Methods and system for distributing information via multiple forms of delivery services

• US 9,461,958 B1
• Filed: 02/22/2016
• Issued: 10/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Greenfly, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Greenfly, Inc.
• Inventors: Kirschner, Daniel Brian, Green, Shawn David
• Primary Examiner(s): Bengzon, Greg C
• Application Number:
  US15/050,204
• Time in Patent Office: 225 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/437 Administration of user profiles, e.g. generation, initialisation, adaptation, distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/438 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/483 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/10 Services
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/166 using acquisition arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/00 Speaker identification or verification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/06 Decision making techniques; Pattern matching strategies
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/16 Hidden Markov models [HMM]
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/22 Interactive procedures; Man-machine interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 : Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 : for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 : for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4784 : receiving rewards
• 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

Abstract

A content distribution facilitation system is described comprising configured servers and a network interface configured to interface with a plurality of terminals in a client server relationship and optionally with a cloud-based storage system. A request from a first source for content comprising content criteria is received, the content criteria comprising content subject matter. At least a portion of the content request content criteria is transmitted to a selected content contributor. If recorded content is received from the first content contributor, the first source is provided with access to the received recorded content. The recorded content may be transmitted via one or more networks to one or more destination devices. Optionally, a voice analysis and/or facial recognition engine are utilized to determine if the recorded content is from the first content contributor.

Claims

1. A content management and distribution system, comprising:

a computer system comprising one or more computing devices;

a network interface; and

a computer storage system comprising a non-transitory storage device, said computer storage system having stored thereon executable program instructions that direct the computer system to at least;

maintain a data store comprising;

profiles of a plurality of content contributors, including an identification of professions associated with at least a portion of the content contributors, wherein the identified professions for the portion of the content contributors include at least one of the following;

athlete, actor, agent, athlete scout, medical expert, or celebrity, and

access indicators for the content contributors indicating which content requesters may submit content requests to a given content contributor;

provide an interface configured to receive a request to be provided to a given content contributor for video and audio content of the given content contributor;

identify a first requester accessing the content management and distribution system;

based at least on the identity of the first requester, locate in the data store content contributors that the first requester is permitted access to;

provide a search user interface enabling the first requester to search for content contributors;

receive a search query from the first requester via the search user interface;

identify, using a search engine, matching content contributors in response to the search query;

provide a listing of the matching content contributors, wherein the listing of the matching content contributors is restricted to those content contributors to whom the first requester is permitted access to;

receive a request for new content from the first requester, the content request comprising;

a selection of a set of content contributors from a user interface that lists, using assigned set identifiers, a plurality of content contributor sets defined by the content requester and/or one or more specifically identified content contributors;

a content subject matter specification provided via the content subject matter interface, including a request for video and audio content of a content contributor discussing a first specified subject; and

response deadline timing information;

transmit, using the network interface, at least a portion of the content request, including the content subject matter specification and deadline timing information, to respective applications installed on mobile communication devices of the selected set of content contributors and/or of the one or more specifically identified content contributors,

wherein the respective applications are configured to display the request, and at least partly in response to a given contributor providing a first input, prompt the given contributor to capture the requested video and audio content;

receive an indication from one or more of the mobile communication devices of the selected set of content contributors and/or of the one or more specifically identified content contributors, that video and audio content is being provided to a cloud-based non-transitory storage system, wherein the video and audio content is provided to the cloud-based non-transitory storage system via an application programming interface (API);

provide, over a network, the first requester with access to items of content captured by a respective mobile communication device from a camera from one or more content contributors in the selected set of content contributors; and

provide a control enabling the first requester to selectively download or to selectively stream one or more of the items of content from the cloud-based non-transitory storage system to a system associated with the first requester;

enable a second content contributor, responding to the request for new content, to stream from the cloud-based non-transitory storage system a first item of content captured by a mobile communication device of a first content contributor responding to the request for new content, and to record a comment comprising audio and video on at least the streamed first item of content captured by the mobile communication device of the first content contributor;

link the recorded comment from the second content contributor with the first item of content from the first content contributor, for which the recorded comment is being provided;

display a visual indication of a parent-child relationship with respect to the recorded comment from the second content contributor and the first item of content from the first content contributor, for which the recorded comment is being provided.

