Architecture for shared content consumption interactions

• US 9,378,474 B1
• Filed: 09/17/2012
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audible Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Audible Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Story, Guy A. Jr., Arora, Ajay, Hatch, Steven D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Amy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Xiao, Di
• Application Number:
  US13/621,753
• Time in Patent Office: 1,380 Days
• Field of Search: 715/230, 715/232, 709/205
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Features are disclosed for facilitating content consumption and communication among a group of users. A content consumption group may be formed including any number of users, and content may be selected. Group members may consume roughly the same portion of the content at roughly the same time and share the consumption experience regardless of geographic location, user device, content format, on-demand consumption preferences, and the like. Policies may be defined or selected regarding the rate of content consumption, the communications and other inputs that may be submitted by group members, and the like. A shared content consumption management system may receive data from various user devices regarding each group member'"'"'s current content consumption position, enforce group policies, and distribute group inputs. Group members may also communication in real time through various chats and other interactive features.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing group content consumption, the computer-implemented method comprising:

under control of one or more computing devices configured with specific computer-executable instructions,

receiving, from a first user device of a plurality of user devices, first position data regarding a first current position within an audio version of a content item;

receiving, from a second user device of the plurality of user devices, second position data regarding a second current position within a textual version of the content item;

converting a one of the first current position or the second current position into a converted content position, wherein a one of the first current position or the second current position that is not converted into the converted content position remains an unconverted content position;

receiving, from a subset of the plurality of user devices, commentary data regarding the content item, the subset including at least one of the first user device or the second user device;

identifying a location within the content item that corresponds to an important plot development;

determining that the location corresponding to the important plot development falls between the converted content position and the unconverted content position;

selecting a portion of the commentary data that excludes reference to the important plot development;

generating markup code for a graphical user interface, the graphical user interface comprising;

an object representing at least a portion of the content item, the object comprising a first indicator of the converted content position and a second indicator of the unconverted content position; and

the portion of the commentary data; and

transmitting the markup code for the graphical user interface to at least one of the first user device or the second user device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first current position relates to a play position within the content item, a stop position within the content item, or a portion of the content item.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising establishing a video chat, voice chat, or text chat between the first user device and the second user device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving updated position data regarding an updated content position associated with the first user device;

converting the updated content position into a second converted content position;

generating updated markup code for an updated graphical user interface, the updated graphical user interface comprising an indicator of the second converted position; and

transmitting the updated markup code to the second user device.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein converting the first current position or the second current position is performed using a cross reference table of content positions for different formats of the content item.

6. A system for content consumption group communications, the system comprising:

a computer-readable memory configured to store computer-executable instructions; and

a computer processor associated with a first user and in communication with the computer-readable memory, the computer processor, when executing the computer-executable instructions, configured to;

receive content position data regarding a current content position within a content item, the current content position associated with a second user and related to a position within an audio or textual version of the content item, wherein the second user and the first user are members of a user group;

convert the current content position into a converted content position;

cause presentation of an object representing at least a portion of the content item, the object comprising a first indicator of a current content position within the content item associated with the first user and a second indicator of the current content position within the content item associated with the second user, wherein the second indicator is based at least partly on the converted content position;

receive second user commentary data regarding the content item, the second user commentary data associated with the second user;

identify a content position within the content item corresponding to an important plot development;

determine that the current position within the content item associated with the first user is before the content position corresponding to the important plot development;

determine that the current position within the content item associated with the second user is after the content position corresponding to the important plot development;

select a portion of the second user commentary data that excludes reference to the important plot development; and

cause presentation of at least the portion of the second user commentary data.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the current content position associated with the second user relates to a play position within the content item, a stop position within the content item, a specific location within the content item, or a portion of the content item.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the content item comprises an electronic book, an audio book, or a video.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the computer processor is included in at least one of a mobile phone, media player, electronic book reader, tablet computer, or laptop computer.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the commentary data comprises a rating of at least a portion of the content item, a score of at least a portion of the content item, or an indicator of an interest level in at least a portion of the content item.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the commentary data comprises an audio recording of a comment regarding at least a portion of the content item.

12. The system of claim 6, wherein the commentary data comprises a textual comment regarding at least a portion of the content item.

