Dynamic information management system and method for content delivery and sharing in content-, metadata- and viewer-based, live social networking among users concurrently engaged in the same and/or similar content

• US 8,707,185 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2008
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Neonekt, LLC
• Original Assignee: ADDnCLICK, Inc.
• Inventors: Robinson, Jack, Lim, Teng Lew, Muller, Peter, Glausi, Wallace, Noke, Timothy, Fullerton, Larry, Hamar, Dusan
• Primary Examiner(s): RIEGLER, PATRICK F
• Application Number:
  US12/079,730
• Publication Number:
  US 20090249244A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,217 Days
• Field of Search: 715/738, 715/781, 715/751, 715/758, 705/319
• US Class Current: 715/751
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence

Abstract

Disclosed are tools, methods, and systems for establishing generally live, Content-based social networks, and for concurrently sharing Content and Content-relevant information within a social network. A Service registers Viewers and/or n-Users, and provides tools that enable a Viewer to identify n-Users concurrently viewing the same or similar Content, or having an interest in the same or similar Content. A Viewer can initiate or join a Content-based social network, and can share their Content with others, or view others'"'"' Content, and interact with n-Users via any of several methods. Service tools also enable a Viewer to define and selectively block or alter objectionable material so that it is no longer perceivable in its objectionable form. The described tools, methods, and systems also enable numerous innovative approaches to generate revenue for a Service, for providers of product and/or services, for Content providers, and others.

Claims

1. A network-enabled content sharing and social networking system, comprising:

device-executable code stored at a non-transitory data storage medium and configured, when executed by a processor, to cause a viewer device to viewably display a content-based social networking shared window graphical user interface (GUI) comprising each of a first content display portion, a second content display portion, and a linked-user portion, wherein;

the second content display portion is configured with network browsing capabilities configured to access content via a data transfer network and to display the accessed content to a viewer,

the first content display portion is configured to display an item of content concurrently with the second content display portion, and

the linked-user portion is configured to display an identification of each linked user and a miniature image of content with which each linked-user is engaged; and

a content analysis means operably coupled with the first content display portion and comprising device-executable code stored at a non-transitory data storage medium and configured, when executed by a processor, to cause the processor to identify characteristics of the content displayed to the viewer at the first content display portion, and to establish a live social network construct with a remote user, wherein;

characteristics of content engaged in by the remote user via a computing device are determined by the content analysis means to be similar to the characteristics of the content presented at the first content display portion of the viewer device,

the viewer device and the remote user computing device are linked via the live social network construct based at least in part upon the characteristics of content engaged in by the remote user and characteristics of content presented at the first content display portion being determined to be similar, and

viewer-perceivable content in the first content display portion is shared with and rendered concurrently perceivable by the remote user at the computing device of the remote user.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a persistent client window comprising device-executable code stored at a non-transitory data storage medium and configured, when executed by a processor, to cause a viewer device to viewably display a GUI including an integral content display portion and one or more selection means configured as viewer-selectable icons, wherein the one or more selection means each activate a respective one or more content-based social networking controls selected from the group consisting of;

content search, selection, and/or playback controls, message sending, receiving, and/or viewing controls, community and/or room selection controls, and task management controls.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a web widget comprising device-executable code stored at a non-transitory data storage medium and configured, when executed by a processor, to cause a viewer device to viewably display a viewer-perceivable GUI within, overlying, or proximate viewer-perceivable content presented to the viewer at the viewer device, and further configured with a remote-user identification portion, a remote-user interaction portion, and a shared window GUI accessing means.

4. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

a web widget comprising device-executable code stored at a non-transitory data storage medium and configured, when executed, as a viewer-perceivable GUI within, overlying, or proximate viewer-perceivable content presented to the viewer at the viewer device, and further configured with a remote-user identification portion, a remote-user interaction portion, and a shared window GUI accessing means.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein either or both of the linked-user portion of the shared window GUI and the remote-user identification portion of the web widget are configured, when executed and linked with one or more remote users in a live social network construct, with one or more of:

any one of or combination of a textual remote user identifier, a graphical remote user representation, and a graphical representation of content concurrently perceived by the remote user;

any one of or combination of a graphical representation of a remote user from whom a message is received, and a viewer-perceivable representation of the received message presented in any one of or combination of a textual, visual, auditory, tactile, machine-readable, and/or another viewer-perceivable form; and

a message entry means configured to receive from the viewer, and to send to the remote user, a message composed by the viewer in any one of or combination of a textual, visual, audible, tactile, and/or another form.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an objectionable content-obstructing means operably coupled with the content-analysis means, and configured as a selective content filter to prevent unobstructed presentation of objectionable viewer-perceivable content at either or both of the viewer device and the remote user device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein viewer-perceivable content presented at the second content display portion of the viewer device is not concurrently shared with the remote user.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein both of the first and second content display portions of the shared window GUI are configured with instructions enabling them, when executed by the user device, to operate as a network browser application.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein all of or any portion of the device-executable code is executed by a service-provider device coupled in communication with each of the viewer device and the remote user device via the data transfer network, and wherein the result of such execution is presented to either or both of the viewer and the remote user at their respective devices.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the viewer can, either prior to the establishment of or at any time during a live social network, selectively include or exclude one or more remote users from either or both of participating in the social network and from perceiving content shared by the viewer with remote users within the social network.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein characteristics of content include one or more of metadata, form, structural elements, sequence of structural elements, context, and subject matter of the content, and either alternatively or additionally including one or more of an object, marker, data packet, and visual representation of code, either inserted or overlaid relative to the presented content.

