U.S. patent application number 14/718006 was filed with the patent office on 2015-11-26 for backend pipeline for story generation.
The applicant listed for this patent is Google Inc.. Invention is credited to Kenny Joseph Leftin, Ryan Leigland, Gordon Sims.
Application Number | 20150341454 14/718006 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 54554724 |
Filed Date | 2015-11-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150341454 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Sims; Gordon ; et
al. |
November 26, 2015 |
Backend Pipeline for Story Generation
Abstract
A system and method for generating activity summaries for users.
User activity information is received by a user activity
information receiver module. Once enough data is received and
processed, the data is analyzes and segmented to determine and
create an activity summary or story. Content is selected. The
selection of the content includes selection of content items, such
as multimedia items, e.g. pictures and videos. Secondary
information, such as user activity information or location
information is analyzed. A story is generated based on the selected
content, including the selected content. The story is represented
by a display of the selected media and other information associated
with the media.
Inventors: |
Sims; Gordon; (West Newbury,
MA) ; Leftin; Kenny Joseph; (Cambridge, MA) ;
Leigland; Ryan; (Cambridge, MA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Google Inc. |
Mountain View |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
54554724 |
Appl. No.: |
14/718006 |
Filed: |
May 20, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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62001028 |
May 20, 2014 |
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62001027 |
May 20, 2014 |
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62001029 |
May 20, 2014 |
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62001038 |
May 20, 2014 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
709/204 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 16/287 20190101;
H04L 67/22 20130101; G06F 16/955 20190101; G06Q 50/01 20130101;
G06F 16/26 20190101; G06F 16/44 20190101; H04L 65/403 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04L 29/08 20060101
H04L029/08; G06F 17/30 20060101 G06F017/30; H04L 29/06 20060101
H04L029/06 |
Claims
1. A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving, using one
or more computing devices, activity information; waiting a
predefined amount of time; determining whether activity information
has been received during the predefined amount of time; and
responsive to determining new activity information has not been
received during the predefined amount of time, initiating the
creation of an activity summary.
2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the activity
information includes user activity information and at least one
content item.
3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:
generating a visual representation of the activity summary.
4. A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving, using one
or more computing devices, a first set of activity information;
waiting a predefined amount of time; determining whether activity
information has been received during the predefined amount of time;
responsive to determining new activity information has not been
received during the predefined amount of time, creating an activity
summary; receiving a second set of activity information;
determining whether the second set of activity information was
received within the predefined amount of time; responsive to
determining whether the second set of activity information was
received within the predefined amount of time, adding the second
set of activity information to the activity summary.
5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 wherein the activity
information includes user activity information and at least one
content item.
6. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer
usable medium including a computer readable program, wherein the
computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the
computer to: receive activity information; wait a predefined amount
of time; determine whether activity information has been received
during the predefined amount of time; and responsive to determining
new activity information has not been received during the
predefined amount of time, initiating the creation of an activity
summary.
7. The computer program product of claim 6 wherein the activity
information includes user activity information and at least one
content item.
8. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the computer
readable program when executed on a computer further causes the
computer to: generate a visual representation of the activity
summary.
9. A system comprising: a processor; and a memory storing
instructions that, when executed, cause the system to: receive
activity information; wait a predefined amount of time; determine
whether activity information has been received during the
predefined amount of time; and responsive to determining new
activity information has not been received during the predefined
amount of time, initiating the creation of an activity summary.
10. The system of claim 9 wherein the activity information includes
user activity information and at least one content item.
11. The system of claim 9 wherein the memory storing instructions
that, when executed, further cause the system to: generate a visual
representation of the activity summary.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority, under 35 U.S.C.
.sctn.119, to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/001,027,
filed May 20, 2014 and entitled "Generating Activity Summaries";
U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/001,029, filed May 20,
2014 and entitled "Layout for Displaying Activity Summaries"; U.S.
Provisional Patent Application No. 62/001,038, filed May 20, 2014
and entitled "User Interface for Displaying Activity Summaries";
and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/001,028, filed May
20, 2014 and entitled "Backend Pipeline for Story Generation"; all
of which are incorporated by reference in their entireties.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to generating activity
summaries. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to
generating activity summaries based on user activity and multimedia
content.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Social networks are becoming an increasingly popular way for
people to stay connected. This increasing popularity of social
networks has given rise to many social network services that have
developed various ways users of the social network can communicate
and share information. Users within a social network can send each
other messages, monitor other users' activities on a daily basis
and share personal information, including personal photographs and
videos. Social networking services have provided a great forum for
users to remain in close contact despite geographic distance or
uncoordinated schedules. Further, the development of other online
services that enable the general sharing of information has also
increased. The ability for users to share information with others,
and view information about others is available in many different
venues.
[0004] Users of social networks also participate in many activities
or online activities, such as watching videos, posting pictures,
posting notification of current user information or activity, or
sharing location whereabouts. Within such venues of these social
networks, users are able determine what information they chose to
share and how and to whom that information is shared. Typically,
the information may be shared on a social network portal of a user
as the user decides to share the information, but the shared
information is typically not organized in a meaningful or
interesting way.
SUMMARY
[0005] The present disclosure relates to generating activity
summaries. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to
generating activity summaries using digitally recorded information
and other information. Still more particularly, the present
disclosure relates to generating activity summaries using
multimedia content and user activity information.
[0006] In general, one innovative aspect of the subject matter
described in this disclosure may be embodied in methods that may
include receiving user activity information. The user activity
information may include activity information of a user's online
activity. Once enough data or activity information is received, the
data is analyzed and segmented to determine and create an activity
summary or a story. Content is selected. The selection of the
content includes selection of content items, such as multimedia
items, e.g. pictures and videos. Secondary information, such as
user activity information or location information is analyzed. A
story is generated based on the received user activity
information.
[0007] In one implementation, the method includes enriching the
content with additional information about the content. In another
implementation, the method further includes assigning a title to
the story.
[0008] In another implementation, the method may further include
categorizing the user activity information, generating an activity
summary, wherein the activity summary includes the categorized user
activity information, and sending the activity summary for
display.
[0009] These and other implementations may provide one or more of
the following features. The method may further include grouping the
categorized user activity information in accordance with
commonalities. The method may also include determining the
beginning of a grouping. The method may also include ranking the
grouped user activity information according to relevance to the
user and/or user's contacts. Further the method may include
determining when the group is complete. The method may also include
associating a verb identifier with a user activity and categorizing
the user activity information according to the verb identifier. In
some implementations, the activity summary includes more than one
type of user activity. In some implementations, the method may
include allowing the user to share the generating activity summary
with other users.
