Audible, Inc.

Ajay Arora

Douglas Scott Goldstein

Douglas Cho Hwang

Guy A Story, Jr

Guy Ashley Story, Jr

Shirley C Yang

Steven Douglas Hatch

Nathan Garret Brothers

Foy C Sperring, Jr

Taylor J Huttner

Beth Anderson

Timothy Thomas Gray

Steven Charles Dzik

Alexander Galkin

Douglas Vincent O'Dell

Mugur F Tolea

Foy C Sperring

Andrew Bennett Gaies

Will Lopes

Phillip Scott McClendon

Described herein are systems, methods, and apparatus for initiating one or more actions based at least in part on an audio output device. Upon connection of an audio output device such as headphones one or more actions may be configured to occur. These actions may include playing at least a portion of an audio content, presenting information on a display, and so forth.

Systems and methods for initiating action based on audio output device

Features are disclosed for presenting multiple content items based on one or more rules defining how the multiple content items are to be presented. One content item may be a primary content item, and any number of additional content items may be related to or supplement the primary content item in some way. Rules may define which related content items may be presented and, in the case of multimedia content (e.g., content with both audio and video elements), which elements of the primary content may be overridden by or mixed with related content, and which may not. References to related content may be embedded in the primary content item, or references may be accessed at a content management system or service.

Rule-based presentation of related content items

Systems and methods are provided for generating user format preference data and using that data to select and/or deliver a specific format of a work. For example, a dynamic format delivery service can dynamically collect data representing a user's preferences respecting specific contexts and formats, and can store this data in association with the user. The dynamic format delivery service can then make use of that data to dynamically select a format for a requested work in order to provide the user with a format tailored to that specific user's consumption habits. Moreover, data representing preferences of a population of users, context attributes, or device-specific format preferences may further contribute to selecting a work format.

Dynamic format selection and delivery

Features are disclosed for automatically facilitating knowledge sharing using information collected during meetings. Collected information may include both the content and context of a meeting. The meeting content may comprise text collected by automatic speech recognition or entered manually at a user device. The meeting context may comprise information such as the identities of meeting participants and subject matter from a meeting agenda. The content and context information may be used to identify relevant topics for which knowledge is available, and the available knowledge may be presented to one or more of the meeting participants.

Knowledge sharing based on meeting information

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to one or more configured computing systems identifying companion content and supplemental content for a base content. Companion content may include, for example, video adaptations of the base content. Supplemental content may include content referenced or related in subject matter to the base content. Information regarding companion content may be utilized to enable a user to interchangeably or synchronously present either a base content (e.g., an eBook or audio book) with the companion content (e.g., a movie adaptation). Information regarding supplemental content may be utilized to present the supplemental content during consumption of a base content, or to save supplemental content for later viewing.

Managing related digital content

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to one or more configured computing systems identifying when decoupled content includes a companion content pair (e.g., a first content and a second content) that can be synchronously or interchangeably presented. Further, aspects of the present disclosure relate to providing a limited portion of at least one content item of a companion content pair, such as sample portions or trial use portions, and enabling playback of the limited portion synchronized with or as an alternative to the corresponding item of companion content. In some embodiments, a user may be enabled to acquire the complete content item either during or after consumption of the limited portion.

Synchronized digital content samples

Users may have a set duration during which they may consume content, or they may have a variable duration during which they may consume content. A content pacing service is disclosed so that a portion of an item of content may be conveyed in the set duration during which a user is to consume the content. In one embodiment, the rate at which the content is conveyed is increased or decreased so that a reference point in the item of content (e.g., the end of a chapter in an audiobook) is reached approximately when the duration of the user's content consumption ends.

Pacing content

Systems and methods are provided for recommending a portion of one or more content items to be consumed in a given context. For example, a recommendation service may receive context information associated with a user's current context, where the context may be associated with a geographic location, an activity or other information. The recommendation service may then determine one or more recommended portions of one or more content items to be consumed in the given context, where the determination may be based in part on content characteristics of the one or more recommended portions.

Providing context-based portions of content

Digital items of dynamic content may be navigated by content elements associated with the item of dynamic content. In some embodiments, a voice command or natural language query is obtained from a user to whom the item of dynamic content is being presented. The voice command or natural language query may be processed to identify a content element to which the user wishes to navigate. The item of dynamic content may then be presented starting at a presentation position at or near a presentation position with which the content element is associated.

Selecting presentation positions in dynamic content

Features are disclosed for managing presentation of content to improve the content consumption experience as a user moves around or when there are multiple users. Based on user positions within a content consumption location and optionally on the layout of the location, presentation of content can be adjusted. The volume of audio content may be raised or lowered based on a user's position. Audio or visual content can be paused or stopped if a user leaves the location or the user's view is obstructed. When multiple users are consuming a content item, one or more users may have priority and any adjustment may be made to first improve the experience of the priority user. In some cases, no user has priority, and adjustments may be made to improve the experience of many or all users.

User location-based management of content presentation

Features are disclosed for transferring the presentation or playback of content from device to device. The content may include, but is not limited to, aural, video, and multimedia content. A personal device may be detected playing content. A current play position of the content can be obtained, and playback can be halted. The play position can be transferred to a media device wherein playback is automatically resumed. Additionally, the playing of content may be transferred between two or more media devices, for example in response to the movement of a user. Personal device movements and content operations may be monitored in order to determine improvements to the automatic transfer of content consumption from device to device.

Automated transition of content consumption across devices

A service for conveying questions with an item of content is disclosed. The content question service may analyze a portion of an item of content, select a question task, and then generate a question about the portion of the item of content using the selected question task. The content question service may receive a user's response to the conveyed question, analyze the response, and track the user's skill level for the selected question task.

Conveying questions with content

Features are disclosed for providing notifications or recommendations to users based on user profile information and digital content the user is watching. In some implementations, a user can be watching a television program on a network enabled television. The systems and methods may determine characteristics of the television program and obtain user profile information. The systems and methods then may analyze the determined characteristics and user profile information to determine an association between the user and an item of interest in the television program. The systems and methods then may generate and provide a notification relating to the association to the user. Optionally, the systems and methods may also provide one or more recommendations to the user based at least in part on the determined association.

Recommendation and purchase options for recommemded products based on associations between a user and consumed digital content

Systems and methods are provided for enabling user interaction with content markers of a content item. Content markers can generally correspond to any point of interest in the content item. In one embodiment, a scrub bar is provided enabling user navigation to locations within the content item. As a user utilizes the scrub bar to select a location corresponding to a content marker, a haptic notification is provided to the user indicative of a corresponding point of interest. Thereafter, the user may halt interaction with the scrub bar to being playback of the content item at the point of interest. In another embodiment, a user is enabled to provide input perpendicular to a displayed scrub bar to alternate between multiple available scrub bars and/or points of interest. For example, multiple scrub bars may be provided, each associated with a given type of point of interest.

Growing community of inventors

New York, NY, United States of America

Ajay Arora