Sharing media objects in a network

• US 7,886,024 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2004
• Issued: 02/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Farnham, Shelly, Kelly, Sean, Portnoy, William, Cheng, Lili
• Primary Examiner(s): Neurauter, Jr.; George C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sikri; Anish
• Application Number:
  US10/882,727
• Publication Number:
  US 20060004914A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,413 Days
• Field of Search: 709/218, 709/219, 707/748, 707/749
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce

Abstract

A method, computer readable medium, user component, and system for sharing media object in a network environment are disclosed. A network manager may determine a similarity metric between users of the environment, between media objects, and/or between a user and media objects. Based upon the similarity metric, the network manager may share media objects with another user if the similarity metric exceeds a predetermined value or is more similar than other retrieved media objects. A user component may also provide a network map manager to display a network map, and may provide a tailored view manager to display a web log associated with at least one of the user icons displayed in the network map.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

defining a plurality of users in a network environment;

receiving a media object from a first user of the plurality of users;

calculating a similarity metric based on S=N_AB/SquareRoot(N_A*N_B) where S indicates a normalized co-occurrence of the first user and the second user being associated with posted media objects, and where N_AB indicates a number of the posted media objects associated with the first user and the second user, and where N_A indicates a number of the posted media objects associated with the first user but not the second user, and where N_B indicates a number of the posted media objects associated with the second user but not the first user; and

forwarding the media object to the second user in response to the similarity metric exceeding a pre-determined value;

wherein the method is performed by a computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-determined value is identified by the second user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-determined value is identified by a network manager.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the posted media objects associated with the first user and the second user include a posted media object with a comment by the first user, the posted media object posted by the second user.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the media object comprises an electronic communication from the first user.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the electronic communication is between the first user and the second user.

7. A user component comprising:

a network map manager configured to provide a network map display of user icons that each represent a user in a network environment, wherein the network map display is based on calculating a similarity metric based on S=N_AB/SquareRoot(N_a*N_B) where S indicates a normalized co-occurrence of a first user and a second user being associated with posted media objects, and where N_AB indicates a number of the posted media objects associated with the first user and the second user, and where N_A indicates a number of the posted media objects associated with the first user but not the second user, and where N_B indicates a number of the posted media objects associated with the second user but not the first user, the calculating performed by a computing device;

a tailored view manager configured to provide a web log view display of a web log associated with at least one of the user icons; and

a user input tool configured to post, in response to user input, a media object on the web log.

8. The user component of claim 7 wherein the network map manager is further configured to graphically indicate based on the similarity metric a similarity between at least two users represented in the network map.

9. The user component of claim 7 wherein the web log includes at least one media object that includes a comment provided by one of the users.

10. The user component of claim 7 wherein the web log includes at least one image that includes an identity label identifying a person represented in the image.

11. A system for sharing media objects in a network environment, the system comprising:

a database configured to store media objects;

a memory in which machine instructions are stored; and

a processor of a machine that is coupled to the database and the memory, the processor configured to execute the machine instructions to cause the machine to carry out a plurality of functions, including;

accepting a media object from a first user of the network environment;

storing the media object in the database;

calculating similarity metric based on S=N_AB/SquareRoot(N_A*N_B) where S indicates a normalized co-occurrence of the first user and a second user being associated with posted media objects, and where N_AB indicates a number of the posted media objects associated with the first user and the second user of the network environment, and where N_A indicates a number of the posted media objects associated with the first user but not the second user, and where N_B indicates a number of the posted media objects associated with the second user but not the first user; and

automatically sharing the media object with the second user in response to the similarity metric exceeding a pre-determined value.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the processor receives an electronic communication from the first user and parses the media object from the electronic communication.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the processor parses metadata from the electronic communication.

14. A hardware computer storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method of sharing media objects in a network environment, the method comprising:

defining a plurality of users in the network environment;

receiving a first media object from a first user of the plurality of users;

requesting, by a second user of the plurality of users, a search based on at least one query parameter;

calculating a similarity metric based on S=N_AB/SquareRoot(N_A*N_B) where S indicates a normalized co-occurrence of the first user and the second user being associated with posted media objects and where N_AB indicates a number of the posted media objects associated with the first user and the second user, and where N_A indicates a number of the posted media objects associated with the first user but not the second user, and where N_B indicates a number of the posted media objects associated with the second user but not the first user;

based on the at least one query parameter and the similarity metric, returning a representation of the first media object to the second user.

15. The hardware computer storage medium of claim 14 wherein the returning the representation of the media object includes returning a web log associated with the first user.

16. The hardware computer storage medium of claim 14 wherein the method further comprises posting media objects into a web log.

17. The hardware computer storage medium of claim 16 wherein the web log is associated with the first user.

18. The hardware computer storage medium of claim 16 wherein the web log is associated with the second user.

19. The hardware computer storage medium of claim 14 wherein the method further comprises posting, by the first user, a comment associated with a second media object.

20. The hardware computer storage medium of claim 14 wherein the method further comprises providing, by the first user, a label identifying a representation of the second user in the first media object.

21. The hardware computer storage medium of claim 20 wherein the method further comprises selecting, by the first user, a portion of the first media object and associating the label with the portion of the first media object.

22. A hardware computer storage medium having computer executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method of sharing media objects in a network environment, the method comprising:

receiving an electronic communication from a first user of the network environment;

parsing the electronic communication into metadata and at least one media object, the at least one media object including an image;

calculating a similarity metric based on S=N₄B/SquareRoot(N_A*N_B) where S indicates a normalized co-occurrence of the first user and a second user of the network environment being associated with the media objects, and where N_AB indicates a number of the media objects associated with the first user and the second user, and where N_A indicates a number of the media objects associated with the first user but not the second user, and where N_B indicates a number of the media objects associated with the second user but not the first user;

based on the similarity metric, automatically forwarding the at least one media object to the second user.

23. The hardware computer storage medium of claim 22 further comprising associating the at least one media object with a web log based on the metadata.

24. The hardware computer storage medium of claim 23 further comprising automatically determining a position of the at least one media object in the web log based on the metadata.

25. A hardware computer storage medium having computer executable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method comprising:

displaying a map of a plurality of user icons and an indicator of similarity between each of the plurality of user icons and at least one focal point icon, the plurality of user icons and the focal point icon each representing at least one user of a network environment, the indicators of similarity each indicating a similarity between a first user represented by one of the plurality of user icons and a second user represented by the at least one focal point icon, the similarity calculated based on S=N_AB/SquareRoot(N_A*N_B) where S indicates a normalized co-occurrence of the first user and a second user being associated with posted media objects, and where N_AB indicates a number of the posted media objects associated with the first user and the second user, and where N_A indicates a number of the posted media objects associated with the first user but not the second user, and where N_B indicates a number of the posted media objects associated with the second user but not the first user;

accepting at least one query parameter;

querying, using the at least one query parameter, a database comprising the posted media objects;

returning, based on the query, a media object wherein the media object includes an image;

associate associating a comment with at least a portion of the media object;

displaying the media object; and

displaying at least one web log associated with the user represented by the focal point icon.

26. The hardware computer storage medium of claim 25, further comprising selecting a portion of the media object as an object to be associated with an other media object.

27. The hardware computer storage medium of claim 26, wherein the other media object is a comment.

28. The hardware computer storage medium of claim 26, wherein the other media object is a link.

29. The hardware computer storage medium of claim 26, wherein the other media object is an identifier of a person depicted in the image.

30. The hardware computer storage medium of claim 25, further comprising entering the media object into a web log.