Many consumers have built extensive profiles on leading social internet sites. Many of these sites have their own lexicon and methods of communication and notification. Moving away from those paradigms is a major pain point. Moreover, locally running native personal computer applications have access to rich media that is often highly personal and unique to the end-user. A mechanism that bridges these two worlds will instantly create a super-large network that offers no-compromise access to the users' online social clouds and local personal media, such as pictures and videos.
Previously, one would need to move their local media files to a remote server before being able to share them. The recipients would then only be able to access those files from that same remote server. If the user's personal social group included people enrolled in multiple websites, the user will often have to move the files to each website using that site's unique upload mechanisms. Moreover, the recipient's experience would be different based on each website's particular capabilities.
Sometimes, the sharer will just send their media to one particular site and then require each recipient to go to that site and create a new user identity to even preview that content.
It is generally a very complicated and onerous process to share the same media files with multiple sites, and doing so would require installing and using multiple different uploaders unique to each site.
Sharing media with a group of people enrolled in different social networks would require multiple steps.
Recipients often do not have the option to preview shared files without creating another user identity.
Preferred and alternative embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings.
In an embodiment, end users are able to leverage their existing electronic social networks within new desktop applications, instantaneously creating a very large, super-social network that now has direct access to the users' local computer storage and computing power.
Using a central site to broker the connection between a local application and remote websites allows many advantages, among them:
a. Ability to preview the files on the central broker's site.
b. Ability for the recipient to experience the shared content within the native context of their chosen social website (which they self-select).
Some of the advantages may include not requiring end users to recreate their social networks by creating yet another address book on the local application. Moreover, the recipients are notified of the activity directly within the application they're already using. By including a central broker server 104, the local applications do not need to know how to directly speak with the account-based websites and can access new ones anytime the broker server 104 is updated. Both senders and recipients do not need to recreate their social graph and can seamlessly enjoy media sharing between their local computers and their existing online friend networks.
An embodiment includes a set of web/application servers that contain logic enabling them to communicate directly with 3rd party social websites. An embodiment may also include logic that abstracts those 3rd party sites' APIs by providing a unified, single API, or program interface. A client application is able to speak to the broker via its own API which then issues commands on the remote servers on behalf of the person using the client. This API may be created and implemented by the central broker. It acts as a mediator and abstraction layer between the client applications and the 3rd party sites.
Embodiments of the invention may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, executed by one or more computer processors or other devices, computer-readable media on which such instructions are stored, and/or the processors/devices themselves. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Typically the functionality of the program modules may be combined or distributed as desired in various embodiments.
Referring again to
In an embodiment, user device 280 may include or may be otherwise coupled to a computer screen or display 290. User device 280 can be used for various purposes including both network- and local-computing processes.
The user device 280 is linked via the network 108 to server 104 so that computer programs, such as, for example, a client application 130 running on the user device 280, can cooperate in two-way communication with server 104. The client application 130 can be transmitted to user device 280 over the network 108 from the server 104 or other device for subsequent installation on user device 280.
Server 104 may be coupled to database 106 and/or electronic storage 270 to retrieve information therefrom and to store information thereto. Additionally, the server 104 may be coupled to the computer system 260 in a manner allowing the server to delegate certain processing functions to the computer system.
In an embodiment, the broker server 104 is in communication over the network 108 with a plurality of web-content servers 110, 120. The web-content servers 110, 120 are configured to host well-known account-based social-networking sites such as, for example, Facebook.
The user device 280 has stored thereon a plurality of electronic files (e.g., digital photographs, digital music files, digital documents, etc.). The source client 130 is configured to present on display 290 a graphical user interface operable to receive from a user a selection of an electronic file or files for sharing with account holders associated with the sites hosted by servers 110, 120. The broker server 104 is configured to provide, via the plurality of account-based sites, the selected file to one or more such account holders in response to a single command by the user. Such single command may merely be the user's selection of the file(s) to be shared, or may be a command issued after file selection. The broker server 104 is configured to provide the selected file(s) without requiring the user of user device 280 to access any of the plurality of account-based sites using, in a conventional manner, a browser application.
In an embodiment, and referring to
An API 160 on the broker server 104 enables local applications, or other websites, to talk to the central broker. More specifically, a separate API 160 implemented and published on the broker server 104 itself, in turn, enables the account-based websites and/or applications, such as the source client 130, to interact directly with the broker server 104 on a proactive basis.
A set of configuration information and parameters may be exchanged between the broker server 104 and the source client 130 using its API 160 to allow the source client 130 to discover which services associated with the account-based websites the source client 130 can communicate with and their notable unique characteristics. The configuration parameters include information pertinent to validating the identity of the user of the source client 130, version information about the broker server 104 and the source client 130, and which services this particular user and application have been authorized/provisioned to access.
Referring to
The end-user can select the sites they're enrolled in and/or wish to share with, enter their credentials (or otherwise allow access), on a one-time basis in an embodiment, and then interact with the account-based websites directly via the source client 130.
For example, a PC media sharing application can allow a user to share pictures with their Facebook friends directly within the application. The user can even select notification mechanisms unique to Facebook, such as posting messages to the Wall or to Poke someone. The recipients will receive the notification within their existing Profile thereby fully integrating with Facebook's existing schema. The recipient, likewise, could select to install on his/her device a Facebook custom application, similar to the source client 130, that interacts with the broker server 104 server and enjoy the shared media files directly within Facebook.
Exemplary media sharing applications may include a photo or video sharing application.
While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the preferred embodiment. Instead, the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional App. No. 61/084,390, filed Jul. 29, 2008, and entitled “MEDIA SHARING WITH INSTANTANEOUS SUPER-SOCIAL NETWORKS,” which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61084390 | Jul 2008 | US |