Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090265416 | AGGREGATING MEDIA COLLECTIONS BETWEEN PARTICIPANTS OF A SHARING NETWORK UTILIZING BRIDGING - Systems and methods are provided for aggregating a local media collection of a user with one or more shared media collections shared with the user to provide an aggregate media collection for the user. In general, one or more shared media collections shared with the user are first discovered. Optionally, the user may select one or more of the shared media collections for aggregation with the local media collection of the user. The shared media collections selected by the user, or alternatively all of the shared media collections, are then aggregated with the local media collection of the user to provide an aggregate media collection for the user. In one embodiment, bridging of users is provided to expand the sharing of media collections beyond those having direct relationships with the sharing user. | 10-22-2009 |
20090265417 | AGGREGATING MEDIA COLLECTIONS TO PROVIDE A PRIMARY LIST AND SORTED SUB-LISTS - Systems and methods are provided for aggregating a local media collection of a user with one or more shared media collections shared with the user to provide an aggregate media collection for the user. In general, one or more shared media collections shared with the user are first discovered. Optionally, the user may select one or more of the shared media collections for aggregation with the local media collection of the user. The shared media collections selected by the user, or alternatively all of the shared media collections, are then aggregated with the local media collection of the user to provide an aggregate media collection for the user. The aggregate media collection is provided as a primary list including an entry for each unique media item in the aggregate media collection. Sorted sub-lists are utilized to populate the primary list. | 10-22-2009 |
20090265418 | PRUNING AN AGGREGATE MEDIA COLLECTION - Systems and methods are provided for aggregating a local media collection of a user with one or more shared media collections shared with the user to provide an aggregate media collection for the user. In general, one or more shared media collections shared with the user are first discovered. Optionally, the user may select one or more of the shared media collections for aggregation with the local media collection of the user. The shared media collections selected by the user, or alternatively all of the shared media collections, are then aggregated with the local media collection of the user to provide an aggregate media collection for the user. The aggregate media collection of the user may then be pruned or filtered based on user preferences of the user. | 10-22-2009 |
20090265426 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR AGGREGATING MEDIA COLLECTIONS BETWEEN PARTICIPANTS OF A SHARING NETWORK - Systems and methods are provided for aggregating a local media collection of a user with one or more shared media collections shared with the user to provide an aggregate media collection for the user. In general, one or more shared media collections shared with the user are first discovered. Optionally, the user may select one or more of the shared media collections for aggregation with the local media collection of the user. The shared media collections selected by the user, or alternatively all of the shared media collections, are then aggregated with the local media collection of the user to provide an aggregate media collection for the user. | 10-22-2009 |
20100017455 | CUSTOMIZED MEDIA BROADCAST FOR A BROADCAST GROUP - Methods and systems are provided for delivering a customized media broadcast to a social group of users referred to as a broadcast group. In general, a broadcast group including a number of users is identified. User profiles of the users forming the broadcast group are obtained and aggregated to provide a group profile for the broadcast group. More specifically, in one embodiment, the users forming the broadcast group are weighted, and the user profiles of the users are then aggregated according to the weights assigned to the corresponding users to provide the group profile of the broadcast group. A customized media broadcast is then delivered to the users forming the broadcast group based on the group profile of the broadcast group. | 01-21-2010 |
20100070490 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ENHANCED SMART PLAYLISTS WITH AGGREGATED MEDIA COLLECTIONS - A method and system are disclosed for providing a smart playlist in a media sharing system. In one embodiment, a user of a user device participates in a media sharing system wherein a media collection of the user is aggregated with one or more shared media collections to provide an aggregate media collection of the user. The user device of the user obtains a playlist definition for a smart playlist. Based on the playlist definition, the smart playlist is populated from the aggregate media collection of the user. | 03-18-2010 |
