Providing a social network

• US 9,135,334 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2008
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Inventors: Pickelsimer, Lisa A., Musick, Joshua, Fabricant, Robert, Werner, David
• Primary Examiner(s): BURKE, JEFF A
• Application Number:
  US12/126,060
• Publication Number:
  US 20090049098A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,671 Days
• Field of Search: 707/740, 707736-737, 705/319
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/70 of video data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/78 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/278 Content descriptor database or directory service for end-user access details of content or meta data based information retrieval of video data in video databases G06F16/739
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A social network may be provided. First, a content group comprising a list of a plurality of content programs may be received. Next, a user selectable element corresponding to the content group may be made available to a plurality of users. A first request may then be received associated with the user selectable element from a one of the plurality of users. The first request may indicate that the one of the plurality of users wants to receive the content group. Next the content group may be provided to the one of the plurality of users in response to the first request. A second request may then be received from the one of the plurality of users for content corresponding to a one of the plurality of content programs. Then the content may be provided to the one of the plurality of users in response to the second request.

Claims

1. A method for providing a social network, the method comprising:

receiving a content group comprising a list of a plurality of content programs, wherein receiving the list of the plurality of content programs comprises receiving the plurality of content programs on the list from a plurality of individuals of a social network in response to an invitation from a subscriber to the social network to create the content group;

inserting, by an operator, content programs into the content group, wherein inserting the content programs by the operator comprises inserting;

a first list of content programs popular on the social network,

a second list of content programs popular in a predetermined geographic area, and

a third list of content programs being promoted by the operator;

making a user selectable element corresponding to the content group available to a plurality of users, wherein making the user selectable element corresponding to the content group available to the plurality of users comprises making the user selectable element available to identify a subscriber, and wherein making the user selectable element available to the plurality of users further comprises providing graphical information to the subscriber, the graphical information comprising an indication that the user selectable elements corresponds to;

the first list of content programs popular on the social network, the second list of content programs popular in the predetermined geographical area, and the third list of content programs being promoted by the operator;

receiving a first request indicating that one of the plurality of users wants to receive the content group; and

providing the content group to the one of the plurality of users in response to the first request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the content group comprises receiving the content group comprising the list of the plurality of content programs comprising favorite programs of each of the plurality of individuals.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein making the user selectable element corresponding to the content group available to the plurality of users comprises making the user selectable element corresponding to the content group available to the plurality of users wherein the plurality of users are designated by a subject comprising the subscriber to the social network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein making the user selectable element corresponding to the content group available to the plurality of users comprises making the user selectable element corresponding to the content group available to the plurality of users, each one of the plurality of users being respectively identified by at least one of the following:

an e-mail address, a telephone number, and combination of a media access control (MAC) address and a username.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein making the user selectable element corresponding to the content group available to the plurality of users comprises making the user selectable element corresponding to the content group available to the plurality of users over the social network utilizing one of the following:

a full-duplex, two-way broadband network, a hybrid fiber-coax (HFC) network, a data network, the internet, a cable television network, and a telecommunications network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the plurality of content programs on the list from the plurality of individuals of the social network in response to an invitation from a subscriber to the social network to create the content group comprises:

receiving, from a subject comprising the subscriber to the social network, a request to send invitations to the plurality of individuals inviting each one of the plurality of individuals to be included in the plurality of users;

sending the invitations;

receiving responses to the invitations; and

including the plurality of individuals in the plurality of users based upon the received responses.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein making the user selectable element corresponding to the content group available to the plurality of users further comprises making the user selectable element corresponding to the content group available to the plurality of users wherein the user selectable element provides information indicating a genre corresponding to the content group.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein making the user selectable element provide the information indicating the genre corresponding to the content group comprises making the user selectable element provide the information indicating the genre wherein the information is provided as one of:

