Criteria-associated media content

• US 9,131,339 B1
• Filed: 05/03/2013
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kulfan, Craig Vincent, Battey, Christopher Charles, Cripe, Brian Scott, Endresen, Geoffrey Eric, Kurakula, Bala Anirudh
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DANH C
• Application Number:
  US13/886,764
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.6, 455/456.5, 455/456.1, 455/414.1, 705/16
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/69 by enabling or updating specific game elements, e.g. unlocking hidden features, items, levels or versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

A content item may be associated with criteria that are to be performed to unlock the content items. In response to a user action, a determination as to whether the user action satisfies the criteria may be made. In response to determining that a user satisfied the criteria, the content item may be unlocked with respect to that user, meaning that the content item may become available to that user, such as via a corresponding user device. If it is determined that the criteria is not satisfied, the content item will remain unavailable to the user. Either a service provider or a user may associate the criteria with the content item, which may include video content, audio content, textual content, or image content.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

associating criteria with a content item, the criteria corresponding to a user action that is to be performed in order to access the content item;

receiving data from a device, the data indicating at least location information associated with the device and an action performed via the device that is associated with a location of the device;

determining that less than all of the criteria has been satisfied based at least in part on the data; and

sending, to the device, a notification that indicates that the content item is not accessible and that specifies a second action that is to be performed in order to access the content item.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the criteria includes a physical location that relates to the content item; and

further comprising determining that the criteria has been satisfied by at least determining, from the location information, that the device is within a predetermined distance from the physical location.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the criteria is at least one of an order in which a user associated with the device visits multiple physical locations, an extent to which the content item has been accessed, a temporal-based limitation, or a subscription or an admission associated with the user.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the content item is at least one of video content, audio content, textual content, or image content about a game being played by a user associated with the device, the content item providing information about at least one of a game feature, a progression of the user through the game, an amount of points or currency obtained by the user, or other users that are playing the game.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the content item is not available to users that have not satisfied the criteria associated with the content item.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise, in response to determining that the criteria has been satisfied:

automatically providing the content item to a user associated with the data;

or

notifying the user that the content item is available to be accessed.

7. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

associating criteria with a content item;

receiving data from a user device, the data including at least location information associated with the user device; and

in response to determining that the data satisfies less than all of the criteria, sending, to the user device, a notification that indicates that the content item is not accessible and that specifies a second action that is to be performed to access the content item.

8. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 7, wherein the content item is at least one of video content, audio content, textual content, temporal-based information, or image content and the criteria is a physical location that is related to the content item.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 7, wherein an availability of the content item is limited to a user associated with the data that satisfied the criteria.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise, in response to determining that the data satisfies the criteria:

automatically providing the content item to a user associated with the data;

or

notifying the user that the content item is available to be accessed.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 7, wherein the criteria includes a physical location that relates to the content item;

and

the determining that the criteria have been satisfied by the data includes determining, from the location information, that the device is within a predetermined distance from the physical location.

12. A method comprising:

associating criteria with a content item, the criteria corresponding to a user action that is to be performed in order to access the content item;

receiving data from a device, the data indicating at least location information associated with the device and an action performed via the device, the action including the device capturing content associated with a current location of the device; and

at least partly in response to determining that less than all of the criteria has been satisfied, sending, to the device, a notification that indicates that the content item is not accessible and that specifies a second action that is to be performed in order to access the content item.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

determining that less than all of the criteria have been satisfied by a second device; and

sending, to the second device, a notification that indicates that the content item is not available and that specifies a third action that is to be performed to unlock the content item.

14. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein:

the criteria includes a physical location that relates to the content item; and

further comprising determining that the criteria has been satisfied by at least determining, from the location information, that the device is within a predetermined distance from the physical location.

15. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the criteria is at least one of an order in which a user associated with the device visits multiple physical locations, an extent to which the content item has been accessed, a temporal-based limitation, or a subscription or an admission associated with the user.

16. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the content item is at least one of video content, audio content, textual content, or image content about a game being played by a user associated with the device, the content item indicating information about at least one of a game feature, a progression of the at least one user through the game, an amount of points or currency obtained by the user, or other users that are playing the game.

17. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the content item is not available to users that have not satisfied the criteria associated with the content item.

18. A system comprising:

memory;

one or more processors;

one or more modules maintained in the memory and executable by the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

associating criteria with a content item;

receiving data from a user device, the data indicating at least one of location information associated with the user device or a user action that is associated with a location of the device; and

in response to determining that less than all of the data satisfies the criteria, sending a notification that indicates that the content item is not accessible and that specifies a second action that is to be performed to access the content item.

19. The system as recited in claim 18, wherein the content item is at least one of video content, audio content, textual content, temporal-based information, or image content and the criteria is a physical location that is related to the content item.

20. The system as recited in claim 18, wherein an availability of the content item is limited to a user associated with data that satisfies the criteria.

21. The system as recited in claim 18, wherein the

criteria is at least one of an order in which a user associated with the user device visits multiple physical locations, an extent to which the content item has been accessed, a temporal-based limitation, or a subscription or an admission associated with the user.

22. The system as recited in claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise, in response to determining that the data satisfies the criteria:

automatically providing the content item to a user associated with the data;

or

notifying the user that the content item is available to be accessed.