20100070537 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING A PERSONALIZED UNIVERSAL CATALOG OF MEDIA ITEMS - A system and method are provided for maintaining personalized metadata for media items in a media sharing system. In one embodiment, an aggregation function operates to aggregate one or more remote shared media collections with a media collection of a user to provide an aggregate media collection for the user. In addition, personalized metadata is maintained for media items in the media collection of the user, media items shared with the user and included in the aggregate media collection, and media items previously shared with the user. Thus, the personalized metadata for a media item is available whether the media item is a media item included in the media collection of the user, a media item shared with the user from a remote shared media collection, or a media item previously shared with the user. | 03-18-2010 |
20100082135 | ACTIVITY INDICATORS IN A MEDIA SHARING SYSTEM - A system and method are provided for generating and displaying one or more indicators indicative of a level of activity within a media sharing system. In one embodiment, with respect to a user participating in the media sharing system, an indicator representative of an activity level of a media collection shared by the user in the media sharing system may be generated and presented to the user. In addition or alternatively, indicators representative of activity levels of media collections shared by other users participating in the media sharing system may be generated and presented to the user. Still further, in addition or alternatively, indicators representative of activity levels with respect to playlists in the media sharing system may be generated and presented to the user. | 04-01-2010 |
20100094934 | SOURCE INDICATORS FOR ELEMENTS OF AN AGGREGATE MEDIA COLLECTION IN A MEDIA SHARING SYSTEM - A system and method are disclosed for providing source indicators for one or more elements of an aggregate media collection of a user in a media sharing system. In one embodiment, a local media collection of a user is aggregated with one or more shared media collections hosted by corresponding user devices of other users participating in the media sharing system to provide an aggregate media collection for the user. Via a Graphical User Interface (GUI), for each element of at least a subset of elements of the aggregate media collection, one or more source indicators are presented in association with the element to identify a source or sources of the element in the media sharing system. The elements of the aggregate media collection include at least a subset of media items in the aggregate media collection, playlists including media items from the aggregate media collection, or both. | 04-15-2010 |
20100094935 | COLLECTION DIGEST FOR A MEDIA SHARING SYSTEM - A system and method are disclosed for providing a collection digest summarizing a shared media collection for presentation to a user. In one embodiment, a user device of a user joins a media sharing system including the user device and one or more other users devices, each associated with a sharing user and hosting a shared media collection of the sharing user. The user device obtains a collection digest from at least one of the other user devices that summarizes the shared media collection hosted by the at least one of the other user devices and presents the collection digest to the user. The collection digest may be used to assist the user in determining whether to access the shared media collection. | 04-15-2010 |
20120023430 | ACTIVITY INDICATORS IN A MEDIA SHARING SYSTEM - A system and method are provided for generating and displaying one or more indicators indicative of a level of activity within a media sharing system. In one embodiment, with respect to a user participating in the media sharing system, an indicator representative of an activity level of a media collection shared by the user in the media sharing system may be generated and presented to the user. In addition or alternatively, indicators representative of activity levels of media collections shared by other users participating in the media sharing system may be generated and presented to the user. Still further, in addition or alternatively, indicators representative of activity levels with respect to playlists in the media sharing system may be generated and presented to the user. | 01-26-2012 |
20120113964 | REMOTE PARTICIPATION IN A LOCAL AREA NETWORK (LAN) BASED MEDIA AGGREGATION NETWORK - Systems and methods relating to a Media Collection Aggregation System (MCAS) are provided. In one embodiment, a number of nodes are connected over a Local Area Network (LAN) to provide an ad-hoc MCAS network. At least some of the nodes in the MCAS network share locally stored media collections, or select subsets thereof, with the other nodes in the MCAS network. Each node in the MCAS network selects and aggregates one or more of the shared media collections to provide an aggregate media collection for that node. One of the nodes in the MCAS network is a proxy node that provides a proxy service that enables remote participation in the MCAS network. In one embodiment, the proxy node enables one or more remote nodes to passively and/or actively participate in the MCAS network. | 05-10-2012 |
20120114311 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DISTRIBUTING THE RECORDING OF A MEDIA ITEM - A method for recording a media item. A first media controller records a first portion of a media item. The first media controller receives a request to view a second media item. The first media controller directs a second media controller to record a second portion of the media item, and couples the first portion to the second portion. | 05-10-2012 |
