System and method for tagging content and delivering the tag to buddies of a given user

• US 9,848,246 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2017
• Issued: 12/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo Holdings, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Jacoby, Ronald, O'Kane, Brenda
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Ricky
• Application Number:
  US15/626,684
• Publication Number:
  US 20170289586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 183 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2353 specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/258 Client or end-user data management, e.g. managing client capabilities, user preferences or demographics, processing of multiple end-users preferences to derive collaborative data arrangements for services using the result on the distributing side of broadcast systems H04H60/66; profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 Games
• 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 21/63 Control signaling related to video distribution between client, server and network components; Network processes for video distribution between server and clients or between remote clients, e.g. transmitting basic layer and enhancement layers over different transmission paths, setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet between remote STB's; Communication protocols; Addressing real-time session protocols H04L65/1101; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method comprises retrieving a profile of a given user, the given user having a given-user device; delivering a content item to the given-user device; receiving one or more user-specified tags associated with the content item; identifying one or more buddies of the user as indicated in the profile; and delivering the one or more tags to the one or more buddies.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying, by a server on the network, one or more buddies associated with a user;

selecting, by the server, upon determining that a first buddy is active on the network, the first buddy selected from the one or more buddies;

transmitting, by the server, a synchronization request to the first buddy;

receiving, at the server, an acceptance of the synchronization request from the first buddy;

retrieving, by the server, in response to the synchronization request, a profile of the first buddy the profile comprising a location of the first buddy;

identifying, by the server, based on the retrieved location of the first buddy, one or more items of content available for both the first buddy and the user;

receiving, at the server, a selection of a selected item of content from the one or more items of content from the user or the first buddy;

synchronizing, at the server, based on information associated with the synchronization request, a starting time for the selected item; and

transmitting, by the server, an instruction to start playback of the selected item at the starting time to a client device associated with the first buddy and a client device associated with the user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying one or more buddies associated with a user comprises identifying the one or more buddies by accessing a user profile associated with the user.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the user profile includes an identification of one or more instant messaging applications to which the user is subscribed.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying one or more buddies associated with a user comprises identifying a set of users similar to the user based on matching user profiles of the set of users with the user profile of the user.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a textual message from the first buddy after the starting time and transmitting the textual message to the user.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the content comprises content maintained on the client device of the user or the client device of the first buddy.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the client device of the user or first buddy comprises a DVR device and wherein the content comprises content stored on the DVR device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the selection is performed using a voting control.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the instruction to start playback causes each client device to display the selected item at the selected time.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting a control to either the first buddy or the user, the control enabling the selection of an additional item of content or the manipulation of the selected item.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory memory storing computer-executable instructions therein that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to perform the operations of;

identifying, on a network, one or more buddies associated with a user;

selecting, upon determining that a first buddy is active on the network, the first buddy selected from the one or more buddies;

transmitting a synchronization request to the first buddy;

receiving an acceptance of the synchronization request from the first buddy;

retrieving, in response to the synchronization request, a profile of the first buddy, the profile comprising a location of the first buddy;

identifying, based on the retrieved location of the first buddy, one or more items of content available for both the first buddy and the user;

receiving a selection of a selected item of content from the one or more items of content from the user or the first buddy;

synchronizing, based on information associated with the synchronization request, a starting time for the selected item; and

transmitting an instruction to start playback of the selected item at the starting time to a client device associated with the first buddy and a client device associated with the user.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein identifying one or more buddies associated with a user comprises identifying the one or more buddies by accessing a user profile associated with the user.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the user profile includes an identification of one or more instant messaging applications to which the user is subscribed.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein identifying one or more buddies associated with a user comprises identifying a set of users similar to the user based on matching user profiles of the set of users with the user profile of the user.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising receiving a textual message from the first buddy after the starting time and transmitting the textual message to the user.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the content comprises content maintained on the client device of the user or the client device of the first buddy.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the content comprises content stored on a DVR device.

18. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the selection is performed using a voting control.

19. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the instruction to start playback causes each client device to display the selected item at the selected time.

20. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising transmitting a control to either the first buddy or the user, the control enabling the selection of an additional item of content or the manipulation of the selected item.