Selecting content-enhancement applications

• US 9,268,734 B1
• Filed: 03/14/2011
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ward, Charles L., Willhoit, Donald Ryan, Mackraz, James D., Gayles, Edward J., Ulness, Lars C., Borja, Robert C. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Tuan
• Application Number:
  US13/047,043
• Time in Patent Office: 1,807 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0291 for reading, e.g. e-books constructional details of portable computers G06F1/1613
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

Techniques for enhancing content being rendered on an electronic device are described herein. In some instances, the techniques include monitoring interactions between a user and a content item that the user consumes on an electronic device. The content items may include electronic books, songs, videos, documents, or the like. In response to detecting an interaction between the user and the content item, the techniques may publish an event indicative of the interaction to an application platform that hosts one or more applications. The applications may be designed to enhance the content that the user consumes in one or more specified ways.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

detecting an event corresponding to an interaction between a user and an electronic book presented on an electronic book reader;

selecting, from multiple applications, a subset of the multiple applications to receive the event that is indicative of the interaction, wherein the selecting is performed without receiving a contemporaneous user selection, the subset comprising two or more applications;

publishing the event to the subset of the multiple applications while refraining from publishing the event to a remainder of the multiple applications;

receiving, from one application of the subset of the multiple applications, a request to publish first content for display on the electronic book reader at least partly in response to the publishing of the event;

receiving, from another application of the subset of the multiple applications, a request to publish second content for display on the electronic book reader at least partly in response to the publishing of the event;

causing display of at least a portion of the first content as a first layer; and

causing display of at least a portion of the second content as a second layer on the electronic book reader.

2. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the interaction comprises the user requesting to turn a page in the electronic book, the user selecting text of the electronic book, the user selecting an icon that the electronic book reader displays, the user adjusting a setting of the electronic book reader, or the user providing an input via an input device of the electronic book reader.

3. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the selecting of the subset of the multiple applications to receive the event is based on information associated with the interaction.

4. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the selecting of the subset of the multiple applications to receive the event is based on a classification of the interaction.

5. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the selecting of the subset of the multiple applications to receive the event is based on a classification of the electronic book.

6. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the selecting of the subset of the multiple applications to receive the event is based on preferences of the user.

7. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the selecting of the subset of the multiple applications to receive the event is based on past interactions between the user and the multiple applications.

8. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the user has been deemed similar to a particular set of users, and wherein the selecting of the subset of the multiple applications to receive the event is based on past interactions between a first user of the particular set of users and the multiple applications and a second user of the particular set of users and the multiple applications.

9. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the user has been deemed similar to a particular set of users, and wherein the selecting of the subset of the multiple applications to receive the event is based on preferences of users of the particular set of users.

10. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the selecting of the subset of the multiple applications to receive the event is based on capabilities of the electronic book reader.

11. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the selecting of the subset of the multiple applications to receive the event is based on whether or not the electronic book reader is currently connected to a network.

12. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the selecting of the subset of the multiple applications to receive the event is based on a current location of the electronic book reader.

13. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the interaction comprises a user selecting text within the electronic book, and wherein the selecting of the subset of the multiple applications to receive the event is based on information associated with the selected text.

14. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the selecting of the subset of the multiple applications to receive the event is based on a location within the electronic book at which the interaction occurs.

15. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the selecting of the subset of the multiple applications to receive the event is based on an affinity between the electronic book and individual ones of the multiple applications.

16. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 15, wherein individual ones of the multiple applications expresses the respective affinity.

17. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 15, wherein the electronic book expresses each of the respective affinities.

18. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein presenting the first portion of the first additional content of the plurality as the first layer and the second portion of a second additional content of the plurality as the second layer allows the user to toggle between at least the first portion and second portion of the first and second additional content of the plurality.

19. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the first portion of the first additional content of the plurality supplements the second portion of the second additional content of the plurality.

20. An electronic device comprising:

an output component to output a content item;

an input device to allow a user of the electronic device to interact with the content item;

one or more processors;

memory;

a content enhancement module, stored in the memory and executable on the one or more processors, to;

detect an interaction between the user and the content item made via the input device;

select, based on criteria of the interaction and at least one of a characteristic of the user or a characteristic of the content item, a subset of multiple applications stored on or accessible to the electronic device;

publish an event indicative of the interaction to the subset of multiple applications stored on or accessible to the electronic device; and

output, via the output component, a first piece of additional content provided by a first application of the subset and a second piece of additional content provided by a second application of the subset, the first piece of additional content and the second piece of additional content output at least partly in response to the publishing of the event.

21. An electronic device as recited in claim 20, wherein the content enhancement module is further executable to select the subset with reference to a characteristic of the interaction, a characteristic of the electronic device, or a combination thereof.

22. An electronic device as recited in claim 20, further comprising an application platform to host the multiple applications.

23. An electronic device as recited in claim 22, wherein the multiple applications are selectively downloadable to the application platform by the user of the electronic device.

24. An electronic device as recited in claim 20, wherein the output component comprises a speaker or a display, and the content item comprises an audio file, a video file, or a document.

25. An electronic device as recited in claim 20, wherein the two or more pieces of additional content are output in at least one of a selectable list or such that a first piece of the two or more pieces of additional content appears at least partly layered over a second piece of the two or more pieces of additional content.

26. An electronic device comprising:

an output component to output a content item;

an input device to allow a user of the electronic device to interact with the content item;

one or more processors;

memory;

a content enhancement module, stored in the memory and executable on the one or more processors, to;

detect an interaction between the user and the content item made via the input device,

publish an event indicative of the interaction contemporaneously to multiple applications stored on or accessible to the electronic device,

receive two or more pieces of additional content provided by at least a portion of the multiple applications at least partly in response to the publishing of the event, and

select and output the two or more pieces of the received additional content on the output component such that a first piece of the received additional content appears at least partly layered over a second piece of the received additional content on the output component; and

an application platform to host the multiple applications and further wherein, the content enhancement module is further executable to determine a quantity of multiple applications to publish the event to based, at least in part, on a certainty of which a particular application of the multiple applications is a correct application to respond to the event.

27. An electronic device as recited in claim 26, wherein the multiple applications are selectively downloadable to the application platform by the user of the electronic device.