2. The content management and distribution system as defined in claim 1, wherein the program instructions further direct the computer system to:

use a voice biometrics analysis engine to determine if a voice in a second of the one or more items of content belongs to a corresponding third content contributor to whom the content request was transmitted to, wherein the voice biometrics analysis engine uses one or more of;

a Hidden Markov model, a neural network, a Gaussian mixture model, or frequency estimation.

3. The content management and distribution system as defined in claim 1, wherein the program instructions further direct the computer system to:

use a face recognition system to compare facial features of a first face in a second of the one or more items of content to reference facial features of a content contributor to whom the content request was transmitted to, to determine if the first face belongs to the content contributor to whom the content request was transmitted to, wherein the face recognition system uses one or more of;

PCA (Principal Component Analysis), Independent Component Analysis (ICA), EBGM (Elastic Bunch Graph Matching), LDA (Linear Discriminate Analysis), Trace transform, 3-D morphable face model, HMM (Hidden Markov model), or MSL (Multilinear Subspace Learning).

4. The content management and distribution system as defined in claim 1, wherein the program instructions further direct the computer system to:

provide a user interface enabling a content requester to define a set of content contributors from the plurality of content contributors;

provide a user interface enabling the content requester to assign an identifier to a defined set of content contributors;

provide a user interface that lists, using assigned set identifiers, a plurality of content contributor sets defined by the content requester and that enables the content requester to select one or more content contributor sets to whom a content request is to be submitted.

5. The content management and distribution system as defined in claim 1, wherein the program instructions further direct the computer system to:

prompt the first requester to issue an electronic request to at least one content contributor, requesting the at least one content contributor post content received from the at least one content contributor, or a link to such content, on a social media site.

6. The content management and distribution system as defined in claim 1, wherein the program instructions further direct the computer system to:

determine in real time which content contributors are currently watching a first program and identifying such content contributors to at least one content requester.

7. The content management and distribution system as defined in claim 1, wherein the request for content from the first requester comprises a video file, or a link to a video file, or both a video file and a link to a video file, and wherein transmission of at least a portion of the content request further comprises transmission of the video file, or the link to a video file, or both the video file and the link to a video file to the selected set of content contributors, and the content subject matter specification from the first requester comprises a request to comment on the video file.

8. The content management and distribution system as defined in claim 1, wherein the program instructions further direct the computer system to:

at least partly in response to receiving a content item from at least one content contributor in response to the request from the first requester, identify a verification destination specified by the at least one content contributor, and inhibit first requester access to the content item from the at least one content contributor until a verification indication is received from the verification destination.

9. The content management and distribution system as defined in claim 1, wherein the program instructions further direct the computer system to:

at least partly in response to receiving a content item from at least one content contributor in response to the request from the first requester;

identify a verification destination specified by the first requester; and

inhibit access to the content item from the at least one content contributor to one or more users associated with the first requester until a verification indication is received from the verification destination.

10. The content management and distribution system as defined in claim 1, wherein the program instructions further direct the computer system to:

receive profile information from a third content contributor;

enable a second requester to add first information to the third content contributor;

enable a third requester to add second information to the third content contributor;

receive a search query from the second requester;

use the profile information from the third content contributor and the first information to return a first search result to the second requester and inhibit the first search result from including the second information;

receive a search query from the third requester;

use the profile information from the third content contributor and the second information to return a second search result to the third requester and inhibiting the second search result from including the first information.

