Content sharing using notification within a social networking environment

• US 8,473,550 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2012
• Issued: 06/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Color Labs Inc. (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Bill, Mallet, Vincent, Woods, Nicholas, Cheng, Jessica, Chokshi, Sandip, Ramanarayanan, Ganesh, Streich, Megan
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M
• Application Number:
  US13/398,445
• Publication Number:
  US 20130073624A1
• Time in Patent Office: 495 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-205, 709217-229
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/19 at layers above the network layer network arrangements for networked applications for scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1006 with static server selection, e.g. the same server being selected for a specific client
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1012 based on compliance of requirements or conditions with available server resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1019 Random or heuristic server selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 : Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 : Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23103 : using load balancing strategies, e.g. by placing or distributing content on different disks, different memories or different servers storage management G06F3/0604; allocation of resources considering the load in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/505; techniques for rebalancing the load in a distributed system G06F9/5083; access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. load balancing, in data networks H04L67/1001
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 : Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2743 : Video hosting of uploaded data from client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 : embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 : for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47205 : for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally
• 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 21/488 : Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71

Abstract

Example systems and methods of content sharing using notification within a social networking environment are presented. In one example, an indication is received from a first user device associated with a first user, the indication indicating that the first user device is available for supplying media content over a communication network. Social network information regarding the first user is retrieved. A second user of a second user device is identified based on an association between the first user and the second user according to the social network information. The second user device is notified of the availability of the first user device for the supplying of the media content.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving an indication from a first user device associated with a first user, the indication from the first user device indicating that the first user device is available for supplying media content over a communication network at a later time;

retrieving social network information regarding the first user in response to the receiving of the indication from the first user device;

identifying a second user of a second user device based on an association between the first user and the second user according to the social network information;

notifying the second user device of the availability of the first user device for the supplying of the media content;

receiving an indication from the second user device, the indication from the second user device indicating that the second user device is ready to receive the media content; and

in response to the receiving of the indication from the second user device, notifying the first user device that the second user device is ready to receive the media content so that the first user device can begin broadcasting the media content.

2. The method of claim 1, the association between the first user and second user comprising the first user and the second user being friends.

3. The method of claim 1, the indication from the first user device indicating that the first user device is currently creating the media content.

4. The method of claim 1, the indication from the first user device indicating a current location of the first user device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the media content is live media content created by the first user device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

streaming the media content to the second user device through a web page served by a social networking website, wherein the web page contains links to other social networking functions.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initiating transmission of the media content supplied by the first user device to the second user device;

retrieving second social network information regarding the second user;

identifying a third user of a third user device based on an association between the second user and the third user according to the social network information; and

notifying the third user device of the availability of the first user device to supply the media content.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

initiating transmission of the media content supplied by the first user device to the third user device.

9. The method of claim 1, the notifying of the second user device comprising transmitting a push notification to the second user device.

10. The method of claim 1, the notifying of the second user device being provided via a social networking webpage.

11. The method of claim 10, the notifying of the second user device being presented in a newsfeed area of the social networking webpage.

12. The method of claim 10, the notifying of the second user device being presented in a ticker area of the social networking webpage.

13. The method of claim 1, the notifying of the second user device being provided via an application executing in the second user device.

14. The method of claim 1, the notifying of the second user device being provided in a content sharing application executing within a social networking webpage in an embedded mode.

15. The method of claim 1, the media content comprising at least one of video content, audio content, and a plurality of still images.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving an indication from a first user device associated with a first user, the indication from the first user device indicating that the first user device is available for supplying media content over a communication network at a later time;

retrieving social network information regarding the first user in response to the receiving of the indication from the first user device;

identifying a second user of a second user device based on an association between the first user and the second user according to the social network information;

notifying the second user device of the availability of the first user device for the supplying of the media content;

receiving an indication from the second user device, the indication from the second user device indicating that the second user device is ready to receive the media content; and

in response to the receiving of the indication from the second user device, notifying the first user device that the second user device is ready to receive the media content so that the first user device can begin broadcasting the media content.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, the association between the first user and the second user comprising the first user and the second user being friends as designated within a social network.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, the indication comprising at least one of a current location of the first user device and an indication that the first user device is currently generating the media content.

19. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

modules comprising instructions that perform operations when executed by the at least one processor, the modules comprising;

a status module to receive an indication from a first user device associated with a first user, the indication from the first user indicating that the first user device is available for supplying media content over a communication network at a later time;

a social network contacts module to retrieve social network information regarding the first user, and to identify a second user of a second user device based on an association between the first user and the second user according to the social network information; and

an interface module to notify the second user device of the availability of the first user device for the supplying of the media content and to, upon receipt of an indication from the second user device that the second device is ready to receive the media content, send a notification to the first user device so that the first user device can begin broadcasting the media content.

20. The system of claim 19, the association between the first user and the second user being that the second user is designated as a friend of the first user.