Capturing and automatically uploading media content

• US 9,667,694 B1
• Filed: 02/20/2013
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Taylor, Thomas H., Wagner, Mark, Conway, David P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tokuta, Shean
• Application Number:
  US13/772,256
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for automatically uploading media content from a mobile device to an online service provider can include receiving, in the mobile device, identifying information corresponding to a user account associated with at least one of a plurality of online service providers; capturing media content with a media input component included in the mobile device; and after the media content is captured, automatically uploading to the at least one online service provider the captured media content and the identifying information, without receiving user input contemporaneous with the automatic uploading that specifies that the captured media content is to be uploaded. The mobile device can further include a wireless communication component configured to wirelessly send data to and wirelessly receive data from the plurality of online service providers, which can be external to the mobile device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

before particular media has been initially generated by a mobile device, receiving, by the mobile device and from a user, pre-configuration data including;

(i) credential information associated with an account of an online media sharing service for a user of the mobile device,

(ii) data indicating a deletion time period that commences when media is initially generated, and after which the media is to be automatically uploaded to the account of the online media sharing service based on not being selected for deletion by the user during the deletion time period,

(iii) data indicating an identifier of another user, and

(iv) data indicating a selection to send a confirmation to the user of the mobile device and a notification to the other user in response to the media being automatically uploaded to the account of the online media sharing service for the user of the mobile device;

after the pre-configuration data is received, determining that particular media has been initially generated by the mobile device;

determining that the particular media has not been selected for deletion by the user during the deletion time period;

after the deletion time period has elapsed, transmitting, to the online media sharing service, (a) the credential information, and (b) the particular media;

after the deletion time period has elapsed and after the credential information and the particular media have been transmitted to the online media sharing service, receiving, by the mobile device, a confirmation indicating that the particular media was uploaded to the account of the online media sharing service for the user of the mobile device; and

in response to the confirmation indicating that the particular media was uploaded to the account of the online media sharing service for the user of the mobile device, transmitting, by the mobile device and to the other user according to the identifier of the other user, a notification indicating that the particular media was uploaded to the account of the online media sharing service for the user of the mobile device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a smartphone and the particular media comprises at least one of a still-image file, a video file, and an audio file.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a wirelessly-equipped digital camera.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a Global Positioning System (GPS)-equipped mobile device, and the particular media comprises a plurality of GPS-mapped locations corresponding to a route over which the GPS-equipped mobile device traveled.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the online media sharing service comprises an online image- and video-sharing service provider.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the online media sharing service comprises an online audio-sharing service provider.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the credential information comprises a device identifier associated with the mobile device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the credential information comprises access-control information associated with the account of the online media sharing service for the user of the mobile device.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the automatic upload comprises automatically uploading with the particular media corresponding configuration information which causes the particular media to be made available to the general public by the online media sharing service.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the automatic upload comprises automatically uploading with the particular media corresponding configuration information which causes the particular media to be made available only to one or more other user accounts associated with the online media sharing service including an account of the other user.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein transmitting to the online media sharing service comprises transmitting via a wireless communication component of the mobile device when the wireless communication component has available bandwidth over a channel coupling the mobile device and the online media sharing service.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, to a second online media sharing service, (i) the credential information, and (ii) the particular media, wherein the second online media sharing service is different than the online media sharing service.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining that particular media has been generated by the mobile device comprises storing geographical location information associated with the mobile device at a point in time when the particular media is generated, and wherein transmitting, to the online media sharing service, (i) the credential information, and (ii) the particular media comprises transmitting with the particular media the stored geographical location information.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising providing status information in the mobile device that indicates a current status of the transmitting to the online media sharing service.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the identifier of the other user comprises an email address of the other user, and

the credential information comprises an email address of the user.

15. A system comprising one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

before particular media has been initially generated by a mobile device, receiving, by the mobile device and from a user, pre-configuration data including;

(i) credential information associated with an account of an online media sharing service for a user of the mobile device,

(ii) data indicating a deletion time period that commences when media is initially generated, and after which the media is to be automatically uploaded to the account of the online media sharing service based on not being selected for deletion by the user during the deletion time period,

(iii) data indicating an identifier of another user, and

(iv) data indicating a selection to send a confirmation to the user of the mobile device and a notification to the other user in response to the media being automatically uploaded to the account of the online media sharing service for the user of the mobile device;

after the pre-configuration data is received, determining that particular media has been initially generated by the mobile device;

determining that the particular media has not been selected for deletion by the user during the deletion time period;

after the deletion time period has elapsed, transmitting, to the online media sharing service, (a) the credential information, and (b) the particular media;

after the deletion time period has elapsed and after the credential information and the particular media have been transmitted to the online media sharing service, receiving, by the mobile device, a confirmation indicating that the particular media was uploaded to the account of the online media sharing service for the user of the mobile device; and

in response to the confirmation indicating that the particular media was uploaded to the account of the online media sharing service for the user of the mobile device, transmitting, by the mobile device and to the other user according to the identifier of the other user, a notification indicating that the particular media was uploaded to the account of the online media sharing service for the user of the mobile device.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising a component that provides a function associated with a household appliance, the function selected from the group comprising heating or cooling food or beverage items, washing household items, or drying household items.

17. A computer-readable storage device storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

before particular media has been initially generated by a mobile device, receiving, by the mobile device and from a user, pre-configuration data including;

(i) credential information associated with an account of an online media sharing service for a user of the mobile device,

(ii) data indicating a deletion time period that commences when media is initially generated, and after which the media is to be automatically uploaded to the account of the online media sharing service based on not being selected for deletion by the user during the deletion time period,

(iii) data indicating an identifier of another user, and

(iv) data indicating a selection to send a confirmation to the user of the mobile device and a notification to the other user in response to the media being automatically uploaded to the account of the online media sharing service for the user of the mobile device;

after the pre-configuration data is received, determining that particular media has been initially generated by the mobile device;

determining that the particular media has not been selected for deletion by the user during the deletion time period;

after the deletion time period has elapsed, transmitting, to the online media sharing service, (a) the credential information, and (b) the particular media;

after the deletion time period has elapsed and after the credential information and the particular media have been transmitted to the online media sharing service, receiving, by the mobile device, a confirmation indicating that the particular media was uploaded to the account of the online media sharing service for the user of the mobile device; and

in response to the confirmation indicating that the particular media was uploaded to the account of the online media sharing service for the user of the mobile device, transmitting, by the mobile device and to both the other user according to the identifier of the other user, a notification indicating that the particular media was uploaded to the account of the online media sharing service for the user of the mobile device.