| Patent application number | Description | Published |
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| 20090055467 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INCREASING DATA AVAILABILITY ON A MOBILE DEVICE BASED ON OPERATING MODE - A data management system and method for a mobile device to provide complete perception and access to a data collection, such a user's data collection for example, without requiring either persistent storage of the user's complete data collection locally on the mobile device, or network access requests for each user data request from the mobile device. The data management system and method employs a data probability function to predict the probability of the mobile device accessing specific types of user data based on the operating mode of the mobile device. The data management system and method executes as a background process to provide and store locally on the mobile device, the data most probable to be accessed by the user. The data most likely to be accessed via the mobile device is available locally, thereby minimizing latency issues that occur when data requests cannot be fulfilled using data stored locally in the mobile device and network requests are performed. | 02-26-2009 |
| 20090089288 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FILTERING CONTENT ON A MOBILE DEVICE BASED ON CONTEXTUAL TAGGING - A system and method of contextually filtering content presented to a user on a mobile device based on contextual tagging. The user controls how content will be filtered by the mobile device by creating contextual tags and associating or tagging content with the contextual tags. The contextual tag includes a contextual behavior that is either satisfied or not based on the current context of the mobile device. During operation, content accessible to the mobile device is searched to determine which contextual tags are met based on the current context of the mobile device. Content tagged with contextual tags whose behavior is currently met based on the current context of the mobile device are filtered and presented to the user. This allows the automatic presentation of a more manageable subgroup of content to the user on the mobile device based on the current context of the mobile device. | 04-02-2009 |
| 20090094248 | SYSTEM AND METHOD OF PRIORITIZING THE DOWNLOADING OF MEDIA ITEMS IN A MEDIA ITEM RECOMMENDATION NETWORK - A system and method of prioritizing the downloading of media items to different user devices in a media item recommendation system is disclosed. A media server prioritizes the downloading of a recommended media item according to when each user device needs to receive the recommended media item to satisfy a timing constraint. For example, the timing constraint may be the time before the media item is to be played in a playlist according to a media item recommendation scoring system. User devices having a more immediate timing need for receiving a media item download can be prioritized over user devices having a less immediate need for receiving a media item download. In this manner, the media server is more likely to provide timely media item downloads to all the different user devices. | 04-09-2009 |
| 20090164459 | CONTIGUOUS LOCATION-BASED USER NETWORKS - A system and method are provided for creating location-based user networks. In general, a proximity group including a number of users is identified. Each user in the proximity group is within a proximate area of at least one other user in the proximity group and has an area of interest. The areas of interest of the users in the proximity group are aggregated to provide an aggregate area of interest for the proximity group. Other users within the aggregate area of interest are identified as neighbors of each of the users in the proximity group. Once the neighbors are identified, each of the users in the proximity group may use the neighbors as members, or potential members, for a user network. | 06-25-2009 |
| 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 |
| 20100114979 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CORRELATING SIMILAR PLAYLISTS IN A MEDIA SHARING NETWORK - Methods and systems for aggregating playlists having similar content are provided. In general, a number of playlists are first obtained. Next, content of the playlists is analyzed to identify playlists that match to at least a defined threshold degree. Each group of two or more playlists having matching content is aggregated to provide a corresponding aggregate playlist. | 05-06-2010 |
| 20100197318 | ANONYMOUS CROWD TRACKING - A system and method for tracking crowds of users are provided. In one embodiment, a central system, which includes one or more servers, operates to obtain current locations for users of mobile devices. Based on the current locations of the users, the central system forms crowds of users. As a result of movement of the users and corresponding location updates, the crowds move and change over time. In order to track at least some of the crowds, crowd snapshots for those crowds are created over time and stored. The crowd snapshots preferably maintain anonymity of the users in the crowd at the time the crowd snapshots are created. Thereafter, the crowd snapshots may be used to generate crowd tracking data for select crowds. | 08-05-2010 |
