System and method of presenting media content

• US 9,823,820 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2013
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Trauth, Kurt
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadeese
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hope, Darrin
• Application Number:
  US14/034,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20140026163A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,519 Days
• Field of Search: 725 32, 715733
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4038 Image mosaicing, e.g. composing plane images from plane sub-images
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00

Abstract

A method includes monitoring media content at media content locations to identify media content items. The media content locations are identified in social network data stored by a set-top box device. The method includes receiving, at the set-top box device, a command to present image cells to a display device. The command is responsive to an alert sent from the set-top box device. The method also includes presenting the image cells at the display device. At least one of the image cells includes an image corresponding to an identified media content item.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring, by a client device, a social network including media content associated with a plurality of users of the social network;

identifying an updated media content item associated with one or more users from the plurality of users of the social network, the one or more users linked to a user of a display device;

in response to identifying the updated media content item associated with the one or more users, sending, by the client device, an alert to the display device;

receiving a first command to present image cells at the display device in response to the alert sent from the client device, wherein the image cells are arranged in a table;

providing the image cells to the display device for display, wherein at least one of the image cells includes an image corresponding to the identified updated media content item;

receiving a second command to associate a row of the table to a first user of the social network, the row of the table comprising images associated with a second user; and

changing images in a plurality of image cells of the row from the images associated with the second user to images associated with the first user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising collecting data related to the media content, wherein the data identifies media content items that have not previously been displayed by the display device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a first view to the display device, wherein the first view does not include the image corresponding to the identified updated media content item, and

providing a second view to the display device, wherein the second view includes the image corresponding to the identified media content item.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

placing a particular image in a particular unfrozen image cell of the image cells in an image archive;

advancing images in remaining unfrozen image cells by one cell; and

placing the image corresponding to the identified media content item in a first unfrozen image cell.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second command to freeze a first image; and

maintaining a position of the first image in the image cells when advancing unfrozen image cells within the image cells provided to the display device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second command to delete a first image; and

removing the first image from the image cells.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the image cells are arranged in a table and further comprising:

receiving new media content items associated with the first user; and

updating the plurality of image cells in the row with the new media content items associated with the first user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device is a set top box in communication with the display device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the alert is sent to the display device of a portable computer, a desktop computer, a personal digital assistant, a mobile communication device, or any combination thereof.

10. A client device comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising instructions executable by the processor to perform operations including;

monitoring a social network including media content associated with a plurality of users of the social network;

identifying an updated media content item associated with one or more users from the plurality of users of the social network, the one or more users linked to a user of a display device;

in response to identifying the updated media content item associated with the one or more users, sending, by the client device, an alert to the display device;

receiving a first command to present image cells at the display device in response to the alert sent from the client device, wherein the image cells are arranged in a table;

providing the image cells to the display device for display, wherein at least one of the image cells includes an image corresponding to the identified updated media content item

receiving a second command to associate a row of the table to a first user of the social network, the row of the table comprising images associated with a second user; and

changing images in a plurality of image cells of the row from the images associated with the second user to images associated with the first user.

11. The client device device of claim 10, wherein each image cell of the image cells is selectable via a remote control device associated with the client device.

12. The client box device of claim 11, wherein selection of a particular image cell of the image cells via the remote control device results in display of a media content item associated with the particular image cell.

13. The client box device of claim 10, wherein the alert comprises a pop-up message, a selectable indicator, or a combination thereof.

14. The client box device of claim 10, wherein the image cells are presented in a user-specified order.

15. The client box device of claim 10, wherein the image cells are presented in date order.

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

monitor, by a client device, a social network including media content associated with a plurality of users of the social network;

identify an updated media content item associated with one or more users from the plurality of users of the social network, the one or more users linked to a user of a display device;

in response to identifying the updated media content item associated with the one or more users, send, by the client device, an alert to the display device;

receive a first command to present image cells at the display device, the command in response to the alert sent from the client device, wherein the image cells are arranged in a table;

provide the image cells to the display device for display, wherein at least one of the image cells includes an image corresponding to the identified updated media content item;

receive a second command to associate a row of the table to a first user of the social network, the row of the table comprising images associated with a second user; and

change images in a plurality of image cells of the row from the images associated with the second user to images associated with the first user.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computer system to:

collect data related to the media content; and

aggregate the data in the image cells.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the data related to the media content items comprises thumbnail images associated with the media content items and pointers to locations of the media content items.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the alert includes an e-mail notification, a pop-up notification, a voicemail notification, a text message notification, an instant message notification, or any combination thereof.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the social network comprises social network data that identifies members of a social network, and wherein the media content is stored at computer servers separate from the client device.