[0010] These and other implementations may provide one or more of
the following features. According to one innovative aspect of the
subject matter described in this disclosure, a computer program
product comprises a non-transitory computer readable medium
encoding instructions that, in response to execution by a computing
device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising
receiving user activity information, categorizing the user activity
information, generating an activity summary, wherein the activity
summary includes the categorized user activity information and
sending the activity summary for display. The user activity
information includes activity information of a user's online
activity.
[0011] These and other implementations may provide one or more of
the following features. In some implementations, the instructions
of the computer program product may further cause the computing
device to further perform grouping categorized user activity
information in accordance with commonalities. In some
implementations, the instructions of the computer program product
may further cause the computing device to further perform ranking
the grouped user activity information according to relevance to the
user and/or user's contacts. The instructions of the computer
program product may further cause the computing device to further
perform determining when the group is complete. The instructions of
the computer program product may further cause the computing device
to further perform associating a verb identifier with a user
activity and categorizing the user activity information according
to the verb identifier. In some implementations, the instructions
of the computer program product may further cause the computing
device to further perform allowing the user to share the generating
activity summary with other users. In some implementations the
activity summary includes more than one type of user activity.
[0012] A system for generating activity summaries to users of a
social network server is also disclosed. User activity information
is received by a user activity information receiver module. The
user activity information includes activity information of a user's
online activity. The user activity information is then categorized
by a categorization module, which in some implementations, also
groups the categorized user activity information in accordance with
commonalities identified among the user activity information. In
some implementations, the categorized user activity information is
ranked according to relevance to the user by the ranking module or
according to relevance to the user's contacts by the categorization
module. An output generation module 316 determines when the
groupings are complete. Activity summaries are then generated by
the output generation module 316. The activity summary includes the
categorized user activity information. The activity summary is sent
for display on a user device of a user.
[0013] These and other implementations may provide one or more of
the following features. In some implementations, the categorization
module further associates a verb identifier with a user activity,
and categorizes the user activity information according to the verb
identifier. In some implementations, the activity summary
generation module allows the user to share the generating activity
summary with other users.
[0014] These and other implementations may provide one or more of
the following advantages. Activity summaries may be generated that
summarize user activity information, or digitally recorded
information, or inferred activity. For example, activity
information may be anything that is digitally record or inferred
and authorized by the user to analyze and share. Such information
may be based on a user's life and based on their digital
footprints, for example, location tracks, search history, web
history, check-ins, posts created, documents created, web pages
bookmarked, keep reminders made, photos and videos taken (and all
their metadata like time of day and geocode), etc. Additionally,
there may be information from content, such as multimedia (photos,
videos) that contain information to provide an inference of time of
day or landmarks or specific places (when geocode is missing). In
some implementations, activity summaries may be generated that
summarize the user's real-world activity. In some implementations,
a mobile application is implemented on a mobile device that is
carried by the user, and that application has access to the phone's
location, then activity can be directly inferred. These summaries
may organize the user's activity, including online activity and
group them into interesting stories that convey the user's
experiences, which may be helpful in conveying interesting life
experiences.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] The implementations are illustrated by way of example, and
not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying
drawings in which like reference numerals are used to refer to
similar elements.
[0016] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a
system for generating activity summaries.
[0017] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a
network server device.
[0018] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an
activity summary generation module.
[0019] FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating an example method for
generating activity summaries.
[0020] FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating an example method for
generating activity summaries.
[0021] FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating another example method
for generating activity summaries
[0022] FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating an example method for
performing data analysis to create an activity summary.
[0023] FIG. 8 is an example graphical user interface showing a
title page of an activity summary.
[0024] FIG. 9 is an example graphical user interface showing
another page of an activity summary.
[0025] FIG. 10 is an example graphical user interface showing yet
another page of an activity summary.
[0026] FIG. 11 is an example graphical user interface showing
another page of an activity summary.
[0027] FIG. 12 is an example graphical user interface showing
another example of a title page of an activity summary
[0028] FIG. 13 is an example graphical user interface showing
another page of an activity summary.
[0029] FIG. 14 is an example graphical user interface showing yet
another page of an activity summary.
[0030] FIG. 15 is an example graphical user interface showing
another page of an activity summary.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0031] A system and method for generating activity summaries is
described. An activity summary may be a visual representation of a
story. For example, an activity summary may be a collection of
content, e.g., pictures, videos, texts, specifically selected and
organized to tell a story. Such a collection of content may be
supplemented with additional information to further enhance and
enrich the story.
[0032] In one implementation, an activity summary may be generated
based on user activity information and content generated from a
single user activity. In another implementation, an activity
summary may be generated based on user activity information and
content generated from a grouping of multiple user activities.
Examples of such user activity include interactions with content,
e.g., watching videos, posting pictures, posting notification of
current user information or activity, sharing location whereabouts,
or other activity performed online. In some cases, two or more
activities can be categorized and grouped according to one or more
commonalities. For example, videos a user watched can be grouped
together. As another example, activities associated with a
particular even a user has attended or trip the user has taken
(e.g., pictures taken on the trip, locations identified, or
restaurants visited during the trip) may be grouped together.
[0033] An activity summary may also be generated based on user
activity information and/or content generated from multiple users.
In this manner, content from a second user may be used to tell the
story of a first user. For example, shared photos of an event from
multiple users may be used to generate an activity summary.
[0034] In some non-limiting implementations, the system may suggest
that the user share the generated activity summary with one or more
persons or groups. This beneficially allows a user to display
certain activity information in a way that is more interesting for
the user's contacts to view.
[0035] In the following description, for purposes of explanation,
numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a
thorough understanding of the implementations. It will be apparent,
however, that the implementations can be practiced without these
specific details. In other instances, structures and devices are
shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the
implementations. For example, the present disclosure is described
in one implementation below with reference to user interfaces and
particular hardware. However, the present disclosure applies to any
type of computing device that can receive data and commands, and
any peripheral devices providing services.
[0036] Reference in the specification to "one implementation" or
"an implementation" means that a particular feature, structure, or
characteristic described in connection with the implementation is
included in at least one implementation. The appearances of the
phrase "in one implementation" in various places in the
specification are not necessarily all referring to the same
implementation.
[0037] Some portions of the detailed descriptions that follow are
presented in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of
operations on data bits within a computer memory. These algorithmic
descriptions and representations are the means used by those
skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the
substance of their work to others skilled in the art. An algorithm
is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence
of steps leading to a desired result. The steps are those requiring
physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not
necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or
magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined,
compared, and otherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient at
times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these
signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms,
numbers or the like.
