Tracking user affinity through interactions with media files

• US 8,930,977 B1
• Filed: 12/10/2012
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Swift, Michael Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Lonsberry, Hunter B
• Application Number:
  US13/709,693
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• Field of Search: 725 13- 14, 725/32, 725/34, 725 60- 61
• US Class Current: 725/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44226 on social networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie

Abstract

A user'"'"'s interactions with a media player during the playing of a media file may provide a variety of information regarding the user'"'"'s interests in the media file, or in any objects, images, sounds, individuals, things or themes expressed or described therein. A media player or the software operating thereon may be modified to receive interactions from the user and/or to analyze such interactions in order to associate the user with such objects, images, sounds, individuals, things or themes. The user'"'"'s interactions may also be analyzed by a media service, an online marketplace or any external location in order to identify any items related to such objects, images, sounds, individuals, things or themes, or for any other purpose.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having a computer-executable component stored thereon,

wherein the computer-executable component is adapted to cause a computer-based media service to execute a method for tracking a user'"'"'s affinity for a video file, the method comprising:

receiving, by at least one computing device associated with the computer-based media service, a request for the video file from a media player comprising a touchscreen operated by a user over a network;

identifying, by the at least one computing device associated with the computer-based media service, the video file based on the request using at least one computer processor;

transmitting the video file from the at least one computing device associated with the computer-based media service to the media player over the network;

receiving, at the at least one computing device associated with the computer-based media service, information regarding at least one selection of at least one location on the touchscreen by the user over the network, wherein the at least one location on the touchscreen corresponds to a portion of the video file displayed on the touchscreen;

correlating, at the at least one computing device associated with the computer-based media service, the at least one selection of the at least one location on the touchscreen by the user with the portion of the video file using the at least one computer processor; and

associating, at the at least one computing device associated with the computer-based media service, at least one aspect depicted in the portion of the video file with the user using the at least one computer processor.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the at least one selection comprises a set of coordinates of the at least one location on the touchscreen and a time at which the at least one location on the touchscreen was selected.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting an offer for at least one item relating to the at least one aspect depicted in the portion of the video file from the at least one computing device associated with the computer-based media service to the media player over the network.

4. A computer-implemented method for tracking a user'"'"'s affinity for at least one aspect of a media file, the method comprising:

receiving, by at least one remote computing device over a network, information regarding at least one interaction by the user with a media playing device during a playing of a media file;

identifying, by the at least one remote computing device over the network, a portion of the media file corresponding to the at least one interaction by the user;

identifying, by the at least one remote computing device over the network, the at least one aspect in the portion of the media file; and

associating, by the at least one remote computing device over the network, the at least one aspect with the user.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

transmitting the media file from the at least one remote computing device to the media playing device operated by the user over the network.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the media file comprises an audio component, and

wherein the at least one interaction is a selection of a portion of an audio component of the media file.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the at least one aspect in the portion of the media file is at least one of:

an object shown in the portion of the media file,

an image shown in the portion of the media file,

an individual shown in the portion of the media file,

a thing shown in the portion of the media file,

a sound played in the portion of the media file, or

a theme associated with the portion of the media file.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the at least one interaction comprises at least one of:

causing the playing of the media file to begin;

causing the playing of the media file to stop;

advancing to one of the portions of the media file;

or

returning to one of the portions of the media file.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the media file comprises video imagery, and

wherein the at least one interaction is a selection of a portion of the video imagery on a touchscreen of the media playing device.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein receiving the information regarding the at least one interaction by the user with the media playing device during the playing of the media file comprises:

receiving, by the at least one remote computing device over the network, an altered version of the media file from the media playing device,

wherein the altered version of the media file comprises metadata identifying the portion of the media file corresponding to the at least one interaction by the user.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein receiving the information regarding the at least one interaction by the user with the media playing device during the playing of the media file comprises:

receiving, by the at least one remote computing device over the network, a record comprising an identifier of the portion of the media file corresponding to the at least one interaction,

wherein the identifier comprises at least one of a time of the media file, a chapter of the media file, a frame of the media file or a song stored on the media file.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

embedding, by the at least one remote computing device, element metadata into the media file,

wherein the element metadata renders at least one element shown in the media file selectable by the user.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the element metadata identifies at least one of an edge, a contour or an outline of the at least one element.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the at least one interaction is a selection within the edge, the contour or the outline of the at least one element on a touchscreen of the media playing device.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

transmitting a personalized offer for at least one item corresponding to the at least one aspect from the at least one remote computing device to a computing device associated with the user over the network.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

adding at least one item corresponding to the at least one aspect in the portion of the media file to a list of items to be purchased at an online marketplace by the user over the network.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

identifying, by the at least one remote computing device, at least one item corresponding to the at least one aspect; and

adding the at least one item to a list of desired items associated with the user at an online marketplace.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

posting information regarding the at least one aspect to a social network over the network.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

identifying information regarding at least one other interaction by at least one other user with at least one other media playing device during at least one other playing of the media file on the at least one other media playing device;

aggregating the information regarding the at least one interaction and the information regarding the at least one other interaction; and

rating the at least one portion of the media file based at least in part on the aggregated information regarding the interactions.

20. A first computer system for playing media comprising at least one computer processor and a video display having an input/output interface,

wherein the first computer system is adapted to execute a computer program causing the first computer system to perform a method comprising:

causing, by the at least one computer processor, a playing of at least one portion of the media file on the video display;

receiving a first interaction from a user during the playing of the at least one portion of the media file on the video display, wherein the first interaction comprises a selection of a first location on the input/output interface at a first time;

transmitting, from the first computer system to a second computer system, information regarding the first interaction, wherein the information regarding the first interaction comprises at least the first location and the first time;

receiving information regarding an analysis of the first interaction from the second computer system, wherein the information regarding the analysis identifies at least one aspect within the at least one portion of the media file associated with the selection of the first location at the first time; and

associating the at least one aspect with the user.

21. The first computer system of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting a request for the media file from the first computer system to a media service over a network; and

receiving, at the first computer system, the media file from the media service over the network.

22. The first computer system of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting a request for information regarding at least one item related to the at least one aspect from the first computer system to one of a media service or an online marketplace over a network.

23. The first computer system of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises:

causing, by the first computer system, a display of an overlay having a plurality of selectable features on the video display during the playing of the at least one portion of the media file,

wherein the first interaction is a selection of one of the selectable features on the input/output interface.

24. The first computer system of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises:

causing, by the first computer system, a display of at least some of the information regarding the first interaction on the video display;

receiving, at the input/output interface, a modification to the at least some of the information regarding the first interaction from the user; and

transmitting information regarding the modification from the first computer system to the second computer system over the network,

wherein the analysis is based at least in part on the modification.