13. The system of claim 6, wherein the computer processor is further configured to cause transmission, to a group management system, of first user commentary data regarding the content item, the first user commentary data associated with the first user.

14. The system of claim 6, wherein the computer processor is further configured to cause transmission, to a user device associated with the second user, of first user commentary data regarding the content item, the first user commentary data associated with the first user.

15. The system of claim 6, wherein the computer processor is further configured to cause establishment of a video or audio communication channel with a user device associated with the second user.

16. The system of claim 6, wherein the computer processor is further configured to cause presentation of a textual representation of the content item and an indicator of the portion of the second user commentary data that excludes reference to the spoiler, the portion of the second user commentary data corresponding to a portion of the textual representation.

17. The system of claim 6, wherein the computer processor is further configured to cause transmission of the current content position within the content item associated with the first user.

18. The system of claim 6, wherein the computer processor is further configured to:

receive, at a time subsequent to receiving the content position data, an updated current content position within the content item associated with the second user; and

modify the second indicator to reflect the updated current content position of the second user.

19. The system of claim 6, wherein the computer processor is further configured to:

receive additional content positions associated with a plurality of additional group members,

wherein the object further comprises an additional indicator for each of the additional content positions associated with the plurality of additional users.

20. The system of claim 6, wherein the current content position associated with the second user is substantially similar to a current content position associated with the first user.

21. The system of claim 6, wherein the computer processor is further configured to cause presentation of an audible notification that the current content position associated with the second user is substantially similar to a current content position associated with the first user.

22. The system of claim 6, wherein the computer processor is further configured to cause presentation of an audible notification that the second user is within a geographic range of the first user.

23. The system of claim 6, wherein converting the current content position comprises using a cross reference table of content positions for different formats of the content item.

24. A non-transitory computer storage medium which stores a computer-executable module, said computer-executable module, when executed by one or more processors of a user device, configured to:

present an audio content item on the user device, wherein the user device is associated with a first user;

receive content position data regarding a current content position within the audio content item, the current content position associated with a second user and related to a position within an audio or textual version of the content item, wherein the first user and the second user are members of a user group;

convert the current content position into a converted content position;

present on the user device an indication of the current content position associated with the second user, the indication based at least partly on the converted content position;

receive second user commentary data regarding the audio content item, the second user commentary data associated with the second user;

identify a content position within the audio content item corresponding to an important plot development;

determine that a current content position associated with the first user is before the content position corresponding to the important plot development, and that the current content position associated with the second user is after the content position corresponding to the important plot development;

select a portion of the second user commentary data that excludes reference to the important plot development; and

present to the first user of the user device at least the portion of the second user commentary data.

25. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 24, wherein the current content position associated with the second user relates to at least one of a play position within the audio content item, a stop position within the audio content item, a specific location within the audio content item, or a portion of the audio content item.

26. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 24, wherein the audio content item comprises an audio book.

27. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 24, wherein the computer-executable module, when executed by one or more processors of a user device, is further configured to present alternate audio content to the first user of the user device, the alternate audio content comprising at least the portion of the second user commentary data that excludes reference to the spoiler.

28. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 24, wherein the computer-executable module, when executed by one or more processors of a user device, is further configured to prepare an audio representation of a textual portion of the second user commentary data using a text-to-speech converter.

29. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 24, wherein the computer-executable module, when executed by one or more processors of a user device, is further configured to transmit first user commentary data regarding the audio content item, the first user commentary data associated with the first user.

30. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 24, wherein the computer-executable module, when executed by one or more processors of a user device, is further configured to:

receive, at a time subsequent to receiving the content position data associated with the second user, an updated current content position within the audio content item associated with the second user; and

present an indication of the updated current content position using the user device.

31. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 24, wherein the computer-executable module, when executed by one or more processors of a user device, is further configured to transmit, to the group management system, a current content position within the audio content item associated with the first user.

32. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 24, wherein the current content position associated with the second user is substantially similar to a current content position associated with the first user.

33. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 24, wherein the computer-executable module, when executed by one or more processors of a user device, is further configured to present an audible notification that a second user device associated with the second user is within a geographic range of the first user device.

34. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 24, wherein converting the current content position comprises using a cross reference table of content positions for different formats of the content item.