinct from each other; and

instructions to present to the first user, at the first client device, a sequence of content items for the first stream of content feeds, the sequence comprising content items from the second stream of content feeds and the third stream of content feeds.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 21, the one or more programs further including instructions for presenting to the first user, at the first client device, a stream identifier for the second stream and a stream identifier for the third stream, the stream identifier for the second stream including a name of a second user and the second label, the stream identifier for the third stream including a name of a third user and the third label.

23. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 21, the one or more programs further including, instructions for performing an action to make the first stream available for subscription by other users, in response to instructions from the first user at the first client device.