[0038] It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and
similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical
quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these
quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from
the following discussion, it is appreciated that throughout the
description, discussions utilizing terms such as "processing" or
"computing" or "calculating" or "determining" or "displaying" or
the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system,
or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and
transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities
within the computer system's registers and memories into other data
similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer
system memories or registers or other such information storage,
transmission or display devices.
[0039] Some implementations also relate to an apparatus for
performing the operations herein. This apparatus may be specially
constructed for the required purposes, or it may comprise a
general-purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a
computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer program
may be stored in a computer readable storage medium, such as, but
is not limited to, any type of disk including floppy disks, optical
disks, CD-ROMs, and magnetic disks, read-only memories (ROMs),
random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical
cards, flash memories including USB keys with non-volatile memory
or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions,
each coupled to a computer system bus.
[0040] Furthermore, implementations can take the form of a computer
program product accessible from a non-transitory computer-usable or
computer-readable medium providing program code for use by or in
connection with a computer or any instruction execution system. For
the purposes of this description, a computer-usable or computer
readable medium can be any apparatus that can contain, store,
communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in
connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or
device.
[0041] The medium can be an electronic, magnetic, optical,
electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system (or apparatus or
device) or a propagation medium. Examples of a computer-readable
medium include a semiconductor or solid state memory, magnetic
tape, a removable computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM),
a read-only memory (ROM), a rigid magnetic disk and an optical
disk. Current examples of optical disks include compact disk-read
only memory (CD-ROM), compact disk-read/write (CD-R/W) and DVD.
[0042] A data processing system suitable for storing and/or
executing program code will include at least one processor coupled
directly or indirectly to memory elements through a system bus. The
memory elements can include local memory employed during actual
execution of the program code, bulk storage, and cache memories
which provide temporary storage of at least some program code in
order to reduce the number of times code must be retrieved from
bulk storage during execution.
[0043] Input/output or I/O devices (including but not limited to
keyboards, displays, pointing devices, etc.) can be coupled to the
system either directly or through intervening I/O controllers.
[0044] Network adapters may also be coupled to the system to enable
the data processing system to become coupled to other data
processing systems or remote printers or storage devices through
intervening private or public networks. Modems, cable modem and
Ethernet cards are just a few of the currently available types of
network adapters.
[0045] Finally, the algorithms and displays presented herein are
not inherently related to any particular computer or other
apparatus. Various general-purpose systems may be used with
programs in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove
convenient to construct more specialized apparatus to perform the
required method steps. The required structure for a variety of
these systems will appear from the description below. In addition,
the present implementations are not described with reference to any
particular programming language. It will be appreciated that a
variety of programming languages may be used to implement the
teachings of the implementations as described herein.
[0046] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a
system 100 for generating activity summaries. The illustrated
system 100 includes user devices 115a, 115b, and 115n (also
referred to collectively as user devices 115 or individually as
user device 115) that are accessed by users 125a, 125b, and 125n
(also referred to collectively as users 125 or individually as user
125), a network server 101, an application server 107, an e-mail
server 123 and a search server 180. In the illustrated
implementation, these entities are communicatively coupled via a
network 105. Although only three user devices 115a/115b/115n are
illustrated, any number of user devices 115a/115b/115n are
available to any number of users 125a/125b/125n.
[0047] The illustrated implementations of a system 100 includes
user devices 115a, 115b that are accessed by users 125a, 125b, a
network server 101 that is coupled to data storage 110 and an
application server 107. In the illustrated implementation, these
entities are communicatively coupled via a network 105. The user
devices 115a, 115b, 115n in FIG. 1 are used by way of example.
While FIG. 1 illustrates three devices, the present disclosure
applies to any system architecture having one or more user devices.
Furthermore, while only one network 105 is coupled to the user
devices, 115a, 115b, 115n the network server 101 and the
application server 107, in practice any number of networks 105 can
be connected to the entities.
[0048] Although only one network server 101 is shown, it will be
recognized that multiple servers may be present. In some
embodiments, the network server may be a social network server. A
social network is any type of social structure where the users are
connected by a common feature. Examples include, but are not
limited to, blogs, microblogs and Internet forums. The common
feature includes friendship, family, a common interest, etc.
[0049] The network server 101 may be coupled to the network 105 via
signal line 104. In some implementations, the network server 101
may include a social network module 209 (as will be shown in FIG.
2). Although only one network server 101 is shown, persons of
ordinary skill in the art will recognize that multiple servers may
be present. A social network is any type of social structure where
the users are connected by a common feature. The common feature may
include, without limitation, common interests, work connections,
family and other relationship connections, e.g., friendship,
family, etc. The common features are provided by one or more social
networking systems, such as those included in the system 100,
including explicitly-defined relationships and relationships
implied by social connections with other online users, where the
relationships form a social graph. In some examples, a social graph
can reflect a mapping of these users and how they are related.
Furthermore, it should be understood that, in some implementations,
the network server 101 and social network module 209 (FIG. 2) are
representative of one social network and that there may be multiple
social networks (not shown) coupled to the network 105, each having
its own server, application and social graph (not shown). For
example, a first social network may be more directed to business
networking, a second more directed to or centered on academics, a
third is more directed to local business, a fourth directed to
dating and others of general interest or a specific focus.
[0050] As shown in FIG. 1, network server 101, may include, among
various other modules, an activity summary generation module
220a.
[0051] Additionally or alternatively, an activity summary module
220b may be included in the application server 107. For purposes of
illustration, the activity summary generation modules 220a/220b
will be referred to as activity summary generation module 220 as
they have similar functionality and function for a similar purpose.
More details describing the features and functionalities of these
modules will be discussed further below in the detailed description
of FIGS. 2 and 3.
[0052] The application server 107 may include similar components as
the network server 101. Such components as they relate to the
network server 101 are described in the description of FIG. 2. The
application server 107 may provide services to users of the system
100. The application server 107 may be a third party application
server that hosts other third party websites or third party
applications. For example, the application server 107 may host a
website for user to listen to music, or may host a website for
users to watch videos or play games. The application server 107 is
communicatively coupled to send information to the network server
101 via the network 105. Such information sent to the network
server 101 may be information associated with user activity on the
application server 107.
[0053] The network 105 enables communications between user devices
115a, 115b, the network server 101 and the application server 107.
