Sharing television and video programming through social networking

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9549227-B2
Application number	US-201213692122-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 3, 2012
Priority date	Aug 31, 2012
Publication date	Jan 17, 2017
Grant date	Jan 17, 2017

Abstract

In particular embodiments, one or more computer systems of a social-networking system provide social content for display in a mobile application running on a mobile device of a user of the social-networking system. The mobile application is configured to display the social content and an interface for selecting media content to view on a display device. The social content is from a social graph of the social-networking system. The social graph includes nodes and edges connecting the nodes. The nodes include user nodes that are each associated with a particular user of the social-networking system. The one or more computer systems of the social-networking system receive an indication from the mobile application that an option to view particular media content has been selected and provide one or more instructions to display the selected particular media content on the display device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
by one or more computer systems of a social-networking system, providing social content for display in a mobile application running on a mobile device of a user of the social-networking system, the mobile application configured to display an interface for selecting media content to view on a display device of the user that is separate from the mobile device, wherein:
the social content is determined from a social graph of the social-networking system, the social graph comprising a plurality of nodes and edges connecting the nodes, the nodes and edges comprising:
device nodes that each correspond to a respective mobile device;
user nodes that are each associated with a particular user of the social-networking system;
concept nodes that are each associated with particular media content; and
a plurality of ownership edges connecting the user nodes and the device nodes, each particular ownership edge indicating that a particular user corresponding to a particular user node owns a particular device corresponding to a particular device node;

the mobile device of the user is determined by analyzing the device nodes and the ownership edges of the social graph; and
the interface of the mobile application is configured to display, proximate to each particular media content that is displayed for selection, particular social content that is connected to both the user and the particular media content in the social graph, the particular social content comprising:
an identification of at least one friend of the user who has previously liked the particular media content; and
an identification of at least one friend of the user who is currently watching the particular media content;

by the one or more computer systems of the social-networking system, receiving an indication from the mobile application that an option to view particular media content has been selected by the user using the interface of the mobile application running on the mobile device; and
by the one or more computer systems of the social-networking system, in response to the selection by the user on the mobile device, providing one or more instructions to display the selected particular media content on the display device of the user that is separate from the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more computer systems comprise a dongle of the social-networking system, the dongle comprising:
a first interface operable to communicate with a content source;
a second interface operable to communicate with the display device; and
one or more transceivers operable to communicate with the social-networking system and the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first and second interfaces comprise a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI).

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the social content comprises one or more of:
an indication of a number of other users of the social-networking system who are viewing the media content;
an indication of a number of other users of the social-networking system who like the media content;
an advertisement;
a notification;
a post;
a photo;
a name of another user of the social-networking system;
a facepile; and
a chat message.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile application is displayed in place of a lock screen of the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nodes of the social graph further comprise concept nodes that each correspond to a particular display device.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the mobile device of the user comprises determining an optimal display device from a plurality of display devices associated with the user.

8. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media in one or more computing systems, the media embodying logic that is operable when executed to:
provide social content for display in a mobile application running on a mobile device of a user of a social-networking system, the mobile application configured to display an interface for selecting media content to view on a display device of the user that is separate from the mobile device, wherein:
the social content is determined from a social graph of the social-networking system, the social graph comprising a plurality of nodes and edges connecting the nodes, the nodes and edges comprising:
device nodes that each correspond to a respective mobile device;
user nodes that are each associated with a particular user of the social-networking system;
concept nodes that are each associated with particular media content; and
a plurality of ownership edges connecting the user nodes and the device nodes, each particular ownership edge indicating that a particular user corresponding to a particular user node owns a particular device corresponding to a particular device node;

the mobile device of the user is determined by analyzing the device nodes and the ownership edges of the social graph; and
the interface of the mobile application is configured to display, proximate to each particular media content that is displayed for selection, particular social content that is connected to both the user and the particular media content in the social graph, the particular social content comprising:
an identification of at least one friend of the user who has previously liked the particular media content; and
an identification of at least one friend of the user who is currently watching the particular media content;

receive an indication from the mobile application that an option to view particular media content has been selected by the user using the interface of the mobile application running on the mobile device; and
in response to the selection by the user on the mobile device, provide one or more instructions to display the selected particular media content on the display device of the user that is separate from the mobile device.

9. The media of claim 8 , wherein the one or more computing systems comprise a dongle of the social-networking system, the dongle comprising:
a first interface operable to communicate with a content source;
a second interface operable to communicate with the display device; and
one or more transceivers operable to communicate with the social-networking system and the mobile device.

10. The media of claim 9 , wherein the first and second interfaces comprise a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI).

11. The media of claim 8 , wherein the social content comprises one or more of:
an indication of a number of other users of the social-networking system who are viewing the media content;
an indication of a number of other users of the social-networking system who like the media content;
an advertisement;
a notification;
a post;
a photo;
a name of another user of the social-networking system;
a facepile; and
a chat message.

12. The media of claim 8 , the logic further operable to:
receive an indication from a remote control device that an option to view social data has been selected; and
display particular social content on the display device in response to the indication to view social data.

13. The media of claim 8 , wherein providing the one or more instructions to display the selected particular media content on the display device comprises providing, by the one or more computer systems of the social-networking system, one or more infrared (IR) instructions to a content source, the content source comprising one of:
a set-top box (STB);
a digital video recorder (DVR);
a gaming console; and
a device configured to provide access to media content from an over-the-top (OTT) c

Assignees

• Campbell Colin Cameron Brennan
• Garcia David Harry
• Heynen Mark
• Toksvig Michael John Mckenzie
• Tseng Erick
• Wong Yoon Kean
• Facebook Inc

Inventors

• Campbell Colin Cameron Brennan
• Garcia David Harry
• Heynen Mark
• Toksvig Michael John Mckenzie
• Tseng Erick
• Wong Yoon Kean

Classifications

• G06Q10/40

  Business processes related to social networking or social networking services · CPC title

• G06Q30/0277

  Online advertisement · CPC title

• H04N21/84

  Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors {(systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73)} · CPC title

• H04N21/23418

  involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics (television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59) · CPC title

• H04N21/258

  Client or end-user data management, e.g. managing client capabilities, user preferences or demographics, processing of multiple end-users preferences to derive collaborative data {(arrangements for services using the result on the distributing side of broadcast systems H04H60/66; profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/30)} · CPC title