11. A method of managing content and content requests, the method comprising:

maintaining, at a content distribution facilitation system comprising specially configured servers and a network interface configured to interface with a plurality of terminals in a client server relationship and with a cloud-based storage system, a data store comprising;

profiles of a plurality of content contributors, including an identification of professions associated with at least a portion of the content contributors, wherein the identified professions for the portion of the content contributors include at least one of the following;

athlete, actor, agent, athlete scout, medical expert, or celebrity, and

access indicators for the content contributors indicating which content requesters may submit content requests to a given content contributor;

providing a content subject matter interface configured to receive a request to be provided to a given content contributor for video and audio content of the given content contributor discussing a specified subject;

identifying a first requester accessing the content distribution facilitation system;

based at least on the identity of the first requester, locating in the data store content contributors that the first requester is permitted access to;

providing a search user interface enabling the first requester to search for content contributors;

receiving a search query from the first requester via the search user interface;

identifying matching content contributors in response to the search query;

providing a listing of the matching content contributors, wherein the listing of the matching content contributors is restricted to those content contributors to whom the first requester is permitted access to;

receiving, at a content distribution facilitation system, a request for new content from the first requester, the content request comprising;

a selection of a set of content contributors previously defined by the first requester from a user interface that lists, using assigned set identifiers, a plurality of content contributor sets defined by the content requester and/or one or more specifically identified content contributors;

a content subject matter specification provided via the content subject matter interface, including a request for video and audio content of a content contributor discussing a first specified subject; and

response deadline timing information;

transmitting, by the content distribution facilitation system, at least a portion of the content request, including the content subject matter specification and deadline timing information, to respective applications installed on mobile communication devices of the selected set of content contributors and/or of the one or more specifically identified content contributors,

wherein the respective applications are configured to display the request, and at least partly in response to a given contributor providing a first input, prompt the given contributor to capture the requested video and audio content;

providing, via the content distribution facilitation system, the first requester with access to items of content captured by a respective mobile communication device from a camera from one or more content contributors in the selected set of content contributors and stored on a cloud-based non-transitory storage system, wherein the captured content is provided to the cloud-based non-transitory storage system via an application programming interface (API); and

providing a control enabling the first requester to selectively download or to selectively stream one or more of the items of content from the cloud-based non-transitory storage system to a system associated with the first requester

enabling a second content contributor, responding to the request for new content, to stream from the cloud-based non-transitory storage system a first item of content captured by a mobile communication device of a first content contributor responding to the request for new content, and to record a comment comprising audio and video on at least the streamed first item of content captured by the mobile communication device of the first content contributor;

linking the recorded comment from the second content contributor with the first item of content from the first content contributor, for which the recorded comment is being provided;

displaying a visual indication of a parent-child relationship with respect to the recorded comment from the second content contributor and the first item of content from the first content contributor, for which the recorded comment is being provided.

12. The method as defined in claim 11, the method further comprising:

performing a voice biometrics analysis to determine if a voice in a second of the one or more items of content belongs to a third content contributor to whom the content request was transmitted to, wherein the voice biometrics analysis utilizes a Hidden Markov model, a neural network, a Gaussian mixture model, and/or frequency estimation.

13. The method as defined in claim 11, the method further comprising:

using a face recognition system to compare facial features of a first face in a at least one of the one or more items of content to reference facial features of a second content contributor to whom the content request was transmitted to, to determine if the first face belongs to the respective content contributor to whom the content request was transmitted to, wherein the face recognition system uses one or more of;

PCA (Principal Component Analysis), Independent Component Analysis (ICA), EBGM (Elastic Bunch Graph Matching), LDA (Linear Discriminate Analysis), Trace transform, 3-D morphable face model, HMM (Hidden Markov model), or MSL (Multilinear Subspace Learning).

14. The method as defined in claim 11, the method further comprising:

providing a user interface enabling a content requester to define a set of content contributors from the plurality of content contributors;

providing a user interface enabling the content requester to assign an identifier to a defined set of content contributors;

providing a user interface that lists, using assigned set identifiers, a plurality of content contributor sets defined by the content requester and that enables the content requester to select one or more content contributor sets to whom a content request is to be submitted to.