Thus, the network 105 can include links using technologies such as
Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, 2G, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
(UMTS), 3G, Ethernet, 802.11, integrated services digital network
(ISDN), digital subscriber line (DSL), asynchronous transfer mode
(ATM), InfiniBand, PCI Express Advanced Switching, etc. Similarly,
the networking protocols used on the network 105 can include the
transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP),
multi-protocol label switching (MPLS), the User Datagram Protocol
(UDP), the hypertext transport protocol (HTTP), the simple mail
transfer protocol (SMTP), the file transfer protocol (FTP),
lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP), Code Division
Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access
(WCDMA), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), High-Speed
Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), etc. The data exchanged over the
network 105 can be represented using technologies and/or formats
including the hypertext markup language (HTML), the extensible
markup language (XML), etc. In addition, all or some of links can
be encrypted using conventional encryption technologies such as the
secure sockets layer (SSL), Secure HTTP and/or virtual private
networks (VPNs) or Internet Protocol security (IPsec). In another
implementation, the entities can use custom and/or dedicated data
communications technologies instead of, or in addition to, the ones
described above. Depending upon the implementation, the network 105
can also include links to other networks.
[0054] In one implementation, the network 105 is a partially public
or a wholly public network such as the Internet. The network 105
can also be a private network or include one or more distinct or
logical private networks (e.g., virtual private networks, Wide Area
Networks ("WAN") and/or Local Area Networks ("LAN")). Additionally,
the communication links to and from the network 105 can be wireline
or wireless (i.e., terrestrial- or satellite-based transceivers).
In one implementation, the network 105 is an IP-based wide or
metropolitan area network.
[0055] In the illustrated implementation, the user device 115a is
coupled to the network 105 via signal line 108. The user 125a can
interact with the user device. The user device 115b is coupled to
the network via signal line 112. The user device 115n is coupled to
the network 105 as illustrated by signal line 114. The application
server 107 is communicatively coupled to the network 105 via signal
line 106. The network server 101 is communicatively coupled to the
network 105 via signal line 104. The network server 101 is also
communicatively coupled to data storage 110 via signal line
102.
[0056] Data storage 110 may store data and information of users
125a/125b/125n of the system 100. Such stored information includes
user profiles and other information identifying the users
125a/125b/125n of the system 100. Examples of information
identifying users includes, but is not limited to, the user's name,
contact information, relationship status, likes, interests, links,
education and employment history, location, etc. The information
stored in data storage 110 may also include the user's list of
current and past friends and the user's activities within the
system 100, such as anything the user posts within the system and
any messages that the user sends to other users.
[0057] Data storage 110 may also store data and information of
users 125a/125b/125n of the system 100 received from the
application server 107. For example, after obtaining user consent,
an application server 107 may be a music streaming application or
website, which may send information to data storage 110 that
identifies the songs or playlists that were listened to by a user.
Data storage 110 may also store multimedia such as pictures or
videos that were taken by users 125a/125b/125n of the system
100.
[0058] A user device 115a, 115b, or 115n may be an electronic
computing device having a web browser for interacting with the
network server 101 via the network 105 and is used by user 125a,
125b, 125n to access information in the system 100. The user device
115a, 115b, 115n can be a computing device, for example, a laptop
computer, a desktop computer, a tablet computer, a mobile
telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile email
device, a portable game player, a portable music player, a
television with one or more processors embedded therein or coupled
thereto, or any other electronic device capable of accessing a
network. A server can also be a computing device.
[0059] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a
network server 101. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the network server
101 includes a network adapter 202 coupled to a bus 204. Also
coupled to the bus 204 are at least one processor 206, memory 208,
a graphics adapter 210, an input device 212 and a storage device
214. In one implementation, the functionality of the bus 204 is
provided by an interconnecting chipset. The network server 101 also
includes a display 218, which is coupled to the graphics adapter
210. As illustrated in FIG. 2, memory 208 includes a social network
module 209 and an activity summary generation module 220. The
network server 101 may include or be communicatively coupled to an
application service 109. Such application service 109 may provide
other online services to users. The application service is
communicatively coupled to the network server 101 and sends
information, such as information related to user activity on the
application server 109, to the network server 101. More details
describing the functionality and components of the activity summary
generation module 220 will be described below in the description
for FIG. 3.
[0060] The processor 206 may be any general-purpose processor. The
processor 206 comprises an arithmetic logic unit, a microprocessor,
a general purpose controller or some other processor array to
perform computations, provide electronic display signals to display
218. The processor 206 is coupled to the bus 204 for communication
with the other components of the user device 115a/115b. Processor
206 processes data signals and may comprise various computing
architectures including a complex instruction set computer (CISC)
architecture, a reduced instruction set computer (RISC)
architecture, or an architecture implementing a combination of
instruction sets. Although only a single processor is shown in FIG.
2, multiple processors may be included. The user device 115a/115b
also includes an operating system executable by the processor such
as but not limited to WINDOWS.RTM., MacOS X, Android, or UNIX.RTM.
based operating systems.
[0061] The memory 208 holds instructions and data used by the
processor 206. The instructions and/or data comprise code for
performing any and/or all of the techniques described herein. The
memory 208 may be a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) device, a
static random access memory (SRAM) device, flash memory or some
other memory device known in the art. In one implementation, the
memory 208 also includes a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk
drive or flash drive for storing log information on a more
permanent basis. The memory 208 is coupled by the bus 204 for
communication with the other components of the user device
115a/115b.
[0062] The storage device 214 is any device capable of holding
data, like a hard drive, compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM),
DVD, or a solid-state memory device. The storage device 214 is a
non-volatile memory device or similar permanent storage device and
media. The storage device 214 stores data and instructions for
processor 206 and comprises one or more devices including a hard
disk drive, a floppy disk drive, a CD-ROM device, a DVD-ROM device,
a DVD-RAM device, a DVD-RW device, a flash memory device, or some
other mass storage device known in the art.
[0063] The input device 212 may be a mouse, track ball, or other
type of pointing device, and is used in combination with another
input device 212, such as a keyboard to input data into the network
server 101. The graphics adapter 210 displays images and other
information on the display 218. The display 218 is a conventional
type such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or any other similarly
equipped display device, screen, or monitor. The display 218
represents any device equipped to display electronic images and
data as described herein. The network adapter 202 couples the
network server 101 to a local or wide area network.
[0064] In one implementation, the social network module 209 is
software and/or routines executable by a processor to control the
interaction between the network server 101, storage device 214 and
the user devices 115a, 115b, 115n. An implementation of the social
network module 209 allows users 125a, 125b, 125n of user devices
115a, 115b, 115n to perform social functions between other users
125a, 125b, 125n of user devices 115a, 115b, 115n within the system
100. In some implementations, the social network module 209 may
provide the user with an option to opt-in or opt-out of requesting
the user activity data from the application server 107 or
application service 109.
