PERSISTENT CUSTOMIZED SOCIAL MEDIA ENVIRONMENT

• US 20130151603A1
• Filed: 12/09/2011
• Published: 06/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lobb, Kenneth A., Blinn, Arnold, Kotzenberg, Bernhard, Gillett, Donald M., Elliott, John Darren
• Granted Patent: US 9,782,680 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/215 comprising means for detecting acoustic signals, e.g. using a microphone
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/843 involving concurrently two or more players on the same game device, e.g. requiring the use of a plurality of controllers or of a specific view of game data for each player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/556 Player lists, e.g. online players, buddy list, black list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8023 the game being played by multiple players at a common site, e.g. in an arena, theatre, shopping mall using a large public display
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8088 involving concurrently several players in a non-networked game, e.g. on the same game console
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

One or more persistent customized social media environments are created allowing users to share content or an activity. The content or activity may comprise a shared media experience or shared participatory experience. Each user accessing the environment utilizes a device alone or in conjunction with other devices to complete a sharing experience. A persistent customized social media environment definition establishes a user environment which provides social networking services as well as content sharing and allows users who are connected to the persistent customized social media environment definition to experience instant messages, while those users who connect to the persistent customized social media environment at a later time will receive messages once they enter the environment.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of sharing a media experience, comprising:

providing a sharing application to a media display device, the sharing application responsive to a common shared content experience;

receiving a persistent customized social media environment definition from a user via the sharing application, the persistent customized social media environment definition including an identification of other users to be included in the environment, a shared content experience, and one or more modules provided in the application;

responsive to a user indicating a desire to participate in the persistent customized social media environment, outputting the persistent customized social media environment definition to configure the sharing application for user participation;

providing communications between the users participating in the persistent customized social media environment based on user input; and

syncing persistent customized social media communications between users to the common shared content experience.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the method further includes notifying persistent customized social media member users when a user creates a persistent customized social media including persistent customized social media member users in the persistent customized social media environment definition.

3. The method of claim 1 further including tracking network enabled user activities and suggesting additional users for a persistent customized social media environment definition.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing communications includes:

receiving a selection from the user of a recipient to receive a private message;

receiving the private message content; and

routing the private message content to the recipient;

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing communications includes:

receiving a selection of a group of users who are members of the persistent customized social media environment definition as recipients of a group message;

receiving group message content; and

routing the group message content to the recipients.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing communication services includes outputting avatars for users participating in a environment.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of providing communication services outputting includes animating user avatars based on communication activity received for or expressed by an owner of the avatar.

8. The method of claim 1 further including the step of receiving a selection of third party content from one or more users identified in the definition and connected to the environment, the selection adding the third party content to an activity stream within the environment.

9. The method of claim 1 further including the step, responsive to a user indicating a desire to participate in a second persistent customized social media environment, outputting a second persistent customized social media environment definition to configure the sharing application for user participation in the second persistent customized social media environment;

providing communications between the users participating in the second persistent customized social media environment based on user input.

10. A system providing a data store including a persistent definition of a persistent customized social media environment, the system comprising;

a data store including a plurality of persistent customized social media environment definitions, each persistent customized social media environment definition including a user list of users allowed to connect to the environment, one or more synced content experiences and an application definition including a plurality of modules;

a user profile database including user profile information regarding user online activities and associations to persistent customized social media environment definitions of which the user is a member;

an application store including content experiences shared by users connected to the persistent customized social media environment;

an interface receiving third party content experiences selected by users; and

a communications server receiving messages from users, the messages associated with a persistent customized social media environment definition and destined for users in said persistent customized social media environment definition or a subset thereof.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the user profile information includes information on user activities in network enabled content experiences on third party systems.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the communications server includes a private messaging system, a group messaging system and a persistent customized social media messaging system;

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the application store includes code executable in a browser to implement a user interface on a client device when the code is transmitted to the client device, the code interfacing with the data store, profile database, interface and communications server when executed on a client device.

14. A computer implemented method of sharing a media experience, comprising:

registering with a social content sharing service;

retrieving a sharing application to a media display device, the sharing application responsive to a common shared content experience and providing a user interface;

accessing a persistent customized social media environment definition via the via the sharing application, the persistent customized social media environment definition including a definition of other users to be included in a persistent customized social media environment, a shared content experience, and one or more modules provided in the application;

engaging the persistent customized social media environment by selecting to participate in the environment;

participating in the shared content experience; and

outputting a communication to one or more other users participating in the persistent customized social media based on a selection of individual ones of the one or more other users or a group of the other users.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 14 wherein the shared content experience is displayed in a time shifted presentation, the time shifted presentation including content-synced comments from other users who have reviewed the presentation.

16. The computer implemented method of claim 15 wherein other users who reviewed and provided time-synced comments are connected to the persistent customized social media environment and outputting a communication includes forwarding user responses to the time-synced comments to an originator of the time-synced comment.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 14 wherein the step of outputting communications includes:

selecting a recipient to receive a private message;

generating private message content; and

routing the private message content to the recipient.

18. The computer implemented method of claim 14 wherein the step of participating including viewing audio visual content, playing an on-line game or participating in a real-time chat environment.

19. The computer implemented method of claim 14 further including receiving a new persistent customized social media environment definition via the user interface responsive to a user selection of other user representations in the interface and one or more common interests.

20. The computer implemented method of claim 14 wherein the user interface include animating user avatars based on communication activity received for or expressed by an owner of the avatar.