20120114312 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING THE AVAILABILITY OF A MEDIA CONTROLLER - Method and system for determining the availability of a media controller to record a program in the future. A media controller receives a request to schedule the recording of a program during a particular time slot. The media controller obtains an availability probability of the media controller during the time slot. The media controller determines, based on the availability probability, whether the media controller is available to record the program. The availability probability may be based on previous usage data that identifies previous usage associated with the media controller. | 05-10-2012 |
20120117110 | DYNAMIC LOCATION-BASED MEDIA COLLECTION AGGREGATION - A cloud-based media aggregation system that aggregates media collections of geographically proximate users is disclosed. In one embodiment, the media aggregation system determines that a first user and one or more second users are geographically proximate to one another. In response, the media aggregation system dynamically aggregates at least a portion of media collection catalogs of the one or more second users with a media collection catalog of the first user to provide an aggregate media collection catalog of the first user. The media aggregation system may control an extent of the aggregation based on pre-defined criteria. | 05-10-2012 |
20120117146 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR AGGREGATING MUSIC IN THE CLOUD - Cloud-based systems and methods for aggregating media collections of users are disclosed. In one embodiment, in order to generate an aggregate media collection catalog of a first user, a cloud-based media aggregation system identifies one or more second users that have an identifier that is the same as an identifier of the first user for purposes of media collection aggregation. The media aggregation system then aggregates media collection catalogs of the one or more second users with a media collection catalog of the first user to thereby provide an aggregate media collection catalog of the first user. | 05-10-2012 |
20120117598 | MERGED PROGRAM GUIDE - A merged program guide which includes program metadata from a plurality of different media controllers. A first media controller receives program metadata that identifies a first plurality of programs. The first plurality of programs corresponds to a first content package provided by a content provider. A first program record identifying a first program of the first plurality of programs is generated. The first program record includes first program metadata associated with the first program. The first program metadata is transmitted onto a network to make the first program metadata available to a second media controller. The first media controller receives second program metadata associated with a second program of a second plurality of programs which correspond to a second content package associated with the second media controller. The first program metadata and the second program metadata are stored in a program guide on the first media controller. | 05-10-2012 |
20120278393 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR AGGREGATING MEDIA COLLECTIONS BETWEEN PARTICIPANTS OF A SHARING NETWORK - Systems and methods are provided for aggregating a local media collection of a user with one or more shared media collections shared with the user to provide an aggregate media collection for the user. In general, one or more shared media collections shared with the user are first discovered. Optionally, the user may select one or more of the shared media collections for aggregation with the local media collection of the user. The shared media collections selected by the user, or alternatively all of the shared media collections, are then aggregated with the local media collection of the user to provide an aggregate media collection for the user. | 11-01-2012 |
20130311457 | PRUNING A MEDIA COLLECTION - Systems and methods are provided for aggregating a local media collection of a user with one or more shared media collections shared with the user to provide an aggregate media collection for the user. In general, one or more shared media collections shared with the user are first discovered. Optionally, the user may select one or more of the shared media collections for aggregation with the local media collection of the user. The shared media collections selected by the user, or alternatively all of the shared media collections, are then aggregated with the local media collection of the user to provide an aggregate media collection for the user. The aggregate media collection of the user may then be pruned or filtered based on user preferences of the user. | 11-21-2013 |
20150019636 | Method And System For Aggregating Media Collections Between Participants Of A Sharing Network - Systems and methods are provided for aggregating a local media collection of a user with one or more shared media collections shared with the user to provide an aggregate media collection for the user. In general, media collection information of a plurality of shared media collections from a plurality of second client devices are obtained. Media collection information identifying media items from at least one of the plurality of shared media collections and a local media collection of a first user are processed. An aggregated media collection based on the processed media collection information is provided where the aggregated media collection comprises a primary list including a media item entry for each unique media item. | 01-15-2015 |