[0065] The activity summary generation module 220 is software
and/or routines that, when executed by a processor, generate an
activity summary to a user within the system 100. An activity
summary may be a grouping of user activity information and content
that represents the user's activity. In some implementations, the
activity summary is based on the user's activity. More details
describing the functionality and components of the activity summary
generation module 220 will be described below in the description
for FIG. 3.
[0066] The network server 101 can have different and/or other
components than those shown in FIG. 2. As is known in the art, the
network server 101 is adapted to execute computer program modules
for providing functionality described herein. As used herein, the
term "module" encompasses it plain and ordinary meaning, including,
but not limited to computer program logic utilized to provide the
specified functionality. Thus, a module can be implemented in
hardware, firmware, and/or software. In one implementation, program
modules are stored on the storage device 214, loaded into the
memory 208, and executed by the processor 206.
[0067] Implementations of the entities described herein can include
other and/or different modules than the ones described here. In
addition, the functionality attributed to the modules can be
performed by other or different modules in other implementations.
Moreover, this description occasionally omits the term "module" for
purposes of clarity and convenience.
[0068] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating examples of modules
within the activity summary generation module 220. As stated above,
the activity summary generation module 220 may be software and/or
routines executable by the processor to generate activity summaries
to a user of the system 100. An activity summary may be a grouping
of user activity information and content that represents the user's
activity. For example, the activity summary may be a representation
of songs that the user has listened to that day. As another
example, the activity summary may be a representation or summary of
the user's activities while the user was on vacation. In some
implementations, a particular activity may be associated with a
specific action and each activity may be different actions. In such
implementations, the activity summary may include multiple actions
of a user. The activity summary generation module 220 may include a
user activity information receiver module 302, a categorization
module 304, a ranking module 306, a content selection module 308, a
segmentation module 310, an enrichment module 312, a titling module
314. and an output generation module 316. One or more of these
modules may be implemented together and may be embodied as a single
module.
[0069] The activity summary generation module 220 may be configured
to communicate with user devices 115 to receive input from the user
devices 115, application servers 107 and/or application services
109. The activity summary module 220 may be configured to
communicate with the user devices 115 to send activity summaries
for display on the user devices 115. The input received from the
user devices 115, application servers 107 and/or application
services 109 may include user activity information, which may be
activity that the user has performed. The user activity information
may be including, but is not limited to, information associated
with audio (for example, songs) that that user 125 has listened to,
pictures that the user has uploaded to the network server 101,
videos that the user has watched, text posts that the user has
input into the network server 101, physical activities performed by
the user as determined from accelerometer data (e.g., walking,
running, driving, flying), physical activities performed by the
user as determined by social networking updates generated by the
user (e.g., "went clubbing today"), social networking activities of
the user (e.g., reading social networking content, liking social
networking content), online activities of the user (e.g.,
researching a topic), non-online activities of the user performed
on a computing device, and other information associated with the
activities of the user 125. In some implementations, the activity
summary generation module 220 is also configured to communicate
with storage device 214 and the data store 110 to send user
activity information for storage and retrieval. In some
implementations, the activity summary generation module 220 is also
configured to communicate with the application server 107 to
receive user activity on third party applications.
[0070] The user data receiver module 302 of the activity summary
generation module 220 is software and/or routines for receiving a
user activity information from a user device 115 and user activity
information stored on storage device 214 or data storage 110. The
user data receiver module 302 may also receive user activity
information from application servers 107 and application services
109. The user activity information may be any information
associated with the activities of the user when the user is
interacting with the application server 107 or application services
109. The user activity information may be information associated
with audio (for example, songs) that that user 125 has listened to,
pictures that the user has uploaded to the network server 101,
videos that the user has watched, text posts that the user has
input into the network server 101, and other information associated
with the activity of the user 125. Additionally, user activity
information may be information received from the application server
107 or application service 109 related to user activity on the
application server 107 or application service 109. For example, if
the application server 107 hosts a website that allows users to
listen to music or watch videos, the user activity information
regarding songs listened to or videos watch on the application
server 107 may be sent to and received by the user data receiver
module 302 of the activity summary generation module 220.
[0071] The categorization module 304 of the activity summary
generation module 220 is software and/or routines for categorizing
the received user activity information. The user activity
information may be categorized or indexed according to various
categories or criteria. In some cases, the user activity
information may be categorized according to a user identifier, a
verb identifier associated with the user activity, a target
associated with the user activity and a source. For example, a user
identifier can be an anonymized identifier that uniquely identifies
a particular user 125 of the system 100. The verb identifier
associated with the user activity may be predefined according to
the particular user activity. In some implementations, if a
particular website or a particular application service 109 or
application server 107 provides the user with the ability to
perform more than one activity on that website, service or server,
there may be more than one verb identifier associated with that
website, service or server, and each verb identifier may be
associated with a certain user activity. For example, if the user
activity occurs on a website that hosts videos for viewing, a verb
identifier associated with that website and activity may be "watch"
or "watched" and the corresponding activity of watching videos that
occurs on that website would be associated with "watched." To
extend the example, if the website also allows a user to listen to
music, the verb associated with that corresponding activity of
listening to songs other audio files may be "listen" or "listened."
In this example, the website may be associated with various user
activities and therefore various corresponding verb identifiers.
The target associated with the user activity identifies an item
(such as a video in the previous example) that was a target of the
user's activity. The target may include a title and a Uniform
Resource Locator (ULR) where the target can be found.
[0072] In some cases, the user activity information from multiple
application servers 107 may have the same associated verb.
Similarly, user activity information from multiple application
services 109 may have the same associated verb. For example, there
may be multiple application servers 107 that allows users to listen
to music. In such a case, for user activities associated with these
application servers 107, the activity would be categorized using
the same verb and therefore the activity would be categorized
together, for example, under the verb "listened." The
categorization module 304 may also group the categorized user
activity. For example, the categorization module 304 may aggregate
the categorized based on the type of activity.
[0073] The categorization module 304 may also group the categorized
user activity based on other criteria and these categorized groups
may include different types of user activity or content. The
categorization module 304 may also group the user activity
information in accordance with commonalities identified among the
user activity information. By grouping the user activity
information in accordance with commonalities identified among the
user activity information, the categorization module 304 helps to
organize the user activity or online activity into interesting
stories or comprehensive summaries of these activities. This
categorized and organized user activity represents experiences and
may be helpful in conveying the user's life experiences when the
experiences relate to a common theme. The categorization module 304
may group the user activity information based on relatedness
(similar topic, similar content, etc.) of the user activity.
Commonalities may include a location common to the user activity.
