Audible, Inc.

Douglas Cho Hwang

Douglas Scott Goldstein

Ajay Arora

Guy Ashley Story, Jr

Shirley C Yang

Guy A Story, Jr

Aaron Payne Goldsmid

Graham James Bavitz

Pamela R Spector

Nathan Garret Brothers

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

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 synchronously presenting companion content, such as text content of an electronic book, while recording or presenting narration audio content spoken by a narrator. For example, recorded audio content may be received that corresponds to words of the companion content as spoken by a narrator. The recorded audio content may be received at least substantially in real time as the words are spoken. Content synchronization information for the recorded audio content and the text content may be generated, where the content synchronization information maps portions of the recorded audio content to corresponding portions of the text content. The audio content and the text content may be synchronously presented to a user based at least in part on the content synchronization information.

Synchronizing recorded audio content and companion content

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

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

A computing device may provide a visual cue to items of content (for example, words in a book) synchronized with the playback of companion content (for example, audio content corresponding to the book). For example, embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a content playback synchronization system for use with physical books (or other physical media). In an embodiment, the computing device may display a visual cue (for example, an underline, box, dot, cursor, or the like) to identify a current location in textual content of the physical book corresponding to a current output position of companion audio content. As the audio content is presented (i.e., as it 'plays back'), the highlight and/or visual cue may be advanced to maintain synchronization between the output position within the audio content and a corresponding position in the physical textual content.

Synchronizing playback of digital content with physical 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

Items of content may be organized into branched portions. From a current portion of an item of content, a branch may be selected, and the portion of the item of content connected by the selected branch to the current portion of the item of content may be conveyed. In this respect, multiple paths through the item of content may be achieved, each path including one or more portions connected to each other by one or more branches.

Conveying branched content

Features are disclosed for generating presentations of information about activities of users of personal devices. Any number of personal devices may transmit information about activities performed by users associated with the personal devices. The information can be transmitted to a management component configured to compile the information, supplement the information with information from third-party sources, and generate presentations. The presentations may be based on templates associated with particular users or groups of users. The presentations may include, but are not limited to, visual, audio, and textual content.

Compilation and presentation of user activity information

An in-vehicle gaming system may be played by a driver alone, or simultaneously or individually by a driver and/or one or more other users. The in-vehicle gaming system may be activated or controlled by, for example, touch, voice, or gesture. Gameplay is dynamically adjusted based at least in part on environmental factors such that the driver is not distracted from driving the vehicle. Game content is generated based at least in part on environmental factors and user data.

Growing community of inventors

New York, NY, United States of America

Douglas Cho Hwang