Criteria-associated media content

• US 9,503,854 B1
• Filed: 07/31/2015
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• 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
• Application Number:
  US14/815,634
• Time in Patent Office: 480 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.2, 455/456.6, 455/418, 709/204
• 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:

receiving, from a first user device associated with a first user, an indication that a content item has been associated with a physical location;

receiving, from a second user device associated with a second user, a request to access the content item;

at least partly in response to receiving the request from the second user device, determining, via one or more computing devices, that the second user device is within a predetermined distance from the physical location; and

at least partly in response to determining that the second user device is within the predetermined distance from the physical location, causing the content item to become available to the second user device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the first user device, a list of users that are authorized to access the content item;

determining that the second user is included within the list of users; and

at least partly in response to determining that the second user is included within the list of users, unlocking the content item for access by the second user device associated with the second user.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the content item includes at least one of video content, audio content, textual content, or image content that relates to the physical location.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising determining that the second user device is within a predetermined distance from the physical location based at least in part on global positioning system (GPS), radio-frequency identification (RFID), a matrix barcode, near field communication (NFC), or input provided by the second user device.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the physical location is associated with a plurality of content items that are each related to the physical location and that are associated with different users.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the content item is unlocked with respect to the second user device based at least in part on temporal criteria, an order in which the second user device visits multiple physical locations, an extent to which the content item has been accessed, or a subscription or an admission associated with the second user device.

7. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising;

receiving, from a first user device associated with a first user, a request to associate a content item with a physical location;

associating access to the content item with the physical location;

receiving, from a second user device, a request to access the content item;

receiving, from the second user device, physical location information associated with the second user device;

determining that the physical location information associated with the second user device locates the second user device within a predetermined distance from the physical location; and

unlocking the content item for access by the second user device that is within the predetermined distance from the physical location.

8. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein the acts further comprise sending, in response to the physical location being within the predetermined distance, data associated with the content item to the second user device.

9. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein the physical location is expressed as location coordinates, and wherein the acts further comprise:

calculating a distance between the physical location and a location of the second user device based at least in part on the location coordinates; and

comparing the distance to the predetermined distance.

10. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein the content item is media content, and wherein the acts further comprise sending the media content to the second user device.

11. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein the acts further comprise sending a notification to the second user device that the content item is available for access by the second user device.

12. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein the acts further comprise determining that the content item has been accessed by the second user device.

13. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein the content item is unlocked with respect to the second user device based at least in part on an order in which the second user device visits multiple physical locations.

14. A method comprising:

receiving, from a first user device associated with a first user, a request to associate a content item with a location used to create a physical location restriction;

receiving, from a second user device, a request to access the content item;

determining the physical location restriction associated with access to the content item;

determining a physical location of the second user device;

determining, via one or more computing devices, that the physical location of the second user device complies with the physical location restriction; and

causing the content item to be accessible by the second user device that complies with the physical location restriction.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

determining a temporal restriction associated with the content item; and

wherein the causing the content item to be accessible is based at least in part on compliance with the temporal restriction.

16. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising sending the content item to the second user device.

17. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising sending a notification to the second user device that the content item is available for access.

18. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising determining the physical location based at least in part on global positioning system (GPS) data or radio-frequency identification (RFID) data received from the user device.

19. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising;

associating access to a content item with a physical location;

receiving, from a user device, a request to access the content item;

receiving, from the user device, physical location information associated with the user device, wherein the physical location is expressed as location coordinates;

determining that the physical location information associated with the user device locates the user device within a predetermined distance from the physical location;

calculating a distance between the physical location and a location of the user device based at least in part on the location coordinates;

comparing the distance to the predetermined distance; and

unlocking the content item for access by the user device that is within the predetermined distance from the physical location.