Commonalities may also include an interest or topic common to the
user activity. Groups of user activity created by the
categorization module may therefore include different types of user
activity. For example, the categorization module 304 may categorize
and group together the user activity that the user performed while
the user was in Japan. As such, in this example, the categorized
and grouped user activity, which eventually becomes output or is
displayed as the activity summary, may include activity and content
such as the pictures the user posted of the user's trip to Japan,
the places that the user visited while in Japan, and the items the
user purchased online while the user was in Japan.
[0074] Further, the grouping and categorization performed by the
categorization module 304 may be based on session determination and
whether the user activity falls within a particular session. The
categorization module 304 may also determine sessions of user
activity. The categorization module 304 may determine sessions of
user activity based on the time the user activity was performed.
The time may be based on a certain time frame, for example, every
six hours, or based on certain times of the day, for example, from
9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The categorization module 304 may determine
sessions of user activity based on when the user signs off and/or
signs in. The sign-on or sign-in may be associated with activity on
the application server 107 or application service 109. The session
may also be based on other factors, e.g., relatedness of the user
activities. For example, relatively continuous user activities that
are related to a particular topic or particular type of content can
indicate a session.
[0075] The ranking module 306 of the activity summary generation
module 220 may be software and/or routines for ranking the
categorized user activity information. The categorized user
activity information may be ranked 406 according to relevance to
the user by the ranking module 306. The categorized user activity
information may be ranked 406 according to relevance to the user's
contacts by the ranking module 306.
[0076] The content selection module 308 of the activity summary
generation module 220 may be software and/or routines for selecting
the content to be included in an activity summary of a user.
Content selection may include photo selection, as well as location
determination and selection of other content relevant to generating
the activity summary. In some implementations, the content
selection module 308 of the activity summary generation module 220
may receive user activity information from the user data receiver
module 302 as well as multimedia data and secondary data, such as
location information or time information and determine which of
that content to include in the activity summary. In some
implementations, the content selection may be based on a ranking of
the content, the quality of the content or other aspects of the
content that would render the content valuable for selection to be
included in the activity summary.
[0077] The segmentation module 310 of the activity summary
generation module 220 may be software and/or routines for analyzing
the received user activity and content, including received content,
such as multimedia or other data or information and determining how
the received content relates to each other. In some
implementations, the segmentation module 310 of the activity
summary generation module 220 may receive user activity information
from the user data receiver module 302. In some implementations,
the segmentation module 310 of the activity summary generation
module 220 may receive selected content from the content selection
module 308 of the activity summary generation module 220. In some
implementations, the segmentation module 310 may determine
commonalities between the content and segment the content based on
the commonalities. For example, in some implementations, the
segmentation module 310 may determine that the receive content
includes pictures that were taken in the same location and segment
and group the content (pictures) based on that commonality.
[0078] The enrichment module 312 of the activity summary generation
module 220 may be software and/or routines for adding additional
information to the selected content and multimedia. In some
implementations, content recognition is performed on the
multimedia. Based on the recognized content and additional search
of a database may be performed to obtain additional information
about the recognized content. The additional information may be
added to the content to further enhance its informational quality.
For example, a recognition of a media item may be performed and a
picture of the Golden Gate Bridge may be found. The enrichment
module 312 may search a database of information and find additional
information about the Golden Gate Bridge, for example, how long it
is. The enrichment module 312 may then add that information in the
form of text to the selected media as part of the activity
summary
[0079] In some implementations, the enrichment module 312
communicates with the content selection module 308 to add the
information to the selected content. In some implementations, the
enrichment module 312 also determines other information from
metadata that may be associated with the content and add additional
information based on the metadata. In some implementations, the
enrichment module 312 of the activity summary generation module 220
may look at location information and determine a specific named
location associated with the determined location. For example, the
enrichment module 312 may determine that the content received, for
example, pictures taken were taken at a specific shopping center
and specifically at a certain store. The enrichment module 312 may
then use that information and add a map location of the store to
the activity summary to enhance the content.
[0080] The titling module 314 of the activity summary generation
module 220 may be software and/or routines for determining and
assigning a title to the selected content of the activity summary.
In some implementations, the titling module 314 of the activity
summary generation module 220 may analyze the content of the
activity summary to determine words and/or phrases to best
summarize the content. In some implementations, the titling module
314 of the activity summary generation module 220 determines a time
frame for when the activity has taken place and determines a
general description to describe that time frame. For example, if
the activity took place from Friday at 6:00 pm and ended on Sunday
at 12:00 pm, the titling module 314 of the activity summary
generation module 220 may assign a title "The Weekend" to the
activity summary. In another implementation, the titling module 314
of the activity summary generation module 220 determines the
general location of the activity summary. For example, the titling
module 314 of the activity summary generation module 220 may assign
a title "San Francisco" to the activity summary if it determines
that the activity happened mostly in San Francisco. In other
implementations, the titling module 314 of the activity summary
generation module 220 may use both the determined location and the
time frame to determine and assign a title. For example, if the
titling module 314 of the activity summary generation module 220
determines that the activity occurred from Friday at 6:00 pm and
ended on Sunday at 12:00 pm and took place generally in San
Francisco, the titling module 314 of the activity summary
generation module 220 may assign the title "Weekend in San
Francisco" to the activity summary.
[0081] In yet other implementations, the titling module 314 of the
activity summary generation module 220 may recognize that the time
and/or content described in the story closely matches an event
described on the user's calendar (e.g. "Tom's birthday party") or
an event the user was invited to and may determine and assign a
title also based on the calendar item or event.
[0082] In another implementation, the titling module 314 may
generate titles in a language-agnostic way so that the title can be
translated into whatever language the recipient of the story
speaks. As an example, in such implementations, a template may be
generated that may be: "Time: [weekend], locations: [San Francisco,
Napa]," and based on the generated template, the initial title may
be translated and re-assigned to a more naturally-sounding title in
whatever language the user normally speaks. Furthermore, in some
implementations, the title may be based on the aggregated activity
information, for example, based on videos the user watched or music
the user listened to. In such examples, in some implementations,
the titling module 314 may determine and assign a title "New music
you listened to last month" or "Top artists you listened to last
week" based on aggregated activity information.
[0083] The output generation module 316 of the activity summary
generation module 220 is software and/or routines for generating
the activity summaries based on the categorized user activity
information. The output generation module 316 receives information
from the categorization module 304 and the ranking module 306 and
generates activity summaries based on the categorized user activity
information. In some implementations, the user may share the
generated activity summary with other users, for example, by
posting the activity summary on the user's social network portal.
The post may be a public post where other users can view the
activity summary. The post may also be a private post where
selected users may view the activity summary.