| 20100197319 | MODIFYING A USER'S CONTRIBUTION TO AN AGGREGATE PROFILE BASED ON TIME BETWEEN LOCATION UPDATES AND EXTERNAL EVENTS - A system and method that maintain current locations for users of a number of mobile devices and compute confidence levels for the current locations of the users are provided. In one embodiment, the confidence levels of the users are computed as a function of amounts of time since location updates were received for the users. In addition, detection of location confidence events may be used to modify the confidence levels for the current locations of the users. The location confidence events may include positive location confidence events that result in an increase in the confidence levels of the current locations of corresponding users, negative location confidence events that result in a decrease in the confidence levels of the current locations of corresponding users, or both. Once computed, the confidence levels of the current locations of the users may then be utilized in a desired manner. | 08-05-2010 |
| 20100198814 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FILTERING AND CREATING POINTS-OF-INTEREST - Systems and methods are provided for filtering and/or creating Points-of-Interest (POIs). In one embodiment, a list of POIs is obtained and then filtered based on crowd data related to the list of POIs to provide a filtered list of POIs. In another embodiment, one or more crowd-sourced POIs are created based on one or more crowds relevant to a corresponding bounding region for POI creation. | 08-05-2010 |
| 20100198826 | MAINTAINING A HISTORICAL RECORD OF ANONYMIZED USER PROFILE DATA BY LOCATION FOR USERS IN A MOBILE ENVIRONMENT - A system and method are provided for maintaining a historical record of anonymized user profile data for mobile device users. In one embodiment, a central system, which includes one or more servers, operates to obtain current locations and user profiles for users of mobile devices. The central system processes the current locations and the user profiles of the users over time to maintain a historical record of anonymized user profile data by location. By anonymizing the user data, privacy of the users of the mobile devices is maintained. The central system may then use the historical record of anonymized user profile data to respond to historical requests. The historical requests may be made by users of the mobile devices, subscribers, and/or third-party services. | 08-05-2010 |
| 20100198828 | FORMING CROWDS AND PROVIDING ACCESS TO CROWD DATA IN A MOBILE ENVIRONMENT - A system and method are provided for forming crowds of users and providing access to corresponding crowd data. In one embodiment, a central system, which includes one or more servers, operates to obtain current locations for users of mobile devices. The central system forms a crowd including a number of users based on the current locations of the number of users. The central system then generates crowd data for the crowd and provides access to the crowd data for the crowd. In one embodiment, the crowd data for the crowd includes an aggregate profile for the crowd. In another embodiment, the crowd data includes data characterizing the crowd. The central system provides access to the crowd data by serving crowd data requests. | 08-05-2010 |
| 20100198870 | SERVING A REQUEST FOR DATA FROM A HISTORICAL RECORD OF ANONYMIZED USER PROFILE DATA IN A MOBILE ENVIRONMENT - A system and method are provided for maintaining a historical record of anonymized user profile data for mobile device users and serving historical requests. In one embodiment, a central system, which includes one or more servers, operates to obtain current locations and user profiles for users of mobile devices. The central system processes the current locations and the user profiles of the users over time to maintain a historical record of anonymized user profile data by location. By anonymizing the user data, privacy of the users of the mobile devices is maintained. The central system may then use the historical record of anonymized user profile data to respond to historical requests. The historical requests may be made by users of the mobile devices, subscribers, and/or third-party services. | 08-05-2010 |
| 20100198880 | MUSIC DIARY PROCESSOR - A music diary processor for generating an electronic music diary. The music diary processor receives a plurality of event identifiers from a user, wherein each event identifier identifies a respective life event associated with the user. The user can also provide a date identifier identifying a date associated with the life event, a song identifier identifying one or more songs identified by the user as being associated with the live event. The event identifiers, song identifiers and the date identifiers are stored in an electronic storage medium wherein each song identifier and date identifier is coupled with at least one respective event identifier, and a plurality of event identifiers are coupled with each other. The music diary processor can serve as a music discovery vehicle, wherein the music diary processor can use data entered by a user to locate songs and other data associated with other music diaries. | 08-05-2010 |
| 20100198917 | CROWD FORMATION FOR MOBILE DEVICE USERS - A system and method are provided for forming crowds of users and providing access to corresponding crowd data. In one embodiment, a central system, which includes one or more servers, operates to obtain current locations for users of mobile devices. The central system receives a crowd request from a requesting device. In response, the central system establishes a bounding region for the request and identifies one or more crowds, each including number of users, that are relevant to the bounding region for the request. The central system then generates crowd data for the one or more crowds and returns the crowd data for the one or more crowds to the requesting device. | 08-05-2010 |
