MEDIA TOOLBAR AND AGGREGATED/DISTRIBUTED MEDIA ECOSYSTEM

• US 20130185422A1
• Filed: 12/26/2012
• Published: 07/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pinterest, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rogers, Ian C., Kozlov, Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 9,736,216 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications

Abstract

A method and network architecture through which user-specific media profile data can be made available to third parties. A browser is optionally enhanced to facilitate playback and control of one or more media players, thereby allowing the user to play content via the browser. As the user plays content in the browser or any of the media players, information is collected about the content and stored in a database. By monitoring all media-related interactions made by the user within the browser, the collected content information can encompass information from a wide range of sources. User-specific profile data is then determined based on the collected data and such user-specific profile data is made available to third parties. The user-specific profile data can be used, for example, for social networking purposes, and may also be used to drive advertisements or other content to the user.

Claims

1-45. -45. (canceled)

46. A method comprising:

monitoring, by a software agent executed in connection with a network browsing application executed at least in part by a processor of a computing device, media content consumed by a user via one or more media players of the computing device and via the user interacting with the software agent, said monitoring to identify media content most recently consumed by the user and to identify a media player of one or more media players utilized by the user to consume said most recently consumed media content.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the software agent comprises one or more of a network browsing application toolbar, a network browsing application plug-in, and/or a stand-alone application that interfaces with the network browsing application.

48. The method of claim 46, wherein the one or more media players comprise one or more media players that download and/or stream media content via the Internet.

49. The method of claim 46, wherein said monitoring to identify media content most recently consumed by the user comprises creating a marker in a most-recently accessed media list.

50. The method of claim 49, further comprising aggregating, via the computing device, media consumption information from the one or more media players and the identified most recently consumed media content based at least in part on the marker in the most-recently accessed media list.

51. The method of claim 46, further comprising:

aggregating, via the computing device, metadata indicative of media consumed by the user via the one or more media players and the identified most recently consumed media content;

transmitting, over a network, aggregated media consumption information to a server;

receiving, at the computing device, from the server, one or more media recommendations based at least in part on the identified most recently consumed media content and/or the aggregated metadata indicative of media consumed by the user; and

visibly displaying on a display of the computing device the one or more media recommendations to the user.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein said receiving the one or more media recommendations comprises receiving one or more advertisements for media content, the one or more advertisements to be selected based, at least in part, on the aggregated metadata indicative of media consumed by the user.

53. A computing device, comprising:

a processor to execute a software agent in connection with a network browsing application to monitor media content consumed by a user via one or more media players of the computing device and via the user interacting with the software agent, the processor to monitor the media content to identify media content most recently consumed by the user and to identify a media player of one or more media players utilized by the user to consume said most recently consumed media content.

54. The computing device of claim 53, wherein the software agent comprises one or more of a network browsing application toolbar, a network browsing application plug-in, and/or a stand-alone application that interfaces with the network browsing application.

55. The computing device of claim 53, wherein the one or more media players comprise one or more media players that download and/or stream media content via the Internet.

56. The computing device of claim 53, the processor to identify media content most recently consumed by the user at least in part by creating a marker in a most-recently accessed media list.

57. The computing device of claim 56, the processor further to aggregate media consumption information from the one or more media players and the identified most recently consumed media content based at least in part on the marker in the most-recently accessed media list.

58. The computing device of claim 53, the processor further to aggregate media consumption information from the one or more media players and the identified most recently consumed media content, the computing device further comprising:

a network port to transmit, over a network, aggregated media consumption information to a server, the network port further to receive from the server one or more media recommendations based at least in part on the identified most recently consumed media content and/or the aggregated media consumption information; and

a display to display the one or more media recommendations to the user.

59. The computing device of claim 58, the network port to receive the one or more media recommendations at least in part by receiving one or more advertisements for media content, the one or more advertisements to be selected based, at least in part, on the aggregated media consumption information.

60. An article, comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a computing device to;

monitor, via a software agent executed in connection with a network browsing application, media content consumed by a user via one or more media players of the computing device and via the user interacting with the software agent, wherein the computer readable storage medium has stored thereon further instructions executable by the computing device to monitor the media content at least in part to identify media content most recently consumed by the user and to identify a media player of one or more media players utilized by the user to consume said most recently consumed media content.

61. The article of claim 60, wherein the software agent comprises one or more of a network browsing application toolbar, a network browsing application plug-in, and/or a stand-alone application that interfaces with the network browsing application, and wherein the one or more media players comprise one or more media players that download and/or stream media content via the Internet.

62. The article of claim 60, wherein the computer readable storage medium has stored thereon further instructions executable by the computing device to monitor the media content to identify media content most recently consumed by the user at least in part by creating a marker in a most-recently accessed media list.

63. The article of claim 62, wherein the computer readable storage medium has stored thereon further instructions executable by the computing device to aggregate media consumption information from the one or more media players and the identified most recently consumed media content based at least in part on the marker in the most-recently accessed media list.

64. The article of claim 60, wherein the computer readable storage medium has stored thereon further instructions executable by the computing device to:

aggregate media consumption information from the one or more media players and the identified most recently consumed media content;

transmit, over a network, aggregated media consumption information to a server;

receive from the server one or more media recommendations based at least in part on the identified most recently consumed media content and/or the aggregated media consumption information; and

visibly display on a display of the computing device the one or more media recommendations to the user.

65. The article of claim 64, wherein the computer readable storage medium has stored thereon further instructions executable by the computing device to receive the one or more media recommendations at least in part by receiving one or more advertisements for media content, the one or more advertisements to be selected based, at least in part, on the aggregated media consumption information.