[0084] Referring now to FIG. 4, an example method 400 for
generating activity summaries for a user 125 of the system 100 will
be described. In some implementations, the method 400 is performed
by the components of the network server 101, and specifically, by
the components of the activity summary generation module 220. In
one implementation, the method 400 begins when user activity
information is received 402 by the user activity information
receiver module 302. The user activity information is then
categorized 404 by the categorization module 304. In some
implementations, the categorized user activity information is
ranked 406 according to relevance to the user by the ranking module
306. In some implementations, the categorized user activity
information is ranked 406 according to relevance to the user's
contacts by the ranking module 306. Activity summaries are then
generated 408 by the output generation module 316 of the activity
summary generation module 220. The activity summary includes the
categorized user activity information. The activity summary is sent
410 for display on a user device 115 of a user 125. In some
implementations, the user may share the generated activity summary
with other users, for example, by posting the activity summary on
the user's social network portal. The post may be a public post
where other users can view the activity summary. The post may also
be a private post where selected users may view the activity
summary.
[0085] Referring now to FIG. 5, another example method 500 for
generating activity summaries to a user 125 of the system 100 will
be described. In some implementations, the method 500 is performed
by the components of the network server 101, and specifically, by
the components of the activity summary generation module 220. In
one implementation, the method 500 begins when user activity
information is received 502 by the user activity information
receiver module 302. The user activity information may be
information associated with audio (for example, songs) that that
user 125 has listened to, pictures that the user has uploaded to
the network server 101, videos that the user has watched, text
posts that the user has input into the network server 101, and
other information associated with the activity of the user 125.
Additionally, user activity information may be information received
from the application server 107 or application service 109 related
to user activity on the application server 107 or application
service 109. In some implementations, the user activity information
may also be photos that the user has taken and location information
associated with those photos. In some implementations, the activity
information may also include the user's location information (or
location information of the user's device), the user's calendar
information, or information related to events that the user will be
attending or has attended, or other information related to the
user's activity. For example, if the application server 107 hosts a
website that allows users to listen to music or watch videos, the
user activity information regarding songs listened to or videos
watch on the application server 107 may be sent to and received by
the user data receiver module 302 of the activity summary
generation module 220. In one implementation, a user's search
history may also serve as a source for activity information.
[0086] The user activity information is then categorized 504 by the
categorization module 304. In some implementations, the user
activity information may be categorized according to a user
identifier, a verb identifier associated with the user activity, a
target associated with the user activity and a source. For example,
a user identifier can be an anonymized identifier that uniquely
identifies a particular user 125 of the system 100. The verb
identifier associated with the user activity may be predefined
according to the particular user activity. In some implementations,
if a particular website or a particular application service 109 or
application server 107 provides the user with the ability to
perform more than one activity on that website, service or server,
there may be more than one verb identifier associated with that
website, service or server, and each verb identifier may be
associated with a certain user activity. For example, if the user
activity occurs on a website that hosts videos for viewing, a verb
identifier associated with that website and activity may be "watch"
or "watched" and the corresponding activity of watching videos that
occurs on that website would be associated with "watched." In some
implementations, the user activity information may also be
categorized according to
[0087] The categorization module 304 also groups 506 the
categorized user activity information in accordance with
commonalities identified among the user activity information. By
grouping the user activity information in accordance with
commonalities identified among the user activity information, the
categorization module 304 helps to organize the user activity or
online activity into interesting stories or comprehensive summaries
of these activities. This categorized and organized user activity
represents online experiences and may be helpful in conveying the
user's life experiences when the experiences relate to a common
theme. The categorization module 304 may group the user activity
information. The user activity information may be grouped 506 based
on relatedness (similar topic, similar content, etc.) of the user
activity. Commonalities may include a location common to the user
activity. Commonalities may also include an interest or topic
common to the user activity. Groups of user activity created by the
categorization module may therefore include different types of user
activity. For example, the categorization module 304 may categorize
and group together the user activity according to activity that the
user performed online while the user was in Japan. In this example,
categorized and grouped user activity, which eventually becomes
output or displayed as the activity summary, may include activity
and content such as the pictures the user posted of the user's trip
to Japan, the places that the user visited while in Japan, and the
items the user purchased online while the user was in Japan.
[0088] In some implementations, the categorization module 304 also
groups 506 the categorized user activity information in accordance
with commonalities identified among the user activity information
to determine the beginning of a specific group in order to create a
story from that grouping. In one implementation, a change in a
user's location signals the beginning of a story. In one
implementation, new photos signal the beginning of a story.
[0089] In some implementations, the categorized user activity
information is ranked 508 according to relevance to the user by the
ranking module 306. In some implementations, the categorized user
activity information is ranked 508 according to relevance to the
user's contacts by the ranking module 306.
[0090] The output generation module 316 determines 510 when the
groupings are complete. Certain signals or activity information are
monitored and analyzed to determine the completion of a grouping or
ending of a story. Specifically, certain signals such as photos,
location, calendar, events and other user's information (which is
linked to the first user) serve as sources for activity information
and indications of the completion of a grouping or ending of a
story. In one implementation, a user's search history may also
serve as a source for activity information. In one implementation,
a change in a user's location signals the ending of a story. In one
implementation, a time limit may signal the ending of a story.
[0091] Activity summaries are then generated 512 by the output
generation module 316 of the activity summary generation module
220. In some implementations, a notification that activity
information is being received, processed and categorized is
generated. In such implementations, such notifications may include
a notification that a story is being created. In other
implementations, a notification of the completed version activity
summary is generated. The activity summary includes the categorized
user activity information. The activity summary or notification is
sent 514 for display on a user device 115 of a user 125. In some
implementations, the user may share the generated activity summary
with other users, for example, by posting the activity summary on
the user's social network portal. The post may be a public post
where other users can view the activity summary. The post may also
be a private post where selected users may view the activity
summary.
[0092] FIG. 6 is a flow chart 600 illustrating another example
method for generating activity summaries in a social network. In
one implementation, the method 600 begins when user activity
information is received 602 by the user activity information
receiver module 302. The user activity information may be
information associated with audio (for example, songs) that that
user 125 has listened to, pictures that the user has uploaded to
the network server 101, videos that the user has watched, text
posts that the user has input into the network server 101, and
other information associated with the activity of the user 125.
Additionally, user activity information may be information received
from the application server 107 or application service 109 related
to user activity on the application server 107 or application
service 109. In some implementations, the user activity information
may also be photos that the user has taken and location information
associated with those photos. In some implementations, the activity
information may also include the user's location information (or
location information of the user's device), the user's calendar
information, or information related to events that the user will be
attending or has attended, or other information related to the
user's online activity.