15. The method as defined in claim 11, the method further comprising prompting the first requester to issue an electronic request to a third content contributor, requesting the third content contributor post content received from the third content contributor, or a link to such content, on a social media site.

16. The method as defined in claim 11, the method further comprising determining in real time which content contributors are currently watching a first program and identifying such content contributors to at least one content requester.

17. The method as defined in claim 11, wherein the request for content from the first requester comprises a video file, or a link to a video file, or both a video file and a link to a video file, and wherein transmitting at least a portion of the content request further comprises transmitting the video file, or the link to a video file, or both the video file and the link to a video file to the selected set of content contributors, and the content subject matter specification from the first requester comprises a request to comment on the video file.

18. The method as defined in claim 11, the method further comprising, at least partly in response to receiving a content item from a third content contributor in response to the request from the first requester, identifying a verification destination specified by the third content contributor, and inhibiting first requester access to the content item from the third content contributor until a verification indication is received from the verification destination.

19. The method as defined in claim 11, the method further comprising, at least partly in response to receiving a content item from a third content contributor in response to the request from the first requester:

identifying a verification destination specified by the first requester; and

inhibiting access to the content item from the third content contributor to one or more users associated with the first requester until a verification indication is received from the verification destination.

20. The method as defined in claim 11, the method further comprising:

receiving profile information from a third content contributor;

enabling a second requester to add first information to the third content contributor profile information;

enabling a third requester to add second information to the third content contributor profile information;

receiving a search query from the second requester;

using the profile information from the third content contributor and the first information to return a first search result to the second requester and inhibiting the first search result from including the second information;

receiving a search query from the third requester;

using the profile information from the third content contributor and the second information to return a second search result to the third requester and inhibiting the second search result from including the first information.

21. A computer storage system comprising a non-transitory storage device, said computer storage system having stored thereon executable program instructions that when executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform operations comprising:

maintain a data store comprising;

profiles of a plurality of content contributors, including an identification of professions associated with at least a portion of the content contributors, wherein the identified professions for the portion of the content contributors include at least one of the following;

athlete, actor, agent, athlete scout, medical expert, or celebrity, and

access indicators for the content contributors indicating which content requesters may submit content requests to a given content contributor;

provide an interface configured to receive a request to be provided to a given content contributor for video and audio content of the given content contributor;

identify a first requester accessing the content management and distribution system;

based at least on the identity of the first requester, locate in the data store content contributors that the first requester is permitted access to;

provide a user interface comprising a listing of content contributors restricted to those content contributors to whom the first requester is permitted access to and content contributor sets previously defined by the content requester;

receive a request for new content from the first requester, the content request comprising;

a selection of one or more sets of content contributors and/or one or more specifically identified content contributors from the user interface comprising the listing of content contributors restricted to those content contributors to whom the first requester is permitted access to and the content contributor sets previously defined by the content requester;

a content subject matter specification provided via the content subject matter interface, including a request for video and audio content of a content contributor discussing a first specified subject; and

response deadline timing information;

transmit at least a portion of the content request, including the content subject matter specification and deadline timing information, to respective applications installed on mobile communication devices of the selected set of content contributors and/or of the one or more specifically identified content contributors,

wherein the respective applications are configured to display the request, and at least partly in response to a given contributor providing a first input, prompt the given contributor to capture the requested video and audio content;

receive an indication from one or more of the mobile communication devices of the selected set of content contributors and/or of the one or more specifically identified content contributors, that video and audio content is being provided to a cloud-based non-transitory storage system, wherein the video and audio content is provided to the cloud-based non-transitory storage system via an application programming interface (API);

provide the first requester with access to items of content captured by a respective mobile communication device from a camera from one or more content contributors in the selected set of content contributors; and

provide a control enabling the first requester to selectively download or to selectively stream one or more of the items of content from the cloud-based non-transitory storage system to a system associated with the first requester

enable a second content contributor, responding to the request for new content, to stream from the cloud-based non-transitory storage system a first item of content captured by a mobile communication device of a first content contributor responding to the request for new content, and to record a comment comprising audio and video on at least the streamed first item of content captured by the mobile communication device of the first content contributor;

link the recorded comment from the second content contributor with the first item of content from the first content contributor, for which the recorded comment is being provided;

display a visual indication of a parent-child relationship with respect to the recorded comment from the second content contributor and the first item of content from the first content contributor, for which the recorded comment is being provided.