12. The system of claim 4, wherein access by a viewer or a remote user to all or any portion of the device-executable code is conditioned upon the presence of a valid registration record, for that viewer or remote user, stored at a data storage means of or otherwise accessible by a service provider device coupled in communication with each of the viewer device and the remote user device via the data transfer network.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the content includes video content, still image content, textual content, audio content, tactile content, or any combination thereof, whether accessed via a data transfer network or from a non-transitory memory storage medium operably coupled with the viewer device.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein selection of either of a miniature content image or a linked-user identification displayed in the linked-user portion causes the second content display portion to display the content with which the linked user is engaged.

15. A content similarity-based social network establishment method, comprising:

providing a content analysis means configured as device-executable code stored at a non-transitory data storage medium;

providing to two or more validly-registered entities a social networking graphical user interface (GUI) as device-executable code stored at a non-transitory data storage medium and configured, when executed by data processing circuitry, to cause a display device operably coupled with a viewer'"'"'s network-coupled device to display a shared window including a first content display portion, a second content display portion, and a linked-user portion, wherein;

the first content display portion is operably coupled with the content analysis means;

the first content display portion is configured to display content to a viewer concurrently with and in the same manner as does the second content display portion, and

the linked-user portion is configured to display an identification of each linked-user and a miniature image of content with which each linked-user is engaged;

detecting an engagement with first viewer-perceivable content at a network-coupled device by a first validly-registered entity of the two or more validly-registered entities;

analyzing the first viewer-perceivable content by the content analysis means;

identifying one or more characteristics of the first viewer-perceivable content;

analyzing, by the content analysis means, second viewer-perceivable content concurrently engaged in at a remote network-coupled device of a remote second validly-registered entity of the two or more validly-registered entities;

identifying one or more characteristics of the second viewer-perceivable content which are either the same as or similar to the one or more characteristics of the first viewer-perceivable content;

linking the first validly-registered entity into a live, interactive social networking construct with the second validly-registered entity; and

rendering the first viewer-perceivable content concurrently perceivable at the first content display portion of the social networking GUI of the network-coupled device and at one of the second content display portion and the linked-user portion of the social networking GUI of the remote network-coupled device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein each of the first content display portion, the second content display portion, and the linked-user portion is configured with content-based social networking capabilities.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein providing the GUI further comprises providing either or both of:

a persistent client window comprising device-executable code stored at a non-transitory data storage medium and configured, when executed by a processor, to cause the display device operably coupled with a viewer'"'"'s network-coupled device to viewably display an integral content display portion and one or more selection means configured as viewer-selectable icons, wherein the one or more selection means each activate a respective one or more content-based social networking controls selected from the group consisting of;

content search, selection, and/or playback controls,

message sending, receiving, and/or viewing controls,

community and/or room selection controls, and

task management controls; and

a web widget comprising device-executable code stored at a non-transitory data storage medium and configured, when executed by a processor, to cause the display device operably coupled with the viewer'"'"'s network-coupled device to viewably display the web widget within, overlying, or proximate perceivable content presented to the viewer at the display device, and further configured with a registered remote-entity identification portion, a remote-entity interaction portion, and a shared window GUI accessing means.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the GUI further comprises device-executable code configured, when executed by a processor, to cause the display device operably coupled with the viewer'"'"'s network-coupled device to viewably display a shared window including a first content display portion, a second content display portion, and a linked-user portion, and wherein each of said first content display portion, second content display, and linked-user portion is configured with content-based social networking capabilities.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

providing an objectionable content-obstructing means operably coupled with the content analysis means, and configured as a selective content filter to prevent unobstructed presentation of objectionable viewer-perceivable content at the display device operably coupled with the viewer'"'"'s network-coupled device.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein either all of or any portion of the device-executable code is executed by a service-provider device, and wherein the result of such execution is presented to either or both of the first validly-registered entity and the second validly-registered entity at a display device operably coupled with their respective network-coupled devices.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the content includes video content, still image content, textual content, audio content, tactile content, or any combination thereof, whether accessed via a data transfer network or from a memory storage means operably coupled with either or both of the first validly-registered entity'"'"'s network-coupled device or the second validly-registered entity'"'"'s network-coupled device.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein the content characteristics include one or more of metadata, form, structural elements, sequence of structural elements, context, and subject matter of the content, and either alternatively or additional including one or more of an object, marker, data packet, and visual representation of code, either inserted or overlaid relative to the presented content.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the first validly-registered entity can, either prior to the establishment of or at any time during a live social network, selectively either include or exclude one or more other validly-registered remote entities from either or both of participating in the social network and from perceiving content shared by the first validly-registered entity with the second validly-registered entity within the social network.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein the first validly registered entity can, while engaged in the live, interactive social network construct, invite a non-validly registered remote entity to participate in the social network construct by either or both of sharing content with and exchanging communication with the non-validly registered remote entity.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein analyzing remote user-perceivable content comprises searching for content concurrently accessed by one or more validly-registered remote entities and having one or more characteristics which are either the same as or similar to the one or more characteristics of the viewer-perceivable content, and wherein the configuration of the content analysis means enables the first validly-registered entity to initiate, terminate, direct, guide, resubmit, redefine, narrow, broaden, or intervene in a search, or any combination thereof, to selectively affect a result of said search.