[0093] The user data receiver module 302 waits 604 a predefined
period of time. This allows enough content and data to be received
to be able to adequately create an activity summary. In some
implementations, the user data receiver module 302 waits several
hours, for example, one hour, two hours, three hours, four hours
etc. A determination 606 is performed to determine whether new
information has been received. For example, whether the user has
taken any new pictures within the predefined period of time, If new
information has been received (606-Yes), the data receiver module
302 continues to receive 602 user activity information. If new
information has not been received (606-No), analysis of the
received information is performed 610. A more detailed description
describing step 610 will be described below with regard to FIG. 7.
Finally, an activity summary (or story) is generated 612 and sent
for display.
[0094] FIG. 7 is a flow chart 700 illustrating an example method
for performing data analysis to create an activity summary. Data is
processed 702 by the user activity information receiver module 302.
Once enough data is received and processed, the data is analyzed
and segmented 704 to determine and create an activity summary or
story. In some embodiments, segmentation is performed based on a
commonality. Content is selected 706 to determine what content is
included in the activity summary. The selection of the content
includes selection of multimedia items, such as pictures and
videos. Secondary information, such as user activity information or
location information is analyzed 708. Other secondary information
may include metadata associated with the content or multimedia
item, or other information associated with the content or
multimedia item. Once the content is selected and analyzed, the
content is enriched 710 or enhanced with additional information
based on the analysis of the secondary information. Using the
selected content, a visual representation of generated and a title
is assigned 712 that identifies the representation.
[0095] FIG. 8 is an example graphical user interface 800 showing a
title page of an activity summary. The graphical user interface 800
includes a title area 802. The graphical user interface 800 also
includes a user icon 804. The graphical user interface 800 may also
include a title picture 808.
[0096] FIG. 9 is an example graphical user interface 900 showing
another page of an activity summary. The graphical user interface
900 includes a location identifier 902 and a comment 904. The
comment 904 may be entered by the user and/or viewers of the
activity summary. According to this implementation, the graphical
user interface also includes a route map 906. The route map 906
illustrates the location or route associated with the particular
activity summary.
[0097] FIG. 10 is an example graphical user interface 1000 showing
yet another page of an activity summary. The graphical user
interface 1000 includes a location identifier 1002. The graphical
user interface 1000 also includes selected multimedia 1004, 1006,
1008, and 1010. The graphical user interface 1000 also includes a
time interstitial 1012. The time interstitial 1012 indicates the
relative passing of time in relation to the previous selected
content that was displayed. As illustrated in this example, the
time interstitial 1012 indicates an amount of time that has passed
from the previous displayed content. According to another
implementation, the time interstitial 1012 may indicated the exact
time of the displayed selected media. In other embodiments, the
time interstitial 1012 may indicate day or date.
[0098] FIG. 11 shows the continuation of graphical user interface
1000 as the display moves along the timeline of the activity
summary. In FIG. 11, the graphical user interface 1000 includes
selected multimedia 1102, 1104, 1106, 1108, and 1110. In FIG. 11,
the graphical user interface 1000 also includes a comment field
1112 where a user may enter text. The activity summary may be laid
out in a horizontally or vertically scrollable configuration.
[0099] FIG. 12 is an example graphical user interface 1200 showing
another example of a title page of an activity summary. Similar to
the graphical user interface 800 depicted in FIG. 8, the graphical
user interface 1200 includes a title area 1202. The graphical user
interface 1200 also includes user icons 1204 and 1206. The
graphical user interface 800 may also include a title picture
1208.
[0100] FIG. 13 is an example graphical user interface 1300 showing
another page of an activity summary. The graphical user interface
1300 includes a location identifier 1302. The graphical user
interface 1300 also includes selected multimedia 1304 and 1306. The
graphical user interface 1300 also includes a time interstitial
1310. The graphical user interface 1300 also includes a comment
field 1308 where a user may enter text.
[0101] FIG. 14 shows another example of graphical user interface
1400. The graphical user interface 1400 includes a location
identifier 1402. The graphical user interface 1400 also includes
selected multimedia 1404 and 1406. The graphical user interface
1400 also includes a time interstitial 11410. In this illustration,
the graphical user interface 1400 shows the comment field 1410 that
was automatically generated with additional information by the
enrichment module 312. In this example, there is a well-known
landmark in the selected multimedia item 1406, which was identified
and additional information added to enhance and enrich the display
of information in the activity summary.
[0102] FIG. 15 shows the continuation of graphical user interface
1400 as the display moves along the timeline of the activity
summary. In FIG. 15, the graphical user interface 1400 includes
selected multimedia items.
[0103] In situations in which the systems discussed here collect
personal information about users, or may make use of personal
information, the users may be provided with an opportunity to
control whether programs or features collect user information
(e.g., information about a user's social network, social actions or
activities, profession, a user's preferences, or a user's current
location), or to control whether and/or how to receive content from
the content server that may be more relevant to the user. In
addition, certain data may be treated in one or more ways before it
is stored or used, so that personally identifiable information is
removed. For example, a user's identity may be treated so that no
personally identifiable information can be determined for the user,
or a user's geographic location may be generalized where location
information is obtained (such as to a city, ZIP code, or state
level), so that a particular location of a user cannot be
determined. Thus, the user may have control over how information is
collected about the user and used by a content server.
[0104] The foregoing description of the implementations of the
present disclosure has been presented for the purposes of
illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive
or to limit the present implementations to the precise form
disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light
of the above teaching. It is intended that the scope of the present
implementations be limited not by this detailed description, but
rather by the claims of this application. As will be understood by
those familiar with the art, the present disclosure may be embodied
in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or
essential characteristics thereof. Likewise, the particular naming
and division of the modules, routines, features, attributes,
methodologies and other aspects are not mandatory or significant,
and the mechanisms that implement the present implementations or
their features may have different names, divisions and/or formats.
Furthermore, as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the
relevant art, the modules, routines, features, attributes,
methodologies and other aspects of the present implementations can
be implemented as software, hardware, firmware or any combination
of the three. Also, wherever a component, an example of which is a
module, of the present implementations are implemented as software,
the component can be implemented as a standalone program, as part
of a larger program, as a plurality of separate programs, as a
statically or dynamically linked library, as a kernel loadable
module, as a device driver, and/or in every and any other way known
now or in the future to those of ordinary skill in the art of
computer programming Additionally, the present implementations are
in no way limited to implementation in any specific programming
language, or for any specific operating system or environment.
Accordingly, the disclosure is intended to be illustrative, but not
limiting, of the scope of the present implementations, which is set
forth in the following claims.
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