Narration settings distribution for content customization

• US 9,075,760 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2012
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audible Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Audible Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hwang, Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B
• Application Number:
  US13/465,871
• Publication Number:
  US 20140258462A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,156 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

A content customization service is disclosed. A user computing device and/or a content customization server may customize a narration associated with an item of content at the request of a listener or a rights-holder. One or more user interfaces may be provided to facilitate these requests. Some examples of customization include specifying settings for the language, accent, mood, or speaker of the narration. Other examples of customization include specifying settings for the bass, treble, pitch, pace, or contrast of the narration. These settings may be collected as narration settings information. The content customization service may distribute this information over an electronic network. The content customization service may provide recommendations to help users select customizations.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for distributing narration customizations, the computer-implemented method comprising:

under control of one or more computing devices including a processor configured with specific computer-executable instructions;

obtaining a plurality of narration settings files;

assigning catalog information to each of the plurality of narration settings files, wherein the catalog information assigned to each of the plurality of narration settings files identifies a creator of the narration settings file;

storing, to an electronic data store, the plurality of narration settings files using the catalog information assigned plurality of narration settings files;

receiving, from a user computing device, a request for a requested narration settings file, the request including catalog information regarding the requested narration settings file;

selecting, from the plurality of narration settings files in the electronic data store, the requested narration settings file using the catalog information regarding the requested narration settings file and the catalog information assigned to each of the plurality of narration settings files; and

providing the requested narration settings file to the user computing device over an electronic network.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying at least one other narration settings file using the catalog information assigned to each of the plurality of narration settings files; and

sending, to the user computing device, a notification indicating an availability of the at least one other narration settings file.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

identifying an item of content with which each narration settings file of the plurality of narration settings files is associated using the catalog information assigned to each of the plurality of narration settings files.

4. The computer-implemented method of Claim 3, wherein:

the requested narration settings file of the plurality of narration settings files is associated with a first narration of a first item of content; and

the at least one other narration settings file of the plurality of narration settings files is associated with a second narration of a second item of content.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the first item of content and the second item of content share at least one of a common author, common series, and a common genre.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein a creator of the at least one other narration settings file is at least one of a narrator of the item of content with which the requested narration settings file is associated and an author of the item of content with which the requested narration settings file is associated.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the requested narration settings file and the at least one other narration settings file have an identical creator.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing a social graph associated with a user of the user computing device, the social graph identifying a plurality of individuals associated with the user; and

identifying the requested narration settings file whose creator is an individual in the social graph using the catalog information assigned to each of the plurality of narration settings files.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the the requested narration settings file comprises settings for one or more visual indicators to be displayed by the user computing device.

10. A system for customizing an item of content comprising an original narration, the system comprising:

an electronic data store configured to store the item of content; and

a computing device including a processor in communication with the electronic data store, the computing device configured to;

access the original narration from the electronic data store;

transmit a request for a narration setting associated with a social graph of a user of the computing device, wherein the social graph identifies a plurality of individuals associated with the user;

identify, from the social graph, an individual of the plurality of individuals, wherein the individual has generated at least one narration setting file of a plurality of narration setting files, the at least one narration setting file including a narration setting specified by the individual of the plurality of individuals;

obtain the at least one narration setting file generated by the individual; and

modify the original narration according to the narration setting specified by the individual of the plurality of individuals and included in the at least one narration setting file to form a modified narration.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the computing device is further configured to transmit a notification indicating an availability of the modified narration to a second computing device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one narration setting file generated by the individual is obtained from the second computing device.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one other narration setting file of the plurality of narration setting files for the item of content is obtained from a rights-holder of the item of content.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the computing device is further configured to prevent modifications to at least a portion of the original narration if said modifications are not authorized by the rights-holder of the item of content.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for customizing content, the non-transitory computer-readable medium having a computer-executable component configured to:

receive a request from a computing device including a processor to customize an original narration;

select a narration settings file from an electronic data store configured to store a plurality of narration settings files, wherein the narration settings file comprises at least one narration parameter;

receive at least one modification to the at least one narration parameter, wherein the at least one modification is specified through a user interface displayed on the computing device;

from an updated narration settings file comprising at least one modified narration parameter, wherein the at least one modified narration parameter comprises the at least one narration parameter as modified in accordance with the at least one modification;

modify the original narration in accordance with the updated narration settings file in order to form a modified narration for the item of content; and

store the updated narration settings file to the electronic data store.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the computer-executable component is further configured to transmit a notification indicating an availability of the updated narration settings file over an electronic network to at least one other computing device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the computer-executable component is further configured to prevent modifications to the at least one narration parameter of at least a portion of the original narration.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the computer-executable component is further configured to select the narration settings file from the electronic data store based at least in part on input from a human interaction task system.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the computer-executable component is further configured to select the narration settings file from the electronic data store based at least in part on a rating of the narration settings file.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the computer-executable component is further configured to select the narration settings file from the electronic data store based at least in part on user input made through the computing device.

21. A system for sharing audiobook customizations, the system comprising:

an electronic data store configured to store one or more audiobook narration settings files; and

a server computing device in communication with the electronic data store, the server computing device configured to;

receive, from a first user computing device, a request for an audiobook narration settings file;

in response to the request, access a first social graph, the first social graph being affiliated with a user of the first user computing device and comprising a plurality of individuals related to the user of the first user computing device;

identify, from the first social graph, a first individual of the plurality of individuals related to the user of the first user computing device, wherein the first individual has generated at least one audiobook narration settings file, the at least one audiobook narration settings file including audiobook narration settings specified by the first individual;

identify the at least one audiobook narration settings file generated by the first individual identified in the first social graph;

retrieve, from the electronic data store, the at least one audiobook narration settings file; and

transmit the at least one audiobook narration settings file to the first user computing device.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the server computing device is further configured to:

identify, from the first social graph, a second individual of the plurality of individuals related to the user of the first user computing device, wherein the second individual is a user of a second user computing device;

transmit, to the second computing device, a recommendation to request the at least one audiobook narration settings file, the at least one audiobook narration settings file including the audiobook narration settings specified by the first individual;

receive, from the second user computing device, a request for the at least one audiobook narration settings file;

in response to the request, retrieve, from the electronic data store, the at least one audiobook narration settings file; and

transmit the at least one audiobook narration settings file to the second user computing device.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the server computing device is further configured to:

access a second social graph, the second social graph being affiliated with a user of a second computing device and comprising a plurality of individuals related to the user of the second computing device;

determine that the first individual identified from the first social graph is also in the second social graph,

transmit, to the second computing device, a recommendation to request the at least one audiobook narration settings file, the at least one audiobook narration settings file including the audiobook narration settings specified by the first individual;

receive, from the second user computing device, a request for the at least one audiobook narration settings file;

in response to the request, retrieve, from the electronic data store, the at least one audiobook narration settings file; and

transmit the at least one audiobook narration settings file to the second user computing device.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the server computing device is further configured to:

access a second social graph, the second social graph being affiliated with the first individual and comprising a plurality of individuals related to the first individual;

determine that a user of a second computing device is in the first social graph and the second social graph,

transmit, to the second user computing device, a recommendation to request the at least one audiobook narration settings file, the at least one audiobook narration settings file including the audiobook narration settings specified by the first individual identified in the first social graph;

receive, from the second user computing device, a request for the at least one audiobook narration settings file;

in response to the request, retrieve, from the electronic data store, the at least one audiobook narration settings file; and

transmit the at least one audiobook narration settings file to the second user computing device.