Methods and apparatus to access media

• US 8,861,937 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2011
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Ramaswamy, Arun, Bosworth, Alan Nguyen
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang, Hung
• Assistant Examiner(s): Park, Sunghyoun
• Application Number:
  US13/222,909
• Publication Number:
  US 20130051772A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,140 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 386/291
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/43 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1015 to users
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture to share media are disclosed. An example method involves receiving from a mobile device a representation of media content detected at the mobile device. The example method also involves receiving from the mobile device a first user identifier of a first user of the mobile device and a second user identifier of a second user different from the first user. In addition, the media content is identified based on the representation of the media content. The second user is selectively provided with access to the media content based on the second user identifier.

Claims

1. A method to share media, comprising:

receiving from a mobile device;

a representation of media content being presented by a media presentation device separate from the mobile device and captured by the mobile device via a sensor, and

a first user identifier of a first user of the mobile device and a second user identifier of a second user different from the first user;

based on the second user identifier, selectively providing the second user with access to the media content identified based on the representation of the media content; and

when the access to the media content is provided to the second user, crediting the media content with audience-interest credit based on the first user identifier.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising identifying additional content relevant to at least one of the first user or the second user based on at least one of a characteristic of the media content, an identity of the media content, or demographic information of the first user or the second user.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising sending a hyperlink to the first user based on the first user identifier, the hyperlink corresponding to an Internet location that provides access to the media content.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the representation of the media content is at least one of a signature generated based on the media content or a code from the media content.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first and second user identifiers are email addresses.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the media content comprises at least one of a television program, a movie, a newscast, radio content, a song, an image, or an advertisement.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein selectively providing the second user with access to the media content comprises providing the second user with a copy of the media content or a hyperlink to access the media content via the Internet.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request from the mobile device to store the media content; and

initiating storing of at least one of a copy of a television program episode advertised in the media content, a copy of a movie advertised in the media content, or a copy of a song advertised in the media content, the storing occurring at a cloud-based digital video recorder location accessible by the first user.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein crediting the media content with audience-interest credit comprises crediting at least one of the media content, a television program episode advertised in the media content, a movie advertised in the media content, or a song advertised in the media content based on the representation of the media content from the mobile device.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the media content is provided to the second user after determining that the media content is associated with license information that allows the media content to be shared.

11. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the second identifier is selected by the first user.

12. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein selectively providing the second user with access to the media content comprises selecting at least one of sending a copy of the media content to an email address associated with the second user, sending a hyperlink corresponding to an Internet location that provides access to the media content to the email address associated with the second user, or posting the hyperlink corresponding to an Internet location that provides access to the media content to a webpage associated with the second user.

13. A tangible computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

access a representation of media content being presented by a media presentation device separate from a mobile device and captured by a sensor of the mobile device, and

access a first user identifier of a first user of the mobile device and a second user identifier of a second user different from the first user;

send a hyperlink to the first user based on the first user identifier, the hyperlink corresponding to an Internet location that provides access to the media content identified based on the representation of the media content; and

selectively provide the second user with access to the media content based on the second user identifier; and

when the access to the media content is provided to the second user, credit the media content with audience-interest credit based on the first user identifier.

14. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 13 further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the machine to identify additional media content relevant to at least one of the first user or the second user based on at least one of demographic information of the first user or the second user, an identity of the media content, or a characteristic of the media content.

15. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 14, wherein the additional media content is an advertisement.

16. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 13, wherein the representation of the media content is at least one of a signature generated based on the media content or a code extracted from the media content.

17. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 13, wherein the media content comprises at least one of a television program, a movie, a newscast, radio content, a song, an image, or an advertisement.

18. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 13 further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the machine to:

receive a request from the mobile device to store the media content; and

initiate storing of at least one of a copy of a television program episode advertised in the media content, a copy of a movie advertised in the media content, or a copy of a song advertised in the media content, the storing occurring at a cloud-based digital video recorder location accessible by the first user.

19. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 18 wherein crediting the media content with audience-interest credit comprises crediting to at least one of the television program episode, the movie, or the song based on the initiating of the storing.