22. The computer storage system as defined in claim 21, wherein the program instructions further direct the computer system to perform operations comprising:

use a voice biometrics analysis engine to determine if a voice in a second of the one or more items of content belongs to a corresponding third content contributor to whom the content request was transmitted to, wherein the voice biometrics analysis engine uses one or more of;

a Hidden Markov model, a neural network, a Gaussian mixture model, or frequency estimation.

23. The computer storage system as defined in claim 21, wherein the program instructions further direct the computer system to perform operations comprising:

compare facial features of a first face in a second of the one or more items of content to reference facial features of a third content contributor to whom the content request was transmitted to, and determine if the first face belongs to the third content contributor to whom the content request was transmitted to, wherein the face recognition system uses one or more of;

PCA (Principal Component Analysis), Independent Component Analysis (ICA), EBGM (Elastic Bunch Graph Matching), LDA (Linear Discriminate Analysis), Trace transform, 3-D morphable face model, HMM (Hidden Markov model), or MSL (Multilinear Subspace Learning).

24. The computer storage system as defined in claim 21, wherein the program instructions further direct the computer system to perform operations comprising:

provide a user interface enabling a content requester to define a set of content contributors from the plurality of content contributors;

provide a user interface enabling the content requester to assign an identifier to a defined set of content contributors;

provide a user interface that lists, using assigned set identifiers, a plurality of content contributor sets defined by the content requester and that enables the content requester to select one or more content contributor sets to whom a content request is to be submitted.

25. The computer storage system as defined in claim 21, wherein the program instructions further direct the computer system to perform operations comprising:

prompt the first requester to issue an electronic request to a third content contributor, requesting the third content contributor post content received from the third content contributor, or a link to such content, on a social media site.

26. The computer storage system as defined in claim 21, wherein the program instructions further direct the computer system to perform operations comprising:

determine in real time which content contributors are currently watching a first program and identifying such content contributors to at least one content requester.

27. The computer storage system as defined in claim 21, wherein the request for content from the first requester comprises a video file, or a link to a video file, or both a video file and a link to a video file, and wherein transmission of at least a portion of the content request further comprises transmission of the video file, or the link to a video file, or both the video file and the link to a video file to the selected set of content contributors, and the content subject matter specification from the first requester comprises a request to comment on the video file.

28. The computer storage system as defined in claim 21, wherein the program instructions further direct the computer system to perform operations comprising:

at least partly in response to receiving a content item from a third content contributor in response to the request from the first requester, identify a verification destination specified by the third content contributor, and inhibit first requester access to the content item from the first third content contributor until a verification indication is received from the verification destination.

29. The computer storage system as defined in claim 21, wherein the program instructions further direct the computer system to perform operations comprising:

at least partly in response to receiving a content item from a third content contributor in response to the request from the first requester;

identify a verification destination specified by the first requester; and

inhibit access to the content item from the third content contributor to one or more users associated with the first requester until a verification indication is received from the verification destination.

30. The computer storage system as defined in claim 21, wherein the program instructions further direct the computer system to perform operations comprising:

receive profile information from a third content contributor;

enable a second requester to add first information to the third content contributor profile information;

enable a third requester to add second information to the third content contributor profile information;

receive a search query from the second requester;

use the profile information from the third content contributor and the first information to return a first search result to the second requester and inhibit the first search result from including the second information;

receive a search query from the third requester;

use the profile information from the third content contributor and the second information to return a second search result to the third requester and inhibiting the second search result from including the first information.