Tracking user affinity through interactions with media files

• US 9,203,917 B1
• Filed: 01/02/2015
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• 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:
  US14/588,807
• Time in Patent Office: 333 Days
• Field of Search: 725 13- 14, 725 60- 61
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 mobile device comprising at least one computer processor and a video display having an input/output interface,

wherein the mobile device is adapted to execute a computer program causing the mobile device to perform a method comprising:

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

receiving a first interaction with the input/output interface 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;

transmitting information regarding the first interaction from the mobile device to a remote computer system over a network, wherein the information regarding the first interaction comprises information regarding at least the at least one portion of the media file or the first location; and

receiving, from the remote computer system, information regarding an analysis of the first interaction, 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.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting a request for at least the media file from the mobile device to the remote computer system over the network; and

receiving, at the mobile device, at least the media file from the remote computer system over the network.

3. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

causing, by the at least one computer processor, a display of an overlay having at least one selectable feature on the input/output interface during the playing of the at least one portion of the media file on the video display,

wherein the first interaction with the input/output interface is a selection of the at least one selectable feature.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the analysis of the first interaction identifies at least one item associated with the at least one portion of the media file, and

wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting a request for information regarding the at least one item associated with the at least one portion of the media file from the mobile device to an online marketplace over the network.

5. The mobile device of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving the information regarding the at least one item associated with the at least one portion of the media file from the online marketplace over the network; and

causing a display of at least some of the information regarding the at least one item on the video display.

6. The mobile device of claim 5, wherein the at least some of the information comprises a plurality of selectable features, and

wherein at least one of the plurality of selectable features is associated with the at least one aspect.

7. The mobile device of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises:

condensing the at least one portion of the media file into a window on a first portion of the video display,

wherein the at least some of the information regarding the information is displayed on a second portion of the video display.

8. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the first interaction comprises at least one of:

causing the playing of the media file to start;

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 mobile device of claim 1, wherein the at least one aspect within the at least one portion of the media file corresponds to at least one of:

an object shown in the at least one portion of the media file,

an image shown in the at least one portion of the media file,

an individual shown in the at least one portion of the media file,

a thing shown in the at least one portion of the media file,

a sound played in the at least one portion of the media file, or

a theme associated with the at least one portion of the media file.

10. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the first interaction comprises an altered version of the media file comprising metadata identifying the first location.

11. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

causing 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 mobile device to the remote computer system over the network,

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

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

receiving, by at least one remote computing device over a network, a request for at least the media file from a mobile computing device operated by the user;

transmitting at least the media file from the at least one remote computing device to the mobile computing device over the network;

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

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

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

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein receiving the information regarding the at least one interaction by the user with the mobile computing 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.

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

identifying, by the at least one remote computing device, a personalized offer for at least one item corresponding to the at least one aspect for the user; and

transmitting, by the at least one remote computing device over the network, the personalized offer for the at least one item to the mobile computing device.

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

posting, by the at least one remote computing device over the network, information regarding the at least one aspect and the at least one user to a social network.

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

identifying information regarding at least one other interaction by at least one other user with at least one other mobile computing device during at least one other playing of the media file on the at least one other mobile computing 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 at least one interaction and the information regarding the at least one other interaction.