graphically and pictorially.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein inserting the content program into the content group comprises inserting the content program into the content group by a service provider of the content program.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein inserting the content program into the content group by a service provider of the content program comprises inserting the content program into the content group based on a popularity of the content program on another social network.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein making the user selectable element available to the plurality of users further comprises providing a pictorial indication along with the graphical indication.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein inserting the first list of content programs popular in the geographical area comprises:

determining the content programs popular in each of a plurality of geographical areas;

creating content groups comprising the content programs popular in each of the geographical areas; and

inserting one of the content groups to a respective geographical area.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium which stores a set of instructions which when executed performs a method for providing a social network, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

receiving a content group comprising a list of a plurality of content programs, wherein receiving the list of the plurality of content programs comprises receiving the plurality of content programs from a plurality of individuals of a social network in response to an invitation from a subscriber to the social network to create the content group;

inserting content programs selected by an operator into the content group, wherein inserting the content programs selected by the operator comprises inserting;

a first list of content programs popular on the social network,

a second list of content programs popular in a predetermined geographic area, and

a third list of content programs being promoted by the operator;

making a user selectable element corresponding to the content group available to a first plurality of users that are subscribers to the social network, wherein making the user selectable element corresponding to the content group available to the plurality of users comprises making the user selectable element available to identify the subscriber, and wherein the user selectable element further comprises providing graphical information to the subscriber, the graphical information comprising an indication that the user selectable elements corresponds to;

the first list of content programs popular on the social network, the second list of content programs popular in the predetermined geographical area, and the third list of the content programs being by the operator;

providing a message to a second plurality of users that are not subscribers to the social network, the message including the list of the plurality of content programs;

receiving a first request indicating that one of the first plurality of users wants to receive the content group; and

providing the content group to the one of the first plurality of users in response to the first request.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a second request from the one of the first plurality of users that are subscribers to the social network for content corresponding to a one of the first plurality of content programs listed in the content group; and

providing the content to the one of the first plurality of users that are subscribers to the social network in response to the second request.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein providing the message comprises providing the message inviting the second plurality of users that are not subscribers to the social network to join the social network.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein receiving the content group comprising the list of the plurality of content programs comprises receiving the list of the plurality of content programs wherein the plurality of content programs are favorite programs of each of the plurality of individuals.

17. A system for providing a social network, the system comprising:

a memory storage; and

a processing unit coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processing unit is operative to;

receive a content group comprising a list of a plurality of content programs, the content programs comprising at least one of the following;

television shows, movies, broadcast programming, and Video On Demand (VOD) programming, wherein receiving the list of the plurality of content programs comprises receiving the plurality of content programs from a plurality of individuals of a social network in response to an invitation from a subscriber to the social network to create the content group;

insert content programs comprising at least one of the following;

a television show, a movie, a broadcast program, and a VOD program into the content group, wherein the processing unit being operative to insert the content programs comprises the processing unit being operative to insert;

a first list of content programs popular on the social network,

a second list of content programs popular in a predetermined geographic area, and

a third list of content programs being promoted by the operator;

make a user selectable element corresponding to the content group available to a first plurality of users that are subscribers to the social network, wherein the processor being operative to make the user selectable element corresponding to the content group available to the plurality of users comprises the processor being operative to;

make the user selectable element available to identify the subscriber, and

provide graphical information to the subscriber, the graphical information comprising an indication that the user selectable elements corresponds to;

the first list of the plurality of content programs popular on an another social networks, the second list of content programs popular in the predetermined geographical area, and the third list of the content programs being inserted by the operator;

receive a first request from a another subscriber to the social network, the first request indicating that other subscriber wants to receive the content group;

determine that the other subscriber is not authorized to receive a portion of the content within the content group; and

provide subscription information to the other user, the subscription information indicating how the other subscriber may subscriber to the portion of the content.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the user selectable element provides information indicating a genre corresponding to the content group.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the information indicating the genre is provided as one of the following:

graphically and pictorially.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor being operative to provide the graphical information further comprises the processor being operative to provide pictorial information along with the graphical information.